::Powered/SOURCE
a sci-fi au meme
50 years ago, or 75 years ago,or 20 - it's hard to recall such precise numbers in the haze and hardship - the world almost ended. While the timing itself is remembered by few, the event serves as a sharp divide of before the Fall and after. The Fall, in all its terrible and explosive splendor, sent societies spinning on their heads, no matter if its intimate nature are unclear. Once again, humanity has had to claw its way out of the primordial pit, all its achievements sent to ruin in the face of a nuclear flare. What little governmental structure remain amongst the survivors is tyrannical, but astute. When those in charge noticed that offspring of those who hadn't been killed by the Fall were beginning to be born with unique abilities, they chose not to persecute this "new generation." Instead, they jumped at the chance to have a homegrown army to protect the fragile rebirth of man, learning little from the old mistakes.
These gifted individuals fall into two categories: those with psionic powers and abilities used for offense and those who have healing and rejuvenating properties. Apart, these are interesting parlor tricks, with psionics, called Powereds, being about to move items with their minds for a few inches or pick up heavier ones they shouldn't be able to or healers, called Sources, fixing up superficial wounds. The true potential lies in when a Powered and Source are brought together, however. Each Powered has a Source that is their match and vice versa, the lock to their key, right down to the very genetics. When the right pairing made, a Powered can move mountains or create energy weapons beyond compare, a Source can provide near infinite energy to their Powered or even bring living beings back from the brink of death. To belong to either of these groups is a high honor. So high, in fact, that as soon as a child shows promise, they are whisked away by higher authorities to be matched with their lifetime Powered or Sourced and begin their training, where, despite the risks, they will find better living conditions and more resources than they could have ever dreamed of out in the desolate, dying world.
This pair grows up together, becoming dependent on each other. Even if their personalities clash, the pull in their very nature evens things out; it is, after all, a psychic bond that connects Powered and Sourced. Without the presence of their Source, a Powered might find themselves enraged or worried or unsettled. On the other hand, a lonely Source may become listless or despaired. As two is where they find complete harmony, and their unity shows in the combat or espionage skills.
On record, romance between matched pairs is strictly forbidden. Off the books, though, it happens more times than not, with two people growing up together virtually since childhood who are programmed to be co-dependent, and it is highly encouraged by those higher up due to abilities being strengthened through both emotional connection and physical contact. There's no risk in it, in their eyes, only gain as they can terminate a pair quite easily. A Powered is useless without a Source, so the ultimate weapon has a kill-switch...and a useful weakness for blackmail purposes There are always whispers in barracks of someone who's doing a task because their Powered's or Source's life is at stake.
Once battle training is complete, each pair is assigned to an eight-man cell, comprised of four matched pairs like themselves. What these teams do depends upon their skill sets and training levels, with anything from peacekeeping to public relations to assassination being on the dossier. Yet the imperative is for those on front line is clear: protect your Powered or Sourced at all costs, even on the backs of the others on your team.
Without them, you are useless. Without them, there is no place for you in this world.
tl;dr sparknotes this because we want to get to the meme: Sentinels and guides had a baby with YA dystopian lit. After a near extinction level cataclysm, people began to develop abilities that fall into two categories: Powered (sentinel/warrior) and Source (guide/healer). Their true powers are only revealed when they find their one genetically compatible match. A shadow government kidnaps these individuals, puts them into lifebonds, trains them for combat, then sends them out in teams to do all the dirty work. Codependency, mind-bonding, unhealthy love, and bloody murder probably ensue.
- In the subject line, place your character name, canon, preferences, and whether your character will be a Powered, Source, or either.
- Reply to others!
- What will your character be doing? Being a late bloomer and only now meeting their partner? Training? On a mission? Enjoying some rare down time? Comforting their partner? Aftercare after the battle? Getting blackmailed? Climbing to the top of the ladder and infiltrating the government? Realizing their partner's getting a little too bloodthirsty? Falling in love with someone else's Powered or Source - absolute anathema. Facing certain death? It's up to you.
- Thread.
|
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
considers) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
bakerstreet2016-08-05 09:02 am
genji shimada | overwatch | powered
Re: genji shimada | overwatch | powered
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
"Good, Hanzo." Hanzo looked up from where he was sitting on the floor, the faux human torso on the carpet in front of him no longer bleeding from a deep chest wound. He sat back, then nodded, letting the scientist - Lorra - take the torso away. He didn't speak, knowing that she was praising him to check a box on her list, but rose when she beckoned. Setting aside the fake torso on a table, she reached down to start peeling the electrodes off of his chest and arms - they pull out a few sparse hairs and he winces, rubbing the red spots left behind.
"Are you ready to meet your Powered?" Lorra asked, voice rather sing-songy. Hanzo stared up at her, but he took the shirt she offered, pulling it on over his head. It was baggy and light grey, and the collar was embossed with his name and ID number - 5624 - and the word SOURCE. Like the light grey tunic wasn't show enough. Powereds wore black.
"I guess," he said, because she was waiting for a response from him.
"Great! He's waiting for you!" She reached down to take his hand - imperious, but he let her anyways. Never mind that he was thirteen, he still only came up to her elbow - she was tall, and in heels, and he was short. Besides, letting her hold his hand was better than the alternative. He knew that the Powereds couldn't get away with that - they were stronger, and even without a Source they could hurt somebody.
Hanzo followed Lorra without protest, letting her chatter at him as they walked.
The room she swiped a badge to let him into wasn't familiar, but it was a door he'd passed before. The room beyond looked a lot like the testing room he'd just left. Carpeted floor, bare walls, no chairs or anything. This room was bare of a table even. "Why don't you take a seat," Lorra said, releasing Hanzo. He sat as he was told, sitting cross-legged on the carpet in the corner furthest from the door.
Honestly, he had thought there would be more ceremony to this - not being taken to a room and sat down on a day he hadn't been expecting it.
He watched Lorra putter around the room for a few moments, then leave without saying anything. Sighing, Hanzo let his shoulders relax and he leaned his head forward.
no subject
His focus was interrupted when his trainer, Anwar, said his name. It was an odd enough occurrence that it easily broke his concentration, much like the long wooden section of his mock blade that had broken off from its handle only a moment ago. His breathing was all over the place, Genji realized. His chest heaved like he'd been sprinting. He was only supposed to do katas today without channelling his abilities. Each movement should’ve been flowed into each other, like water, but he’d applied too much force without knowing it. He could feel the currents running through his arms now, now that it was too late to stop the flow of his power, and his sword was its casualty. All it would take to seriously injure someone was one mindless slip, and Genji had been having one too many lately.
This was bad, not because he felt sorry for channeling his abilities when he wasn't supposed to, but because the punishments doled out to Powereds were nothing to laugh at. He'd been on the receiving end one too many times to not feel dread. He brought himself back to his relaxed stance first before responding, if only because Anwar wouldn't take kindly to him simply turning around to face him. That was something other children did, not 10-year-old Powereds like himself.
"Yes."
“Come with me.” With that, Anwar didn’t say anything more before leaving the room. That could mean either one of two things, neither option being anything Genji wanted to experience again. He hesitated before following. He left the broken piece of his sword where it was on the floor while he put the hilt back on the weapon rack. They didn't go to the places Genji suspected they would, instead Anwar led him to a part of the compound Genji had never been to. What was going on? They eventually stopped in a room occupied by a smiling woman, who greeted both of them cheerfully. It was a stark contrast to Anwar, who turned to Genji with his usual solemnity.
"You've been having trouble focusing lately," his trainer said. "This is good." Wait. What? "I believe you're ready to take the next step in your training. There's someone waiting for you in that room, I'd like for you to get acquainted with him." He didn't immediately move to comply. This was all very sudden and Genji was only now realizing what was happening, but Anwar didn't give him time to compose himself before gesturing impatiently to the door. "Go on, Genji."
He went. What else was he supposed to do?
In the room, bare of anything, another boy sat cross-legged in the corner. His shirt was grey. Genji stopped short when the door shut behind him, not quite knowing what to do when suddenly faced with a Source. He suddenly felt shy, even though Genji wasn't that kind of kid. This was his Source. Wasn't that how it worked? He didn't want to make himself look like an idiot in front of him.
"Hello," Genji ventured cautiously when the older boy didn't speak or move either. "I'm Genji."
no subject
He was a few years younger than Hanzo, with dark hair and a face pudgier than his - but their eyes were similar. Unusual, compared to most of the other people Hanzo had seen. Before he could say anything, the door closed shut behind him. Hanzo was suddenly aware that he was alone. With a Powered. His Powered.
Or he was this Powered's Source. Because that was how it worked, right? Sources belonged to their partner. Like objects. Hanzo gritted his teeth. This shy boy, face ducked into the collar of his black shirt, was going to, for all the world cared, own him? Hanzo knew how strong he was, and they wanted him to partner with a Powered like this?
"Hanzo," he said briefly, then stood. He was taller than the other boy, Genji, and broader, too. "You're my Powered?" He stepped closer. Genji was supposedly psionic, but Hanzo couldn't imagine him being able to lift even a pebble.
no subject
He hadn’t been told one way or the other if Hanzo was really meant to be his Source. If Genji had been expecting someone gentle like Anwar’s Source, who was the only Source Genji had ever seen a handful of times, then Hanzo swiftly abolished the idea. He instinctually took a step back from the older boy stepped forward, if only because Genji could sense something in the air. It was hard to describe and Genji didn’t have time to wonder what it was. What was that?
He was distracted by Hanzo's question. Who had he been expecting? Genji was one of the few Anwar had to train alone, if only because of the damage he could inadvertently do to the other Powereds.
“I think so,” Genji replied, belatedly catching his step back. He tried to stand up straighter to make up for it. He wasn’t about to let himself feel inferior to a Source, even if Hanzo was obviously older and taller than him. He was a Powered. That meant something to people. “They wouldn't have put us in a room together if they didn't want me to be."
no subject
Hanzo snorted and looked away. "How old are you? Seven? You're such a baby." He folded his arms over his chest. He stared at the one-way mirror on the wall, imagining Lorra beyond, watching him and reporting everything that was going on. He didn't want this. He didn't want some baby for a Powered. "I don't want you," he said, then turned to head back to the corner. He sat down and closed his eyes, trying to meditate.
no subject
“I’m ten,” Genji corrected indignantly. He wasn’t short enough to be mistaken for a seven-year-old. He knew this because he hadn’t been the shortest one in the group of boys he initially trained with. His best friend at the time was a year older than him but stood an inch shorter. (The few friendships he’d had became strained when he began training alone with Anwar, making him part outcast, part loner.)
“What makes you think I want a Source like you?” It came out of his mouth simply because he was stung at being disrespected and ignored but Genji quickly remembered, upon seeing Hanzo staring at the mirror, that Anwar was likely on the other side, looking on in disapproval at him being provoked so easily by an uppity Source. It normally wasn't this easy to rouse his temper. He tried to rein in the heat of his anger but couldn't quite keep it out of his eyes.
“I need a Source,” Genji said shortly, to Hanzo's back, fist clenching on the side where Anwar wouldn't be able to see. “It’s supposed to help me. You’re supposed to help me.”
no subject
He sighed after a moment, and looked away from the mirror. "Come here. Sit down." He gestured for Genji to move closer. He didn't have to like Genji, but he knew what would happen to him if he showed fear, who knew what happened to a Powered who showed fear. It couldn't be good, though, right? He reached out and as soon as Genji was close enough, Hanzo snatched up his hand.
A normal Source could only heal minor physical injuries. But Hanzo wasn't a normal Source. He was strong enough even without a Powered to boost him, and had a very minor level of empathy.
no subject
Still, Genji sat down in front him stiffly. He startled when Hanzo abruptly grabbed his hand and nearly tugged his hand away out of reflex, but Genji managed to kill the reaction before he could. He couldn’t hide how much he tensed up, though, and stared at their hands instead of looking at Hanzo.
Masked by the bright swirl of anger and fear, Genji was obviously hurt. And disappointed. He had wanted a Source like the ones he’d heard about in stories. He hadn’t wanted to be a Powered but hoped, maybe, a Source would make it worthwhile. Had he been wrong to think that? He didn't know everything there was to know about Sources and was confused about why Hanzo suddenly wanted to hold his hand.
"What are you doing?" He finally looked up at Hanzo, wary. "Why are you holding my hand?"
no subject
He didn't know about Powereds, but Sources got chances to practice with already paired Powereds, learning how to use and control their own abilities, how to deal with the boost that came with being paired, even temporarily, to a Powered. And right now, Genji wasn't giving him anything. He was too tense. Hanzo knew he could help with the fear.
And maybe if he got Genji to relax and show him what he was capable of, he could learn if this was going to be a useless Powered to get him out of the way, or an actual partner. He closed his other hand around Genji's and opened himself up. He was a latent energy source, a sleeping battery, but close contact with a Powered - even one who was closed up into himself - would wake up that sleeping power anyways.
"Don't cry," he said, roughly, "You don't want to let them know you're scared, right?"
no subject
It was rare for a Powered to work with a Source. And Genji’s experiences with them were limited to medical care. His trips down to the medical wing were usually unpleasant. They didn’t take him down there unless an injury had a chance of being permanently crippling. The medics were almost always Sources, who were clinical in their healing, and Genji never felt more than a brush of what they were capable of.
The experiences didn’t exactly inspire him to think much of them. Wanting one of his own had been ingrained to him since entering the facility, but Genji began to think any Source would be fine if all they could do was heal you. Why did he have to work hard for that? It was only when Anwar and his Source demonstrated their capabilities that Genji realized what he could have. He would never forget the raw strength of the Powered rippling in the air, amplified but tempered by the guidance of the Source. He had been awed. It was a scrap thrown to the young Powereds, a bone to motivate them into working harder to gain their own Source. They were meant to see it as a privilege. And Genji decided, on that day, he would have that connection with another person too.
"And I'm not going to cry. You're the one holding my hand," Genji continued. "Maybe you're the one who is scared."
There it was again, that thing Genji had felt when Hanzo initially took a step towards him. It was more noticeable now that they were touching. His annoyed expression twisted into confusion as he looked back down at their hands, trying to place it. The sensation was enough to distract him from his feelings. It felt like a ribbon waving wildly in the wind, waiting for him to snatch it out of midair.
He did. In his mind, that’s what he did. A jolt shot through his arm and spread through his chest. Genji gasped outwardly, not realizing he’d just instinctively tapped into Hanzo’s power.
no subject
He lifted his head to look at Genji. He was visibly confused looking. Did he not realize what he had done? How did he not know he'd just pulled on Hanzo's power.
But his power was starting to wake up in response. An already bonded Powered didn't do that, didn't wake up his latent ability, the desire to bond with a Powered. But as soon as the pull came, it was gone. Genji didn't know what he'd done, so he'd stopped doing it.
"Do that again," he snapped, putting his other hand around Genji's, holding his hand with both of his own. He wanted to get a sense of Genji's ability, and it was impossible with such a quick flash.
no subject
There.
This time, when he snatched the ribbon out of mid-air, he did it with both his hands. He didn’t let the jolt shock him into letting go. He stopped breathing, or thought he did, when his eyes flew open to stare at Hanzo in surprise. Something inside him connected with the older boy. In a way Genji couldn’t describe. He could sense the deep well of power that stirred inside Hanzo, reacting to his presence the way his own power did, flaring out and seeking to join together.
"That’s..." His grip on Hanzo’s hands tightened, suddenly unwilling to get go. "That’s you."
no subject
Genji was powerful. Almost too strong for his own skin, unable to control his own abilities, like trying to move a cup of water that was on the hair's edge of overflowing. But a part of Hanzo had always been empty - the cavern of his power was larger than his power, and he could hold the extra, could give Genji room to use his own power, and a tether from which to draw more.
None of the Powereds he'd connected with had been like that. They were always too big for their own skins, needing a Source to fill them to bursting. But Genji's natural state was bursting.
Genji's hair was floating, with the extra power in him, his eyes bright and gleaming.
Slowly, Hanzo scooted closer so their knees were touching and the feeling amplified. He closed his eyes and relaxed into the bond forming between them. It was natural, easy as breathing. Did the people who had paired them together know they would be like this? He let their hands fall, still clasped together, forming a bright spot on their laps where their knees and hands and arms all touched.
no subject
His own eyes closed too when Hanzo moved in closer until more points of them connected. This was what he wanted, and Genji couldn’t keep the joy from radiating through the bond that was forming between them. It seemed to surround both their bodies, currents of power melding together and flowing seamless through them. His skin prickled from it. It was uncontainable and raw and full of potential. It was the kind of connection the government wrote stories about for their propaganda, though Genji didn’t know it then.
“Wow,” he murmured when it inevitably faded away, leaving only two boys sitting in an empty room together. He was sad to see it go but Hanzo’s impression didn’t leave him entirely. He stared at the older boy with wonder in his eyes. “You’re really my Source.”
His voice was a hushed whisper, unable to keep the awe out of the words. There was no question in his mind now, no one would be able to tell him otherwise, not even Hanzo. He was Hanzo’s Powered.
no subject
Lorra, who seemed to know how he was going to react, said, "It's alright, Hanzo. We're not going to separate you."
He stared at her, still unsure, gaze flickering to the Powered behind her. He was massive, intimidating. He clutched tighter to Genji's hand. He hadn't ever been around a Powered so large, and he was feeling a bit raw from connecting with Genji. The adult Sources that were part of the group that cared for them were usually on the smaller side, not as bulky, and such a massive man was new to Hanzo.
Lorra crouched down and for once, her smile didn't seem fake. "Can you both stand? You might need to lean on each other."
"I don't want to stand. I want to stay here with Genji." It was a selfish, childish urge, but it was the truth.
"Wouldn't you rather have a comfortable place to be together?"
"This is fine right here," Hanzo insisted, but flinched when the Powered moved, jerking back a little.
no subject
“We wouldn't be so foolish as to separate a newly bonded pair,” Anwar’s voice was, as always, brusque and matter of fact. “Come, both of you. You will both be moving into a new dorm with other bonded pairs.”
His trainer didn’t wait for them to respond either. He simply left the room, expecting their compliance. He had never treated anyone under his instruction like children, so that didn't surprise Genji at all. Anwar was a very strict man but he wasn’t cruel. He wouldn’t lie to them. That much Genji could be sure of. It wasn’t until he stood on his feet that he noticed how shaky he felt, like a newborn deer experiencing its legs for the first time. The sensation passed but he still felt weird in his own skin. His whole body felt heavier than before too. Or had he never noticed?
“It’s okay. Can you walk?” He pulled Hanzo on his feet, not letting go of his hands either. He was the Powered. In his mind, that made him the strong one so he tried to act like it. Hanzo could disabuse him of this notion in the many years they’d spend together but for now, Genji was young and still had stereotypes floating around in his head.
no subject
He stepped closer to Genji and despite the height and weight he had over the other boy, leaned on him a little.
Lorra sighed and straightened up, "I'll be right back, stay here." She left the room and came back a few minutes later with a wheelchair.
"I can walk," Hanzo said, rankled by her offer of a wheelchair so they didn't have to try to walk on shaky legs. "You can walk too, right?" He asked Genji, voice still hot.
no subject
He glanced at the wheelchair and the woman before turning back to Hanzo.
"I can push you," Genji offered. "They're not so bad, I've been on them a few times."
no subject
Hanzo hesitated, but finally let go of Genji with one hand to brace on the wheelchair arm so he could drop down into it. He tugged Genji. "Sit here too. I'm not letting go of you." He didn't want to. Once he let go of Genji, that moment would pass, and he didn't want it to.
no subject
He wasn’t ready to let go either.
The woman hummed in approval before wheeling them out of the room, where Anwar stood waiting. “Lorra, I’ll go on ahead while you get them situated. I’ll come by your office with the paperwork later this afternoon.” He paused, long enough to acknowledge Genji. “Goodbye, Genji. I have high hopes for you.”
Genji bowed his head automatically. He would have bowed the way he’d been taught but Anwar was already walking away. (That wouldn’t be the last time he saw Anwar but it would be many years before he ever set eyes on him again.) With that exchange apparently done, Lorra didn’t waste any time wheeling them around and heading in the opposite direction. She pushed them through more unfamiliar corridors and seemed happy enough to talk without any input from either of them.
That also suited Genji just fine. He didn't want to talk to Hanzo if there was an adult nearby to overhear them. He kept his hand linked with Hanzo's, even though they were practically glued side by side in the wheelchair. By the time they’d arrived at their destination, Genji had relaxed enough to rest the back of his head against Hanzo's shoulder.
no subject
He relaxed back, resting his head against Genji's in return. He was exhausted and stressed, and they were going somewhere new, somewhere neither of them had ever been.
The room Lorra wheeled them into was not large. It was a pair of neatly made beds and there was a closed door, and that was about it. "These are your bonded quarters. You'll live here the rest of your training, together. For tonight, you can sleep in the same bed, but starting tomorrow you're expected to sleep separately, understand?"
Hanzo blinked tiredly, but nodded, hardly understanding.
Lorra reached out, but didn't touch either of them, and Hanzo reluctantly jostled Genji, trying to get him to move so they could get into the bed. It looked inviting. Not at all like the small, hard thing he'd slept on in the Source dorms.
"You'll meet your group handler in the morning, they'll get you settled in more properly. The rest of today is just for you two to rest and bond."
Hanzo reached out with his free hand to the bed, and carefully pulled himself up. The sheets were turned back, all they had to do was get up there. "Come on, Genji. I'm tired."
no subject
The room really wasn’t that much different from his old one. Genji didn’t have the highest standards for comfort, as the Powered dorms were very austere, but the beds looked incredibly inviting. When Lorra told them they could share one for today, Genji was glad. That would give him an excuse to crawl in with Hanzo and to ignore any complaints he may have about it.
It took some effort to push himself up when Hanzo nudged him. He swayed in place, on the edge of falling asleep, as he waited for Hanzo to also get up. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, as they always did, but for now, Genji focused on the important thing and pulled Hanzo over to the nearest bed. Having come straight from the training rooms, Genji didn’t have an shoes on. It made it that much easier to climb into bed first. He was immensely relieved that he didn’t have to stand anymore, that they could both rest soon because Hanzo did look as tired as he felt. He let go of Hanzo's hand but his fingers found purchase on the older boy's tunic when he did, in case he tried to head for the other bed. He tucked his face in his pillow, watching Hanzo and Lorra with tired eyes, and felt content enough to wait for the woman to leave.
no subject
He looked up at Lorra, who was gently tugging the blankets up over them both. "Get some rest," she said, and Hanzo nodded sleepily. She patted him on the shoulder, and he didn't watch her leave. As the door shut behind her, he became aware of just how close Genji was. He was warm and close, and Hanzo moved his arm so his hand was on Genji's forearm. The bond that had quieted down briefly flared up again at the touch, warming the space they made under the sheets even more.
It was odd, there only being the two of them in here. Hanzo hadn't been so alone without an adult... ever. Sources were raised in groups. 'Families', the counselors said. Not that any of them really knew what a family was, they'd all been taken. Their only family had been each other, but their true life partner would be their Powered.
Genji maybe wasn't so bad. He was only ten, and a crybaby, but he was strong. Maybe he would get better over time and wouldn't be so insufferable.
no subject
Genji smiled.
He’d always been less than reserved with his affection, especially with his friends before he’d fallen out with them. He didn't want to make Hanzo dislike him even more but giddiness and exhaustion made him brave. He pushed in closer and wrapped his arm around his older boy, yawning into his shoulder before relaxing completely. He could feel the bond curling around them, not as intensely as before, and marvelled at how it felt right and good. The ribbon — would he always visualize it as a ribbon? —gently swayed in his mind, like it had been sated, and didn't beckon the way it had before.
"Hanzo?"
no subject
Like this, curled up, he thought he could feel Genji's heart beating like it was inside his own chest. The bond was thick and warm between them, getting firmer by the moment, turning into something concrete, that would last until they died.
He was too tired and too peaceful to be bothered by anything Genji had to say or do. Maybe in the morning, but for right now he was calm. The cavern that was his power was still, fuller than it had been even that morning, the excess Genji hadn't been able to utilize fully kept safe with him.
Alec Mayers | OC
Hanzo Shimada | Overwatch | OTA
Lemrina Vers Envers | Aldnoah.Zero/Destiny AU
Mitsunari Ishida | Sengoku Basara | ota
Yukikaze | 07-ghost | ota
Stiles Stilinski | Teen Wolf | Guide