Characters / Blacklight

Zarah Vyas

Still waters run deep, and there are fucking sharks down there.

Quiet and thoughtful, but quick to anger, Zarah has trouble letting others have input on her life, and an even harder time keeping her nose out of other people’s problems. The only person she’s ever spent significant time around is her sister Kihri, and is struggling to deal with that suddenly changing. Weirdly interested in corpses.

Tropes:

• Angsty Surviving Twin: Complicated slightly by the fact that Kihri is still around, but the angsty part certainly isn't in question.
• Full-Name Ultimatum: Zarah Karuni Vyas, courtesy of Kihri in Chapter Fifteen.
• Identical Twin ID Tag: Long hair, pimples, bags under her eyes, corporeal.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: She and Kihri can both be red or blue, depending on the situation:
  • Zarah is softer spoken, more introverted and concerned with politeness (blue), but also has a furious temper, and has a tendency to follow her gut and rush in (red).
  • Kihri is brash and rude, swears profusely and is generally obnoxious (red), but is also much calmer than her sister and interested in caution and preparation (blue).
• Spock Speak: Talks like this most of the time, but seemingly more due to difficulties with the language than anything inherent. When speaking her native language and in her internal monologue, she's a lot more natural.

Kihri Vyas

Voted ‘Most Likely To Die Young & Still Find A Way To Be Smug About It’.

Kihri has spent most of her life feeling like the ignored expert, even back when people could still see and hear her. Dying at age 10 and persisting as a ghost has had no negative effects on her whatsoever, and she will loudly insist as such if accused. She loves her sister Zarah dearly, but being the only person she can talk to strains their relationship. Not, of course, that Kihri needs any help with that.

Tropes:

• Buffy Speak: Has a very, you know. Casual, fragmented way of speaking? Lots of sarcasm and like, searching for the right words and stuff.
• Identical Twin ID Tag: Short hair, clear skin, a scar over her lip, dead.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: She and Zarah can both be red or blue, depending on the situation:
  • Zarah is softer spoken, more introverted and concerned with politeness (blue), but also has a furious temper, and has a tendency to follow her gut and rush in (red).
  • Kihri is brash and rude, swears profusely and is generally obnoxious (red), but is also much calmer than her sister and interested in caution and preparation (blue).

Oraena "Orae" Seston

Proof that Napoleon complexes can surpass the gender binary.

Orae is a calm and refined intellectual, and they would appreciate it if the universe stopped trying to prove them otherwise. With righteous (and not-so-righteous) fury simmering just below the surface – and below eye-level – at all times, they can be fairly intimidating, but to anyone who’s seen them doting on their dog Lucel, it’s pretty obvious that there’s a tender heart underneath. Very, very far underneath.

Tropes:

• Cigarette of Anxiety: Is often seen smoking, and has been stressed-out for the entirety of their appearances so far.
• Fights Like a Normal: apart from their attack dog, they don't appear to have any special abilities, attacking with a knife and, later, a gun.
• Smoking Is Cool: smokes heavily, wears nice suits, and generally seems cool and collected.
• The Beastmaster: seems to operate this way, using a series of whistles to sic their hound on Zarah.

Remy Auclair

Ignorance is bliss and he’s in Nirvana.

Remy has never had a worry in his life, and doesn’t intend to start now. Despite being raised among the militaristic Blackguard from birth, he somehow maintained a laissez-faire attitude to everything and everyone, including his responsibilities. Being sent on snipe hunts was supposed to be a punishment, but he’s enjoying the freedom, and the company of his new friends. Admittedly, they’d appreciate it if he spent less time chasing tail and more time using his frankly terrifying power to help them, but n’est-ce pas, non?

Tropes:

• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Not the sharpest knife in the door, prone to misunderstandings and miscommunications, and can effortlessly send you into the stratosphere.
• Dumb Muscle: Remy is (rightfully) pegged as a bit thick by almost every person who meets him, and is also the strongest character in the story so far, being apparently utterly invincible.
• French Jerk: Averted - he's one of the sweetest and friendliest characters to appear by a wide margin.

Dr. Indira Khoura

The Grand Commander of the Chival in Ostra and surrounding countries, whatever that means. Don’t fuck with her.

The woman behind the woman. Wears pince-nez, for some reason.

Tropes:

• Mildly Military

Captain Myra Coleridge

Dr. Khoura’s… something. Nobody’s quite sure what, but definitely something.

Behind every great woman is another, very patient woman. Who, for when patience doesn't cut it, can also bench-press a moderately-sized truck.

Tropes:

• Mildly Military

Reserve Agent Rinet Yso

Pronounced how it’s spelled, not like Renee. Too young for this shit.

First introduced as a police detective, Rinet is quickly revealed to be a secret agent of some kind for the Ostran government.

Tropes:

• Badass Normal: Rinet appears to be a baseline human, but doesn't hesitate to try and arrest Orae and Remy in Chapter Fifteen.
• Eyepatch of Power
• Improbable Age: A secret agent, at the tender age of twenty. Possibly subverted, though, as she tells Dr. Khoura in Chapter Fifteen that her position is more due to political manoeuvring than anything to do with her.
• The Men in Black: Part of some kind of similar organisation, but unlike the trope namer, they don't seem to be particularly well-funded or powerful.