Caffrin

Caffrin is a character created by AetherAsterisk and was created on 1/6/2022.

* Emerald
* Jade
* Malachite
* "Human"

## Overview

Caffrin is a (currently unofficial) extension of Xenophanes and his lore. She assists him with various things inside and out of their world, between creating the illusion of it being an actual game to catch the attention of unsuspecting players (even overhauling and rebranding it entirely for the present day since the "Sonic.exe" moniker did not hold the same weight as it once used to) and incorporating more creative methods of psychological torture once they open the gateway (file) and enter their world - as well as aiding his approach to other unsuspecting victims in the real world to make him seem more trustworthy while convincing other people to play the game.

She can be chaotic and hyperactive in nature, but more often than not she is relatively harmless and easygoing – albeit a bit sassy – unless provoked (which is strongly advised against). Despite this, she is disenfranchised with humanity due to being ostracized for her abilities since childhood, so she takes no issue with "harvesting" and torturing their souls.

The game itself - in its current incarnation - poses as a so-called early first draft for a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog .titled Sonic EX, to coincide with a supposed predecessor to the Mega-CD codenamed "Project:EXperience" (also known as the Sega EX). According to (fake) legend, Sonic EX would later be split into both Sonic CD and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, for which she is presented as an (alleged) scrapped sidekick character in order to justify her presence within the game.

Throughout the game, depending on the choices and actions a player could take, is implied that she is the Satan to Xenophanes's God – play by his rules, or fight back and face the consequences. One of her specialties is "failsafing" and ensuring there is no chance of escape (though she likes to leave out a red herring or two to give the player false hope). With her "think like a gamer [player]" mentality, she is able to anticipate their victim's next move and makes sure to have an answer for everything.

## Biography

In the year 1999, a very special child was born, gifted with extraordinary power that she would later describe as "Gamer Glow". However, this power was a blessing and a curse, as the other humans did not seem to recognize her as one (treating her like an alien or a witch – anything but human), but with her mother's encouragement and older sister Veronica's reassurance, she continued to practice using her abilities while finding comfort in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise through a collection of old video games and Sonic paraphernalia handed down from Veronica's late father. Sonic was always her hero...

Twenty years pass. A fated encounter between her and "Sonic.exe" [Xenophanes] himself ended with him underestimating her power and being bested by her hands. Since he could not kill her, he settles for appointing her as his new accomplice. However, while carrying her back to his domain in the real world, a few particles of himself incidentally leaked into some of the open wounds Caffrin had endured in their battle, contaminating her blood and resulting in a much stronger obligation between the two than they would initially realize.

Meanwhile, Veronica takes notice that her little sister had gone missing and (with the help of her new friend, a junior detective and supernatural junkie named Mabel Jenkins) sets out to find her whereabouts and study the beast that holds her hostage in order to rescue her like a REAL hero would - no matter what it may cost her at the end of it all.

## Abilities/Weakness

Abilities

* The Sure Shot: shoots "Gamer Glow" energy from her fingertip(s). The intensity of the projectiles can vary on a number of factors, such as emotions or which hand she uses (or both).
* Pulse Dash: works similarly to a Super Peel-Out, only focused on forward momentum rather than constant speed.
* Blood Noise: Her entire face and head is engulfed in a blood-red static-like aura. Should you make eye contact with her (or if she looks directly at you), the static (and her face) will engulf your entire field of vision
* She can also summon "Deliverers", a dark mass of long shadowy arms that will usually appear beneath the target’s feet, grabbing and pulling their target down through the ground below and taking them to a location of her choosing. Great for stage transitions!
* Despite being confined to a physical form (particularly in the real world), she can grow and shrink her limbs and body as needed, a trait "inherited" from Xenophanes's own shapeshifting capabilities, but not enough to allow any drastic changes to her form.
* Other abilities may include object manifestation and teleportation, the latter of which being a product of Xenophanes's lifeforce being fused with her Gamer Glow.

### Weaknesses

* Despite her remarkable abilities, she was born confined to a fleshy human body and stuck with most of its (physical) limitations.
* Due to these limitations and the significantly high concentration of her Gamer Glow, she may "overcharge" if not properly regulated, causing her discomfort as well as her powers becoming unstable.
* She is theoretically mortal and can be killed, but her fast-charging Gamer Glow allows for even the most severe of wounds to heal rapidly. If you want to kill her, you'll have to do it in one shot and aim for the HEART [SOUL].

## Trivia

* Caffrin is left-handed, so a Sure Shot from her left hand would be slightly more powerful than one from her right hand. It is even more powerful if both hands hands are used.
* Aside from Sonic paraphernalia, she likes to collect dice of various shapes and colors. The "gem" in her ribbon accessory is a d20, while her necklace is a d8. They serve no functional purpose, she just thinks they're pretty.
* In the three years she spent at college before dropping out, she accrued a decent amount of programming for game development, which would come in handy much later on...
* While initially conceptualizing her in-game "true"/Malachite form, Caffrin actually took inspiration from some of Xenophanes's black metal posters, featuring all sorts of satanic imagery - including the iconic ram horns.

## Gallery

Ref Sheet 1Ref Sheet 2Ref Sheet 3Ref Sheet 4Unreleased concept design for use in western promotional art for Sonic EX, implying the game had come quite far into development before ultimately being split into Sonic 2 and CD.The only surviving screenshot of Sonic CD (then Sonic EX)’s original opening cutscene featuring the Caffrin character, who was later omitted and removed when Project:EXperience was recycled into the Mega-CD.The “Anti-Ring Monitor”, an object exclusive to Sonic EX. It is unknown why this was scrapped.End splash screen found in a promotional demo for Sonic EX that was recently leaked online…