Cameron "Camo" Vance

"I didn't leave friends and family behind and spend just about every Lien I've ever made to get this far and just...become popular, or fall in love, or be a hero, or whatever fantasy you lust after. I've only ever had one goal in sight - to become a Huntsman, a Grimm-slaying machine - and I'll shoot down anyone or anything that gets in my way."

Cameron Marshall Vance, a.k.a. "Camo", is a sniper-class Huntsman-in-training attending Beacon and a member of Team Terracotta (TCTA). He wields a compound bow in combat and favors long-range tactics, stealth, and speed over open contests of strength.

Appearance
Camo stands five feet and nine inches tall (5' 9") and has an average, if physically fit, build for a middle-weight human of his age. His mid-length black hair refuses to be styled and simply lays around his head in a disorganized array. It never gets in the way of his eyes, though, which shimmer with a deep emerald hue.

Camo's casual wardrobe gravitates around utility and comfort rather than style, providing just the right blend of flexibility and freedom of movement, protection from the elements, and storage capacity for the tools of his proverbial trade. He prefers cargo pants with a belt and a short-sleeved T-shirt; although he occasionally switches to cargo shorts in the summer, he adamantly refuses to wear long sleeves in winter. His favorite forest-camouflage-print combat vest, a pair of dark-brown hiking boots, and some black glovettes complete his outfit.

Personality
Camo fits the role of the sniper like a glove: focused, methodical, and dead-serious on the battlefield, he makes it his goal to complete every assignment with optimal speed and efficacy. In a social capacity, on the other hand, he's much less secure, being overcautious - sometimes to the point of cowardice - viciously jealous of those with social and/or political clout and, when depressed, prone to dropping subtle hints of self-loathing. To others, he often seems distant and aloof, but he sometimes softens up a bit when someone he knows well is having a tough time. Lastly, he likes to think of himself as being in control of his instincts and impulses, but when taken out of his comfort zone, he can easily be thrown off-balance (especially when it comes to girls).

Those that knew Cameron as a child would be shocked to learn about the drastic change in his demeanor; he used to be a loud, boastful, and adventurous child, a stark contrast to the harsh personality he only recently adopted. The truth of the matter lies in the records of a field assignment he took on in his third year at Sanctum, when he was working with some of his classmates. The assignment went awry when the group was set upon by a savage Ursa; in the struggle that ensued, one student was killed and a few more were injured. Cameron managed to slay the beast with a precise hit between its eyes, ending the carnage, but he always blamed himself for being too slow to aid his fallen friends. His new attitude is the result of strict self-correction based on that experience; he plans to take his abilities to their absolute limit to prevent any more tragedies that could come about due to his inaction.

Human-Faunus Relations
Camo doesn't bear any ill will toward Faunus in general, but if he's not careful about his choice of words, he might occasionally let a discriminatory remark or two slip. In that event, though, he'd be quick to correct himself and apologize, although any further conversation might be a bit more uncomfortable.

Personal History
Cameron Vance was born to Aaron Vance and Paula Burris in Mistral. Soon after his seventh birthday, it was discovered that he suffered from chronic narcolepsy; concern for his well-being drove his parents - not to mention his father's father, Marshall Drake Vance - to make many financial sacrifices toward treatment and mitigation. Cost would not normally have been an object, but when he was eleven years old, Aaron disappeared while travelling to Atlas; based on later investigations, officials concluded that increased Grimm activity in his general vicinity may have been responsible for his disappearance, and after a search party failed to pick up any trace of him, he was publicly declared dead. Cameron and his mother struggled to make ends meet in his absence, between managing his sleep disorder and caring for his grandfather. When he learned of the possibility that his father might have been killed by a monster, he became infatuated with the Huntsmen and vowed to join their ranks.

Taking up his grandfather's old bow, Cameron somehow scrounged up enough Lien for tuition and applied to Sanctum, studying the art of archery and learning to defend himself and others from the bestial Grimm. Complications arising from his narcolepsy held him back repeatedly in his lessons, which could have spelled the end of his journey. Thankfully, though, experimental medicines had come a long way since his childhood, what with the introduction of Dust application theory. By the time he turned eighteen years old, he was managing a cutting-edge regimen that allowed him - and still allows him - to lead a more normal lifestyle. It's unclear how he managed to afford these medicines and continue to pay extra tuition for his extended curriculum and fund his construction of his personal weapon of choice, but considering that he lacks the means to come into that kind of money by legitimate means, and that he hasn't won any lottery of any sort, it stands to reason that he might be keeping a rather nasty secret...

Cameron recently managed to complete his graduation from Sanctum, earning honors as a precision marksman, and was given the titles of archer and sniper by his mentors and the endearing moniker "Camo" by his peers.

Family
Aaron Vance: father, age 52 (missing, presumed dead)

Paula Vance: mother, age 56; maiden name Burris

Marshall Drake Vance: paternal grandfather, age 89

Friends and Allies
Talen Multis: Partner, captain of Team TCTA. Though his constant optimism is somewhat irritating, Camo admires Talen for his wide variety of talents and selfless nature (although he wouldn't normally admit as much).

Tanner Arthen: Teammate, member of Team TCTA. Camo isn't quite sure what to make of Tanner's relaxed cowboy personality (although the word "twang-y" comes to mind), but he respects the power and precision of his knightly facet and considers him an invaluable asset to the team.

Albastru Aripa: Teammate, member of Team TCTA. Camo considers him a danger to himself and the rest of the team, thanks to his penchant for high-profile tendencies. He does have some respect for Al's combat capabilities, but this is heavily overshadowed by scorn for his dramatic actions.

Rivals and Enemies
None established yet

Strengths
Camo’s eyesight is his greatest asset; he boasts the ability to see for a few miles with great lucidity. Coupled with practiced marksmanship and studied calm through meditation, he has all the makings of an efficient long-range assassin. He is also very nimble and flexible, which helps him get out of a wide variety of sticky situations.

Weaknesses
Camo has a weak constitution and is ill-suited for close combat; he can protect himself against minor threats but won’t last long against a foe with decent offensive skill. He’s also heavily reliant on medication to manage his narcolepsy. Missing a dose could lead to him nodding off, which could prove fatal to himself or to his allies while on mission.

Primary Weapon: Flightless Hawk
Too large and rigid to be fired by amateur bowmen, this four-foot-long compound bow unfolds into multiple segments and can be carried on Camo's back in its collapsed form via a magnetic tether. A stress-resistant plastic-and-steel-mesh composite forms the limbs, and the bowstring and cables are made from peak-performance polyethylene fiber. He possesses a variety of skins for the limbs and can swap them out as needed for minimal exposure, but he uses a simple hunter-green skin by default. A rubber grip on either end of the middle segment allows him to keep a firm grip on the bowstaff in either hand, and a mounted sight helps him adjust for accuracy over long ranges.

The tensile strength of the Flightless Hawk’s bowstring is usually too great to fire wooden arrows without breaking them. He prefers to craft his own arrows, favoring a steel alloy to make the arrows and hawk feathers (the inspiration for the weapon’s namesake) to flight them. These arrows are carried in a light-weight plastic quiver slung over his back, which can carry up to 25 shots at once; the quiver also has a magnetic panel used to catch and carry the compact form of the bow and has some tiny hidden compartments for other uses as well. Because his supplies are so limited, Camo is careful to re-use his arrows as often as possible and may go out of his way (though never into harm’s way) to retrieve expended ammo.

If he finds himself in a pinch, his weapon is not without its uses in close combat. Hidden at the ends of either limb is a small, retractable, leaf-bladed spear head. Once this form is engaged, the bow flattens from a curved shape into a literal staff, with tiny hooks on the insides of the limbs trapping the bowstring in place to prevent it from getting caught on random objects.

Sub-Weapon: Talon
Let it never be said that Camo ever went into an assignment unprepared. There's nothing special about this stainless-steel dagger, but if the Flightless Hawk becomes inoperable or is inaccessible for any reason, its fourteen-inch-long double-edged blade can give him some small measure of defensive capability while seeking an alternative solution to open conflict.

Dust
Though he doesn’t have access to a large supply of it, Camo does occasionally anoint the tips of his arrows with ice and electric Dust for special targets. His favorite choice, though, is a home-made blend of fire Dust mixed with ordinary earthen dirt; though it lacks the incendiary properties of the pure stuff, it can be thrown to create a potent smokescreen that can momentarily sear and blind any eyes directly exposed to it.

Aura
Camo’s Aura is fairly weak and provides little more than basic protection, emphasizing his need to remain as far away from open conflict as possible. Whether or not it will remain this flimsy has yet to be seen, but for all intensive purposes, the archer really is just that squishy.

Semblance of Velocity
Though he hasn't yet discovered it, Camo is capable of a similar Semblance to that of Ruby Rose. The Semblance of Velocity will allow Camo to attain unusually-high travel speeds with rapid acceleration; it'll be a tiresome ability at first, allowing him only to reach top speeds of about 60 mph and maintain that speed for about 10 seconds at most. At its peak, he may be capable of short-distance quick-steps and of maintaining even higher speeds for up to fifteen minutes at once.

Trivia
-Camo is a modified version of Rip Vance, a character featured in the RWBY free-form RP scenario on Giant in the Playground forums. Both Camo and Rip were created and are acted out by the same player, who commonly uses the alias "ImpSyndrome" (or "Imp" for short).

-Camo's narcolepsy is an attribute inspired by the story of Rip van Winkle. His skill as a bowman is inspired by his player's fascination with legendary archers Houyi (of Chinese myth) and Minamoto no Yorimasa (of Japanese lore).

-There's no food finer than pizza in Camo's eyes. A single bite out of deep-dish pizza pie has been repeatedly proven to bring him two steps from culinary Nirvana. Just don't stuff it with anything but cheese, or else...

Theme Music

 * Main Character Theme: "Different" - Pendulum


 * Main Mission Theme: "RAW Power" - MyonMyon


 * Main Combat Theme: "Silver Moon" - NemesisTheory (Newgrounds)


 * Sleeper: "Enter Sandman" - Metallica + SFSO


 * Sneak Attack: "Mauve" - Shadows Hearts: From the New World OST


 * Open Hostility: "How I Could Just Kill a Man" - Rage Against the Machine


 * Casual: "Flowering Night" - Xi-on


 * Anxiety: "Double Bass" - Gorillaz


 * Meditate: "Encounter with Innocent Devil" - Castlevania: Curse of Darkness OST


 * Psychosis: "Hartmann's Yokai Girl" - Takase


 * ???: "Dirty Little Secret" - Pillar