Auragreedia

Dispatch: Heroes of Claremont

Back to Base - Running Hot

^{Everyone is here!}

---

Water splashes over Eclipse's face before he finally leaves the school, back in his usual armor. Helmet comes on next, as usual, and he finds himself inside a dimly lit janitor's closet to teleport back to base.

Lightning Girl's defeat of the all-terrifying Brick Frog rings over comms, and he has to stifle a laugh.

"Wow, well done, Eclipse. I know that wasn't your strength, but you smashed it anyway. They've already sent me an email about how happy they were with you. Good work."

The statement gives him pause. "... Thanks."

Should he say something about calling this dispatcher an idiot? Would that ruin the moment? Cause it'd totally ruin the moment, but now he was feeling bad. He didn't think he did that well, not by any means. Crowds cheer for just about anything, and frankly, he hated public speaking.

"... And sorry." He sighs. "Don't send me on another dispatch like this again. I got lucky."

He tunes out the rest and starts his slow descent into shadows. He’s hoping he never gets another job like that ever again, email recommendation or not.

---

Meanwhile, Madcap is carrying the remains of his ruined, dented motorcycle back to the office. He listens to each and every word of praise James gives out to the rest of his team. Lightning Girl defeated his arch-nemesis Brick Frog?! Something about a school speech? Ahh, chess geeks! The metro's worst enemies. Then thievery, a newly scheduled drug talk (someone got high on the job?), and makeshift animal control by the amazing Hat Trick!

Ohhh, this team is on FIRE! He is so happy to be here, working with real heroes! And... villains. Who definitely didn't belong with big names like him, Hat Trick, and Lightning Girl, no way.

"Madcap, what the fu....."

"Huh? What did I do?!" He has to duck into an alleyway when some ruffians get sight of him. More people against the great Madcap! "It was a perfect job, right? RIGHT?!"

"I thought the police got your ass weeks ago! Piece of shit!"

"Oops, gotta go." More villains are chasing him; it's just like old times. Madcap runs further into the alleyway. "I'm enroute to base!"

---

Drugs in The Workplace

The rest of the afternoon is spent mostly doing busywork. Time sheets, marketing (that, thankfully, Eclipse didn't get assigned to), and other kinds of menial work. Madcap was lucky enough to guard his favorite bakery and surprisingly not fuck it up, earning some free food to share. Eclipse, on the other hand, just followed police patrols in the shadows, occasionally pointing out secret drug deals and the like happening in any blind spots. Can't say he enjoyed it though, he hated being a narc considering his old occupation, but snitches get... rewards.

Then came the 4pm meeting with James about drugs.

Don't do drugs on the job, blah, blah, blah. Eclipse is already zoning out; he's heard this crap a thousand times before coming into Phoenix Program, and two thousand times more from concerned family and friends back in college before he finally left with Red Ring. It was a load of crap.

"If you really, really needed to take drugs to keep your powers, as per your contract with SDN, wouldn't that be a breach of contract because you'd be out of work here? Like you are, addicted to Fisherman's Friends."

"It depends. The policy has more details. And you all need a break."

If it weren't for his helmet, everyone would probably laugh at the uncharacteristic surprise on Eclipse's face. He needs to see more on that policy. Desperately. And he'd have to thank Lightning Girl for bringing it up in the first place; that was... unexpected. Highly unexpected, and he can't quite pinpoint why she'd do that for him, but he's thankful.

"I-"

Madcap leaps from his seat and does the most Boy Scout salute he's ever seen. "SIR, YES, SIR! No drugs will be done in the workplace regardless of policy exemptions. Because drugs... ARE. EVIL."

This guy is not real.

After the meeting ends and every hero leaves for break, James finds Raúl, the resident IT guy, tapping him on the shoulder. "Got your Dispatch account ready, gonna be a bit lacking compared to Riley's, but I'll get it all in order tomorrow. Oh, and, found another dispatch terminal for you to use. Sacred stuff, keep it clean, use it carefully. I'll take you to it right now."

---

Break Room

Eclipse finds himself reading over the SDN Employee Handbook. He needed to find out more about SDN's drug policy. A special exception could be made for him? He needed to make his darkness drug to keep his strength up, and no one wants a regular guy out on the field, right? Excluding Mecha-Man, obviously, but that's another case entirely. Having an expensive, high-tech mech counts as a superpower. Most of what he's reading is gibberish. Just a bunch of corporate-speak in 12px Times New Roman.

Double-spaced?

Double-spaced.

He groans. Lightning Girl appears in front of him and produces a Cheetos bag.

"Crisps for you. Don't inhale them all at once....sounds like you did a nice job at that school, inspired a lot of kids. If you ask me, sounds like something a hero would do."

"Don't think of me as a hero yet. And I--thank you." He clears his throat awkwardly, the hero comment catching him off guard. Frankly, everything about Lightning Girl caught him off guard. When was the last time someone paid to attention to him outside of drug stuff? It's been a while. "About earlier, I mean. You didn't have to say that."

Another page turns, more corporate bullshit. He doesn't want to admit he read from page one to now instead of following the table of contents. His finger twitches as he swipes to another page; he really, really wants to start over. "Do people actually read this? It's like a corporate suicide note."

He opens the bag of Cheetos, leans back, and gets right back to reading. He occasionally intercepts on the others' conversations on how badly the handbook is written and how stupid company policy is. Otherwise, he's trying hard not to run the hell away from all the heroes in the room. Hat Trick and Lightning Girl were the real deal, and if this were a few years ago, he'd be getting his ass kicked by them.

Or maybe he'd be kicking their asses. He was strong back then.

The break room door slams open, and Madcap barges into the room. "Hello, A-TEAM!" He raises a plastic bag and begins to walk by everyone. "One pork bun for everyone! And if you can't eat pork, then custard! And if you can't eat custard, then air!"

Madcap goes by Payback first, haphazardly tossing two buns in her direction. "Don't even think about stealing the others' snacks, I. Am. Watching. You."

"And one for your highness!" He gracefully hands Princess two buns, then moves over to Asteroid and Hat Trick. "And one for you, make it float! And one for my. FREAKIN'. HERO! God, this is so cool! I am such a fan of your work, Hat Trick!"

"Oh, and Lightning Girl!" Like usual, Madcap is quick to hand her two buns; one custard, one pork. Cantonese bakery staples. "I am. SO here for this! It's like all my childhood heroes coming together and kicking ass!"

He practically leaps into the air, hands a disgruntled Eclipse two buns, and leaves the room. Just one more round of gifts to go!

A little after, Tyler arrives in the break room and makes his presence known. Eclipse says this mostly for himself. "Another one?"

More and more people were getting added to the...

What the fuck?

He knows this kid. Vaguely. Recognizes the face a bit, and swears he's seen someone from DTLA with a similar look back when he was with Red Ring. But, he just... can't pin point who this person is. He remembers some RR members quitting after encountering a hero named Sin Eater, total villain name, but a good hero from what he's heard.

---

Dispatch Terminal Setup

"Alright, sticky note with your temporary account on it," Raúl slaps the top of the old terminal a few times, it turns on shortly after, "loads up just fine. Should be good-to-go next shift."

The dispatch terminal and the cubicle it's in are a far cry from Riley's. Dusty. In fact, everything is covered in a fine layer of dust. This cubicle hasn't seen action in a while. The terminal works just fine, though, and despite it being in the corner of the office, it's a decent spot, albeit somewhat isolated. Should James try to test logging in, the dispatch screen takes a few minutes to boot up, but works perfectly fine after. The dispatch roster is filled out, at least.

The hum of the AC is broken as Madcap loudly marches over. "Found you! Catch!"

Two buns are launched at James and Raúl. The latter is quick enough to catch one, and should James fail to catch this, the bun slams into the terminal monitor and falls onto the keyboard.

"I'm giving out snacks to everyone in A-Team," Madcap salutes again, "'cause we are AWESOME!"

◈ 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐒 | Κάθαρσις ◈

@Auragreedia Aw... sorry to see you go, but I understand. Also thank you, you were literally the first people who showed their interest to this RP, so I can say that your support is what made Catharsis come into existence. So again, thank you.

If you're okay with it, can I get feedback for this RP in general? Things you liked, disliked, think can be improved, and/or anything that comes to mind? You can PM instead if it makes it comfortable.

Don't be a stranger, and I hope I get to see you again soon! (If you need help brainstorming ideas, you know where to find us!)

@Tlazolteotl

I'll come back eventually, don't worry! Again, it was super fun to play out with everyone and I'm keen on bringing back a more fleshed out character next time around

For feedback, I liked how you did Wesley's catharsis in general (the club symbolism, the visions, etc), it was super interesting and fun to explore. Also love how you incorporated the nickname I gave him into the story too! Although, I think you could give more freedom in terms of exploration? Maybe give a more detailed layout and whatnot, although I understand it's the first catharsis we solved, so keeping it simple is fine.

Otherwise, that's most of the feedback I got. You're an amazing GM, and I'll just tack this on, I always pictured your pfp as like. the default keeper in everyone's catharsis LMFAO

◈ 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐒 | Κάθαρσις ◈

On a different note, did you guys want the "answer" to Wesley/Westbound or are we good with it being kind of up to interpretation?

@Tlazolteotl

Admittedly, I kinda want the answer, but at the same time, it's nice to leave it up to interpretation! I'll see what the others say

Oh, and I'm gonna be dropping out of this RP with Morgan now that Wesley's catharsis is wrapped up ;-; I'll come back with a more fleshed out OC in the future, but for now I'll just be spectating. (I really can't think of anything for him and I'm. very busy atm and would like to focus on just one or two rps for now). It was lovely RPing with y'all though, Sirpa and Teresa are awesome

Dispatch: Heroes of Claremont

SDN Claremont Break room

^{@FourtyTwo@Thayr@Sadu@Redking0380}

---

One thought: morning shift was easy. Another thought: he really, really hoped he made it to the break room before anyone saw. He sinks from a shadow in the break room, eyes adjusting to stale lights. He was carrying about three or four party-sized bags of Cheetos, the bright reds and yellows contrasting heavily against his armor. It takes him a second or so to reorient himself, and he stumbles forward. Lightning Girl already made her way in, and if Payback had come in a little after, she'd have seen an armored-up Cheeto junky unloading his stash onto the nearest table.

Internally swearing, he puts his helmet aside, cracks open a bag, and kicks his feet up.

"Anyone else for tea?"

"No." He says it immediately. "I only drink water."

Which was also partially a lie; he'd totally down a bottle of fruit punch or soda, but tea? Unless it was sweet, honestly, he'd rather not. God, his parents would kill him if they saw him now, not an ounce of healthiness in his body.

He gets about one or two handfuls of chips in before he's called to an emergency meeting.

"A-Team, this is James, need you all in the meeting room, now. Got a bit of a situation, bit of a change in plans today." The voice was not one they were used to. But with Riley gone for a while, both right now for the last 40 minutes, and now, for potentially a lot longer, it looked like his cubicle neighbour was picking up the slack.

He grumbles, haphazardly closes up his bag, and walks out with his helmet stuffed under his arm. He mildly recognizes the voice; the guy who told him about that one safety meeting? Right. Stupid, but good. Knowing how heroes play, it only makes sense.

---

Emergency Meeting

The meeting feels like it takes forever. Eclipse sits to the side, he's listening attentively, or at least trying to appear that way. The only part that really gets attention is when they talk about how 'now would be a really good time if any of you want to show you're demonstrating above and beyond performance.' That's good. Great, even. If he does an exceptional job, he might just be allowed to make drugs again. One simple step forward. Impress the higher-ups, they turn a blind eye to some of his more... back-alley methods and hobbies.

That was how this all worked, right? Suck up to higher-ups enough, and then they just let you do whatever you want as long as you don't make them look bad?

---

School Speech

^{Getting there, being there, speaking there}

Eclipse was busy suiting up for his next dispatch. He checks the knives he hid in his gauntlets; sharp, clean. He frowns a little harder, staring at his reflection.

"Okay, Solaris, I have reports of a drug bust going wrong, officers in need of assistance, multiple assailants. Pin sent. Non-lethal if you can, let's talk them down."

He tests the shooting mechanism for his gauntlets, wrists flicking up a few times to no avail. The knife won't come out no matter what he tries. He mutters a few swears under his breath.

Fuck. Solaris got the job instead of him. You'd think sending a former drug dealer to a drug bust would be a natural decision, but guess not. He has to suppress himself from speaking up; he doesn't want to look bad. But he was a bit pissed off.

"Uhhh, Payback, I've got reports of some trouble at the AMOCA, someone trying to break in and steal some art. Need you on that one. It's all ceramics, so mind your magnets, would you?"

Click, click, click. The mechanism still isn't budging, his name hasn't been called, and hey, didn't Payback have some kind of... magnet field power? He clicks his tongue. It shouldn't have affected him, he doesn't remember standing that close to her, but.

He's getting really pissed off.

He'd be perfect for stopping a break-in! And he maybe knows that place. Taking down a petty art thief would take like 5 seconds! Come on!

"Eclipse, I've got a school that's asking for us to cover a speech that Meta-Man was gonna be at. Can you go there?"

"You're fucking joking." The knife under his gauntlet finally shoots out into his hand. He pushes it back down with another click. The mechanism was working again, but clearly, this dispatcher has no fucking idea what he's doing. What would he even talk about to a bunch of kids anyways? That anyone can become a hero or a super-powered badass as long as they know a little chemistry?

Yeah, fuck looking good for higher-ups.

"You send the knight to a drug bust, a magnet girl to stop a break-in, and then you send me." He straps his forearm blades on. "To a school."

Helmet goes on next, and he's already on the move. Can't teleport there, he doesn't know the layout.

"Idiot." He mutters that mostly to himself, but it comes in clearly over comms.

He stops paying attention to James's comms after that. Not worth listening to someone who seemed to not know shit anyways. At least Riley dispatched him onto fitting missions, not... this, of all things. Lightning Girl is dispatched after him, something about break-ins. He could stop a break-in. He did them all the time in Red Ring.

Whatever. Lightning Girl was a real hero.

Of course. The real hero doesn't have to talk to a bunch of school kids about... something. He'd have to figure that out later. Frankly, he wanted more action, more chips, and a quick look at the school's chemistry classrooms before he did anything, but he knew he'd be fired should he try the last part.

Then something about another person named Princess getting dispatched? He stopped paying attention.

"So, have we got any idea why things went so badly wrong? Like, they fighting a wildfire in Pasadena again? Floods? Giant kaiju? On the plus side......our timesheets are gonna look good, right?"

"Probably wildfire. Probably not wildfire." Probably mismanagement. Maybe Red Ring was finally bailing him out? Too late for that, and from what he's heard, that gang has long since dissolved after what happened to Shroud.

Eclipse makes it to the school, checks through a metal detector, and has his armor (yes, all of it) taken away by security. Can't bring weapons inside a school. Or armor, apparently. They let him keep the earpiece communicator, though. He's left in a black uwagi and pants, and thankfully, he wasn't stuck walking around barefoot after they confiscated his leg armor.

School staff is quick to lead him to an auditorium.

Lights are all off except for the spotlight aimed at the stage; that's good. Not the spotlight, that was bad, but he liked the darkness everywhere else.

"Alright, everyone, we've brought in a hero to talk to you all today," a guy in a suit and tie leads Eclipse in front of a microphone, "Eclipse! Share your story--what inspired you to become a hero?"

The crowd of kids claps, but most look bored out of their minds or barely amused. Some are a little more receptive, if not excited, to see a live ninja, but most are just tired. The man in the suit eggs him on a bit more, but it's obvious he wasn't prepared for a former villain to get sent. What inspired you to become a hero? That's a dumb question, what is he supposed to say it was an easy paycheck? They wanted Meta-man, not a former Red Ring member, let alone a recovering addict.

Eclipse pinches the bridge of his nose. What the fuck was James thinking?

"Um." The mic lets out a screech as he adjusts it. The man in the suit walks off backstage and shoots him a glare. Don't fuck this up for the kids. "I'm..."

He squints his eyes; he can't say 'sorry, kids, I'm not a hero, want me to talk about how bad my life is for an hour?', that was just bad. He also can't walk off-stage without saying anything, that'd set him back big-time. He's not inspiring, not a cool guy in custom-fitted armor (not right now, at least), no, he's just some junkie in a ninja suit talking to a crowd of kids.

But what he does have is darkness, and a whole lot of it at that.

He can make this work.

"... I don't," he clears his throat, "like the lights." He gestures for the spotlight be moved off of him and more towards the wall. It's still bright, but at the very least, it's off him now. His mind clears, he can finally act.

A thunk echoes through the auditorium, and a shadow jumps onto the screen. It's a giant kaiju. Eclipse can feel himself sweating as he listens to the crowd gasp. For what he lacked in words, he'd make up for with a special shadow puppet show. Buildings spring up next, tiny civilians run in fear, the monster is untouched until a hero appears atop a skyscraper. He glances back at the audience, and he can see the joyous sparks in their eyes.

"A noble hero appears from the shadows," the hero looks a lot like him in his armor, nothing wrong with a bit of self-love, "and strikes the beast in the throat!"

The hero leaps down from the building and defeats the beast in one foul strike! A stream of fire is expunged from its mouth as it screams bloody-murder (courtesy of Eclipse for doing the vocals and sound effects), and the hero stands tall over its corpse!

"And the day is saved once again," the spotlight falls back over Eclipse; the shadow puppet show is over.

He bows before the audience reacts, a deep bow, with his arms firmly behind his back. He's sweating like crazy, both due to his light sensitivity thing and the fact that messing with shadows like that was exhausting. That was the most he's ever used his powers outside of teleporting or restraining someone...

The audience erupts into a thunderous cheer, a chorus of claps filling the auditorium.

He'd crack a smile, but he's busy bolting offstage for a drink of water.

d10 result

"Who knew the worst guy to talk to could be so... inspiring!"

---

Student Block Confrontation

^{Lightning Girl}

By the time Lightning Girl arrives at the scene, she can already tell it's a bit of a mess. Namely, windows have been broken; glass is all over the ground, some with a bit of blood, others not; a few doors are broken down. Whoever the prep was, it was obvious they had either had something against the school or the students.

CRASH!

"AND THAT'S THE POWER OF THE ALMIGHTY bbbbbBBBBBRICK FROG!" The prep just threw another brick into some poor kid's window. It's a guy wearing the silliest frog costume imaginable, a hefty bag strapped around his shoulders.

Most of the area is blocked off with police cars; 'Brick Frog' stands in the middle of it all, police cowering behind their makeshift car barriers. One of them addresses Lightning Girl. "Some civilians are still in there. Get them out safely, we'll cover you." The officer sucks air in through their teeth. "And take down... Brick Frog. He's already gotten some of the other reinforcements."

There are a few bodies scattered around, most with bleeding heads and bricks near their heads.

Yes.

The police were actually having trouble fighting Brick Frog.

Brick Frog.

The perp is quick to turn around and notice Lightning Girl, hurling a brick in her direction.

---

Sudden Arrival!

^{Many grandmas were harmed}

---

"Madcap, I've got a request from the Sandy Hills Nursing Home to help an old lady get to the local supermarket and back. Could you help her?"

"AN OLD LADY IN NEED OF HELP?!" Madcap is already on the move--no one has a single idea as to how or where this guy came from, but the IT Guy was moving fast with all the new team additions. He's cackling like a madman as he rides a motorcycle (which was either given to him by SDN as equipment or he stole it from some unlucky employee beforehand). "I see her. RIGHT. NOW."

He drifts his motorcycle and leaps off of it, landing in front of a confused old lady before striking a pose. "In the name of heroism, justice, and peace," he doesn't turn his head, but the sound of his motorcycle crashing rings through his ears clear as day, "The great ex-vigilante turned official hero shall save the day!"

"Oh! Could you please help me carry my gro--" The old lady is suddenly lifted from the ground, Madcap is holding her like he's ready to pitch a baseball.

He angles himself to face the nursery home...

"GET READY, MISS! THIS WILL BE THE BEST ROAD CROSSING OF YOUR LIFE!" He holds her with two hands now, and sends the old lady and her groceries flying across the street and over incoming traffic. Just as she's about to land, Madcap spins on his heel as car horns blare in his ear, and strikes another pose just as the old lady crashes into a window and a house alarm goes off!

"The day is saved once more," he crouches down and opens comms once again,"Another successful job, dispatcher! APPLAUD YOUR HERO."

If James or anyone else questions the multiple alarms blaring in the background, Madcap just says, "THOSE ARE THE HORNS OF VICTORY PLAYING IN LIGHT OF MY SUCCESS!"

Of course, the dispatch terminal says otherwise--it's a fat failure and a potential error screen.

roll results

Got a nat 1 and sent the roll video in discord DMs!

Dispatch: Heroes of Claremont

---

Previously at SDN Claremont:
roleplayerguild.com/posts/5637543

Heroes, Defend the City!

Probably gonna hop into this later on, but I'll try to get a CS up sometime next month if I can

Dispatch: Heroes of Claremont

Job App - Asian Walter White

Civilian

Vergil Uehara

"The suffocating beauty of shadows is all man should know."

Age: 32

Appearance: A white haired, dark-eyed man with a stern attitude and an outfit straight from a renaissance fair. His words on it? It makes him look cooler. He's never seen without his red scarf, expensive shoes, and his permanent frown. He stands a modest 6'0", though occasionally he wears boots that bump him up by an inch or two.

He dons a few battle scars on his torso, neck, and arms.

Role at SDN: Phoenix Program

Background:

BACKGROUND

A two and a half generation immigrant; Vergil is half-Japanese, half-American. Growing up, he was only taught how to speak English and is mostly estranged from his own culture outside of random factoids and tidbits his mother tells him. In harsher terms, he only happens to be Japanese--most of his mannerisms, accent, and swagger are distinctly American. He tries his best to represent his family regardless.

Somewhat outcasted growing up due to his oddball status, he never quite fit in with his peers. Too boisterous for some, too quiet for others. He lived a banal childhood until he reached 20.

During his time in college, he developed a keen interest in chemistry--specifically drugs. Money was beginning to become a problem, his parents weren't much help (they had their own financial issues), so in his eyes? Becoming a dealer was an easy paycheck. He had all the supplies, all the equipment at his college lab, and he had knowledge. Creating a bit of crack was easier than most people thought, after all, and it'd be no issue for someone like him.

Vergil studied chemistry on the side and trafficked drugs on main; he had a hand in a few drug rings, though they never lasted too long and he was starting to get sick of splitting pay between distributors. He decided to pick up the slack himself, going out on his own as a dealer. It'd be easier that way, right? He'd get more money too.

... Right?

His first deal went terrible. His drugs were top quality--made him a bigger target, and the criminals he sold to were more than happy to 'bargain' (aka hold him at gunpoint) for a better price. He needed a new strategy and badly.

He picked up a new persona: Eclipse, a masked drug dealer with a scary voice, scary eyes, and killer blades. His first set of villain gear was a rough approximation of what he has now, instead of armor, a bullet proof vest; instead of a metal mask, a hockey mask that he picked up at a Spirit Halloween. He learned to carry a knife or two when dealing.

If his clients wanted to play dirty, than so be it. He'd play dirty too. Any 'bargainers' were found with their throats slit behind dumpsters.

Word started to spread about 'Eclipse' and his top quality drugs--not laced, no chemical substitutes; the purest drugs you could get on the street. Red Ring picked Vergil up as their personal drug dealer; he couldn't say no, not when the largest crime syndicate wanted him. He'd supply them with only the best... only the best drugs. In exchange, they took care of his money issue, granted him new gear, and provided chemicals from time-to-time.

He spent a few years working for Red Ring in college until he was ratted out by a classmate for misuse of lab chemicals. Caught red-handed cooking crack in college, he fled the scene, smuggled as many goddamn chems and lab equipment he could, and left to work with Red Ring full time. No more college studies, no more papers, no more snitching classmates, just pure drugs.

Over the years, he started developing his own personal drug, something to make him even stronger, more useful to the syndicate that took him in. Gulping down a chem cocktail, he developed Umbrakinesis after nearly dying to his own drug. He could barely move without being consumed by shadows, shadows, shadows... every thing was turning dark.

And it was then Shroud that taught him to control his powers.

And it was then, his dream was fulfilled. He was fully in Shroud and Red Ring's debt--they made his suit, provided him with chemicals, gave him a steady cashflow, taught him everything there is about his own power. He became another standard Shroud lackey--manifesting from the shadows to kill off dissenters and potential enemies, though he still made drugs on the side.

Eventually he was caught after heroes were called in during a shoddy assassination and put in custody. Now 32 and with Red Ring gone and Shroud either dead or in custody, he was moved to SDN Claremont to prevent him from reconnecting with the remnants of Red Ring and put in the Phoenix Program for rehabilitation.

TL;DR: Drug dealer learns self-defense after killing muggers. Drugs so good he gets picked up by RR & becomes a Shroud Lackey after developing shadow powers from his own special drug.

Hero/Villain (if applicable)

Eclipse

Appearance: Dressed in dark armor, Eclipse covers his face with a mask. The eye sockets glow red, the mouthpiece is a voice filter, and his arms both fitted with metal gauntlets. Two large blades are strapped around his forearms.

There is an extra compartment in his forearm guards--a shooting mechanism that contains throwing knives; by flicking his wrists upward, Eclipse is capable of arming himself with throwing knifes should his larger blades be lost or damaged.

Powers:
Umbrakinesis / Darkness Solidification / Shadowportation
Eclipse can freely manipulate shadows, particularly his own. He is capable of using shadows as a weapon and recon tool by manipulating it's properties (elongating, shortening, solidifying, etc). Offensively, his shadow can be used a rope to strangle or restrain enemies.

He can teleport from shadow-to-shadow, though this part of his power takes intense concentration and forces him to be still. It's not something he can do on the fly, which is why he prefers to either be alone when teleporting through shadows or to kill every enemy in the same room before escaping. Regardless, he uses this part of his power frequently to 'keep everything quiet'--it's the only reason he hasn't been busted for wearing armor.

His greatest weakness is the light. If it's directly shined on him, his powers will become weaker, if not downright useless. Additionally, his powers are more limited in Phoenix Program as he is unable to create more of his 'darkness' drug to maintain his power's strength.

Stat Specializations:
STAT ALLOCATION (13 Total Points):
All heroes / Phoenix Programme personnel start with a base of 1 in all 5 stats. You have 8 additional points to spend, with a maximum of 4 in any stats at the start:

Combat: 3
Vigor: 2
Mobility: 4
Charisma: 1
Intellect: 3

Crimes (If Villain): Drug trafficking & distribution, embezzlement, first and second degree murder, aiding and abetting.

As a studying chemist, he used his knowledge of chemicals and his college's equipment to produce and distribute various drugs to various villains. He sees the Phoenix Program as an easy out and paycheck. Though, compared to others within the Phoenix Program, he's much better at following orders and 'behaving'. He believes that if the higher-ups think he's on way to redemption, they'll let him develop his drugs again (for the hero's benefit, obviously _{but if villains paid better, than so be it}).

Likes:
- Sharp edges
- His armor and blades
- Red Ring & Shroud

Dislikes:
- People who ostracize/bully others
- Christmas
- Guns _{(it's not as cool as stabbing people with shadow blades!)}

Quirks:
- With extra money from his drug deals, he bought a plot of land far off in Europe to 'support tree growth' or something like that. Nowadays, he just uses it as an excuse to call himself an 'edge lord' as the piece of land was located at the edge of a fishing town.
- He tries to avoid the light whenever he stands--typically positions himself off in corners or near obvious shadows.
- Always carries cash. Always.

advocate for all things badass

Civilian

Carmen Ryder

"I'M THE KING OF THE FUCKING WORLD!"

Age: 22

Appearance: A toned, athletic guy whom if you'd looked directly in the eyes of, you'd see just how fucking bonkers he really is. He always a crazy look in eyes, but barring that, he has the face of an archetypal young hero. He has short, brown hair, some of which covers his face, and a godawful taste in fashion outside of his "hero" outfit. You've never seen a fashion disaster until you see what he wears off-duty.

Role at SDN: Phoenix Program

Background: Carmen has always looked to heroes growing up. Really, who hasn't? They can beat up on bad guys, get away with things normal people could never do, and look cool all the while. Being famous was also a plus. Carmen never outgrew his love for superheroes, remaining as starry-eyed as he was as a kid, and that made him an easy target for bullying growing up. Namely, during his teenage years, he was one of those insufferable band kid types, a bit of a superhero know-it-all, exactly the kind of kid nobody could stand. No one liked him, Carmen didn't like them either, and he made the worst (or perhaps best) decision of his childhood: he challenged all of them to a fight after school.

Yes. All of them at once.

If what the heroes said was true--that anyone could become a superhero if they worked hard enough--then Carmen would find out now. Not all of his high-school bullies showed up, but it was still a crowd, and dear god, did Carmen get his ass handed to him.

... Or did he?

If there's one thing heroes always did, it was this: they always got back up, stayed hopeful, and most importantly, they always won in the end. He saw it all as his special origin story! And it was working! He discovered his powers that day during an after-school brawl turned bloody. He tanked each and every one of his bullies' hits, beat them to a pulp as they desperately tried to gang up on him, and maybe hurt a few onlookers by mistake after tossing one of his bullies into the crowd of spectators.

After that day, no one messed with him, and he branded himself as an unstoppable hero ever since! By the time he reached adulthood, he started investing all his savings into becoming a vigilante known as Madcap, an unstoppable crime fighter with a love for justice and all things heroic! If you ask him personally, he'd done nothing wrong. If you ask any authority, he was a piece of shit vandal who'd spray paint his name onto private property, jacked random people's vehicles for either personal use or to crash into criminals, and had no moral compass. For fucks sake, he'd mistake someone looking at him funny for a villain and beat them bloody.

Carmen made the humble mistake of turning himself and another "criminal" in to the police, which landed him in Phoenix Program. He has the drive for heroism, just... doesn't know how to handle himself properly.

Hero/Villain (if applicable)

Villain Name & Image

Madcap

Appearance: Pretty much everything in included in the photo. He's dressed in an expensive suit of bug-themed armor, with a nice coat to boot. And for the record, the tie stays on during everything. Everything. Outside of a cool helmet and some upper body armor, his legs are the least protected. His boots in particular are the cheapest part of his entire outfit.

Powers: The happier he is, the tougher he gets! He has enhanced durability, at the cost of it scaling alongside his mental state. He's a highly volatile and unhinged guy, so his mood changes at the drop of a hat. One moment, he's superman and practically invincible; other times, he's depressed and cuts his fingers opening a soda can. Try and keep him happy, even if he's... insufferable. It'll boost his performance.

When excited or happy, he can shrug off heavy amounts of damage (though he'll feel it after he comes down from his high). When depressed, his durability shrivels down massively and he's highly susceptible to getting injured. In game terms, he tank a certain amount of injuries like Punch-Up, but past a certain threshold or on job failure, his stats will drop equal to the injuries he's sustained.

Crimes (If Villain):
Disturbing the peace, aggravated assault and battery, property damage, all degrees of murder, vandalism, disorderly conduct, robbery and theft
While Carmen claims and attempts to be a hero, he fails to factor civilian casualties and property damage into the equation. He fights crime, accidentally kills a few people here and there, definitely doesn't pay for everything he breaks, and tries to get away with it all "in the name of heroism." With how loud he talks, he's also an incredible public nuisance.

Likes:
- "Being AWESOME!"
- "Beating the shit out of bad guys!"
- Sugary foods

Dislikes:
- Don't ever call him by his real name. Ever.
- Civilian life
- Whenever his favorite bakery runs out of pork buns

Quirks:
- Always, ALWAYS shouts like a fucking maniac when he's feeling good. His comms mic is always on max volume.
- He'll always pick 'dare' when playing truth or dare.
- He had a motorcycle once. Crashed it, and got busted for trying steal a new one for "the good of the people."
- Godawful at math, like, all of it.

Stat Specializations:

STAT ALLOCATION (13 Total Points):
All heroes / Phoenix Programme personnel start with a base of 1 in all 5 stats. You have 8 additional points to spend, with a maximum of 4 in any stats at the start:

Combat: 3
Vigor: 4
Mobility: 2
Charisma: 3
Intellect: 1

◈ 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐒 | Κάθαρσις ◈

@Tlazolteotl Seconding what Silver said, although in broader strokes, I guess Wesley grew up isolated. That's kinda what I'm picking out in terms of the club symbolism; Wesley sees everyone around him as happy together excluding himself, perhaps he's rationalized that he doesn't deserve to have friends (which is why he never tried to interact with the clubgoers in his catharsis iirc)

That's just what I think though, otherwise I have basically the exact same conclusions as Sliver

◈ 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐒 | Κάθαρσις ◈

OK SORRY IF MY REPLY IS A LITTLE JANK, I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE TOO LONG MAKING SOMETHING

◈ 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐒 | Κάθαρσις ◈

Lost in Translation

@Tlazolteotl@Stanifly

---

Whether Morgan notices Sliver Blade's annoyances with earlier comment or not, he stays quiet. Best to leave it that way.

‘The server we met, back at that first bar,’ she said, evenly. ‘He claimed that solving this man’s... Catharsis would show us the way to return to wherever we were pulled from. I imagine that would involve resolving our own troubles, whatever they may be.’

"Right, right. I'll follow your lead on this 'ere case." He nods his head and stares off at the rest of the club as silence settles between Sliver Blade and him. Lots to think about, that was for sure. His thoughts wander back to the bar he saw in his first catharsis; the barkeep was only vaguely familiar, the people less so, but considering Westbound's catharsis... probably meant something.

Everything in this catharsis had to mean something, he just wasn't sure what exactly. This kind of detective work wasn't his forte and frankly he was beginning to feel like a fish out of water. He hisses through his teeth as Sliver Blade addresses him again.

‘I suppose it’s the uncertainty of what I’ll come to face that concerns me. Everyone’s got their own skeletons in the closet.’ She slowed her steps. ‘Speaking of...’

A boy is getting beaten, presumably by his father. Sliver Blade cuts in to stop the man. Morgan has to hold himself back from punching the piece of shit father, instead rushing to the child's side inside. He places two cold hands on the kid's shoulders and attempts to move him away from the scene.

It's only then it finally hits him--the bar he saw in his own catharsis was the one from his childhood. Drank his first whiskey there; a group of ragtag kids running amuck and away from their families. He never liked his father either. Without thinking, he hugs the kid as the memories flash by. The boy wasn't lucky enough to end up like him, no community to fall back on, no makeshift family or gang to fill in the gaps. Perhaps the latter was for the best, Morgan's life was never a fun one no matter how fondly he remembers his past, but it was better than having no one.

The boy changes as each memory changes, a little older in some, a little younger in others, but the idea is the same: the kid's life was awfully lonely.