IAmTheIsland

Heroes Rise: Paragon City

The last piece on my end for now.

Zhang Taiwu

Z H A N G, T A I W U
Z H A N G, T A I W U

^{"Knowing what you want is worthless if you lack the power to seize it."}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y _________________________________________________________ Wong Taiwu | Huolong _________________________________________________________ 35 | Male _________________________________________________________ Blue Dragons (Member; Hitman) | Paragon City, USA N O T A B L E P O W E R S & A B I L I T I E S N O T A B L E P O W E R S & A B I L T I E S _________________________________________________________ [+] - P O W E R S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Dragon’s Fire - A B I L I T I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Fire+Heat Manipulation & Generation ◼ Fire & Heat Immunity ◼ Smoke Manipulation - O T H E R I N F O R M A T I O N _________________________________________________________ [+] - S K I L L (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Peak+ Physical Prowess ◼ Martial Arts Skill ◼ Acrobatics- T H E M E S O N G ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Embers, by God Is An Astronaut -

T H E S T O R Y S O F A R... T H E S T O R Y S O F A R... ________________________________________________________________________________________ In an age now immemorial, Taiwu’s ancestors made a pact with a dragon spirit. In return for their veneration, the Dragon blessed Taiwu’s family with powerful fire magic… Dragon Fire itself, they claimed. Their taking of this power led them down a path of violence that would see children surpassing and usurping their parents for dominance over the family. Taiwu himself asserted himself as he left his own father burned alive. Since the Zhang family’s arrival in Paragon City they have served as hitmen and hitwomen for various crime syndicates. Taiwu, in claiming his position as head of his family, aligned himself with the Blue Dragons in Little Asia, becoming one of Xiao Feng’s enforcers and “Clean Up Artists.” P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) ________________________________________________________________________________________ To establish himself as a powerful figure in Paragon City and extend The Blue Dragon’s sphere of influence.

Kingdom Hearts: Heroes of Hope

I wonder what Hoshi's ideal Summon would be?

Heroes Rise: Paragon City

K E N S H I M A Z U
K E N S H I M A Z U

^{The Lucky Noodle, Little Asia, Between 10:15AM and 10:30AM.}

The kitchen and dining room at the Lucky Noodle were at full bore. Shimazu double checked that noodles upon the stove top had come to a respectable boil, and the added ingredients of spices, vegetables, and meats, would all be prepared to serve for his first wave of customers. He made a final walk through of the kitchen, delegating his trusted employees and volunteers to their tasks as he made his way out towards the dining area. He smiled brightly at the usual sight of clean floors, well-dressed table settings, and the eager readiness of his service staff; he, of course, would be floating between serving and kitchen… and stealing a moment or two when he could to check in on Sarah before it was time for her to break for a meal herself.

He beamed even more brightly when he noticed Madelyne Crane, a regular at the shop, who traversed the city’s bus line to be here often; knowing that his restaurant, the small niche it was in Little Asia, had gained notice in other parts of the city, was uplifting. He looked to a younger woman, Hoshi, who was his usual pick to manage service while he was making his rounds; she was noticeably anxious seeing customers outside close to an hour before usual opening.. “A few minutes,” he said coolly. “I’ll open up myself around ten-thirty.” Hoshi nodded, and busied herself with a few small details and got her two partners mentally ready for the day.

Shimazu walked back through the kitchen, double and triple checking the food prep as he crossed into the backroom and down the steps into the basement storage area. It wasn’t exactly large, being only about three quarters the floor space of the corner store-made eatery upstairs. But he had found a way to make the most out of the space. Two of the walls were lined by industrial freezer and refrigeration units, while the far end of the room was occupied by sealed containers of non-perishables. A cabinet near the entrance from upstairs held extra cleaning and sanitation supplies, while another held spare table settings, chopsticks, and silverware (for those that desired them).

At the center of the room, upon a 6’x6’ rug he otherwise kept rolled up in an empty corner, Sarah was meticulously, if frustratedly, practicing her forms.

S A R A H M A R I E K I N G
S A R A H M A R I E K I N G

^{The Lucky Noodle, Little Asia.}

Left foot step forward. Block at head level.

Chamber left hand. Right punch, chest level; left punch; chest level.

Turn one-eighty; right block at chest level.

Sarah moved through her kata with fierce vigor and excited haste. In the back of her head, she might have believed that the faster she went through the forms, the more quickly she could move on to more interesting parts of her training; or that she could duck out early to find a reason to fight again in earnest, however, she turned towards the doorway, she fell off balance at the sudden appearance of Shimazu. She stumbled, but caught herself as her sensei’s presence caught her senses. “Shimazu… Sensei!” She remembered her decorum; Ken was good about not being called Sensei when he wasn’t teaching her. She gave a quick bow, an act she wasn’t used to even after so many years. “Have you been there the whole time?”

“Long enough to see that you’re not being precise in your movements.” Shimazu stepped across the threshold and circled Sarah, who followed his walk around the room.

“But I’m… I’ve got the speed. I-”

“And what good does speed do if you aren’t being exact? Four, five punches wasted to land them as quickly as possible without thinking of where they’ll land? One strike,” He had stopped in a horse-stance in front of her, and struck her chest with a light but firm punch… enough to demonstrate his point. “One good strike to the chest is worth half a dozen to the arm.” He backed away, and completed his circle back to the landing. “Slow your pace. Know where you are going with each motion. Speed can come later.”

“But Sensei… I-”

Shimazu’s hand raised, cutting her off instantly. He could see her eyes and sense from her aura that there was something burning within her spirit. “We’ll talk later,” he said assuringly. He turned around, and ascended the steps back to the restaurant.

Sarah, alone again, breathed, and returned to the top of her sequence. OK. Slower. The word itself felt like a curse to her…

Back upstairs…

“We’ve got more customers lined up outside.” Hoshi reported almost immediately upon Ken Shimazu re-entering the kitchen.

“What time is it?” he asked.

“Not quite ten-thirty,” Hoshi responded.

“Get ready to open.” He made a quick beeline to the front entrance, rolling up the storefront security gate into a slot above the door, and unlocking and opening up the shop. “Hello! Welcome to the Lucky Noodle.” Gave the incoming patrons a courteous bow as they entered.

Heroes Rise: Paragon City

[

70th Street Bank Heist

"Go time!" Theresa Torres was the last to get out of the truck, landing with a thud of heavy boots as she jumped down. It was Valentina's usual play: keep Theresa up her sleeve, let the grunts work, then pull "The Bull" out when no one thought she was around.

As usual, it worked, as several hostages' faces sunk sunk as she rounded the truck and stood next to her boss; they all knew she'd complicate things for police, if they arrived in time. Indifferent to the crowd reaction, Thersa nodded back to the hole in the wall. "I coulda done that for us," more a joke on the now battered front bumper than a complaint.

She nodded again to Valentina's order, and gathered her team. They fanned out, dragging bankers and customers from the offices and cubicles behind 'Toro' as she tore out an broke down locked doors.

"Stop where you are!" Security had finally gotten off its ass to do something.

Theresa turned to face the guard his handgun aimed at her. She raised her hands in mockery, and stepped towards him, ignoring orders to stop until he opened fire... the bullets stung, but fell otherwise harmlessly to the ground after tearing her shirt to hit her skin. She grinned, "Shoulda brought a bigger gun." She spun a kick into the side of officer's head, knocking him out cold. She took the gun, an exrra clip of ammunition, and a taser off his belt and carried him to the back, dropping his unconscious body among the other hostages.

"Took care of the doorman," she said, handing the gun and clip to her boss, keeping the taser for herself.

---

Veridian Technologies - Atrium Security Check

The elevator chimed and opened into the Veridian Tech atrium.
Stepping out, Katherine Tran approached the security check-in station. She tapped lightly on the bulletproof glass, getting the guard's attention.

"Yes?" The guard cocked his head ip from some dribble playing on his phone.

"Yes," Katherine said with a smile. "I'm here to see Diana Smith."

"Ms. Smith is busy... She isn't seeing visitors without appointments. Call ahead and set up a time with her assistant." The guard went back to his video.

"Oh! But I'm an old friend of hers."

"This is Veridian Technoligies, not some Halycon social club. Schedule an appointment, and come back later." He didn't even look up. How rude!

Katherine sighed and rolled her eyes. She figured security would be tighter these days. The hard way then... She focused her mind. The pupils in her eyes went wide.

"Sir."

As she spoke, the guard heard both her audible words, and their echo in his head. He tore is eyes from his phone and threw his most intimidating glare into hers. "Kid! I told yo-" His sentence trailed off. His eyes glazed over as though he had fallen into a trance.

Easier than I thought. "I'll be seeing Diana Smith now."

"Right. Your name?"

"Katherine Tran." She showed him her driver's lisence as proof.

The guard promptly handed her a visitor's pass, and opened the gate for her. "The elevators are straight through the atrium at the end of the hall. Ms. Smith will be on the executive level. Bring back the pass before you leave."

"Thank you. And do call up to let her know I'm hear." Katherine walked around and through the security check, leaving the guard thoroughly confused as he returned to his own senses.OK, that was Too easy.

Veridian Technologies - Security HQ

Horace J. Wolfe was deep in concentration. His focus was locked on his computer screen, looking over a database of ID authentications going back several months. Dates, names, emplyee numbers, and which labs they had gotten access to at which hours were displayed on the spread sheet. How his team had missed someone entering the facilities for the defunct Lazarus Project was beyond him; they had only just found out that assets from it were missing when R&D moved material to repurpose those labs.

Horace flagged it as an IT lapse; authentication systems in older labs weren't always updated on schedule with active projects.

As he poured through the history that IT had provided him with, a page through V.T.'s proprietory communucation system pulled his attention. A message from Maria Smith. He knew it would be important, as Maria rarely contacted him directly unless it was urgent.

Conference with Dr. Michails in Conference Room Two. Canis Project.

Horace's eyes widened. Rarer still was his involvement in matters not pertaining directly to security and asset protection and recovery. He quickly responded.

Copy. Will be there shortly.

He got up from his desk, setting out from his darkened office and began his way to the Executive Level.

Heroes Rise: Paragon City

<Snipped quote by IAmTheIsland>

She's 19 and the accident was right before her HS graduation. Since most graduate at 18, that would make it some months at least, probably about half a year.

@Carlyle

Makes for some work for Horace then. Considering her father used Veridian assets from a discontinued project. We can have a sideplot thread on an investagation.

@Araby264 I'm also toying with ideas for a KT villain arc. Or at least tentative ideas for her going rogue for a stretch, depending on what happens.

Heroes Rise: Paragon City

Speaking on the subject of Collabs. Isn't there a website that allows two people to type a story out? I seem to have a fever dream of this being an actual thing LONG time ago, but I don't know if it's still a thing or not.

@Tally Dor

I mean, for collabs I just use Google Docs. Not sure I remember a site like that. Wouldn't surprise me if it had existed.

@Carlyle how long ago was Nancy's incident?

Heroes Rise: Paragon City

<Snipped quote by IAmTheIsland>

Is KT Diana's secretary? Or like her 'woman in the chair'

@Araby264

Basically, she'd be "woman in the chair."

Horace is like the Lucious Fox to Artemis' Batman.

Heroes Rise: Paragon City

<Snipped quote by IAmTheIsland>

I like them and they are approved you can add them into your next post when I get it up tomorrow. :)

@Nallore

Awesome. I've got an intro in the works for KT. I'm thinking maybe we could collab her and Horace in with Maria and Diana for the third round of posts.

Heroes Rise: Paragon City

So I consolidated Sarah and Shimazu into one post on the characters tab which will be my drop for main characters. Torres is in the post where Shimazu previously was and I'll be using that post as my NPC/minor character roster.

Also, because I've lost all self-control on my character creation wave, for consideration:

Veridian Tech | Artemis Affiliates

Wolfe, Not Fox!

Name: Horace J. Wolfe
Age: 47
Affiliation: Veridian Technologies
Appearance:

Status: Alive
Powers: N/A
Bio: An Ex-Military operative and a former security serviceman for Paragon City's Mayor, Horace left the public sector fifteen years ago and eventually found his footing within Veridian Tech. In the recent year he has been promoted to Chief Security Officer, in charge of monitoring and protecting V.T. facilities and all people and assets thereof. After noticing... oddities connected to Heiress-apparent, Diana Smith, he found himself part of am exclusive circle who are aware of Ms. Smith's vigilante actions. He remains tight-lipped about her secret. Partly for plausible deniability; partly for his own desire to see justice dealt; partly because openning up on it is a bridge Diana may have to cross on her own one day. Wolfe does his best to cover for Diana, especially as far as Maria Smith is concerned.

---

KT

Name: Katherine "KT" Tran | 'Hermes'
Age: 22
Affiliation: Diana Smith
Appearance:

Status: Alive
Powers: Telepathy: Communication via thought; telepathic linking; limited mind reading; limited persuasion/mind control.
Bio: A friend of Diana Smith since high school, Katherine was among those present to witness her take to Parkour. Around the same time as Diana, KT developed her own set of powers. During a stressful exam, she found she could suddenly hear the cacophony of thought from her peers. She promptly excused herself, claiming a migraine, and pursued, in secret, lessons at Paragon Academy. There she learned to control her new gift, and only hear what she wanted to. She has recently returned to Paragon City after finishing college (which she may have used her powers to get through near the end, even discovering new ways to use it). She hopes to find work with her friend's mother's company.

My plan for my minor character(s) is to mostly hitch them to appearances/events of their affiliates (EG - Theresa shows up when Valentina does, or 70th Street is specificslly planned for something), and/or have them in scenes by request.

Kingdom Hearts: Heroes of Hope

<Snipped quote by Bacon>

If no one else wants to take it I'll have Goofy do a tornado shield spin.

@King Kindred

If you could post something up to keep Matt and I busy with our characters in the 2nd District, that would help too. Just to keep things active until the collab is done.