Been sick, not been up for doing much. Changed the powers to more music focused stuff and spreading her influence, and added to the background how she got captured and why she's with SDN. Just some small changes here and there.
Getting to this now! Approved! @FourtyTwoYou know what to do.
@Shandria Not a bad CS. Considering demons exist, I don’t see why a ghost can’t work! If I had to critique anything, maybe give us a bit more on the background and clean up the powers a little?
We don’t necessarily need to know about her life before becoming ghostly, but give us an idea to how she got picked up by SDN? Did she sign up for the program (Sonar/Malevola) or was it part of her rehabilitation? How would a prison even hold a ghost? Also, if you aren’t giving her a villain persona, I could see the villain name as just “Vox”. It gets the sound based point across and sounds more unique for a villain.
As for the powers, I like the idea of her getting “power” from fans. The fire and lightning is a bit much imho. Maybe drop that and focus on the sound based power? (Also, we have like three electricity based characters so… variety!)
Riley stifled a yawn as the sliding doors to SDN Claremont opened with their usual clunky motion. Three months since those old things had broken and they still couldn't get a repairman out to fix the problem. The Chief Dispatcher gave his usual quick salute to the reception desk as he strode towards the elevators. Once inside, his quiet demeanor fell away. Keep his coffee thermos in a death grip, he felt himself gently punching his forehead with his free hand.
"Jesus... How'd it get to six years?" The chief dispatcher muttered to no one in particular. To an outside observer, it would seem as though Riley had built a decent career for himself. Since joining SDN a little over six years ago, he'd managed to rise through the ranks and become a chief dispatcher at one of the branches. That being said, the circumstances that head lead to Riley getting this position were far from ideal. Had it been up to Riley, he'd much rather be out on the streets using his powers for good, but life had other plans for him. It usually did.
The elevator dinged at the second floor and Riley shielded his eyes from the flourescent lights overhead. Even on a good day, standing under those just made him feel like more and more of a corporate drone. Taking a sip from his thermos, the thirty-something year old navigated to his desk; currently littered with various small gadgets he worked on between calls. A sticky note on his computer reminded him he had a meeting with James in Hero Development today. Something about finding a new partner for Lightning Girl. Apparently it was becoming "more profitable" to send heroes out in duos. The public LOVED a team effort after all...
As he was about to put on his headphones, Riley's boss Katherine walked up carrying a stack of files. Judging by the Phoenix Program logo on the paper, this was going to mean more work on his end.
"Good morning, Riley," she said. Her cheery demeanor a mask for what she was about to drop on her main dispatcher. Having a former spy and spec ops hero as your boss usually meant she was VERY good at hiding how she really felt."I know it's Monday, but I'll need you to run through these new candidates for Phoenix Program. The main office downtown thinks they'd be a good fit for our branch. Given your team recently had some dropouts after that incident with the British girl, they fall to you for training." Riley took the files and casually flipped through them.
"So the good people downtown think we need new talent?" Nothing in the files exactly gave Riley a vote of confidence. We've got a thief, a former Red Ring dealer, and... Lunara?"
"Nothing more on that one I'm afraid," replied Kat. "Her "arch-nemesis" Solaris brought her down last week and asked that she be placed in Phoenix Program. Poor girl even took a transfer to our branch to keep an eye on her." Kat chuckled and shook her head. "I still think Phoenix Program's a bad idea, but with crime getting worse, we need all the bodies we can get on the streets. I've taken the liberty of adding these three to your hero pool. Just try them out today and see if you can make any progress."
"I'll... see what I can do, boss." Riley forced that last bit out with resignation. Setting the files on his desk, he turned his attention back to booting up the monitor. Putting villains on the street would have been unheard of even a decade ago. Desperate times really did make people do crazy things. While Kat walked away to address other Dispatchers, Riley placed on his headphones and addressed the new team members.
"Morning, Alpha Team. This is your Dispatcher Riley Rider checking in. Since losing Tsunami and Meta-Man last week, we've got new team members joining us. Feel free to say hello and make them feel 'welcome'"
"Can we skip the part where you complain about the damages and I direct you to SDN's complaint line?"
Age: 33
Appearance: Even among the staff at the Claremont office, Riley's skin looks pale. In addition to long hours at his workplace computer, Riley can often be found in Claremont's basement R&D lab working on some new device or gizmo. Constantly wearing a helmet in his previous job didn't really help him either. Stubble is usually present on Riley's face in some form or fashion; signs of a hasty shave job done hours before he has to come into the office. His brown eyes are sharp, analytical, and more than a few co-workers have felt as though he's "evaluating" them with his gaze.
Moving down, his SDN uniform is meticulously maintained, although this is usually due to a cleaning system he'd designed in his apartment. The sleeves are usually rolled up to the elbows in case Riley needs to get his hands dirty on a project. His body is fairly well-built and muscular. This is due to him carrying many of his tools and supplies on his person when he used to be a hero. When he was starting out, it wasn't unusual for Riley to carry fifty pounds or more of supplies into the field. Lastly, his body is marred by several different burn marks and electrical scars where his gadgets didn't "work right" during testing.
Role at SDN: Chief Dispatcher/Ex-Hero
Background: Have you ever had a dream that never quite panned out? That's Riley. From a young age, he knew he wanted to be a hero and help people in need. When his Technopathic abilities first began to emerge, this only further solidified his resolve. He'd spend entire weekends in his family's garage taking apart household appliances and transforming them into "gadgets" he'd eventually wield when he became a hero.
What could go wrong? Well... a lot of things actually.
What Riley hadn't counted on was the fact that people really don't like technopaths. The fact that most pop culture vilified technology didn't endear him to most adults, and that would eventually trickle down to his classmates.
Yes. Riley was the "Weird Kid".
The poor guy would eventually lose friends as their parents pulled them away or his early gadgets malfunctioned, leading to public embarrassment. Despite the setbacks, Riley kept pushing on towards his goal. He planned to officially register as a hero after high school and work to change the public's opinion about technopaths!
The final nail in the coffin came during his first year as a hero: The Brave Brigade Incident. When Shroud killed the pilot of Mecha Man Astral, the public decided once and for all that anyone with powers like Shroud's weren't to be trusted. For the next several years, Riley would struggle to find work, and he would even get accosted by civilians while in the middle of a job! (One time, he was mistaken for Shroud while on a job, and heroes had to be called to save HIM)
After several years, Riley decided it was time to change course. Thanks to a connection from a friend, he managed to land a desk job at the Superhero Dispatch Network. Originally, he applied for an R&D position, but suspicion about his powers kept him from the role. He settled for work as a dispatcher. After a year at the dumpster fire that was SDN Burbank, he transferred to the Claremont branch.
Since joining Claremont five years ago, Riley has made a name for himself as a dispatcher. He's built a solid circle of friends and co-workers. The guys down in R&D even let him come down to work on projects from time to time. He's convinced himself that dispatching his where he belongs, but deep down he wonders if he might get a chance to be the hero again...
(Arbitrary Code Execution)
Appearance: In his past life as A.C.E., Riley had constructed a specialized armor that could channel his techopathic abilities. The gauntlets on his arms could sync with and interface with any machine in his vicinity. The armor was made of a special alloy he developed after getting hit one too many times by his inventions backfiring. His boots came with small thrusters to allow for limited flight or a speed boost. Lastly, the helmet had a direct interface that allowed him to manage the "nanobots" that he built near the end of his hero career.
Powers: Riley is a technopath. This grants him the ability to control and manipulate machines with only his mind. He can simply control machines, take them apart, repair them, or break them down to components and make something entirely new! When he was just starting out, Riley would carry a backpack filled with scrap material so he could build tools on the fly. He quickly learned this was a bad idea and began learning how to utilize his surroundings for maximum benefit. As his skills grew, Riley developed more permanent tools to aid him in his hero work. His crowning achievement were the nanobots. A small armada of microscopic robots that he could openly command to build structures for transport, defense, or even to form new weapons!
Likes: - Black Coffee (Stronger the better) - Working in the lab - Drafting Blueprints - Heroes who follow orders - Brainbook
Dislikes: - Shroud. FUCK SHROUD. - Being judged - Disobeying orders - Low-budget tech - SDN Burbank (Screw Mr. Mephisto)
Quirks: - Riley has several "Not SDN approved" modifications installed on his workplace computer to improve performance. Most of them are his design, but one or two he's procured through villain contacts.
- Riley currently holds the Claremont office record for "fastest hack time" on a call at 10.6 seconds. He's held this record for nearly three years an no one's come close to beating it.
- Because his time as A.C.E. was a series of controversies, it always gives Riley a thrill when he overhears a co-worker mention him positively. A.C.E. never quite made it to the big leagues, but at least he HAD a reputation in the Southlands.
- Riley has a small crush on the DTLA hero Brainbook. It's a goal of his to meet her one day and compare notes on building schematics.
- One of Riley's biggest secrets is that he's got a massive playlist of folk music on file at home. He likes to tune it out while doing paperwork, payroll, or when building new gadgets.
- If no one's looking, Riley will use his powers to install and play Galaga on his work computer during slow workdays.
I hadn't thought of a concept which isn't simply stolen from some anime/marvel/tv show, yet. That plus, general business has kept me away. If worse comes to worst, I will simply sit out.
Though as a side-note, RIP with all the images being hosted on Imgur.
I mean, most of the characters are literally references to other heroes. We literally have knock off iron man and Superman as title characters. Blonde Blazer is just Starlight from the Boys. Go crazy.
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vue2026,
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StarfrostedFox,
cosmiccowgirl,
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Ezekiel,
Guardian Angel Haruki,
Azure Bubbles,
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