Roman

Young Justice est. 2020

Any mentor's still available? Or am I going to go all #rogueagent?

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

E L W O O D D O W D

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^{Downtown New Lilith, The Lamp}

The sweeping had been done within twenty minutes of finding the broom, after a brave venture into the supply closet. Elwood didn't receive a single member of the public - not even curious and naive tourists drawn in by the glittery (and often counterfeit) 'relics'. He received no calls from anyone, let alone the oddly-named 'Mr. Mulligan', and the brass cupboard, in all its gleaming glory, would threaten to blind a man from fifty paces were the sun available to shine. All in all, Elwood found himself bored for much of his afternoon, lacking in sufficient distraction from his Hunger.

Elwood chewed his fingernails to the quick - a frustrated, fidgeting gnawing born out of boredom and poor self-control. The Hunger ached within him, whetted from the earlier sandwich, and he hungrily eyed the diner across the street, desiring thick meats and dense breads. The clock ticked by slowly, Elwood keeping a feverish eye on every motion made by its hands; eventually, five'o'clock ticked around, and Justin fumbled with the key as he tried to keep hold of it while donning his coat. He busied himself theatrically for a few minutes, allowing a final opportunity for any last-minute customers, and then carefully walked through the store's displays and out the front door, turning around to lock it behind him. The key slid neatly into the lock, and Elwood was on the precipice of applying torsion when from inside, the old-fashioned belling of the phone rang sharp through the store.

Elwood froze for a second, listening to the ring peter out before it started up anew, another clanging klaxon that seemed askew somehow, despite no audible difference from any other time the phone rang. He debated for a few more rings, and then made a firm decision - Mr. Lafferty was expecting a call, and the last time Elwood had skipped answering to a seller he had been made to clean the lavatory. He re-opened the door and moved deftly through the shop to behind the counter where the phone hung from the wall. Elwood cleared his throat as his fingers rested on the handset, and he suppressed the violent urge to slam the receiver and flee the shop, pounding the pavement all the way home to his bedroom to lock the door and quietly hyperventilate himself to sleep, plagued by shadowy and ever-present nightmares of ravenous wolves and animal carcasses...Elwood picked up the phone.

"That Lafferty's shack? The Lamp?" Rough voice. Demanding. Slight Irish lilt. Elwood opened his mouth to respond, but all that arrived from his throat was a low, crackling moan. "Jonathan, ya bastard, is that you? Ya scared, Lafferty? Ain't like you, J-man..." There was a menacing undertone, but it was being played off as jokey, a thinly veiled threat disguised as 'banter'. Elwood felt a pang of fear, and a deeper pang of aggression and outrage.

"No!" He suddenly voiced a reply, shocking himself at the sound of his own voice. "...no. Mr. Lafferty's not here. This is...Elwood. I...work here." He held his breath as he waited for a response, and the silence dragged on, like the caller was considering something deeply.
"...you're Lafferty's boy, eh?" The voice was low and unpleasant. "Yeah, he's mentioned his lil' assistant a coupl'a time. Love to meet ya."

Elwood supressed his panic and swallowed. "Do you have business here, sir?"
"Yeeeaaaaahhh....." The voice trailed off before clearing his throat. "I'm an...associate of Mr. Mulligan. Got that gear to shift. Need to set it up."
"Tuesday." Elwood blurted out, his speech fast and desperate to end the conversation as soon as possible. "He can meet next Tuesday."
"Oh sure, sure...Tuesday's fan-tastic. A little earlier, might be nice?"
"Mr-Lafferty-didn't-provide-me-with-any-details-of-his-schedule."
"I'll...pop in then. I'm sure he'll make time for me."
"Okay-thank-you-for-calling."
The voice chuckled. "Oh, you're sure welcome, kid. And listen...if he asks? ...tell 'im Redcap called."

The line went flat and Elwood slammed the handset back onto the receiver, breathing heavily and shaking slightly. He jerked his head toward the door, eyes focusing. Through the glass pane of the store's front door he could see through the rain outside into the transparent plexiglass front of the diner opposite, and through that was a hole-in-the-wall between the counter and the kitchen, and through that were several bubbling slabs of burger patty sizzling away on a hot grill. Elwood could practically smell them as he stormed through the shop and out the door, pausing for a micro-second to lock it behind him. He looked up as he did so, and caught his reflection in the glass. His eyes were going.

He didn't stop himself.

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

<Snipped quote by Lord Wraith>

Tbh, that doesn't sound that bad. A month of paid vacation? I'd take it.

@Pirouette

Suspension will stay on her file and will be taken into account every time a decision is made about any transfers, promotions, pay raises, bonuses, or further punishments are made. Also, while she is technically 'off' work, she's also not allowed to work on any ongoing cases or pursue any investigations or be assigned any new cases, and any currently open cases she's handling will be passed to someone else (although admittedly this doesn't mean much as she works in Cold Cases). She's also not allowed on-site at her precinct.

Also, given the character's drive, forced time off seems like it might irritate her - go a bit stir-crazy?

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

<Snipped quote by Roman>

Well, would you prefer Red Alert references?

@Lurking Shadow

Absolutely not.

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

Smite references? In my RP?

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

G M A N N O U N C E M E N T:

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◼ WEEK 04: As the first round of secondary plots are coming to an end, let's discuss antagonists. So far there hasn't been anything too serious in the RP but what are your thoughts on antagonists? What makes a good villain for you? Do you like them unhinged, do you like them cold and calculating? Do you prefer an NPC villain or one who is directly portrayed by another player? What's good about being bad?

@Lord Wraith

Often a good villain is set apart from lesser ones by how good of a counterpart they are to their hero. Joker isn't a great villain because of his visual design or his insanity, he's a great villain because he's everything Batman isn't and could have been.

Alternatively, a standalone villain needs a tragic backstory, or a sympathetic cause. A long, dark path that lead them to where they are, or a steadfast belief that they hold to a fault.

I guess I like villains that show us just how real evil can be, and how close we can get to it.

Roman's Scrapbin

G U N S L I N G E R

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^{R O L A N D W O L F E ◼ F E B U A R Y , 1 9 0 0 ( 1 1 8 ) ◼ M A L E ◼ V E N A R I}

IMG

^{"DRAW!...nah, I'm kidding. You wouldn't hear me call 'draw'."}

▼ A P P E A R A N C E:

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IMG

^{"These ain't wrinkles, darlin', just...experience lines."}

//STATS:

◼ HEIGHT | 6'2"

◼ WEIGHT | 150lbs

◼ BUILD | Tall and lean with toned muscle mass

◼ HAIR COLOR | Dark brown with streaks of silver from age

◼ EYE COLOR | Deep amber

◼ OTHER | Has various scars across his torso, back, and legs from his years of Venari 'duty'. His Venari runes cover a few , with specialized runes on the insides of his wrists.

//DESCRIPTION:

Roland's clothes are old-fashioned, well-worn, and often dusty, even despite the absence of any mud, dirt, sand, soot, or silt; he treads roads in sturdy and reliable boots, and covers himself with a heavy and practical coat. He often has a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and often smokes it through a wry, knowing smile. His years of life have given him a blase, 'seen-it-all' attitude, and he often brushes off what others call 'crises' with the casual how-do that you might brush a fly off your shoulder - but despite this cavalier cover, he often lends a hand regardless.

▼ B I O G R A P H Y:

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^{"It's been an...interestin' life, for sure."}

This is the story of your character's life, their defining moments and how they made it from the womb to where they are now. You can include as much other details as you think is necessary but don't go overboard and spell everything out. Sometimes its best to show through the IC than to tell in the CS.

▼ M O T I V A T I O N / O B J E C T I V E:

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^{"Witty Quote #4"}

What is driving your character? What makes them tick? Why do they act the way they do.

▼ A B I L I T I E S / S K I L L S:

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^{"Witty Quote #5"}

//ABILITIES:

◼ TBD | Test

//SKILLS:

◼ TBD | Test

//LIMITATIONS:

◼ TBD | Test

//WEAKNESSES:

◼ TBD | Test

▼ N O T E S:

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//SUPPORTING CAST:

▼ ALLIES

◼ TBD | Test

▼ FRIENDS

◼ TBD | Test

▼ ENEMIES

◼ TBD | Test

//STOMPING GROUNDS

◼ TBD | Test

//PARAPHERNALIA

◼ TBD | Test

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

@Roman
Have I mentioned how much I love your character? Because dear good gracious lordy I love your character. Just thought you should know.

@CallSignCorsair

You know I'm not co-GM anymore, right?

I'm flattered nonetheless, however. Thank you!

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

G M A N N O U N C E M E N T:

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◼ WEEK 03: Relationships are a very important part of life. Often people are defined by the relationships they make and this is no clearer than in the way we portray relationships in fiction. Spider-Man is known by both his love interests and his rogues. Many of you opted to note that you'll be making friends, allies and enemies within the IC on your character sheets. So on that note, having seen most of the cast in action already and with one secondary plot concluded, who do you want to interact with? Is there anyone on the cast you think would be a great ally for your character? Anyone you think your character would be drawn to romantically? Or is there someone you think would ultimately clash with your character, maybe or a rival or ultimately a bitter enemy?

@Lord Wraith

I know I've only got one post in, and it's centered on setting Elwood's personal plotline up, and his anxiety isn't conducive to relationships, and he has bestial, cannibalistic impulses towards nearly everyone he talks to...but it would be nice to make a friend for Elwood. Maybe other Hellions? Some open-minded Hyperhumans?

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

E L W O O D D O W D

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^{Downtown New Lilith}

Images of bloody teeth tearing through flesh skipped through Elwood's mind. Frantic, frenzied hands pulling and ripping skin, snapping bones between fingers to suck at the marrow. Fangs gnawing at tendons, snapping ligaments at the join to access better meat. His belly wailing for more, and more, and more, lapping up every oozing chunk of muscle without being sated. Gnashing and cleaving and clawing anything within reach, chunks of viscera swallowed without being chewed, a mad and feverish hysteria of feeding and feasting, never enough, always needing more, more, more feed me more-

A sharp pain ricocheted from Elwood's cheek to his opposite temple, a red sting quickly fading as the delirious fantasy subsided, its manufacturer retreating back to his core. Elwood's vision focused, the overwhelming darkness fleeing back into the corners as light reinstated itself from the ceiling and the lamps dotted around the room. He was in the front hallway of his mother's home, and stood before him was his grandmother, hand poised for another assault. He jerked his head sharply, unconsciously checking for blood and carcasses as his torso tensed up. He couldn't remember what he had been doing.

"Elwood Dowd, your eyes were going in front of your own grandma." Maw-Maw announced, her tone more of outrage and disappointment than of fear and disgust.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Maw-Maw." Elwood said, bringing his hands up to run through his hair and down his face, rubbing his eyes as he did so. "I...it was hungry."
"I know, Elwood. You haven't eaten today, have you?" She asked, walking away from Elwood as she stepped through the open double doors to his side, where the hallway connected to the combination kitchen and den. The TV blared a news report, mostly about the rain and the resulting crime, and both of them ignored it as Maw-Maw opened the fridge.
"No, Maw-Maw." Elwood said, his hand clenching as the Hunger growled again, deep in his belly.
"And you didn't eat yesterday either, did you?" Maw-Maw asked, returning from the fridge with a cold sandwich atop a ceramic plate, unwrapping the clingfilm as she walked. Between the thick slices of bread were turkey and sausage, and she scooped a bottle of mustard up as she passed the counter.
"No, Maw-Maw." He admitted, shamed in his own misguided self-medication. The Hunger frightened him, and as it railed against his stomach his appetite grew and shrunk simultaneously, juggling primal instinct and acute fear.
"Then you're a damn fool. I know you're frightened that eating will draw it out - but it is hunger. Here," she thrust the plate against his stomach, and he took it as she lifted the top slice of bread and slapped down a healthy dollop of mustard, "and don't think you're leaving this house until that plate is clean."

Elwood did as he was told, and while he felt the Hunger flare as he fed it, he also felt its hold loosen slightly. He smiled weakly as he handed the plate back, and Maw-Maw smiled as she set it on the side for a moment before pulling Elwood into a tight embrace.

"It's not you, Elwood. Remember that." She said, and Elwood hugged her back. "You are the bit that's resisting. That's what makes you a Maliceet."
"I know, Maw-Maw." He replied, and they pulled away from each other, Maw-Maw picking the plate back up as she moved back towards the kitchen. Elwood heard the ceramic clattering in the sink, and the tap running soon after, a welcome aquatic hiss that countered the constant tapping of the rainfall. Elwood looked at the clock above the front door, and then rushed to put his boots on.
"I have to go, Maw-Maw. I'm going to be late." He called out to her.
"Don't you dare leave without your coat!" She called back.

~ ~

The walk from his home to his workplace at The Lamp was one Elwood had been practicing for the last year; the imperfect paving of the sidewalk and the various traffic hazards were well-worn into his mind, but the rain, the rain was new. A solid month of torrential downpour, never ceasing between days or nights. Unusual, unnatural, unsettling almost - but like many other things, Elwood ignored it, an unwelcome distraction from his inner turmoil, and there was plenty 'unnatural' and 'unsettling' with Elwood already. He didn't need to look to the weather for something that unnerved him. Interaction hit close enough for him, let alone his outstanding 'condition'. Instead of thinking about the rain, it was hood up, earphones in, and maintaining a steady pace to work while he summarily ignored it.

As best as he could, at least, as the thick raindrops still drummed rythmically against the outer lining of his coat. He sunk deeper into its wool insulate, turning up his phone as he focused on his feet and the music and the underlying Hunger that haunted every waking hour, and many of his sleeping ones. Traffic - pedestrian and vehicular alike - was mostly light, few people braving the downpour unless absolutely essential. Elwood preferred his days with minimal interaction; it was less exhausting that way. Less energy spent on simultaneously focusing on remaining engaged in the conversation while supressing foreign, murderous impulses.

Elwood rounded the corner and looked up. His boss, Jonathan Lafferty - owner of The Lamp, a small curosities/trinkets/antiques/knick-knacks store - was just stepping out, pulling a key out of his coat pocket with one hand while the other held a folded-up newspaper over his head as a makeshift umbrella. Elwood watched him hover the key over the lock, and then saw him look up and down the street before he did anything else. Elwood waved when Lafferty looked his way, and he quickly pocketed the key as Elwood jogged up.

"Mr. Dowd! I thought you had finally decided you liked your job less than a few drops of rain." Mr. Lafferty took up an aloof, sarcastic air, but it was one Elwood had dealt with for the entire 12 months of his employment under the quizzical, enigmatic man.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lafferty. My grandmother...cornered me...with some lunch..." Elwood trailed off, aware of how flimsy his excuse sounded. Lafferty merely raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, well, you're here now, and we haven't lost any customers in the debacle. Damn ghost town all week." He handed Elwood a key - Elwood swore that it had come from a different pocket than the other had gone into - and then pulled out a car key, clicking it a few times while relaying instructions. "Floors need a sweep. Cash drawer's been balanced so don't touch it unless you get a buyer. If the phone goes, I've got a Mr. Mulligan lookin' to sell some gear and I can meet him next Tuesday. Don't break anything, lock up at five, and polish the brass cupboard after you've done the floors."

Elwood pocketed the key quietly and nodded. "Sure thing, Mr. Lafferty." He mumbled to Jonathan's back as he walked over to his car. Elwood slunk into the shop and watched his boss' car rumble off into the rain, brakelights pitiful dots of red against the grey torrent. Elwood stood there, watching the empty street with splattered rain washing away debris and detritus, alone and unusually quiet for a few minutes, before he ventured to the back of the shop in search of the alleged broom.