Roman

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 07: A writers inspiration for character ideas can come from many places. Many times, we find our characters influenced by our experiences and preferences. Whether that be favourite published works or perhaps a situation you wish had turned out different. In character, even our characters have inspirations, Batman was inspired by Zorro (who no doubt influenced Bob Kane during his creation). What inspired you to make your character? Whether it be their personality, backstory or powers, this week's discussion is all about your influences.

@Lord Wraith

I'm a big reader of DC and a big gamer and a lot of my inspirations come from the various stories found in both of those medias. For Elwood in particular, those who know me know I have a long history of bestial/monstrous characters, and those who know me better know a lot of my characters come from the basic concept of duality, something I love to explore in all its ways.

The Wendigo specifically is my own fascination - my girlfriend and I are big lovers of Cryptids and supernatural creatures, and the Wendigo is my favourite example of either. It took a while to figure out Elwood, but after I'd chosen Rami Malek for my faceclaim, the Wendigo idea fell into place.

A lot of the time, I think of a story before I think of the character that fits it. I conceptualize an arc, refine it, and then think about the kind of character needed to play the necessary parts in that arc. It's a double-edged sword - I actually found writing a character for this RP really difficult, because my existing arcs and attached characters at the time didn't really fit into the format. However, when Elwood did finally click for me, he became one of my strongest sheets, along with a few past concepts I still hold onto in my heart.

Crestwood Hollow

I nearly-always follow through.

Crestwood Hollow

B E L L E D ' V O I R E

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Belle bristled at Kit's slimy, sarcastic dismissal. The windows panes of the room tapped as a few wasps banged and bumped against the glass. She had never felt anger or indignation like this before...she felt as if Kit had intruded on a great destiny, steered her off course. Kit had appeared from nowhere and shaken her nest, and Belle felt a deep, innate desire to punish him for his transgressions. And yet...he wasn't their enemy, at least not directly. He seemed willing to teach them, even if it was apparent he favoured the stick to the carrot. Conflict dwelled within her - conflict at Kit's purpose, conflict at new, violent emotions that grew from her core, conflict at what her direction was to be now, what the class's direction was to be. Jonas had laid out his plan for her and her peers, but Kit would never be so...plain. Subterfuge against his own erstwhile-wards seemed counterintuitive, and yet she expected no less.

All the same, she headed to the cafeteria as instructed, stepping her insects down and calming herself with quiet mantra and still thoughts as the group made their way across campus. A brisk September day seemed to instill new vigour in them, and she relished the time away from Renard. He felt like an invasion upon her mind, weighing on her psyche, as if sticky finger filtered through. There was no hiding from Kit Renard - or, at least, that was how he wanted you to feel. Belle instead focused on herself; she watched ants busy-about, observed the last few bumblebees and butterflies supping the last of the season's nectar. The presence of the insects comforted her; in them, she had a domain in which she was Queen, absolute and irrevocable. The whirlwind her life had become - magic, superhuman abilities, vast enemies and impenetrable allies - was whisked away by simply commanding a ladybird to fly to her finger, or a spider to rest upon her ankle, or a beetle to watch the world from her shoulder.

Ahead of them, the sliding doors of the cafeteria quietly slid open as the last few students left; 'Social Conscience' was the last period of the day, and those enrolled were either in other classes or had finished their day. As the group entered, they found the kitchen closed, and the hall empty. A sizeable space that they had to themselves; Belle wondered what Kit had hoped to use such an area for. She looked around at her classmates, the odd, but steadfast bunch they had become. Did any of them know what was to become of them?

Crestwood Hollow

I think you just need to join less RP's.

I don't think it's done? Day off tomorrow so planning to get a post in.

Young Justice est. 2020

@RomanHow are you guys getting on?

@BlackSam3091

Pretty good, thanks. You?

Young Justice est. 2020

---

Newbies. Gemini and Siamese knew how to be Newbies, capital 'N' and everything. They were Newbies at the foster shelter after their parents died 5 years ago; they were Newbies at their first proper foster home; they were Newbies at each of the three state-funded boarding schools they had been sent to; they were Newbies to the unofficial gangs that the homeless and destitute had formed in order to seize a better chance at survival; and now, they were Newbies to the most peculiar group of all, even including Hobo Joe and the Bolo Cholo's. Being a Newbie was easy; you kept your head down, you agreed with the majority vote, you avoided rocking the boat, and you didn't take apart the laptop of the most popular girl in school to create a mini heating-laser ray so you could maintain coffee temperature during Gem's midnight episodes.

Man. The twins could use a coffee. Their erstwhile guardians - Nightwing and Zatanna - were not big believers in the artificially-assisted wake-up. Shame, really - A few minutes with a coffee grinder and Sia could whip up a mean cup of mud. The twins observed their company, an odd assortment of young adults from various creeds and backgrounds and demi-human races and different planets, and did their best, as street-urchin metahumans with a long history of accidental bomb-making, to fit in. They did not do a particularly impressive job - but they did enough as necessary to not stand up or be obnoxious. Yet.

They were bunking. The twins didn't mean to sound derogatory or to sandbag the idea; they were not huge fans of the educational system as it stood, having been put through the wringer already and preferring homeless living to the intolerant, oppressive and authoritarian rule of mistresses and professors. But the mall seemed so trite and cliche, to say nothing of the one who had spawned the idea - Karlie, social media personified, as if her power was mental interface with Instagram.

Still, the twins preferred freedom to schedule, and they had had plenty of schedule under the care of their mentors. Sia nudged Gem, who looked up from where she had been idly wrapping wire around her fingers, interlooping the copper before expertly unravelling and starting around the other hand. "Mall?" Sia asked, and Gem raised a single eyebrow.
"Coffee." She answered, stating what was on both of the girls' mind.
"Sure, but, coffee at the mall. Else you and I are stuck in class all day by ourselves."
"Oh, man, we were going to class? Shit, Sia, you gotta tell me these things before I commit."
Sia's turn to raise an eyebrow. "...sorry Gem. Guess it slipped my mind."
"Get a hold on that, S. You gotta watch out for us." Gem pocketed the wire, but had somehow produced a small, charred fragment of metal that she now flipped over her knuckles. "Let's hit the mall."

Sia sighed, but smiled slightly as she did so. Somehow, after all this time, she still found Gem endearing.
"Yes. Lets."

Young Justice est. 2020

| Name(s) |

Gemini 'Gem' Trent // Siamese 'Sia' Trent

| Alias(s) |

Lock // Load

| Age |

18

| Sponsor |

Booster Gold

| Personality |

Vivacious // Grounded // Loyal

| Experience |

Two (and a half) Weeks

| Power(s) |

LOCK | Possesses a low-functioning form of technopathy that allows her to take rudimentary resources from her surroundings and use them to intuitively construct weapons, explosives and firearms almost without second thought.

LOAD | Possesses tandem-functioning forms of energy manipulation and technopathy that allows her to instill 'power' into any tool or weapon she is in contact with, and upgrade it to perform its intended function better, at a higher level, or more efficiently.

Clearly, the sister's abilities perform best when used together; Lock creating crude and cheap weaponry quickly from whatever she can find, and then handing it off to Load so that it can become a true battlefield terror.

| Weaknesses |

LOCK | Builds require resources, and without materials, she cannot build anything. Additionally, poor quality materials will create poor quality weaponry. The more complex a weapon, the more detailed resources Gem needs, and her builds do not instill her with innate knowledge on a weapon's proper usage.

Finally, Gem's power does not come with an 'off' switch. While this is useful out in the field, constantly seeing resources and how to use them, in her day-to-day it can be overwhelming and mind-flooding.

LOAD | Upgrades require energy and time, and progress slowly at first. Upgrades are lost if Sia loses contact, and she must focus carefully if she wishes to 'direct' an upgrade down a specific path, and she must intentionally and consciously begin an upgrade process. Additionally, unless Sia directs an upgrade down autonomous function, her upgrades do not instill knowledge on how best to use the new-and-improved object.

| Appearance |

Gem and Sia are twins, and while not identical, they are similar; both have stark blonde hair, with sharp features and lean bodies. Gem's hair is often worn in a wild, thrown-back quiff, the sides shaved haphazardly, while Sia usually tilts more towards allowing her long, straight hair to flow freely, tied up into a tail in time of concentration. Both dress in avant-garde nature, more often because of what little clothing is available to them, rather than an eccentric fashion taste.

| Bio |

Orphaned from 13, Gem and Sia have come to lean on each other as their only reliable source of comfort, compassion, and actually giving-a-shit about their wellbeing. Shuffled through the boarding school system for a few years, their powers often getting them trouble and transfers in that order, the twins eventually abandoned government-subsidized 'care', and found themselves surviving on the street, using their abilities to the best they were capable of to help their situation.

Scrounging and odd-jobs soon turned into accidental heroism after Gem, in the heat of an episode, constructed a crude crossbow and pinned a would-be mugger to the wall behind him. Discovered shortly after by Booster Gold, who was looking for the would-be vigilantes in hopes they were indeed 'vigilantes' and not villains-to-be, they were admired by Booster for their similarly rough upbringing, innovative technopathy-based powers, and general good-hearted nature that led them to defending the common citizen in the first place.

Still looking for a ward to sponsor, Booster introduced Lock & Load to the rest of the Justice League, and quelled claims about their inexperience and young age with claims that he had fore-knowledge from the future of their impact upon the world-at-large. While such claims were doubted, the League could not deny their plausibility, nor the twin's own suitability for the candidacy. They were cautiously accepted, and have been working hard to earn their place ever since.

| Sample |

It was clanking that awoke Sia. Clanking and muttered groans of frustration and more clanking and- Sia rolled over, lifting an arm to check her clock, red LED's glowing harsh. 8:13. Gem had had worse episodes. Sia strained her neck to check the corner of the room where Gem's scrap heap resided. It was less of a heap, now, more of a...mound? Pile? The words still seemed too big. Whatever, it was smaller than it had been when they'd gone to bed. Or at least, when Sia had gone to bed.
"Gem?" Sia said gently, sitting up in bed, carefully prodding her sister. It was important not to startle her in an episode. Who knew what she'd constructed. "What've you been building?"

Gem dropped the scrap that was in her hands and hovered a hand over a pile of odd, near-spherical objects that lay beside her. She picked one up and cradled it in both hands, standing and turning around - Sia could see her eyes were bloodshot, hair greasy and pulled back. Oil marked her face, though Sia couldn't see any cans or containers in the room. How did she always manage that?
"Bombs."
Oh. Good.
"At first explosive!"
Naturally.
"Just plain bada-boom, y'know, bit of gunpowder? But then I saw these," Gem threw her arm behind her and scooped up some metal shavings, "and I thought, what about a dispersal system? Like, a scatter-bomb." Sia nodded along, ignoring her need for coffee. It was best to let Gem talk. "And that got me thinking about dispersal systems in general! SO many different things you can put in a bomb, Si, it's crazy! This one's just the boom, but you've got EMP's, sonics, heat. You just put this there and then that goes around here and then you press this-"

Sia leaped frantically from her bed and nearly tackled Gem in sweeping the bomb from her hands, then fled to the window, flinging it open and tossing the small metal bomb out into the open air beyond. It clicked mid-flight and Sia pushed herself flat to the ground. There was a boom and a rumble and Sia got up, peeking out of the window. There was smoke, and a small piece of metal was vibrating in the wall next to their window, but through the lingering black plume Sia could see small bits of coloured paper fluttering gently in the breeze, starting their fall to the ground.

"Oh, that one was confetti. A celebration-bomb!" Gem said from behind her, cheerful and spacey.
"What were you celebrating?" Sia asked, exerting calm upon herself, turning around to face Gem.
"Well that's for whoever throws it to decide."
Sia tried to respond, but the tannoy crackled to life, and whatever she was about to say was cut off by the icy tones of their school's icy headmistress.
"Gemini and Siamese. Attend breakfast. And then my office."

Sia groaned, rooting through her drawers to find suitable clothing. Gem just grinned.
"Excellent." She said. "I'm starving."

Young Justice est. 2020

@Roman I'll have to take a look at the CS when I get home. Visiting my mom and getting some Easter weekend stuff out of the way...

~KL~

@The Kid Lantern

Do what you gotta do, man.

What are the available classes? I assume these are all held in a JL-owned/sponsored establishment?

~R~

Young Justice est. 2020

| Name(s) |

Gemini 'Gem' Trent // Siamese 'Sia' Trent

| Alias(s) |

Lock // Load

| Age |

18

| Sponsor |

Booster Gold

| Personality |

Vivacious // Grounded // Loyal

| Experience |

Two (and a half) Weeks

| Power(s) |

LOCK | Possesses a low-functioning form of technopathy that allows her to take rudimentary resources from her surroundings and use them to intuitively construct weapons, explosives and firearms almost without second thought.

LOAD | Possesses tandem-functioning forms of energy manipulation and technopathy that allows her to instill 'power' into any tool or weapon she is in contact with, and upgrade it to perform its intended function better, at a higher level, or more efficiently.

Clearly, the sister's abilities perform best when used together; Lock creating crude and cheap weaponry quickly from whatever she can find, and then handing it off to Load so that it can become a true battlefield terror.

| Weaknesses |

LOCK | Builds require resources, and without materials, she cannot build anything. Additionally, poor quality materials will create poor quality weaponry. The more complex a weapon, the more detailed resources Gem needs, and her builds do not instill her with innate knowledge on a weapon's proper usage.

Finally, Gem's power does not come with an 'off' switch. While this is useful out in the field, constantly seeing resources and how to use them, in her day-to-day it can be overwhelming and mind-flooding.

LOAD | Upgrades require energy and time, and progress slowly at first. Upgrades are lost if Sia loses contact, and she must focus carefully if she wishes to 'direct' an upgrade down a specific path, and she must intentionally and consciously begin an upgrade process. Additionally, unless Sia directs an upgrade down autonomous function, her upgrades do not instill knowledge on how best to use the new-and-improved object.

| Appearance |

Gem and Sia are twins, and while not identical, they are similar; both have stark blonde hair, with sharp features and lean bodies. Gem's hair is often worn in a wild, thrown-back quiff, the sides shaved haphazardly, while Sia usually tilts more towards allowing her long, straight hair to flow freely, tied up into a tail in time of concentration. Both dress in avant-garde nature, more often because of what little clothing is available to them, rather than an eccentric fashion taste.

| Bio |

Orphaned from 13, Gem and Sia have come to lean on each other as their only reliable source of comfort, compassion, and actually giving-a-shit about their wellbeing. Shuffled through the boarding school system for a few years, their powers often getting them trouble and transfers in that order, the twins eventually abandoned government-subsidized 'care', and found themselves surviving on the street, using their abilities to the best they were capable of to help their situation.

Scrounging and odd-jobs soon turned into accidental heroism after Gem, in the heat of an episode, constructed a crude crossbow and pinned a would-be mugger to the wall behind him. Discovered shortly after by Booster Gold, who was looking for the would-be vigilantes in hopes they were indeed 'vigilantes' and not villains-to-be, they were admired by Booster for their similarly rough upbringing, innovative technopathy-based powers, and general good-hearted nature that led them to defending the common citizen in the first place.

Still looking for a ward to sponsor, Booster introduced Lock & Load to the rest of the Justice League, and quelled claims about their inexperience and young age with claims that he had fore-knowledge from the future of their impact upon the world-at-large. While such claims were doubted, the League could not deny their plausibility, nor the twin's own suitability for the candidacy. They were cautiously accepted, and have been working hard to earn their place ever since.

| Sample |

It was clanking that awoke Sia. Clanking and muttered groans of frustration and more clanking and- Sia rolled over, lifting an arm to check her clock, red LED's glowing harsh. 8:13. Gem had had worse episodes. Sia strained her neck to check the corner of the room where Gem's scrap heap resided. It was less of a heap, now, more of a...mound? Pile? The words still seemed too big. Whatever, it was smaller than it had been when they'd gone to bed. Or at least, when Sia had gone to bed.
"Gem?" Sia said gently, sitting up in bed, carefully prodding her sister. It was important not to startle her in an episode. Who knew what she'd constructed. "What've you been building?"

Gem dropped the scrap that was in her hands and hovered a hand over a pile of odd, near-spherical objects that lay beside her. She picked one up and cradled it in both hands, standing and turning around - Sia could see her eyes were bloodshot, hair greasy and pulled back. Oil marked her face, though Sia couldn't see any cans or containers in the room. How did she always manage that?
"Bombs."
Oh. Good.
"At first explosive!"
Naturally.
"Just plain bada-boom, y'know, bit of gunpowder? But then I saw these," Gem threw her arm behind her and scooped up some metal shavings, "and I thought, what about a dispersal system? Like, a scatter-bomb." Sia nodded along, ignoring her need for coffee. It was best to let Gem talk. "And that got me thinking about dispersal systems in general! SO many different things you can put in a bomb, Si, it's crazy! This one's just the boom, but you've got EMP's, sonics, heat. You just put this there and then that goes around here and then you press this-"

Sia leaped frantically from her bed and nearly tackled Gem in sweeping the bomb from her hands, then fled to the window, flinging it open and tossing the small metal bomb out into the open air beyond. It clicked mid-flight and Sia pushed herself flat to the ground. There was a boom and a rumble and Sia got up, peeking out of the window. There was smoke, and a small piece of metal was vibrating in the wall next to their window, but through the lingering black plume Sia could see small bits of coloured paper fluttering gently in the breeze, starting their fall to the ground.

"Oh, that one was confetti. A celebration-bomb!" Gem said from behind her, cheerful and spacey.
"What were you celebrating?" Sia asked, exerting calm upon herself, turning around to face Gem.
"Well that's for whoever throws it to decide."
Sia tried to respond, but the tannoy crackled to life, and whatever she was about to say was cut off by the icy tones of their school's icy headmistress.
"Gemini and Siamese. Attend breakfast. And then my office."

Sia groaned, rooting through her drawers to find suitable clothing. Gem just grinned.
"Excellent." She said. "I'm starving."

~R~

Young Justice est. 2020

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