[M&M] Heroes of New Liberty

[BlackDragon0]

Originally Posted by girlplay

Okay. That's an interesting point. I'll probably have to add a complication about... either fear of abandonment or claustrophobia.

As for the "why become a super hero", because she is one. She was designed to be "better than Human" and use those abilities to "serve and protect". It was Dr. Le Mans' purpose and the one thing that she instilled in her creations.

That's what they said in matrix terminator and I robot. Ohh and avengers age of altron. How did that turn out?... lol

[girlplay]

Originally Posted by BlackDragon0

That's what they said in matrix terminator and I robot. Ohh and avengers age of altron. How did that turn out?... lol

"Nothing can go wrong!"

BTW, if anybody has a suggestion for a better hero name for Silver, then I'd be happy to entertain it.

[Palliven]

Originally Posted by Rune Knight

Are you sure? I was looking at the Alternate Form ability, and it balances itself by costing a move action or a standard action - I chose the move action requirement for my prototype build.

But yes, the idea is that Minavieve has her non-obvious powers available to her in her normal form, but she can take on a "Quintessent form" to both change her appearance and unlock her more flashy abilities (flight, energy beams, etc.).



As explained above, Alternate Form should take care of the transformation thing. As for Cosmic Blood, I wanted two things that my character could do:

1. Tap into a small amount of Quintessence even in her normal form, so that she can mess with electrical systems and such
2. I like the idea of Ultraviolet's blood being usable as machine fuel; it's a small thing with more costs than benefits, but it emphasizes the idea and themes of Quintessence

Depends, which is why I am asking. If she is 'normal' and only gains access to her powers when she 'transforms' using her Alternate Form, then I can see her eyes and hair changing in that process is covered. If she always has her powers and Alternate Form just gives her some versatility or additional/expanded powers, then her change of eye and hair to be her 'mask' would be a Feature. Refer to Quick Change of costume being a Feature and Princess' (Hero example in Handbook) ability that no one can tell Princess and Jessica are the same person being a Feature. Not going to worry about character creation mechanics and final approvals of build now, just wanted to get some clarity on what your concept is.

[Rune Knight]

@Palliven Understood. To be honest, that does seem like a better deal, since my character would be able to switch quickly and could even still have access to all of her powers in both forms. Potentially.

@girlplay I've got some suggestions, since you offered. I tried my best to come up with good underlying themes, but obviously you don't have to take any of these if you don't like them:

• Luna | Simple yet evocative. It brings to mind imagery of the silvery moon, which can be subconsciously calming and endearing. If you took this name, then you could give Louise the supervillain name Umbra (the dark side of the moon).
• Seraphim or Silver Seraphim | To be honest, it could come off as a little pretentious, but the spirit of the idea is that despite being a separate entity from humanity, she was still designed to help them. If you took this, you could give Louise the supervillain name Lillith (the name of a fallen angel).
• Chloe's Daughter | This one came to me after I considered what a twist on the idea of the name "Frankenstein's Monster" would be; it ended up being surprisingly humanizing, actually. Only downside is that the most natural way to shorten the superhero name to a nickname would be to call her "Chloe", which kind of reflects how Frankenstein's Monster is called Frankenstein. I hate to say it, but giving Louise the supervillain name Chloe's Orphan just hits so hard, you know?

[ArcZero]

First off, lol. Two applications with characters of Greek descent.

Questions & Intro Miss Olympus Aspirant Athlete DALL-E AI generated and photoshop 1. What about this game advert makes you want to apply? It reminds me of City of Heroes' setting, which is still one of my favorite games of all time. I love the shining city on a hill motif: big teams being busy while we're the new kids on the block is a great way to have legacy and consequences. Like catching the attention or ire of these famous heroes. Similar to The Lord of the Rings where you mostly follow the hobbits, but Aragorn has to kick butt against ring wraiths and Gandalf has to face a Balrog sometimes. Seeing those multiple moving parts and consequences would be very satisfying to me. The heroic sacrifice and remembrance of this trio of heroes appeals to me, since it shows the game will have lasting achievements and dangers. As much as I like building nuanced, powerful characters, I also like to make flawed ones who will sometimes make a stupid or selfish decision. This plays very well into a Fates-style system like M&M where you are rewarded with hero points for complications. I like characters being pushed out of their comfort zone. My favorite eras of comics are the Silver Age and Iron Age, the slick futurism and warm-heartedness of the Incredibles; as well as the Iron Age 'steamwork/moral story arcs of 80s Spiderman and X-Men. The game sounds like it captures the high fantasy of heroes doing their absolute best, but being forced to adapt to what they face. 2. What do you look for in a good GM? As mentioned above, I appreciate a DM that can ride the line between light-hearted and lasting consequences. They let characters shine, challenge them and ideally incorporate their backgrounds into the challenges they face (this system seems especially good for that). I love immersion and detail, tracking inventory, minor upgrades/flavor changes/damage to items and powers. To draw it back to City of Heroes again, I loved their Fame vs. Virtue-type storylines that they added in later expansions, where a hero is torn between staying virtuous or chasing that next Power Armor suit upgrade. I appreciate a DM that can bring out those kinds of choices; tough and gratifying but not absolutely soul-crushing. I like a variety of challenges when it comes to ttrpgs; hard fights but not just max CR battles every time. Trying to calm a mob, dealing with an adoring fan who won't relent or mirror versions of the heroes are the kind of creative encounter design I like to see. Efficient and rich descriptions/dialogue are a bonus. 3. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds? Fresh off the jump, but I spent the last three days reading the entire Hero's Handbook and have a pretty good grasp on the system. I've made characters for Fates (but not played) and a good bit of 40k (aside from D&D obviously, M&M most reminds me of Fates' character based creation and 40k's all-or-nothing hit and damage rolls). And 15 years of D&D experience with several different systems. Hero Name: Miss Olympus if being professional and Olympia to allies. Catch-Phrase: "In the name/By the light/ of Hermes!" "You want to get stomped? That's asking for a stomping!" "Hades' comet!" Or "I'll follow you through the Underworld if I have to!" Name: Damara Baros Identity: Her identity is absolutely secret. As a busy world class athlete, she has a personal secretary named Evelyn who manages her schedule and helps to spin any confusion over why she flew to x country or left an event or school early.

Background Description: Miss Olympus cuts a striking figure with her golden wreath and forest green hero outfit that shows her fit shoulders. Her dark eyes will fiercely hold eye contact and she has a stern but not overly wide jawline. Her eyes, lips and thin nose all show her Greco-Armenian heritage quite clearly. Her dark hair hangs heavy over her olive skin. She moves confidently, enjoying athletic technique and grace whether using superspeed or towering in her giant form. Some might call it showing off, but she takes pride in physical excellence. In her daily life she is still a very attractive young woman, but her energy is calmer and quieter. Her appearance is just different enough with the wreath altering her hair to make her unrecognizable in that weird superhero way. She makes much less eye contact due to being shy about anything that could give away her powers. She is very fit and in most regards, a normal girl. She can come off as avoidant of parties or get togethers unless it has to do with increasing her chances of getting into the Olympics. Even her scholarship comes second to becoming an Olympian and proving worthy of her father's legacy. Miss Olympus is a dynamic hero who will sprint up to an enemy then grow to titanic proportions to dominate their attention. Her signature moves are 1) Dashing and slamming an enemy with all her weight with her shield at large or human size. 2) Holding an enemy while 20-30 feet tall and crushing or throwing them. 3) Raising her shield triumphantly before drawing enemies towards her or allies/innocents to protect them. She just got the shield, so it doesn't have a name yet. Personality: Damara is hard-working, competitive and not very intelligent. She's your typical athletic scholarship rider, just trying to survive her classes. Her real zeal is for sport, where she enjoys inspiring others and getting her rivals to push themselves too. Her compassion extends to charity, where she likes to use her best academic skill of oration to inspire her peers and future leaders. She does better with prepared speeches. With all that said, she lays low in her personal life with few friends. As a superhero, she likes to be a beacon of hope, embodying Greek heroism. When she uses The Mantle of Hermes her personality changes a little as she gains superspeed and a bit of that callous impartiality associated with the uncaring Greek pantheon. Even after turning it off, it can continue to warp her personality. As she continues to draw on the mantle, it will affect her more deeply and may make it hard to empathize with others. For the moment, she has an easier time making friends as a hero where she doesn't feel the need to hold back. Her personal life is so fraught with stress that she rarely says how she feels and she absolutely does not want to share her personal life with other heroes. This makes her a strange mix of enthusiastic, inspiring and distant. But there is a glimmer of charisma in her that could be honed. Goals: Damara is hellbent on living up to her father's legacy as an Olympic sprinter. This involves the utmost respect for athletic competition and excelling every day. Her mutant powers would disqualify her if found out, from the upcoming Olympics, which is really all that matters to her. When not using her giant form, she is mostly a normal human and able to evade detection so far. Her father looks down on mutants and superheroes, adamant that good old fashioned athletes are what inspire people, not vainglorious vigilantes. It would crush her to be found out but she has to help fight bullies. She loves competition, so be it an ally or a fair villain, she revels in races, wrestling, lifting competitions, etc. She has been known to let a "well-meaning" villain go if they fight valorously. Damara's secret identity. Not this buff yet, give her time Powers: Giant Form -or- Superspeed and a tech shield. Miss Olympus manifested her mutant powers at an early age and tried to reign them in at all costs. This includes some minor enhanced vision, vocal cords, healing factor, the ability to run up walls and most significantly, growing in size, strength and durability! As a senior in high school, the gods of Olympus wished to see junior mortal athletes perform and Damara with her Greek heritage and great track times was summoned. She ran her best and earned the appreciation of Hermes, who bestowed upon her a golden olive wreath that would grant some of his speed, grace and presence as a messenger and lover of athletic games. Unfortunately, something about the wreath only seems to function when she is at normal size and strength (perhaps the gods do not look favorably upon mutants, she knows not why) and as her mutant powers grow, she is having trouble using the wreath at all (unreliable or fading flaw?). While getting her college scholarship for track, she made a minor connection at VESPR labs, run by notorious hero inventor Vector (or other hero+lab of your choice in the USA or Elisia). A researcher named Nolan helped Damara to design a shield that would grow in size with her while preserving its strength at the molecular level. It even has the power to magnetically (Nolan tried to explain it several times, but she just calls it a magnet) pull living people towards her, to more easily pick up a whole group of innocents or keep the focus of enemies on her. It is still a prototype with only modest defenses, but at least it doesn't interfere with her other powers. I know it is a big concept, but I'd rather have weaker versions of these three core powers and work towards fleshing them out if need be. Background: By the time Damara got to the end of her Junior year of high school, a variety of strange happenings made it clear that she was a mutant of some sort. Enduring her lauded father's endless stories about the hubris of heroes (don't even get him started on the folly of the Protectors); she knew that she could never come clean. But there were bullies who held grudges for her beating them in track and wrestling, as well as classmates getting pulled into gang and drug activity in her home city of San Francisco (or equivalent). So she found herself intervening on the down-low and fighting those who tried to hurt or recruit her classmates. Something in her just demanded that she take action. Especially after her friend Ramona got caught up in a drive-by shooting, she knew that she couldn't turn a blind eye. She only took the moniker of Miss Olympus at the end of her senior year, when she knew that knocking down one petty criminal at a time wasn't good enough and she wanted an identity that could push back the darkness and say, "No. This place is protected by Miss Olympus." Her story grew a little and while she applied to colleges, she got some minor attention from the inventor hero Vector, who wanted to spotlight new heroes. Now that she's been accepted to Berkeley and getting on the media radar completely separately as a hero and a mortal athlete, she turned to Evelyn Meyer who has changed her life. Damara loves wrestling but her real talent is for sprinting and her schholarship demands most of her focus go there, but she still finds time to participate in the wrestling season when she can. Her parents couldn't be more proud, but they only knew half of the story. As a college freshman facing a few low level villains, she saw that there were some truly foul ones, but also impressive athletes, worthy of respect. Namely Obsidian, whose strength and resilience impressed her. This has broadened her perspective: heroes do not just push away the darkness, they can inspire and uplift. So through her charity work and headlines, she hopes to bring out the best in other heroes, civilians and even villains! Now that she has had her mutant powers for about two years and acted under the named of Miss Olympus for eight months, Evelyn has helped her rising star get the attention of the fabled (and highly hated by her father) rogue state of Elisia. Now they want her to join a team where she will act as a representative of justice. This will push her schedule to its limits with the Olympics approaching, but Evelyn is adamant that she needs to do this. At the least this means not protecting San Francisco anymore and spending minimal time at Berkeley. In reality, Liberty College in Elisia will likely advocate for her to transfer and simplify her life; however, as the colleges of Elisia are highly associated with heroes and would all but force her into the open as a hero). But that is a bridge that will be crossed later. Important Persons: Evelyn Meyer, her professional secretary who knows the most about Damara's secret identity. Now that Damara is in college and drawing the attention of Olympic scouts, charities and sports media, Damara is overwhelmed by all her responsibilities. Evelyn is absolutely essential in keeping her schedule straight, getting all her training and nutrition squared away, physical therapy, and managing when and where charities and "up and comers of America"-type galas are happening. Additionally, Evelyn helps explain away confusion over Damara's absences from college or other events to keep her identity hidden. Damara's life is literally in Evelyn's fastidious hands. Evelyn wears cat's eye spectacles, retro 1950s style and elegant speech. She can be oblivious to Damara's limits and sometimes overschedules her, requiring Damara to use a little superspeed to keep up with it all. Just a touch, surely that won't get her caught. Nolan Gardner is a senior at Evelyn's college and intern at VESPR Labs. He witnessed Damara's transformation and is sworn to secrecy, but wanted to help the freshman, so he's responsible for building and maintaining her shield as well as any gadgets she uses. He's hardworking but loves to do side projects and will even put his grades in jeopardy to help Damara, which stresses her out. Obsidian is a junior villain whose skin turns into a craggy, living obsidian that can reflect even psychic attacks and shoot poisoning fragments of obsidian around him. Of the villains Miss Olympus has faced, he is the most formidable but also the most fair. He attends her college and is the reigning wrestling champ around, so he's also a meathead. The two of them have an ongoing rivalry and will often get distracted from their respective hero or villain work to outlift or wrestle each other. Obsidian and Miss Olympus do not know each other's secret identities and often butt heads in college, with entirely more animosity. Ironically they get along better when fighting as supers! Edit: If Miss Olympus has to relocate to Elisia, conveniently so would Obsidian.

Psychological Evaluation Questions 1) Today is a rare day off from your hero duties and you're on your way to meet a friend for lunch. As you walk past the Fifth Street Bank, the alarm goes off just before the door bursts open and Black Ice skates out on a slick of ice he forms on the sidewalk, a duffle full of money strapped to his back and another in his hand. What do you do? Damara is about to meet Nolan for a chat about her needing some tutoring in math. Her Calculus class is not going so well and Nolan is a wiz at all that. Just as they greet each other and sit down at the coffee shop, the door to the bank bursts open and Black Ice is off to the races, money bags in tow. Nolan winces, looks at Damara and whispers, "Go." She dashes to an alley to don her god-gifted wreath. "It's working today, so speed it is." That allows her to change in a flash, run onto a rooftop and emerge from somewhere totally unrelated. She leans down against the wall in a vertical sprinter's pose as she sees Black Ice approaching to her left. When he crosses the next intersection, Miss Olympus blasts off, running around and keeping up with Black Ice. She calls out, "You want to get stomped? That's asking for a stomping!" Black Ice throws a few blasts of ice and turns a few corners, but Miss Olympus dodges and just keeps running alongside him. Clearly she is settling in for the long haul, so he comes to a stop, rolls his eyes and says, "Okay I don't have time for an endurance race today, Ms. Olympus, but I'll come to the supers footrace next weekend..." Miss Olympus' eyes light up and she says, "Really? Okay! See you there!" She flickers off down the street leaving a faint golden trail. Black Ice looks around and chuckles about her being easily fooled, letting him go so easily. He looks down to see his arms are empty and lacking the bags of money. His eyes bulge and he curses her name! 2) Wow, that hurt. Not just your jaw but your pride. You were sure that you and Sergeant Steel could take him down. Man, were you wrong. Not only was this your first defeat at the hands of a supervillain but it was all caught on camera. How do you deal with this? Miss Olympus thought for sure Sergeant Steel and her could take down Wrecking Ball if they worked together, but they were so wrong. He'd absorbed too much rubble and his massive crane form was overwhelming. She'd gotten completely knocked out even at her maximum size. So now conscious with a pounding headache, she heads to her favorite place to pump herself up: the Berkeley Recreational Activity Center (RAC). She gets her already swelling jaw examined by the nurse. With a strange look and a hand-waiving explanation about an ice skating accident, Damara runs into the weight room and takes out her frustration on the kettlebells! She pops in an earbud and listens to the voicemail from Evelyn listing off the itinerary for the week. Damara simply doesn't have time to waste moping over a defeat. Maybe she'll sulk about it later when it's time to get her carbs in.

[BlackDragon0]

Suggestions 1 @ girlplay Silverstar

[Snicker]

I told you that you'd have no shortage of submissions! I just hope there's room for me!

About me 1. What about this game advert makes you want to apply? I'm always on the lookout for M&M games because I love superheroes and I think the system offers an enormous flexibility and nuance in character creation. I'm enticed by this game specifically because I like its optimistic and heroic tone. I'm also intrigued by the setting - a new nation bordering the United States, literally the product of the superheroes of yesteryear, comprising entirely of immigrants with no local culture. I think that setting offers intriguing opportunities when it comes to exploring its political and social dynamics. 2. What do you look for in a good GM? I like GMs that like their PCs. That doesn't mean they make things easy on them or give them everything they want, but that they want to know their PCs' stories, including their challenges, tragedies, and development. That means NPCs and events that specifically target the PCs, even (and especially) if that means hitting them where it hurts. I don't like GMs that just see PCs as interchangeable cyphers to speed through a plot as efficiently as possible. 3. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds? In person, I've only ever run a couple introductory one-shots for my disinterested group. I've played a lot of M&M in play-by-post, however, including both typical superhero fare and a magical girl game on a different forum. I'm pretty comfortable with the game's mechanics, but I've only ever used the Hero's Handbook, so I'm unfamiliar with anything in different books.

Application submitted to the Department of Hero Affairs Source: https://www.deviantart.com/mkw-no-ossan/art/Repaint-401846085 Hero Name: Wirelass Catchphrase: "Let's shut this illegal operation down!" Name: Noora Aziz Identity: Known. Noora's mutations make her extremely distinctive, and before becoming a superhero, she used her powers freely in public. Hiding her identity would be practically impossible. Description: Noora is a whip-thin, somewhat androgynous young woman with grayish skin, delicate features, and large, inky black eyes. She has no secret identity to protect and has no interest in an outlandish costume, so she wears comfortable clothing such as turtlenecks, cargo pants, and/or sneakers. She lacks the physical presence or drama of many superheroes, but she carries herself with the confidence of a proven professional despite her inexperience. Personality: Noora believes that everyone is given their gifts - wealth, talent, or otherwise - for a reason, and they have the responsibility to use those gifts to improve the world and help the less fortunate. Before becoming a superhero, Noora volunteered at various charities; now, she knows her extraordinary abilities must be used for extraordinary good. Noora sees being a superhero as a responsibility; thus, she sees it as a duty; thus, she sees it as a job, albeit a very important and rewarding job. She is friendly and optimistic, but approaches superheroics with a grounded and realistic mindset, without the bombastic speeches or larger-than-life presence of some other superheroes. For this reason, she doesn't wear a costume and rarely uses her hero name or catchphrase. Noora's parents are rather liberal and Westernized Muslims. Noora herself is even more so, her faith reduced to a vague theism with superficial Muslim trappings. Nonetheless, her faith is important to her, as is her belief that everyone is here for a reason and has a purpose to fulfill. Noora's belief that she has an extraordinary responsibility to the world is a major part of her identity, and invalidation of her superheroics - such as being dismissed form a superhero team or losing her powers - will seriously shake her identity and convictions. Goals: Noora has no specific end goal. To an extent, her superheroism is the goal in itself. She wants to help the people around her, and that can as easily be through nonviolent means (such as helping with natural disasters or infrastructural changes) as through battles with supervillains. Powers: Noora describes herself as being "attuned" to electrical technology. In practical terms, this means she can sense its presence and control it, deactivate it, or understand what it "knows" - seeing through cameras, hearing through microphones, reading digital data, and so on. In a battle, for instance, she could turn out the lights, deactivate the villain's laser pistol, and watch her surroundings via the local CCTV. Of course, sometimes there aren't lights, laser pistols, or CCTV around. To this end, Noora has also constructed two robotic helpers: Castor and Pollux, two metallic spheres about the size and shape of tennis balls, equipped with lasers, force field emitters, a variety of cameras and sensors, and an anti-gravity propulsion system. They have no user interface, as Noora controls them directly with her powers. Noora only has control over technology powered by electricity. Her powers have no effect on purely mechanical technology, even highly complex machines such as internal combustion engines or machine guns. In addition, she is only capable of making an electrical device do something it's capable of doing; for example, she can make a computer think its mouse is moving, but cannot make the mouse physically move. Noora's powers manifested during puberty in tandem with her physical mutations. She knows they must be related, but has no idea how. Background: Noora's parents - an engineer and a paralegal - have always called her their little miracle. They'd had three miscarriages before her, and while pregnant with Noora, her mother was driving alone on an isolated road when she felt a dreadful, familiar pain and felt blood seeping into her clothes. She pulled over to the side of the road and prayed. Something answered; it was shrouded in light too bright to see, but she knew it could only be an angel. In an encounter that seemed both instant and eternal, it promised her baby would be born and was destined for great things. Noora's mother felt something change in her body, and the next thing she knew, she was back in her bed. She assumed it was a dream until she found dried blood on her clothes and the car sat. Soon after, Noora was born - small, premature, but alive. Noora's parents were always champions of charity and activism in their communities, and admired superheroes for the good they did for the world. They moved to Elisia soon after it was founded, wanting to raise Noora in a nation defined by the Protectors' ideals - though they had no idea then how important that would be for their daughter. As a child, Noora appeared normal, though her parents pushed her to be the best she could be. She excelled in school, sharing her father's aptitude for STEM, and started volunteering at various charities in her early teens. Her mutations began at the onset of puberty. They started gradually: weight loss, a subtle pallor, and something in her eyes that just didn't look quite right. As she got older, however, they became unmistakable and undeniable. Elisia was probably the best place in the world to grow up looking the way she did, but even so, it was difficult, and even now Noora sometimes doesn't know what to think of the face looking back from her mirror. But those changes came with new capabilities, too: an innate understanding and, soon, awareness and control of technology that defied explanation. Currently, Noora is studying engineering at a university in New Liberty, reinforcing her powers with good old-fashioned knowledge. She still vounteers for non-profits, but now that she's put the finishing touches on Castor and Pollux, she's ready to begin her superhero career. Noora has been given an incredible gift, and it must be for a purpose. She knows she won't fail to fulfill it. Important persons: Noora's parents: Noora's parents live in Elisia, but in a city other than New Liberty, so Noora had to move out to attend university. Despite her newfound freedom, Noora is very close to her parents and calls them every weekend. Noora's parents have complicated feelings regarding Noora's superheroics; they are proud of her, but also worry about the danger and watch footage of her heroics with tortured anxiety. Gina Katz: Noora's roommate at university, Gina is a foul-mouthed, outspoken, aggressive, and confrontational anarcho-punk, anti-capitalist, and atheist. She is completely unlike Noora or, indeed, anyone Noora has ever met, and they disagree on almost everything. Noora cannot get enough of her. Gina can rant for hours and Noora will drink it all in, enraptured by perspectives so unlike her own. Gina is an activist and volunteer, but rarely does so alongside Noora, because Noora is rarely interested in anti-establishment movements and Gina is loathe to aid any charity backed by religious or corporate groups. Umar Adeoye: The imam of a Sunni mosque in New Liberty and a major figure in the community. Noora first met Umar when she volunteered at a mosque-run soup kitchen and was impressed by his intelligence, tirelessness, and ability to manage multiple volunteer programs on top of his duties to the mosque. Umar is slightly annoyed by Noora's extremely loose interpretations of Islam, but appreciates her devotion and generosity nonetheless. He often requests her help with projects where her technopathic powers can be useful and recommends her to other colleagues. He has not told her that, despite his best efforts, her appearance still sometimes makes his skin crawl. Psychological evaluation:   Originally Posted by Question 1 Today is a rare day off from your hero duties and you're on your way to meet a friend for lunch. As you walk past the Fifth Street Bank, the alarm goes off just before the door bursts open and Black Ice skates out on a slick of ice he forms on the sidewalk, a duffle full of money strapped to his back and another in his hand. What do you do? Noora's head turns at the sound of the alarm, but the doors slamming open still make her jump in surprise. Black Ice emerges from the bank, his legs kicking with the form and power of an accomplished speed skater. In a moment that seems to stretch on forever, his and Noora's eyes meet. She doesn't know if he recognizes her, but whether he does or not, he's more interested in a quick escape than a brawl. It's up to her whether she wants to confront him. Nah. If lives were at risk, she would, but all he has now is money - bank money, no less. It's insured and will be replaced within the hour. She's much more interested in the people inside. Just like that, the moment passes, and Black Ice is skating away. Black Ice escaping bank robbery, heading west on Fifth, she thinks to her cell phone, writing the text and sending it to the police and the Protectors as fast as the hardware is able. Running late, hero stuff, she writes next, sending it to her friend. Lunch is probably out; when it comes to hero stuff, "running late" usually means "I'm not going to make it". "Everyone alright?" she shouts as she reaches the bank doors, quickly taking in the situation. Black Ice had frozen a line of icicles across the ceiling and reverse-icicles - Ice stalagmites? Stalagmice? - across the floor as a show of force, but he'd had the restraint and intelligence not to freeze the tellers and customers solid. The security guard didn't get off so lucky; he's encased from the waist down in a block of ice. Ambulance to Fifth Street Bank, exposure to ice and extreme cold. "Hold on, I'll get you out of there," Noora says, then reaches into her cargo pants' pockets and withdraws two metallic spheres the size of tennis balls. With a thought, they rise from her palms, then fire twin lasers into the ice block. The ice melts easily under the lasers, and Noora starts by shearing large chunks away from the block before moving to smaller, more careful cuts as they got closer to the guard's legs. The last cuts were much lower power, basically melting the ice enough for the guard to pull his legs and feet free of the creaking, half-melted ice. "Careful," Noora urges, putting herself under one of the guard's arms without asking, but he doesn't need it. The guard steps out of the remains of the block and paces, carefully and experimentally, up and down the lobby a few times under his own power. Noora is no doctor, but she figures that's a good sign. Still, she convinces him to sit down and wait for the ambulance to arrive. As the sirens draw closer to the bank, Noora checks in on her phone, still sitting in her pocket. Her friend had responded to her text with a simple "". Noora sighs. They'd reschedule, but this is what interrupted their last lunch date.   Originally Posted by Question 2 Wow, that hurt. Not just your jaw but your pride. You were sure that you and Sergeant Steel could take him down. Man, were you wrong. Not only was this your first defeat at the hands of a supervillain but it was all caught on camera. How do you deal with this? "Unnh," Noora groans, then chances a peek through the crook of her arm. She'd had no chance of taking on Pain Train after he took out Castor and Pollux, so she'd just curled up in a ball and tried to minimize the damage. Pain Train is gone, but Sergeant Steel is still there, lying flat on his back on the ground. "Sergeant Steel?" she asks weakly. "You okay?" No answer. Noora feels a sinking feeling of dread. Unlike Noora, Sergeant Steel doesn't know when to cut his losses - if he did, he'd probably still be Sergeant Soft Tissue. She could easily imagine him fighting Pain Train right to the point of death. "Astaghfirullah," Noora mutters, then negotiates herself into a sitting position, being sure to push herself up with both hands. Everything hurts, but nothing seems broken. She moves over to Sergeant Steel, biting her lower lip anxiously. "Come on, Sarge." Sergeant Steel's cybernetic components run constant diagnostics on his health in order to adapt to his metabolism and stress response. There is no external interface to access these diagnostics; not even Sergeant Steel has access to them (mostly to avoid confusing him - there's a reason he's not Commissioned Officer Steel). No one can read them...except Noora, as she delves into their RAM with her powers. She's no doctor (I'm thinking that a lot, lately, she thinks), and the data isn't designed to be user-friendly, but judging from the numbers and variable names she's seeing, everything seems stable. Sergeant Steel is out cold, though, and she doesn't know the long-term consequences of that. It's not his first concussion by a long shot. Pain Train had smashed her cell phone in one of his many strikes to her curled-up-ball self, but Sergeant Steel's radio is still working, and it's capable of contacting emergency services. Ambulance to parking lot behind warehouse at Kirby and Siegel, she thinks. Sergeant Steel unconscious, full injuries unknown. Nothing to do now except wait with Sergeant Steel until the ambulance arrives. With a groan, Noora experiments until she finds a sitting position that is slightly less painful than the others. Looking up, she sees one of the warehouse's CCTV cameras, pointed directly at her and Sergeant Steel. It had caught their humiliating defeat...and Pain Train's escape. Reaching out with her powers, she follows the camera's line back to its server, then accesses the video records. She sees Pain Train running out in front of the warehouse, then turn to run up Kirby. Pain train seen heading north on Kirby, she thinks to Sergeant Steels' radio, then reaches out for other CCTV records. Stand by for more. She couldn't stop Pain Train, but there are other heroes in this city. At least she can stop him from getting away with it.

[GleefulNihilism]

@girlplay - I know in-universe Grunge would go for something humanizing, like just calling her Chloe plus a bunch of robot themed nicknames like the Major, Maria, Asamov, etc.

[girlplay]

Hi gang. I'm fairly done with my first character draft. Other than a possible name change, I'm happy with how it turned out. Thanks, guys, for suggestions on a name. I'm considering something along the lines of "Silver Moon", but I have time to think about it and play with ideas. GleefulNihilism has a point. Just like Wonder Woman is called "Diana", I think amongst her peers, Silver might just go by "Charlotte".

GM, I thought about what you said regarding how she reacted to her captivity and entering the world and expanded her personality section. I may do a second draft once I've thought things over more. But feedback is welcome in the interim. Haha! It's a habit, talking like a robot.

[BlackDragon0]

Silversailormoon @ girlplay...

[Seeks]

Screw it. This isn't worth it. I stand no chance anyway, and no one is offering me opinions for or against my application when I asked for them. Forget it. I'm out. I bet I couldn't even handle two posts a week anyway.

[GleefulNihilism]

I mean, competition is pretty stiff this time but don’t give up now. Be Bold! If you think your app could use some fluff to make it stand out, just do it.

[BlackDragon0]

@ seeks love the art. As to questions I thought your questions were for the dm. I'll find them and see if I can help. Although totally new to m&m I'm a major comic buff and can at least try.

But keep in mind I'm Also still working on my ch.

[ArcZero]

@Seeks I agree that a month will be a brutal wait with who knows how many great applications. I'd be happy to provide suggestions but I suppose it's a little late for that now. I'd been following this thread but you only sent that two days ago and a lot of us are new to M&M. What they say about heat and kitchens, unfortunately.

On leaping/healing: My character has two very conflicting powers, so to me it's all about how well you can integrate it into your background. Does it need to be there, does it tell you something about your character and expose some turmoil or strength? Doesn't matter if it's random or kooky as long as it's meaningful to you to rp that character. Look at puddle boy over there.

Originally Posted by Seeks

For the garnet: It's mostly a catalyst for Aralisi to "put on" or "take off" her form and powers. Normally only Casey / Aralisi can use it. Think of it like a fragment of the goddess's soul. It's needed to reawaken who and what Casey really is, and unlock almost all her powers.

But there is the possibility that its power could be (mis)used by others with magical knowledge, acting as a power source. If souls could be used for dark sorcery in a lot of fiction, how powerful of an immortal battery could a piece of a god's soul be to a warlock? Or even to some blend of science and sorcery? Something like the disintegration blasters from Captain America: The First Avenger, powered by the blue Infinity Stone's energies.

For the garnet, I think your descriptors and complications could go a long way. If you're a huge energy source, pick a complication that means people are after that energy, or that you're vulnerable to spirits, easily posessed, unstable energy. Something like that. Gives your character a fear, which can ground something that's otherwise really otherworldly.

[Seeks]

Mm. I slightly implied that with a Complication already. I guess I could make it more explicit. Heck, I really like that fear of others trying to take that power, or to control her and wreak havoc. Helps that her worst save is Will, too.

As for the powers? Giant lion = Leaping as a pounce. Sun goddess = duality of healing and fiery destruction. Notably the healing and durability being better than fire control. I feel like crap that it's not as clear as it seems to me.

The last thing I want is a furry Mary Sue with powers that don't fit. There are enough of those already. Hell, I've made those before. There is a third inspiration for Aralisi, not necessarily from comics. The Egyptian goddess Sekhmet, who is still obscure compared to ones like Anubis, etc. Not sure how much she's used or referred to in Black Panther; I recall a mention of her and Bast in the MCU movie.

I will give you ideas some thought, Arc. Thank you for the offer too, BD. Sorry for the drama, folks.


EDIT: Aside from adding references for Casey's three important persons, character sheet is complete.