[M&M] Heroes of New Liberty

[Crocodile]

Application Questions 1. What about this game advert makes you want to apply? A long standing love for superheroes is definitely a factor, but the inciting incident which is at the center of this particular setting and the world it has led to, as well as the way in which these events were written, made me want to apply for this game. There is an optimism at the core of this premise that I would take great pleasure in helping to nurture and expand, working alongside a group of great heroes to see the bright promise for the future fulfilled, especially in the face of whatever forces would wish to bring it all crashing down. I also like the ideals stated in the Is this game for you? section. Makes me even more certain this game would be a good fit 2. What do you look for in a good GM? The ability to meaningfully reflect the consequences of a player's actions in their game world and narrative rather than ignore them to keep things on a predetermined track. Though I believe players should definitely work with the GM when narrative points of interest are placed in front of them to engage, there should also be room for players to explore the world they inhabit and make a lasting impression all their own with the tools provided by the setting and all that comes with it. I believe this can make the whole experience all the richer for everyone involved. Also related, the ability for the GM to encourage and see the game as a cooperative experience rather than an adversarial one, encouraging that atmosphere between themselves and the players as well as between the players themselves. There are very specific games where the goal is to just grind players to dust, and those can be fun when everyone has opted in on that experience, but outside that specific use case, I don't like thinking of a game like this in terms of winning vs. GM. There will be triumphs, defeats, joy, sadness, frustration, and everything in between, but crafting and enjoying this narrative together should be paramount, wherever it takes us. 3. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds? I have played exactly three games in M&M, one 2e and two 3e. And two of them weren't even superhero games, just utilizing the flexibility of the system to simulate a wide range of abilities. I enjoyed them, and yes, the character creation process is very involved, which I love. Honing in on a concept and refining is a great deal of fun, and seeing your character take form, strengths and weaknesses all coalesced into your ideal hero, is a satisfying experience. Horizon Hero Name: Horizon Catch-Phrase: "Let's lighten the mood.", "Newton's bobbing apples!", "Science in service is the path to the dawn." Name: Dr. Emmanuel Igwe Identity: Known. Emmanuel wishes to be an ambassador for his philanthropic ambitions, and believes that associating freely with his alter-ego is all the better for his goals. Description:   Horizon's costume consists of a black, leather-like polymer fiber from the neck down, with boots and gloves seemingly made of the same material. Layered on top of that is bright white armor plating protecting his chest, arms and legs. His helmet is bright white, made of the same material as his armor plating, with a large, round-edged triangular black visor dominating the front, not showing anything of the face beneath the helmet. Completing the look is a bright white belt at the costume's waist, with a small oval buckle embossed with the silver image of an orb surrounded by intersecting concave lines. Emmanuel himself stands at a height of 5'10", straight backed posture and gait exuding supreme confidence. Clear, caramel skin across his body is lacking in the way of scars and blemishes, suggesting a healthy and rigorous skin care routine from the scientist and also suggesting a proper use of protective equipment throughout his career of working with sensitive tools. He keeps his brown hair cut short but well groomed, with faded sides tapering off from the top of his head for a stylish appearance. Similarly, his thick beard and curled mustache are also well kept, suggesting regular care to maintain their clean appearance. Emmanuel prefers dressing up nicely no matter what occasion he finds himself in, regularly seen in expensive suits and designer dress shirts perfectly tailored for his wiry frame, with various accessories to fit each ensemble, including varying pairs of thin rimmed, round eyeglasses to complete his look, piercing brown eyes always looking forward to unseen possibilities. Personality:   Emmanuel is a man possessed of boundless curiosity and a drive for discovery, a combination which leads him by the nose whenever he comes across anything he does not immediately recognize and thus compels him to take immediate action to understand the subject intimately. This aspect of his character makes him overly eager to engage in scientific discussion with his peers, as he recognizes the value of knowledge outside his chosen fields of expertise. But beyond broadening his horizons, Emmanuel also has something of a competitive streak when it comes to proving his intelligence, capable of turning even the friendliest of discussions into mental jousting matches on which he will not relent until a single individual is proven the victor. He does not see anything wrong with this, seeing it as a way for all parties involved to both expand their knowledge and expose any flaws in their own reasoning so that they can correct themselves and become all the better for it. These interactions have lead to Emmanuel growing a thick skin when it comes to people having a less than stellar opinion of him as an individual, which while not ideal, is tolerable when he is capable of falling back on his concrete achievements. The results of his research always speak for themselves, and he sees those as a greater measure of his contribution to society than the time he very politely implied his lab partner would be better off teaching high school physics rather than designing interstellar orbiting models. Emmanuel accepts this alienation as a matter of course for one intelligent and driven enough to truly make their mark in history, but it is grating that this is the way it has to be. When not butting heads with others in an attempt to assuage his ego, Emmanuel can be passing charming, observing what most would consider standard social protocols, slow to anger, preferring de-escalation to immediate violence, and enjoying a good bit of humor and levity in his dealings with others, though even he would admit that the quality of his joke telling leaves very much to be desired. He also believes in putting as much into leisure as he does into his work, in a way others might describe as excessive, but which he merely recognizes as enjoying life and making up for lost time. Within recent years, he has also gone through a dramatic shift in his priorities, from a man who was only interested in using his talents to enrich himself to one who sees that there is no higher calling in the world than to utilize one's gifts for the benefit of others. This shift in attitude also comes with an acquired disdain for individuals who use their gifts in ways he sees as wasteful or destructive, and he will always make his opinion on the matter very clear. As if to compensate for his old ways, Emmanuel feels a need to never refuse to give a helping hand to anyone who needs it, though this can also spill into the man offering aid where it is not wanted, simply because he believes he has the answers to the problem at his fingertips. He is very confident in his solutions until they are proven categorically wrong, in which case he will simply study the problem and then come up with another solution that he is even more confident in than the last. One could say that his self-esteem is nearly unshakeable, and that contributes to his need to always look his very best any time he is in a public setting, as he feels that if he is going to represent the promise of the future, he must constantly put his best foot forward and project an image of a man in total control of his life. Also, looking good just makes him feel good, and he will make no apologies for it. Even when he feels slightly less than his very best, he cannot allow himself to show anything less than total confidence to the public, as that would be tantamount to failing to live up to the promise of the ever distant utopia on the horizon. Goals: Emmanuel wishes to be a living example of how scientific research and innovation can be a driving force for good for the many and not just the few. Whatever the disaster, no matter the villain, he will ply his craft to find the best solution to make certain humanity is safeguarded against the dangers which plague them, and in doing so inspire others to take up the cause of moving humanity forward into a bright future. He also sees this as part of his personal penance for living his life so selfishly up until now, having only ever done anything for the sake of personal profit and social status until the monumental sacrifice of Silver Halo and Captain Dynamic gave him some much needed perspective. Powers: Emmanuel has built himself an experimental power suit with the ability to manipulate gravitational fields, originally conceived as a means to efficiently explore deep space environs but ultimately built towards a new purpose. His considerable intellect is also a powerful asset, which he uses to create and utilize an array of gravity based inventions to help himself and his allies in the field. Background:   Ever since he was a little boy, Emmanuel had always taken comfort in the night sky. One child of many, born to farmers eking out a humble existence on the outskirts of Johannesburg, Emmanuel had been destined to live and die by the land his family did not even own, growing food for the masses who would never even give them a second thought. It was in these formative years that the future scientist noticed that there was a stark difference between the haves and the have nots, between those who took and those who gave, between the movers and shakers of the world and the rest who mired in the dirt to support them. The expensive clothes, the fancy, foreign cars, the excessive jewelry, and all the trimmings of modern society which seemed a world away to the boy who's walls were unadorned brick and who's hand-me-down clothes were dirty and worn from many years of service, with not even the practiced hands of his mother being capable of washing out the oldest stains. Every visit to the city was like stepping into another world, full of life and people enjoying pleasures that seemed out of reach to the boy's dirt encrusted hands. They never stayed long after concluding their business in the bustling metropolis, but it never failed to leave the child wanting more, marveling at how humanity had built up such marvels, and wondering why his family had to live so far away from the light. But there was one advantage to being so far from that sleepless place, and it was the stars. Full and bright with the setting of the sun, Emmanuel would marvel at their splendor when all the chores were done in the time between finishing dinner and when he would be called to bed, laying down in the patchy grass with only the sound of insects as his company. And oh, the questions he would have for why these bright lights ruled the night sky. So many answers, each one a story more fascinating than the last. Kings of the past who had been given a place of honor in the firmament, God's map to lead the lost in even the darkest night, suns for other worlds that we may never know, as bright and warm as the very sun which gave life to the people of Earth. Fact and fiction were rolled into one fascinating whole with each bedtime story his mother told, and though it was simply enough to lull the other children to sleep, it was a call to action for young Emmanuel. He had to know. The next few years were spent tracking down every second, third, or even fourth-hand book he could scrounge up, either from pocket change he had saved up from the few times his parents could spare to treat their children, or by begging for any books which would be thrown away otherwise. First came the challenge of language, as he had never been given any formal schooling and as a consequence his grasp on English letters was weak. Fortunately, he had always been clever, surprisingly so by all accounts, so it was of little difficulty for him to find and repair an old television set and vcr which had been left to rot in some scrapyard, carted home in the family wheelbarrow for use. Then came the cassette tapes, bootlegs purchased with a pittance or earned in exchange for technical expertise far exceeding the value of the vhs in question. Then he watched, and watched, and watched some more, always a pen and paper in hand, taking notes and referring back to the books in his ever expanding library. The rest of his siblings were free to watch whatever they wanted just for the novelty of the new addition to their homestead, but he was always present to take notes and improve his English. Before he knew it, he had already gone through all his initial reading material, and was still hungry for more. He had learned so much, his understanding of the world had expanded greatly, but it was too slow at the rate he was currently limited to. There were few resources available to get into Johannesburg on his own, let alone buy the precious knowledge he required. Not if he was to rely solely on what little money his parents could spare at any one time. So he took matters into his own hands. Emmanuel expanded upon his mechanical expertise and began servicing the farm equipment of his neighbors, the cost for his repairs a fraction of what they would have to pay older professionals. People from Johannesburg had even begun to see him for repairs once word had traveled outside local circles. He had never given it much thought, taking apart and putting back together such simple mechanical contraptions, but it was a means to an end, and before long the farmer's son had more than enough money to make regular trips to and from the city to collect any books or materials he wanted. As his knowledge grew, so did his need to put that knowledge to good use. An old washing machine here, a new tractor there, an upgrade to the only radio in the village, now hooked to speakers so that all could enjoy the tunes coming over the waves when they gathered together for celebrations and general community, a solar powered water tower drawing from the sources below ground to replace their now-defunct well and act as a new source of clean drinking water. There was never a moment where Emmanuel was not learning, and the fact that his knowledge was so useful got him more and more exempt from the daily rigors of farm work as the years went by, to the chagrin of his siblings. He paid their jealousy no mind, if they could not see how his efforts were benefitting them too, then that was their loss. But even with all this progress and all that he had learned, Emmanuel still felt so far from reaching the truth of the heavens for himself. His passions were as bright as ever, but he felt stuck. Trapped. Enter Braham Peck, nationally celebrated South African business tycoon and owner of all the farmland upon which Emmanuel's family and their neighbors toiled. Normally, the man was too busy to bother paying a visit to his less profitable ventures, but recent events had caught his attention. Stories of a boy genius who could repair anything, had learned several languages on his own, and was slowly transforming their humble village into a thriving community. Mr. Peck had never been one to let opportunity slip him by, and considering his plans to expand his business empire further, he saw no harm in taking chances on nurturing this potential asset before he withered on the vine. So he came into town, flashing his expensive clothes and fancy car, throwing around money like nobody's business and acting every bit the part of a successful businessman and magnanimous boss, promising to inject funds into the village and revitalize the local area beyond anybody's wildest dreams, and he also, completely unrelated of course, just so happened to offer young Emmanuel a spot at the University of Wits, if he could earn himself a spot there. No star in the sky shone brighter than the ones in Emmanuel's eyes that day. He was enamored with this Great Man, Mover and Shaker who was promising to make all his dreams come true, and there was absolutely no hesitation from the young man as he sped off to parts unknown to pursue his future, not even the prospect of leaving his family behind acting as any sort of deterrent. Mr. Peck's investment had gained him more than he could have imagined. Just as he had hoped, the boy was a prodigy. By the time Emmanuel had reached his late teenage years, he had already earned his doctorates in Astrophysics, Aerospace Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, having traveled briefly to America for advanced research that was simply unavailable in South Africa at the time, all funded by his very generous benefactor. He had also created several advances in the field which Mr. Peck had been quick to patent and profit off of, always making certain the boy was well paid for his efforts so that he could keep churning out new innovations. Emmanuel had gained the resources and the backing to make his dreams come true, but the amount of actual wealth he was able to handle for the first time in his life, on his own, was staggering to him, and he was lost in it. He did not want to go back, he never wanted to go back to the boy in dirty hand-me-downs. And so the dream was tainted. The stars were nothing more than a means to an end themselves, that end being Emmanuel's rise to fortune and glory as he spearheaded the very beginnings of Mr. Peck's very own privately owned space program, the dream being to compete with even the leading nations and corporations of the world in commercializing the final frontier. He was Somebody now, and the people beneath him would support his vision, as that was the best they could hope for in their lives. They could not do what he could do, so why should he consider this way of things to be anything but correct? Let the superheroes and their villains play in their silly costumes, Emmanuel would be the one to lead humanity into the future. His future. The aftermath of Asteroid RX11's fall shattered Emmanuel. It had been impossible. Every calculation, every facet of data, every known and unknown variable one could consider under any scenario, had pointed to the utter annihilation of Earth, and with it, the human race. And yet... And yet... Perhaps it had been the wine affecting him (or the bourbon, or... other things), but on that day, Emmanuel had strolled out of his expensive apartment, left behind his fancy car, and just walked. Walked and walked for hours unknown, into the night that never should have come for this miserable world, until he had left behind the trappings of human made paradise and surrendered himself to the still untamed outer wilds. And for the first time in a long time, he looked up into the night sky with his own eyes. No meticulously designed instruments, no computer generated simulations, only the same eyes which had given a boy his dream once upon a very, very long time. He remembered, not only the dream, but the stories. Myths and legends, folktales and fables, science and science fiction, all inspiring, all drawing from that same curiosity in the heavens. In the face of all that, humanity's combined desire to dance and sing among these stars in dreams unending, what was all the gold in the world worth? In the morning light of the rising sun, Emmanuel had his answer. He tendered his resignation the very next day. Mr. Peck did his best to have Emmanuel reconsider, but the boy who had become a man was now resolute. For the first time in a long time, he knew what he needed to do. Of course, any and all inventions which Emmanuel had invented during his employ with Mr. Peck were the tycoon's property. This was fine. The parting was amicable, and Mr. Peck had provided the resources for these creations. It was only fair. Besides, there was one innovation which had most assuredly not been a part of his work under the tycoon's patronage. More of an idea, given only the barest of thought in the haze of daily excess, but now with a renewed sense of purpose, Emmanuel's focus was crystal clear, and though the fruit born of this thought would be a long time coming, he began to draw up plans for a future where he would have the resources to support his vision. Silver Halo and Captain Dynamic had beaten all odds and given their lives so that the human race would have a chance to thrive. An event which should have rendered all human accomplishment null and void, a catastrophe avoided because The Protectors saw a purpose beyond themselves. That sacrifice would not be in vain. Humanity deserved the chance to reach for their dreams, and Emmanuel swore that he would use his gifts to give them just that. Important Persons:   Braham Peck: The billionaire tycoon at the head of the Good Hope Corporation, Braham believes that there is no problem in the world you can't solve by throwing enough money at it. As such, he sees no issue with people using their capital to have their way in this world, no matter what the laws of the land or common decency might have to say about it. Although he plays the part of a good, philanthropic patriot in South Africa, making a show of uplifting his less fortunate countrymen and making strides towards creating a more equal society for the benefit of all, he is loyal to nothing and nobody except his bottom line, always thinking in terms of personal financial benefit with every move he makes, ideas of loyalty and gratitude only going so far as you can help him become even richer than he already is. He is quick to seize on any opportunity which comes his way, and even quicker to snuff out any threat to his supremacy in the business world. For this reason, he continues to be obsessed with getting Emmanuel back into the corporate fold even after so many years apart, incapable of accepting such talent in the hands of anyone but his own, especially after he had spent so much time nurturing the boy's talents. He continues to keep an affable face with Emmanuel, fostering good relations with the man even after his departure and pretending to be one of his closest confidants in this wide world of business relations, but he is always looking for any opportunity to ensure the genius farm-boy comes crawling back to him to complete the great work he had begun at the tycoon's bidding. Ijemma Igwe: Emmanuel's mother, a woman of near infinite patience who always seems to have the perfect parable for every situation. Though she is proud of everything her son has accomplished, the stories she had heard about his unscrupulous behavior up until recently were a major source of concern, especially when combined with her boy visiting home less and less over the years. His recent turn is something of a relief, but his decision to become a superhero and fly himself straight into danger in some strange, high-tech costume has given her something else to worry about. She is terrified for her son, but proud of his decision to use his gifts to help others, and is always ready to welcome her boy home for some good life advice, asking only that he shows her some mercy and takes it slow with the science jargon. Trying to wrap her head around that sort of thing gives her a headache. She is also constantly acting as a bridge between her son and the rest of the family, with her husband having a less positive view on Emmanuel quitting his position with Good Hope to become some galivanting superhero, and Emmanuel's siblings still feeling abandoned by their older brother. Navdeep Reddy: As headstrong as she is sociable, Navdeep first joined Good Hope as a sales manager fresh out of university, a position she was more than qualified for which was darkened by the shadow of her own mother's executive position within the corporation. The stench of nepotism followed her everywhere she went, filling her with a constant need to prove herself to her peers any chance she could, meaning that for any target goal she was expected to meet, she not only had to surpass it, but surpass everyone else as well. But her competitive nature was not the only thing that rubbed others the wrong way; Navdeep was constantly butting heads with her seniors regarding the direction of Good Hope and how it's enormous coffers could be put to better use in areas that did not involve generating even more ungodly profit. One of those arguments was how she first met Emmanuel, thinking that if anybody had a clue as to what could be done, it would be the company's very own super-genius Golden Goose. Instead, she found even more resistance wrapped in a know-it-all, uncaring, condescending package. Emmanuel's initial impressions of her were no better, finding her to be irritating, self-righteous and small minded, bringing up concerns that shouldn't matter to either of them when they could just keep enjoying the good life. Though through the years of clashing with each other, the two did develop a grudging respect for one another, both being able to recognize each other's ability in their field, passion for what they love and ambition to drive themselves forward, even if they each thought the other's priorities were completely out of sorts. Not to mention a shared fondness for fine spirits, the pair making a rather infamous drinking duo at any public occasion. All of which was why Emmanuel sought her out the moment he decided he was leaving Good Hope, because as far as he was concerned, there was nobody else he knew who he could trust to help him bring about the bright future he wanted to see. And despite her skepticism regarding Emmanuel's sudden change of heart, Navdeep knew that she was not going to make the difference she hoped for if she stuck around. Combined with the even more enticing idea of finally freeing herself from her mother's circle of influence, she partnered up with her long time frenemy and took one giant blind leap forward into tomorrow. Writing Prompt Psychological Evaluation Question: Give a little writing sample for the two scenario prompts below. A few line or a paragraph for each is plenty. 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?   "-and I'm telling you, don't worry, Nav! Everything's under control now. I'm almost there." This was the fifth time Emmanuel had been 'almost there' now, and there would likely be a sixth, but what was important was that he would eventually be almost there, right? So in the grand scheme of things, the statement was, on a metaphysical level, always true. Unfortunate that the argument would be completely lost on the woman at the other end of the call, and even more unfortunate that she would definitely not care even if that were not the case. "Look I'm passing the bank right now. Hear that hustle and bustle?" The scientist removed his earpiece and held it out to the empty air, letting the sounds of civilization wash over the microphone uninterrupted. He continued on his way as he returned the device to hearing position. "So yeah, almost... no, I told you, I did not forget about our meetup. Yes, I was in the lab, but like I said, it was only supposed to be for a quick test-run. Then things got out of hand, but I quickly got them back in hand. So it's fine. Everything is fine." As he continued his speedwalking dance around his fellow pedestrians, the clip clap of his gloss-black dress shoes joining the rhythm of the city backdrop, Emmanuel grew ever so slightly annoyed as he once again reflected on the experiment which had severely delayed him. "And it wasn't even my fault! The materials I was working with were just less suited to the task than anticipated. The machine wasn't supposed to draw so much power, and it definitely should have triggered the emergency shut down before... it's fine. That's what we have the fire suppressants for, right? And would you have appreciated me coming to our meeting covered in soot? Now how about you go ahead and order something for us, because I'll be there in just a matter of-" The sound of the alarm cuts Emmanuel off, diverting his attention from the conversation at hand to the Fifth Street Bank, and soon after, before his mind can go through the myriad of possibilities, the doors of the bank burst open and out comes none other than Black Ice, making his escape on his sub-zero trail, stolen goods clutched firmly as his maniacal laughter echoed down the street. "I'm afraid I've come across another delay. Sorry." As the voice on the other end demanded an explanation, Emmanuel cut the call short, swiftly pulling out a small, metal disc from his back pocket and hurling it into the path of the supervillain. When the device reached Black Ice, the frosty fugitive suddenly came to a halt, coming to his knees as he seemed to buckle under some unseen weight, the ice cracking beneath him as he struggled to get back to his feet, his frustrated yells testament to the effort he was putting into countering the sudden force. And while he's occupied... Emmanuel quickly brought up his digital watch, a sleek, black article which he thought went well with his navy ensemble. But it was not the aesthetics which he was admiring now, no, as he pressed the screen of the watch in a specific sequence, he waited for the comforting beep which confirmed the success of his little operation, a symbol appearing on the watch face as the beeping grew louder and louder with each passing moment. Meanwhile, Black Ice was continuing to have a very bad day, and as the unknown pressure subsided and he was finally able to stand up again, his mind was no longer on escape, but on making the person responsible hurt. "Alright, who's the wise guy!?" Cool mist swirled around his hands as he glared at the panicked crowd, still trying to get as far away from the super-criminal as possible. "Fess up, or I start turning everyone here into popsicles!" A loud crash further up the road caught the robber's attention, and though he could see little more than the top of a gunmetal grey cylinder poking through the thick cloud of dust, he was willing to bet whoever he needed to chill was probably in there. His screams of rage accompanied the twin blasts of cold flying from his palms, poised to become peals of laughter once the attacks hit their mark. Except they never even reached the dust cloud, let alone whatever was within it. Instead, the beams seemed to bend sharply downwards, frosting up the street on either side but nowhere close to hitting the mark. Outrage and confusion played havoc with Ice's face, but he would not be denied his satisfaction, deciding to let off one blast after another in the direction of the untouchable cloud, every attack ending in the same impossible result. And just when he was at the peak of his frustration, a distorted voice called out from within the obscured area, pleasantly polite even as it seemed to mock him with its mirth. "Good instincts, friend! I'm the one you have to thank for your little predicament." The dust cloud parted violently from the impact point, revealing a small crater in the middle of the street where the cylinder had crashed into the concrete, and floating just slightly above it a man in a black and white armored suit, dark visored helmet staring straight at Black Ice, both arms outstretched towards the supervillain, palms open wide as if they were about to grasp at something just within their reach. "Now then... Let's lighten the mood." Black Ice only had a moment to realize who he was facing before he was sent hurtling head over heels into the air like a ragdoll, screaming bloody murder as he tried to keep his bearings. His stolen goods on the other hand remained firmly rooted to the earth, seemingly much heavier than one would think a bag of money could be. "Newton's bobbing apples, some people really do have the worst timing." With a twist of his arm, Horizon returned gravity's hold on Black Ice to normal and then some. The supervillain crashed into the pavement just a few feet away from his ill gotten goods, groaning as he laid face first on the warm concrete, his body screaming for relief from the pain as his mind tried to piece together what had just happened. Emmanuel was certain he hadn't broken anything important, having calculated the exact force necessary to incapacitate the supervillain at his current height in relation to the average density of concrete, but he still felt compelled to check on the villain just in case. Soon enough he found himself casually floating over the writhing body of the supervillain, studying the sad form with intense scrutiny. "Now, on a scale of one to ten, how much do you hurt?" "Hate... you..." "That isn't what I asked. Until an ambulance arrives, I'll do what I can to assist you, but I'm going to need your cooperation. I dabble, but I'm hardly what one might consider a physician." As Horizon saw the familiar swirl of frost gather for another attack, he quickly clenched his fist, and as the sudden shift in gravity bore down on Black Ice, the gathering frost ceased, and the supervillain's body became still, save for the tell-tale signs of heavy breathing through the pain. "Please. None of that now." The long suffering sigh echoing through the helmet's speakers spoke volumes, and even as the police hauled away the super powered robber, Horizon's did not move from his floating position over the sight of his foe's final fall. "So much power at your disposal, and you choose petty theft. Such wasted potential." With the authorities now taking control of the crime scene, Horizon felt secure enough to continue on his less-than-merry way, resigning himself to having to explain to Navdeep why he was meeting her in full hero gear rather than his usual tastefully stylish flair. "At least the armor deployment system got a proper field test." 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?   HORIZON BLUNDERS. MESMER-EYES STILL ON THE LOOSE! Emmanuel took a moment to look up from his workbench and glare at the headline on screen, the accompanying video once again showcasing his humiliation to the world. He had moved his head too quickly, and winced as his inflamed, purple jaw reminded him just how badly he had bungled what should have been a routine operation. Though Mesmer-Eyes was dangerous, he was hardly what one would consider an A-grade supervillain. His usual modus operandi involved hostage taking using his hypnosis and then using said hostages as living shields as he made his escape with his stolen goods. Sergeant Steel and Horizon had already made certain there would be no hostages for him to take, the pair using their abilities to turn the impromptu battlefield into a walled off arena. All that had been left to do was just subdue the supervillain and then Emmanuel would be free to head back home and enjoy a nice victory martini on his couch. There was literally one thing, one single thing that could happen to ruin the plan. And lo and behold, Horizon had managed to trip that flag with gusto. All research on Mesmer-Eyes had suggested that his powers only worked with direct eye contact, and fool that he was, Horizon had believed his highly advanced face shielding visor would be more than sufficient to thwart the supervillain's abilities. He didn't get to realize how wrong he was until he was hurling Sergeant Steel through the wall of their makeshift prison with his powers, back out into the open where Mesmer-Eyes could escape in the confusion, and where the cameras could catch in high definition the moment Steel cratered Horizon's head into the ground with a meaty left hook, leaving the mind-warped hero a broken mess on the ground before his partner bounded off to try and catch their quarry before he slipped away. Unfortunately, that had not come to pass, as the headlines and pundits very loudly and very clearly enjoyed to repeat ad nauseum. And that was why Emmanuel was sat at his laboratory workbench fiddling with his gear, an ice pack taped to his bruised face as he kept diverting his attention between the story of the hour and his broken equipment, giving his helmet special attention as it had borne the brunt of Steel's powerful strike. In addition, possibilities flew by in his mind for ideas on how to prevent this same thing from happening again. He had made an assumption. It was wrong, and it could have cost people their lives. Special shielding on the visor to disrupt mind controlling frequencies? Neural shock diodes to cover a broader range of mind control? Emergency override to shut down the suit if his will is ever highjacked in some capacity? This was a learning opportunity, and there was no way he would ever fail again the same way he had today. It was unacceptable. He had poured too many years of his life preparing for this new chapter in his life to let some low end crook get the best of him. *Bzzzzt*! That phone had been buzzing for hours now, and it would most definitely be buzzing for hours more still. Abandoned on another sterile countertop within the laboratory space, Emmanuel had no idea whether the person calling was his mother, Navdeep, or one of several news hungry jackals looking for a quote about his stunning display of ineptitude. It was enough to force the scientist to ignore the device entirely and focus only on repairing and improving his armor. He could not fail again. He would not fail again. The future was at stake.

[PalladiaMors]

Pandas? Are secretly powerful, mystical guardians? Yes well it isn't any crazier than any other origin! Hero Name: Pandagirl Catch Phrase: "What's black and white and way more awesome than you?" *points at self with thumbs* "This girl!" Real Name: Kiyana (goes by Kia) Taylor Identity: Secret   What about this game advert makes you want to apply? I was stalking the original interest app, and am always up for an M&M supers game. What drew me to this one in particular is that it isn't an apocalyptic future, dark world-ending threat from ancient gods, or grim and dark vision of a future gone into the sewer (not that there's anything wrong with those, in and of themselves). But an actual super game. A Justice League style go out, be heroes, all that good stuff. Also the world feels vivid and full of potential. What do you look for in a good GM? I would have to say dedication and consistency. A GM who has plenty of ideas but doesn't feel like they have to railroad the players along those ideas. A GM who won't flake and just vanish out of the blue. Yes, real life happens, it's happened to me often enough, but I'm talking about the plethora of M&M games that never make it past the character introduction phase. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds? Uh... yes. A lot. I also played its precursor, Champions, far too much when I was in college.   Kia is an attractive, twenty-four year old woman of mixed African and Puerto Rican heritage. She's slightly taller than average, but only by a couple of inches, so nothing that would garner attention in and of itself. She has a well-toned build, Kia the athletic sort even before the onset of her superhuman powers. Though she will point out that she has curves where it counts. She has long, black hair that she tries to keep straight (though it is prone to trying to curl) and dark brown eyes. She wears a small amount of jewelry, mostly just earrings, maybe a ring or two, and a couple of necklaces. She has a bit of a southern drawl when she speaks, but nowhere near as thick as most people would expect. Kia's civilian wear tends to the casual, as she is no fan of dressing up nice and formal. Club wear is about the fanciest she'll go for, though she does at least own a few nice outfits in the event she does need to dress up fancy. What is popularly known as "streetwear" in the fashion biz is typical, but she finds nothing wrong with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt either. Comfort tends to take precedence over fashion choice most of the time, unless of course she's going out with the intention of being noticed. As Pandagirl her costume consists of a fuzzy white hoodie with black sleeves and fuzzy, panda-like ears on top of the hood, a black halter top, fingerless black gloves, white shorts with a fuzzy, black, poofball of a tail on the back, and black hi-tops. The outfit is meant to mimic the appearance of her nom de panda while playing up an urban look, the dichotomy completely intentional. She adds a couple of black spots around her eyes with makeup that mimic the distinctive panda look but also serve as a makeshift mask, helping to keep her heroic identity secret. She carries no special equipment with her. Pandagirl has no "signature move" to speak of but her powers produce a distinctive, bright white glow and burst of force when used. Given her complete inability to be subtle with her powers she has instead taken the opposite approach and elected to make a bit of a show out of them.   Kia is the friendly and outgoing sort, much more willing to make friends than enemies. She's quite intelligent but her playful and fun-loving personality tend to hide it well. Kia has been motivated since she was little to help her community and those around her, behavior drilled into her by her parents and willingly embraced as she grew older. She likes to have a good time, but knows there are times to get serious and do some hard work and doesn't back away from such. Her friendly demeanor does hold a layer of sass and snark beneath it, though she's good at both aiming and timing it. As Pandagirl her normally outgoing and exuberant personality is exaggerated, but not wholly different. She does however up the sass and snark quotient quite a bit, and leans into the urban character a bit with her trash talk. She's a much bigger showoff in her heroic identity, all to help conceal her secret identity. It helps that unlike some traditional heroes who try to maintain a secret identity, her civilian self is for the most part a nobody. She isn't famous and tries not to be, which puts her far beneath the notice of those who might be looking for her.   Primarily Kia's goals are to help people in ways she never could before she gained her powers. Destiny and duty may have greater goals in mind for her, but she hasn't quite grown into those yet. She would rather be an inspiration than a combatant, and would rather use her power as a deterrent than a means of fighting. That's not to say she's naive to the ways of the world. She's seen her share of crime and violence in her life, and knows that sometimes fighting is the only way to deal with it, but wishes that didn't have to be so. In time her role as mystic guardian of life will likely weigh on her more heavily, but she'll cross that bridge when she comes to it. She also sees the whole superhero thing as a way to cut loose, play up an exaggerated version of herself, and have fun doing it. She's also looking into merch, most of the proceeds of which go to various animal and wildlife-related causes. She hasn't forgotten her "civilian" goals either though, and is still working on her medical degree when she can.   Kia was born in Savannah, Georgia, the only child to two fairly well off parents. Kia attended a nice school in the suburbs, not having any of the traumatic past or dark childhoods that so many superheroes seem to have, which she was grateful for. She had plenty of friends and did well in school, but this relative affluence served to instill in her a sense of responsibility rather than entitlement. She was raised to be aware of the needs of others and how to help those in need, and has always strived to uphold these ideals. She volunteered for a number of causes to help her community, and being a lifelong animal lover, often made such causes a priority. She served as her high school's vice president, with her best friend Stephanie as president, enjoying a degree of popularity due to her friendly nature but without being one of the "popular" people. Her success in school combined with her activities and accomplishments outside of the classroom made her a natural for the University of Georgia's veterinary program, Kia eagerly leaving her Savannah home for Athens. Her devotion to helping others didn't stop once she was in college, and she kept up with a number of charitable causes even while taking classes. Not that she was all school and studies, she made sure to have her share of fun both on campus and in the city as well. Kia graduated with a pre-vet degree and began training for her veterinary medical degree, landing a job at the Atlanta Zoo as a paraveterinary technician, a job she was thrilled to have. Not only was it great for her education, but it let her do what she loved in a relatively familiar place. After about a year and a half she was given the opportunity to work with the zoo's giant panda habitat as part of the zoo's research team, which she saw as a tremendous opportunity. Pandas. Everyone can recognize the distinctive, black and white, east Asian bears. And their behavior and mannerisms are quite well known as well. Chief among these traits is a reputation for being lazy, slothful, and low-energy, which most anyone who knows of giant panda bears can attest to. However, such people are woefully ignorant of the truth. The ancient lands that the panda call home are rich with great, mystical power. And throughout history many creatures have come to be associated with this power - the dragon, phoenix, and foo lions are just some of the more famous examples. Many supers today draw power from these ancient creatures. But great power is not always a matter of great, fiery creatures streaking through the sky. Often great power can come from within. Long ago the noble panda was chosen by the mystical forces in eastern lands to be bearers of such power. All throughout China's history the panda has been revered, though very few recognize the true reason why. Unknown to most mortals in the world, it is because the panda is itself a powerful bearer of life energy. This latent energy is what instills such feelings of good will among the people of those lands, as well as among people throughout the world. But the true secret is what they do with this life energy. For the truth is that the noble panda is neither lazy nor slothful, but full of boundless energy. This energy, however, is always channeled into a chosen one, a mystical defender of life itself on par with those who channel the fearsome power of the dragon or the majestic power of the phoenix. Always there has been a chosen one who harnesses such power, channeled and granted by the noble panda, to protect the world from dangers both mystical and mundane. But while these protectors are powerful and long-lived, they are not immortal. And recently, the most recent protector, Jampa Sonam of Tibet, passed after a long life of 183 years, the life energy he had harnessed over the course of a long, virtuous life returning to its guardians. Normally the search for a new guardian would take time, as many candidates would need to be considered and many ancient rites observed. But one thing was certain - the world of today was a far different world than that of 150 years ago, when the last guardian was chosen. Things moved at a much faster pace. The world was in greater danger than ever before. There were now people with abilities far beyond those of mortal men, and though many of them were good, too many of them were not. A new champion would be needed, and there wasn't time to wait. All the training that would normally precede such an appointment would just have to be learned on the go. Such was the decision of the collective panda spirit, voiced by Mei Li, one of the pandas at the Atlanta Zoo that Kia was caring for. There was some dissent, but when the panda spirit chose Kia to be the new guardian, there was little objection. Most of that came from the belief that she was unprepared and not ready for such a responsibility, but the great spirit believed that no one was ever truly ready for such power or responsibility, but a good heart and desire to do good was far more important anyway. And on that evaluation of their chosen candidate, the spirits were agreed. It was evening at the zoo, Kia just finishing up the job of feeding the pandas before closing things down for the night. She was looking forward to going out for the night, having the next couple of days off, but was surprised when Mei Li reached out a paw to take Kia's hand. "This is going to feel strange, I'm sorry," Kia heard in her mind, shocked to hear such a thing and wondering where the voice came from. She didn't have time to think about it long before everything went blinding white and it felt like she was on fire, yet there was no pain. For a brief moment there was an overwhelming awareness. She could feel the presence of every living thing within a mile just as if she were holding them in her hands, There was a great feeling of pressure from within, as if she was going to explode, and then as suddenly as everything went brilliant, blinding white, everything went black. It didn't take long for her to awaken, but though she had only been out for a couple of minutes she felt like she had been asleep for a week. And then the panda started talking to her, laying everything out and telling Kia all about the mystic secrets and the responsibility she had been given. The panda concluded by telling the new chosen champion of life that she had been talking to a spirit this entire time, and that the spirit would speak to her again before it faded into nothingness. The brilliant light that shorted out the cameras in the enclosure was blamed on a power surge, so Kia's secret was safe. She spent the next two days having the panda spirit teach her the basics of the powers she had been given, with assurances that she would get the hang of them over time. It was so much to take in, yet deep down, Kia felt it was somehow right. She felt she was meant for something bigger, and was eager to use these new abilities to help people in ways she never could before. Though she returned to work after two days, cameras repaired and no one the wiser, she would spend nights and her free time training with the spirit in the use of her abilities. It has been several months now and she has been told that her place is in Elisia. Kia has recently relocated to the new nation and put in an application for the new super team in Liberty City. Though she impressed the evaluators with her powers and spirit, Pandagirl was a complete unknown at the time. She had never made any kind of public appearance in Atlanta so she's a bit of an unknown wild card. Regardless, she's determined to put her newfound powers to good use, even if she does realize she's largely going to be making it up as she goes along.   Pandagirl is a conduit of powerful life energy, akin to what would be called chi in some cultures. But while some masters of mystic and martial arts might train for years if not decades in order to harness such power, she had it spontaneously granted to her. As a result her control and technique when it comes to wielding this power are severely lacking, at least compared to those masters. Passively the presence of such power within her grants her superhuman levels of strength, agility, and endurance, but only just enough to qualify as such. By focusing on this life energy she can release powerful blasts of pure energy, disrupt the flow of life energy within other living things, rapidly heal her own injuries, calm the aggressive thoughts of others, and create barriers of force woven from the ambient energy found in all living things, among other stunts. She also has an innate connection to living things and is very good with animals, but that may just be a minor extension of her own, natural ability. Pandagirl isn't a terrible hand to hand fighter, but it mostly comes from techniques learned as exercise rather than self-defense augmented by her channeling of this life energy.   Stephanie Whitaker "Steph" has been Kia's best friend since high school, sometimes a bit more, but never anything serious. Steph majored in computer science in college and is now something of a tech nerd. This expertise led her to taking a job as part of the support staff within the division that handles superhuman affairs in Elisia, mostly by helping make sure the high-tech computer equipment used by the agency works properly and is utilized to the best of its ability. When Kia relocated to New Liberty she moved in as Stephanie's roommate, who knows of Kia's powers and alter-ego. In fact Steph may have tweaked some of the algorithms used by the agency's software to evaluate potential supers in order to favor Pandagirl in spite of the fact that she had no prior display of superheroics. But Steph isn't talking. William and Leigh Ann Taylor Kia's parents still live in Savannah, and are proud of their daughter's accomplishments, though they aren't aware of the full extent of them. They don't know of the other recent changes in Kia's life, namely the fact that she has gained superhuman abilities and is now running around out there in a panda outfit. Kia isn't sure how to tell them or even if she should. Still they are supportive, and the reason she doesn't have to worry about money so much while she's still going to school. Mei Li Mei Li is Kia's spirit animal. No, not in the "this animal represents my true inner self" way, but in the literal way. Mei Li is the panda that bestowed the ancient power of life upon Kia and in doing so formed a bond as the chosen one's spirit guide. She still lives at the Atlanta Zoo, and though Kia asked once why should want to stay in a zoo, Mei Li answered that in the zoo she could be cared for, pampered, adored, and cared for while her spirit was free to go and do whatever she pleased. She still materializes in spirit form to give Kia guidance, but Kia keeps tabs on her physical self back at the zoo.   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? "Really? We talkin' like dollar signs printed on the bags and everything? He wearin' one of those bandito masks? No OK, so what do I do? Run like I'm scared and straight get in his way. Make it look like I'm tryin' to get outta his way, but all in a panic, y'know? Just have him crash right inta me. Pretty sure I can take it. Then once he's up close I can hopefully sort out whatever bad's goin' on in his head. Should be pretty cake, not all my powers involve throwin' around big glowy flashes of light. I can use that whole 'connection to life' thing to bring a feelin' of tranquility over him, real zen, y'know? And it's real subtle, so not like anyone would notice. Should keep him zonked long enough for the regular police to grab him, he won't be puttin' up a fight. Bad guy gets stopped, I don't hafta worry about anyone figurin' out my secret identity, and I still make my lunch date. Hey, who's it with anyway? Is it Alex, that really cute guy who works in PR? Y'know, the one with glasses and that throwback eighties hair? Looks kinda like... oh man... Wayne's World but the other guy? Whatever, you know who I mean." 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? "Well that sucks. I mean nobody's perfect, if the good guys always won, anyone would be a superhero, right? Long as you look good in the spandex I guess. Important thing, I guess, is that nobody got badly hurt. Nobody did, right? Kinda feel you'd have said so. Means we can do better next time, fix what went wrong. I know Sergeant Steel, kind of a meathead, but he's a good guy. Kind of an ego though, I know he don't like losin'. So I'd probably take him somewhere nice, y'know, cheer him up. Maybe an easy layup bank robber or somethin'."

[GleefulNihilism]

Pondering a few tweeks to Grunge. Mostly clarifying that this -

Is an approximate artist’s representation of Ollie when he sees a Churro Truck or his favorite Tamale Lady in his human form. Doesn’t feel particularly creative, but it works.

I’ve also put quite a bit a bit of thought into the clothes question. It just doesn’t strike me as making much sense that grunge can take his clothes with him when he transforms. I do like the idea that if nobody touches his clothes and just lets them lay in the puddle when he turns back he can put himself back in his clothes properly, because this is a sign that he actually can control his water molecules if only on a subconscious level at present. But to keep things PG-13 I’ll probably give him some magic Atlantian underwear.

I kind of picture him as an emotional core for a team. He’s not the car that comes up a clever gadgets or strategies, but he is the guy who never gives up and occasionally drops a surprisingly good rousing speech.

[Palliven]

Lot of good stuff coming in so thank you for that. Also, a lot of tension over the perceived competition and several weeks to go. Here's my guidance to you all - focus on your concept, not others. I have a lot of things I am going to be evaluating my decision so don't get worked up comparing applications. In terms of the application deadline being Oct 1 - that is primarily so I have time to be prepared. I may move that up a week if I make headway on my end.

Some more questions:
@ArcZero Does Evelyn know or not know her secret identity? Do you see the shield as being a unique, irreplaceable item (secret lost or unable to be replicated) or a technologically advanced item that could be remade or replicated?

@Snicker Do you envison her as having an empathy/affinity with electrical equipment or just being able to sense and manipulate it? Do you see her two robotic helpers simple gadgets she controls or do theh have an AI and ability to function on their own?

@Crocodile What is Emmanuel's major fields of sceintific interest? How do you see his gravity manipulation showing up? A focus on manipulating objects/people, external manifestations such as force fields and blasts or some combination of these? Or something else entirely?

@PalladiaMors Seems to be a playful, outgoing and positive personality as you've written her. How do you envision her style and response when dealing with hardened criminals or devious villains?

[girlplay]

Ooooowww! I came up with a name: Galena. It's an ore that's a major source of Silver. I thought of it because Charlotte is not "refined" yet. Or maybe Silver Strike or Silver Streak - intentionally inaccurate to her character.

Silver Streak wins. I like that one best of all of them. So, I'm officially changing her name to that.

[Avner]

Application There are a few questions I'd like you to answer in addition to your concept. 1. What about this game advert makes you want to apply? The thing that attracts me most to the game is the interest in heavy roleplay and accenting the good hero trope. As much as I love playing M&M there haven't been a lot of games where I have got to embrace a hero within the brighter heroic setting. 2. What do you look for in a good GM? I think that the best games I have been, and have run, have always been when the characters stories take the forefront of the game allowing each character moments to "shine" due to narrative development that allows their decisions to matter. I like DMs who put those tough decisions infront of me "Do you save MJ or the innocent people?!" that help define who your character is and change them as the narrative progresses. 3. What is your experience with Mutants & Masterminds? At this point I think I can say I am a seasoned player. I have both played and GMed Mutants and Masterminds games as well as the one I am currently running on RPGX. I have been active as a player and am always looking for another chance to get involved in a game. Overall I have found that we have a great and positive community on here. Character Attn: Department of Hero Affairs. Hero Name: Supersonic Catch-Phrase: "When everything is against you and it seems like you have no gas left in the tank, that's when you go Supersonic. You dig in and show them that there is always something worth fighting for..." Name: Skeet Stewart Identity: Secret, Skeet keeps his identity hidden to protect those closest to him. Description:Supersonic can typically be seen in his Blue and Black uniform which accents his physique. There are a series of sensors that light up on the top surrounding his chest and shoulders and going down his arms to a sensor on the back of each palm. As Supersonic absorbs kinetic energy they light up and change color. The token sonic discharge of sound is clearly known by those in the city as well as his tendency to say things like "You just got Sonic BOOMED" when he lies on a nasty blow to one of the bad guys. Known mostly for his super speed and sonic punches he also has a few other tricks up his sleeves as he absorbs and discharges sonic energy. The suit isn't just for show. It helps Skeet control the massive amounts of kinetic energy he absorbs, so he doesn't constantly unleash it accidentally. This leads to him mostly being found in a suit or some other clothing that covers up his sensors when he is in his civilian attire. Currently, he works as a Case Administrator at the local courthouse so that he can be aware of any irregularities within the city. He always has a quick wit about him but is much more subtle when not fighting crime, and he is known to have a kind demeanor, but is thought to be shy, and he has a strong sense of empathy for the people of the city. Personality: Skeet tries to fool people into thinking he is shy when he is in the civilian world to not betray his identity to those who see him as Supersonic. Needing to think as quickly as he moves Supersonic is quick-witted and quick to action where Skeet is more meticulous and soft handed. Sometimes Skeet is late to work and other obligations because of his superhero activities which he puts ahead of all else. Goals: The accident of his youth and death of his father led Supersonic down the path of justice. Skeet wants to use his abilities to protect the people of New Liberty from those like the villains that killed his father. Powers: Supersonic is not a true speedster in that his real power is the ability to absorb kinetic energy and release it. Caught in the beam of a nefarious weapon when he was a teen his body now absorbs all kinetic energy he is exposed to and then releases it. The easiest way for Supersonic to do this is to run or release it in a powerful blow, but he can also perform other acts such as leaping very high or creating wind tunnels. The improved kinetic state allows him to think and act quickly as well as metabolize faster than normal. If he does not release his power however the result will cause an uncontrolled kinetic burst of power. Background:   Thunder cracked in the background as Skeet ran down the sidewalk, he was still wearing his track uniform with a medal hanging from his chest swaying back and forth with each stride he took. In his head Skeet was playing out the events from that morning, his father talking to him and his mother at breakfast as he rushed out the door. She knew she had to pick up a late shift tonight and couldn't make his State Championship race. His father promised them both he would be there, it was a thing with him, Skeet couldn't remember the last time he had seen him race. His father was some big scientist working for some sort of research and development company he refused to ever tell them anything about, Skeet didn't even know what he worked on, but today he was going to find out. Skeet had won the race but when he crossed the finish line and made it to the podium, no one was there. He had enough, he had been let down too much, he was going to show his father what he did, what he accomplished. Running all the way to the lab be hurdled over the security stand at the front of the building and rushed up the stairs to his father's lab. His legs were burning, but there was an intense need, a need for vindication. Walking into the lab he saw all sorts of containers and different pieces of equipment that had been used to assemble something. It was then that he had heard it, the sounds of a struggle. It all made sense now, something had happened, his father wanted to be there but someone had stopped him! Running through the lab he saw a large device in the middle of it that resembled a Large telescope, but it was somehow backwards and instead of a lens on the small end it looked like some sort of laser. In front of it two men were holding each of his father's arms as a man in front of him seemed to be yelling. Running into the room he lowerd a shoulder and slammed one of the men into the guy who was yelling and swept the feet out of another one. Those half price karate lessons apparently had paid off. He turned around to gather his dad when he saw him waving him off. The first man got up quickly and laughed before walking behind the weird device. "Well looky here boys it looks like we have an even better test subject. Let's see what this Torillium will do shall we?!" the man called out. The two men quick picked him up and grabbed him. He heard his father call out to him in desperation before a beam lit up and slammed into him. The rest was a blur, he heard some more commotion and some gun shots and when he came to his father was gone. One of the other scientist had found him and over the next few weeks helped him to understand what happened. The ray they had shot him with had been destroyed in the accident, along with the Torillium with it. It had however transferred some of its properties over to him reconfiguring his genome and causing a mutation where he now would absorb kinetic energy around him and store it for use. Through some analysis the Scientist known as Doctor Larken realized that if he did not release the energy it would cause some sort of Nova event. He helped design sensors to monitor his condition. The most natural thing for Skeet to do was run, so run he did, he ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore. He looked everywhere for his father, so did the police, but there was no sign of him. After a few weeks he was presumed dead and his mother and him were forced to move on with their life. 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? Skeet is walking down Fifth street towards the courthouse on thirteen enjoying a nice decaff coffee that is more hot chocolate than coffee as he suddenly hears the bank alarm go off. As he watches the ice form in front of the bank he looks down at his watch. He's got time if he is quick. He had promised himself no superheroing today but what is one bank robbery? It's not like the money can return itself. Ducking behind an alleyway he quickly takes off his suit and puts on his mask as he begins to chase down the criminal. Running up along side the criminal he looks over at him. "Robbing the bank in the middle of the day? Now thats just cold!" he calls out as Black Ice looks at him. "Yeah that was bad, I'm working on it. So I'm on a tight schedule. What do you say you just hand over the money and we let bigons be bigons?" he asks before Black Ice puts a slipper patch right in front of him causing him to spiral out of control and into the villains ice run. The slide causes the sensors on his suit to light up like a christmas tree. "So that's a no...." Supersonic says before rolling off the louge and jumping back on his feet. Running up the side of one of the buildings he runs perpandicular to the ground before getting a good lead on Black Ice. Quickly piling up a barrier of trash dumpsters and garbage cans he assembles a barricade before waiting for Black Ice to come toward him and at the last second releases a wave of kinetic energy at the villains feet sending him flying. As the villain smashes into the pile of dumsters Supersonic looks at his watch. "Crap, late again!" he says as he gathers up the stolen money and ties up Black Ice. "Even you can't outrun Justice Black Ice." he says before taking off just as the police arrive. 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? Skeet rubbed his jaw as he flicked the button the remote watch the replay again. It was brutal they caught him running it for a sonic punch just to have Sergeant Steel brush it off and countering with an uppercut that sent him flying. Quick metabolism or not that hurt. In front of him were three empty pizza boxes, three half-galons of ice cream two cartons of orange juice and a half eaten jar of jalapenos. "I could have sworn that would work. How was I supposed to know that Sergeant Steel is harder than Steel? Isn;t that a misnomer, I mean its not like rubber boy is as stiff as a board. Its cheating! Why don't they say he's cheating?" he complains to the televison before collecting himself. "Right, since when did they play by the rules. I can do this, yeah we just need to learn to be more prepared. Not rush in so much..." A siren can be heard in the distance and in a second without though Supersonic dashes off toward the sound. "Well next time... I will totally plan it out next time"

[ArcZero]

Originally Posted by Palliven

Some more questions:
@ArcZero Does Evelyn know or not know her secret identity? Do you see the shield as being a unique, irreplaceable item (secret lost or unable to be replicated) or a technologically advanced item that could be remade or replicated?

That's a good point. Yes I would say Evelyn definitely knows. Damara was 18 and looking for personal assistants. When she put out all she was asking for and talked to Evelyn in an interview or two, Evelyn was smart enough to piece it together (You want someone to manage your schedule, coming into wealth and celebrity, with talent that borders on the limits of what humans are capable of, while trying to conceal where you're going and who's asking questions. Hmmm I wonder what it means). Damara isn't the brightest bulb in the bunch (probably a -1 intellect), but even once Evelyn found out, she proved to be totally trustworthy. Evelyn probably has that mama bird mentality that cuts through her professional 1950s veneer: she does care about Damara and wants to help her succeed and stay secret. But she likes to push her, thus doing the work to help her join this new team all the way in Elisia.

And for the shield, I would say it's easily removable and the wreath would be regular removable. So I see situations where it's grappled away from her, stolen, etc. (And where the wreath is taken if she goes unconscious by the agent of a greedy Greek god who wants to hurt Hermes. That will probably be a complication, that the Greek pantheon is competitive and a Hades-type has it out for anyone a good god blesses). I want her to have the superspeed, growth and shield, but which is the strongest or available at any time is something I would enjoy testing her with.

If the shield is taken, then she's in an Iron Man situation of getting it back or going to Nolan and VESPR labs to get a new one, make upgrades, etc. It's definitely a device, so it would generally "come back" (or get rebuilt) for each mission, if I'm understanding the rules right. So yeah it can be replicated.

My question to you is, I would see the Mantle of Hermes and giant growth being alternate forms. Thus having the alternate flaw and building them to be one-or-the other but comparable strengths (~20 points each kind of thing). Would that likely work for you?

[Crocodile]

Originally Posted by Palliven

@Crocodile What is Emmanuel's major fields of sceintific interest? How do you see his gravity manipulation showing up? A focus on manipulating objects/people, external manifestations such as force fields and blasts or some combination of these? Or something else entirely?

Emmanuel specializes in the fields of astrophysics and aerospace engineering, with a bit of cross-dsiciplinary dabbling in mechanical engineering for the sake of creating specialized tools. Not going to be building advanced AI constructs anytime soon though.

I see his gravity manipulation starting out as being of the manipulation variety, making things heavier/lighter, pushing and pulling, perhaps a small singularity or two. But I can see his powers evolving over time as he continues to tinker with his technology, possibly even encompassing external energy manifestations.

But for the start, it's just of the manipulation variety.

[GleefulNihilism]

Oh, and Comments and Critique of Grunge are welcome. @Pall and otherwise.

[Snicker]

Originally Posted by Palliven

@Snicker Do you envison her as having an empathy/affinity with electrical equipment or just being able to sense and manipulate it? Do you see her two robotic helpers simple gadgets she controls or do theh have an AI and ability to function on their own?

Can you explain why you mean by "empathy/affinity" in this context? If the technology has some sort of sensory device (camera, microphone, etc.) she can tap into that, and if it contains data (like a computer), she can read that data. She doesn't cause the technology to gain intelligence or emotions. If the technology does contain an AI, she would be able to talk to it with her mind, but she wouldn't be able to invoke any exceptional sympathy in it.

Her robotic helpers are just drones. They have no AI, but she can give them "ongoing" orders, such as to hover in her vicinity, so she doesn't have to continuously concentrate on them.

[BlackDragon0]

Originally Posted by Palliven

@BlackDragon0 Being a loner by nature, what are your thoughts on how he could integrate into a team? Also, since you're new to M&M just be aware that the powers you listed may be more than you have points for at the start.

Ok well as shown by the app questions he's happy to team up. Also going solo doesn't always work there's no one on your side defending you. Like with the fire in the back story. But most of all there's the fact he wants to fill a hole in his life and is looking for a new beginning. This is all from his background. I fully expect difficulties and growth. Like weather he is friends with teammates or just sees them as someone he has to work with. If selected to lead, how hard will it be to see them as warriors and not those under his care. And what about that secret identity wow can't keep a job.... but never fails to be a hero. Yep I bet he's got allot of growth ahead..

AND LETS NOT FORGET ONE OF HIS CATCH PHRASES!!!
Dragons who fly alone die alone! in otherwords he doesn't want to be alone!!!!
I hope this answers your question.

[PalladiaMors]

Originally Posted by Palliven

@PalladiaMors Seems to be a playful, outgoing and positive personality as you've written her. How do you envision her style and response when dealing with hardened criminals or devious villains?

Well like I mentioned, she does know how to get serious when she has to. Though from her perspective, that's something she hasn't really thought about. Something I want to focus on with this character is that she's not a seasoned superhero at all. This is her "Year One". No lifetime of training, no long record of costumed superheroics. Just someone who had a bunch of power dropped in their lap with minimal practice and then told to go out and wing it.

Also finished up the sections I was too tired to do last night, app should be complete now.

[girlplay]

Hi! I just posted up a character sheet. Silver Streak is a nice and simple build, as it turns out. I got everything I wanted, save for a few of the extras. But there's definitely room to grow.

[Snicker]

I'd like to officially declare Wirelass complete.

[Palliven]

Originally Posted by ArcZero

My question to you is, I would see the Mantle of Hermes and giant growth being alternate forms. Thus having the alternate flaw and building them to be one-or-the other but comparable strengths (~20 points each kind of thing). Would that likely work for you?

Thanks for asking, it made me reread your application and I realized I didn't catch this nuance. I see it a little differently but maybe I'm missing something still. I don't see how Alternate Form fits here. Growth wouldn't be an alternate form, just the Growth power. So would have Growth, Healing, Enhanced Senses and Movement (Wall Crawling) as powers. The Mantle could be Enhanced Equipment based on the Equipment advantage or it could be an Array. Make sense?