[OOC] Epic City: Starburst

[Lord Orgasmo]

So could I just walk through Spectrum's shield? Or would it need to be down first?@Regitnui

[RoflsMazoy]

Hey... guys...

^{Dragon VS Marching House}

[Regitnui]

@ihinka, not unless thrown stone-chipped knives count as projectile weapons. They're not smart enough for spears.

@Lord Orgasmo, Alex will probably gate you through, @Old Amsterdam?

@RoflsMazoy, he doesn't hit innocent girls...

[ihinka]

@Regitnui Poor rats... they're so misunderstood... They're actually quite smart and cunning :D

[Regitnui]

@ihinka, stone-age tech versus the modern world... They'd probably be fine given a few thousand years to develop agriculture and given a good reason to not just keep raiding the surface city for food.

[ihinka]

@Regitnui Yes, I understand :) I just meant rats in real life :D

[Regitnui]

@ihinka, and now they're smart enough to form a society and raid. They're a thousands-strong population of inhuman tribal vikings under every major city on Earth.

[ihinka]

@RegitnuiWell, we can't have that now, can we :D

[Regitnui]

Do your best and maybe you'll drive them off...

[ihinka]

OK, sorry That totally got away from me

[Regitnui]

@ihinka, I loved that. Don't worry at all. I can add your new PART buddy to the shared characters list if you want to keep using her. Whichever meaning of the word "use" comes up.

As a more general notice, I'll be posting a big overview of the incident shortly (hour or two later) IC, introducing a few new characters. You all tell me if you like the idea.

[ihinka]

@Regitnui Oh, I definitely plan to be "using" her I'm calling dibs so don't nobody even think of making any moves *hiss*

I'll make a CS for her and Megan later today :) Still... I might need a little bit of info about PART for Regan's CS... Structure, ranks and whatnot.

[Regitnui]

@ihinka, PM me with the details and we can work through it. I foresee you getting involved in Alex and Spectrum's lives as well, though that's up to @Old Amsterdam.

[ihinka]

@Regitnui Ok... I'll do that...

I'll follow you're lead with regard to Spectrum and Alex :) Especially since Teagan and Alex have unfinished business from the party @Old Amsterdam

[TheHangedMan]

@Regitnui

Name:
Charlotte Carrolle Lutwidge

Epic Identity:
Wonderland

Age:
12

Faction:
Epic [Neutral]

---

Ability:

Charlotte's main ability is the permanent animation of otherwise mundane objects. These objects cannot be organic or living in nature, such as a tree or plant and neither can it be any form of electronics with calculative abilities surpassing a calculator. Upon animation the object brought to life gains immediate sentience and sturdiness far surpassing its original state; how far exactly it surpasses its original state is dependent on how much Charlotte is willing to sacrifice. They also gain abilities comparable to other Epics. Again, the potency of their abilities is dependent on how much Charlotte is willing to surrender.

Her creations are permanently sentient and can act of their own accord without prompting from her. A creation "dies" if its body is wrecked beyond repair. Charlotte can feel the death of her creatures no matter the distance, as well as see experience what they're experiencing. All her creations possess a mental link with her and each other, allowing for instantaneous communication no matter how far apart they are.

Her current creations:

Aida - a reanimated clothes mannequin that serves as Charlotte's primary bodyguard and escort, especially when she ventures outside of her demesne. As a combatant, Aida's ability is comparable to that of an extremely well-trained human, added to the fact that she does not feel pain or fatigue. In combat, her main armament is a Heckler and Koch G36 assault rifle, and her sidearm is a customized Desert Eagle. Charlotte calls her "Older Sister" when in public, and also serves as her code-name. The eldest of the Animated, and easily the most stoic, along with Red the Teddy Knight. She usually serves as Charlotte's liaison for public business.

Red - A giant red teddy bear taller than an average adult, and along with Aida is the most treasured of her companions. Teddy is the champion that she usually sends forward in case combat is needed, and among her creations is the most seen and thus her symbol. He is immune to pain and cannot fatigue like Aida, as well as being immune to fire, lightning, and possesses immense physical strength and durability with reflexes to match. He can lift and bench-press up to 13 tons of weight, and wears a suit of red antiquated armor that matches his name.

The Vorpal Sword - the blade that Red wields. It talks, has sonar vision in an eight meter radius, and can alter it's sharpness; it can make itself practically blunt, or sharp enough to cut through steel like butter. Has a sharp sense of humor and a rather blunt personality. Also very punny. Can levitate itself, and can levitate its wielder, essentially making it a flying sword.

Dinah & Cheshire - Two cats that were once stuffed-toys. Dinah can sense the presence of living things in a 3 kilometer radius, and is strong enough to pin down a grown man and bite through steel and while not as durable as Red, is still tough enough to withstand gunfire. Cheshire can turn invisible and move faster than a locomotive, as well as mimic voices. Cheshire has photographic memory, and never forgets what he's seen and heard.

Knowledge & Wisdom - A pair of stuffed crows. Neither can talk, and both are only about as durable as the real thing; they do have the ability to read minds and feelings of any one person they focus on in an area of five meters. They require visual contact in order for their ability to activate, and if they lose sight of their target the ability breaks.

The House of Cards - 30 toy mice that act as scouts for her. Indistinguishable from real mice asides from the fact that they can talk.

Jabberwocky - a massive dragon statue crafted from marble, Jabberwocky was originally her fathers favorite statue, before she converted it to life. 13 meters from head to tail, and 28 meters from each tip of the wing, whenever leaves Charlotte's home and serves as the vanguard of her manors defense. He is the most powerful of her creations and cost her an arm and a leg to breath into life . . . or, to be specific, cost her both her legs and approximately ten years of her life. Jabberwocky can fly as fast as a jet, breath ice at sub-zero levels and shoot searing laser beams from his eyes hot enough to melt steel beams, and has the strength to lift over a hundred tons in weight. Aggressive and distrusting of others who are not Charlotte, he rarely speaks, and when he does, it is in rhymes and riddles. Heis extremely tough, but brittle. While it takes a lot to pierce his armored skin, once it has been pierced, the rest of his body soon crumbles, as befitting his nature as a marble statue.

Weakness:

Charlotte's ability comes at a great cost - per every creation she gives life to, a corresponding toll is taken out on her lifespan; even further, during the creation process a backlash occurs that affects her physical health in proportion to the strength of the creation; small, weak creations can cause her to have heart palpitations, and even further than that can lead up to an outright heart attack.

Her creations, while fully autonomous even while she's asleep, will "shut down" temporarily should Charlotte's hands be bound in any way, and will remain in this state until her hands are untied.

Personality:

Taciturn, quiet, and meticulous; she's often a no-nonsense person and prefers working than playing, often to the point of abusing her already fragile health. The concept of having fun, while not necessarily alien to her, has become so distant that often times she struggles to recall what it's like to laugh. That is not to say she is completely devoid of happiness - on the contrary, she has a rather gentle and jovial side when in the presence of her creations, though she does not show it.

Charlotte is someone who, when set out to a task, will aim to execute it as perfectly as possible. Despite her age she's very goal oriented and does not easily get sidetracked. Surprisingly enough, she's neither someone that easily gets angry or holds a grudge; in fact, it's difficult for her to get angry at all. Her first response to slights against her is usually sadness.

Appearance:

A girl short for her age, with short, black, bob cut hair and wide green eyes. She's in permanent need of a wheelchair as she's paralyzed from the waist down; pale skinned and with unhealthy looking bags under her eyes, she often looks older than she actually is.

Background:

Born in Epic City to two insanely wealthy parents, both the heirs of what could be deemed as "old money", she was a girl born with everything. Wealth and power were not a problem, and despite both her parents being mundane, Epics would have a hard time touching them due to their long reach and influence, especially in Epic City, where the peace was kept by other Epics - even more so for her family, because with their wealth they had helped fund a number of heroic escapades and backed a multitude of heroes in starting their careers.

Charlotte herself wanted to be a hero. It was no surprise, considering that she interacted with a large variety of them while with her parents. Of course, that was the furthest thing her parents wanted. In their eyes, there was no career more dangerous than that of being a hero; not to mention though they supported heroic Epics, there was always a lingering fear in the back of their minds that drove them to do it, a fear that if they did not, then perhaps they would turn on them instead. They did not truly understand the people born with these special abilities, and predictably feared them for it. Still, they loved their little girl and if it turned out that Charlotte was, in fact, gifted with these powers, they would be at a loss as to what to do.

The day she discovered her ability was during a visit to a local mall. There was a robbery, and the robbers took her hostage - in her panic and desperation, Charlotte gave life to a nearby mannequin, her first ever creation that she dubbed as "Aida"; the mannequin subsequently disabled her attackers, who were powerless to stop a bodyguard that felt neither pain nor fatigue, and one that not even a bullet to the chest could stop. The police arrived with her worried parents in tow, just in time for Charlotte to faint as the backlash from her ability hit her.

Not initially connecting her fainting with the creation of Aida, she estatically set out to experiment with her abilities. Her parents, in the meantime, worried about her future. As things stood, Charlotte would definitely pursue her dream of becoming a hero.

It was just as she created Dinah and Cheshire, however, that the true price of her ability was discovered. She collapsed in a heap after their creation, and was rushed to the hospital. Her body had suffered greatly, and after the incident, she became more easily fatigued, and her physical capabilty had dropped drastically. This would be the last time she used her abilities up until the next year.

For a time, she was content - despite the shock of what happened to her, she still had new, wonderful friends that she was sure would help her in becoming an amazing hero.

Her parents, for their part, were simply relieved that nothing worse had come of it. They would tackle the problem of her becoming a hero later on; they were sure it wouldn't become an issue until a few years later. In the meantime, they did a good job of covering up her abilities and making it seem as though she were nothing more than a normal, albeit sickly, girl.

Unfortunately, their calculations were off by miles.

There were many people that had a bone to pick with them. Villains who's plans were foiled by heroes they financed, rival businesses that they had bankrupted or snubbed - even other "heroes" who were enraged that they did not see fit to fund them. These enmities eventually came together and boiled over in an incident that forever changed Charlotte's life.

It was during a charity event that they struck. Their aim was simple - wipe out the entire family in a grudge fueled slaughter. The leader behind them was an infamous villain named Blacklight - a name that sticks to Charlotte's mind and haunts her dreams to this very day - and their plan was almost a success. They got both her parents and succeeded in scarring her, but only came that far until other Epics arrived with the police in tow to deal with them.

For awhile, she was in a catatonic state. She had lost near everything she held dear. Nothing made sense to her anymore, and for a long time, she did nothing but sit by and watch as more things were taken from her.

People interested in her parents wealth and lands argued over her rights as the inheritor. They were people she knew, even liked; business partners that came over every so often, aunts and uncles that would play with her, older cousins that treated her to candy -- all now squabbling over her parents wealth, using her as a tool to claim it or even forgetting her outright. It was her first betrayal, and it was a painful one. Suddenly, she found herself surrounded on all sides by enemies she'd read about in story books, but unlike the princesses in her fairy tales she had no-one. No prince nor fairy godmother to assist her out of her dilemma.

Some claimed that the wealth should go to this-or-that person/organisation, while others tried to adopt her outright so as to have the money flow to them by proxy of being her guardian. The money-grubbing and greed came to its peak when they turned their eyes to her fathers statue collection.

It was her fathers most prized collection, and he often took her with him to admire them. At the time, she never really understood and appreciated them as he did, and even now she probably does not, but they held memories of her playing with him among the tall and handsome looking statues, memories of a life that could not return, and were one of the last and greatest reminders of his love.

She was not going to allow them to take that away from her.

She made the Deck of Cards and Knowledge and Wisdom in quick succession, and put them to work with the sole purpose of halting every move to steal her inheritance, her memories, and ignore the incoming pain and fatigue that came with the stress of their creation. For a half a year, she struggled with legal cases, manipulating people using her crows and with Aida as her proxy to give adult weight to her wishes, and finally, ultimately, succeeded.

The battle for the memories of her past life invigorated her, and soon, she fell out of her state of ennui, now alive and in the present once more. At the time, however, she had no clear direction of where her future lay. Until she came across a news report of Epic Heroes that were recently murdered, their deaths in full, grueling display. Another childhood memory corroded by society and tragedy -- but this time, she did not feel helpless.

Recalling her childhood dreams, the image of herself as a hero resurfaced in her mind. Now, she couldn't be the hero she wanted to be; she had her abilities, and while she herself had very little, she also had a lot of things, things that mattered to other people, like money and land. No, her being a hero was out of the question . . . but she could help.

Over the past few months, she had settled on transforming her home - a mansion and the surrounding lands spanning kilometers wide - into a headquarters, from where she could provide support for herself, and any possible future she wanted to explore. It was easily converted it into a base, a fortress that could support heroes from all sides, and provide refuge if need be. She resolved to send them funds via proxies, so that they couldn't be traced back to her, and the creation of the Deck allowed her to gather information that she could send discreetly to heroes in need of it.

Currently, she is continuing her parents work, but in a more invigorated and aggressive manner, looking for heroes to provide support and funding for. While her identity is kept a well guarded secret, to those that have had dealings with her proxies and have benefited from her assistance, they have given her a name to go by:

Wonderland.

[Regitnui]

@TheHangedMan, hm... let me think about that. It looks difficult to integrate into my plans... Maybe...

[Old Amsterdam]

Alex would open doorways into the shield.

Y'all been busy

[ML]

Yo could I have the high clairvoyant talk to phantom and teach him how to control his dread powers: like instill fear in people at will

In my head phantom is like a half trained pretty powerful epic who needs a little guidance sometimes

[Regitnui]

@Mercenary Lord, No. Not her directly. She may, however, have an agent come and find Phantom in his daylight form and subtly insert herself into his life. The High Clairvoyant usually favours attractive female telepaths as her main agents. If I were to decide, and you can take this however you like over the course of character development, a woman (or man) chosen to be as attractive to Phantom as possible will meet him almost accidentally and start romancing or allowing herself to be romanced until he opens up about his Epic life and then the agent would start trying to teach and recruit him to the High Clairvoyant's side. Make sense?

@TheHangedMan, I've thought over your character a little.
What I like:

• You're willing to play a child. I can see a precocious child Epic being all sorts of trouble for the other characters in a way that makes a GM smile.
• Her power is both very strong and quickly nullified, so the balance is preserved; a caretaker could hold her hands between theirs and render her powerless.
• The animated constructs are appealing to me in the same sort of New Age of Fantasy theme that has 'goblins' under the streets and 'monsters' living in a 'dungeon' and interfering 'gods'.

What I don't like:

• The character as written is almost designed to be passive. Not in the sense of "I'm a child beware my pet", but a sense of "Good morning, Angels." I don't see Wonderland being an active character in the same way I see Phantom or Stark Crusader. She's a part of the world's background right now.
• Those are the sorts of resources owned by a Mission Control, and while I see no reason why a person with her abilites wouldn't have them, she's playing on a different level; That sort of power attracts notice from various members of Those on High.
• Black Light may be a danger to most everyone, but he's very single-minded. Everything comes back to finding, hurting or killing Dragon Heart. I've got no problem integrating him into your character's back story, but why would Wonderland's parents be targeted?

My suggestions:

• Have one construct, maybe two. The mannequin can pose as a caretaker and a pet cat could be an infiltrator.
• Make her weaker and more active: Her crusade is a one-girl mission and she is hunting Black Light by looking for people and talking to the police like a even younger Epic Nancy Drew.
• She has to work around the usual limitations of being a child; she has to go to school (or play hooky), she needs an adult or adult-like figure to lend authority, etc.

So basic idea: 6/10. Not player character but can become one with just a little refocusing and rescaling.

[ML]

Yeah that sounds fine, but honestly he'd be fine with just having a close friend. No need for romance when you have like no friends to begin with lol

Either works, he's just a slow to trust, slow to love kinda guy