1Hawkeyes — Roleplayer Guild

Name: Helena Estrada
Alias: Agent
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Looks:

Helena is well-built, standing at 5'4" weighing about 135 pounds.  She has deep brown eyes that go dark in the center and lighter around the edges. She has dark brown, wavy hair which is many times worn down unless working or training.  The costume she eventually designs is a black compression long-sleeve and black leggings worn underneath dark red and black motorcycle armor.  She also has a utility belt to carry whatever tools she deems necessary on a given night.

Occupation: Store manager at "Granny's Cookies"

Personality: Helena is an incredibly caring individual, even to those she just met.  If both her and a stranger are hungry, she will do whatever it takes to get the stranger food, even if that means she goes hungry.  She does her best to see the good in everyone, as she strongly believes that people have the capability to change for the better.  These qualities can both be considered noble and naive, as they often lead her into getting manipulated and taken advantage of.  No matter what, she tries her best to bounce back from even life's toughest problems with a smile.  Helena has a tendency to bottle up certain emotions, particularly the negative ones, in fear of hurting or upsetting the ones around her.  Her fighting helps her to release some of these pent up emotions, but not everything.  If someone hits the wrong button, her bottled emotions will explode onto that person, even if they did something as little as accidentally step on her foot.

Backstory: Helena lived about 30 miles outside of Long Beach with her mother and father for the first 9 years of her life.  This time was less than enjoyable for her.  Her father was addicted to several types of drugs and this tended to be his main focus in life.  This usually left him and his wife broke as he tended to steal from her.  When he couldn't get his fix, he took his anger out on Helena and her mother, often becoming physically and emotionally abusive.  Helena's mother was her rock, always doing her best to make sure that Helena was well-fed and that they had a roof over their heads.  She usually took most of the beatings, but Helena did her best to defend her mother, which of course never went well.  A few months after Helena's ninth birthday, the beating was so bad that her mother ended up dying.  Her father was given jail time and Helena has not heard from him since.  

Luckily for the young girl, her grandmother was able to adopt her and take her into her home.  Her grandmother explained once Helena was older that her father kept them isolated, not allowing anyone to see them and constantly making excuses for why they were unable to show up to family gatherings.  Her grandmother admits that she thought something weird was happening, but never thought anything that bad was going on.  Helena does not blame her grandmother for what took place as she believes her father might have killed her mother- and possibly herself- sooner.

Upon moving in with her grandmother, Helena was put into Tae Kwon Do to learn basic self defense.  The young girl fell in love with the sport as it gave her confidence and gave her an emotional outlet.  She gained her black belt in roughly two years and her second degree in another two years.  At this point she was about 14 and tired of TKD.  Not only that, but she felt bad that her grandmother was paying for the relatively expensive lessons.  So, Helena quit TKD and ended up joining her high school wrestling team.  This only lasted two years as she wasn't a huge fan of grappling.  Her grandmother noticed this and offered to put her back into TKD.  Helena declined, still distasteful of the expenses.  She instead asked to be put into boxing, which was cheaper yet just as effective.  Her grandmother was reluctant at first, as she knew the roughness of the sport, but eventually gave in.  Since the age of 16 Helena has been boxing.

For years she worked at her grandmother's bakery, "Granny's Cookies", but didn't become an official employee until the age of 17.  Since then she has progressed to store manager.

Helena graduated high school and went to the Long Beach College, as a natural choice.  Currently she is studying Law Enforcement.  Because of all the injustice she has seen throughout her life, she has a strong desire to protect others from it.  One day she hopes to be a police officer, but seeing how the Long Beach Police Department is run, she isn't so sure anymore.

Skills/Weapons: Helena is a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do (about four years of experience) and has two years of experience in folkstyle wrestling.  Her main style is boxing, which she has four years of and is currently practicing.  She is skilled enough to go pro, but is prioritizing school.  As far as weapons, she carries a baton with a very bright LED flashlight tip on every patrol just in case things get a bit out of hand.

Other: She considers "Moment 4 Life" by Nicki Minaj her theme song.

The Story

Long Beach has always been known for its beach, shopping district, and overall sunny weather.  Many events, such as the annual Long Beach Grand Prix, are held in this skyscraper city.  It has also been known for its rampant gang activity, with new and old gangs merging and fighting, creating more trouble than the police can handle.  Many people believe the police have been persuaded by money and drugs to let many of these crimes slip right under their noses.

Citizens have been getting fed up with the treatments from these thugs, but their Neighborhood Watch programs do nothing but put targets on people just wanting to help out.  This is where our characters come into play.  Our characters are all victims of crimes done by these gangsters and thieves.  One day, while all of them are relaxing and hanging out together, one mentions a crime that happened to them recently.  They all describe petty, or big, crimes that have been enacted upon them.  The group decides that they've had enough of this and vow to protect the streets of Long Beach at whatever costs!

The problem is...

They don't have super powers.

Our heroes will dawn masks and capes, attempting to protect the city with whatever weapons, skills, or knowledge they can bring to the table.  As they patrol the big city and stop crimes, they learn what it means to become a hero, how to balance their own moral with each others, and how the sacrifices can take a toll on their physical and emotional lives.

The Plot

The beginning of the plot will establish our characters as a close group of friends (ages 18-22, all out of high school) who have all been affected by the rising crime rate.  It can be as simple as having a wallet pick-pocketed, to going Batman and having their parents killed right in front of them, to having their car stolen!  They all express their anger and after discussion, come to the conclusion that because half of the police don't do much and the other half are crooked, they have to take manners into their own hands and become the force of good the city needs!

Their first patrol will have them clumsily through the streets at 1 AM in little more than exercise clothes and masks.  They will encounter their first crime and learn that being vigilantes is not a joke!

Form

Name:
Alias:
Gender:
Age(18-22 Please):
Looks:
Occupation:
Personality:
Backstory:
Skills/Weapons:
Other:

As for looks, picture or description is fine, even both is okay.

All I ask is that we keep along the lines of realism. If your character works at PetCo and is able to afford this super mega computer and crazy weapons and gadgets, well they better have inherited a crazy huge fortune from a distant relative. XD

Rules

1. Please respect each other.   If there's a problem please let me know so it can all be smoothed over.
2. Try not to stray from the layout of the thread.  If the group is going out on patrol, try not to separate (unless part of the plot or discussed with me) because this could cause your character to become isolated from the plot and that would suuuuck.
3. This is not a romance-focused thread.  If romances pop up, cool!  Just please no sex scenes on this thread.  Making out- okay!  Hugging- okay!  Just no sex.  Please fade out or go to PM.  Other than that have all the romance you want! XD
4. Please use decent grammar, or at least make your posts understandable.  This is casual, not free.
5. If you say your character knows a certain style of fighting, please make it realistic.  I don't want to see a boxer who has mastered every triangle hold, or a BJJ master who can perform every kick perfectly, or a Tae Kwon Do practitioner who can keep up with Muhammad Ali.  If you have picked a style for your character that you do not know personally (ex. Knowing Kendo involves swords but not using proper terminology or believable movements in a post), you can always ask me for pointers!  Actually, I think I'll add a fighting style tab so everyone can understand each other's strengths and weaknesses.  Yeah, check that out when I get it up! XD
6. There's no specific posting order, but I'll try to let everyone get a post or two in before moving the plot along.  However, if you don't post within a timely manner (usually 2-3 days depending on everyone's activity) the plot will still move forward.  You can always hop back in though!
7. Please have fun!  If it's boring let me know!  I won't cry over it, trust me. XD

Fighting Guide (WIP)

In this thread there will be little PvP fighting, unless two characters are sparring or get into some sort of argument.  If that happens, please discuss the fight and the results of the fight with the other roleplayer.

For the most part, this will be a PvE thread, where the enemies can be controlled by anyone (unless stated otherwise).  In these fights against thieves, murderers, and gang members, I want there to be realism.  Unless your character has amazing genes and strength, they probably can't throw a fully grown man from one block to another. XD  

I would like the fighting styles to stay pretty accurate, though you don't need to spell out every single move.  For example, if performing a near-side cradle (a bit hard to pull off in a fight, but let's go for it XD), you don't have to spell out each step, from aligning the hips, to putting one arm behind the knee and the other over the neck, to locking your hands into a butterfly lock, finally ending with rolling over and putting them on their shoulders.  You can simplify the move, saying something like, "Jones grabbed the thug, locked his hands together, and rolled his enemy over into a cradle, holding him there until his teammates arrived."  This goes for any move, especially ground-fighting because... well, it can get quite complicated.  As long as it's described to others can get the message, we're all good. XD

Here are some fighting styles, which categories they fit in, and their strengths and weaknesses:

Groundwork- hand-to-hand combat that usually takes place on the ground and involves grappling (wrestling) at an extremely close range.  Usually involves throws, joint-locks, transitions, and chokes.

Styles
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)
Sport BJJ is the main style taught in America.  This style focuses heavily on joint-locking and chokes.  There are two chokes: air choke and blood choke.  To put it simply, an air choke restricts breathing, a blood choke restricts blood flow to the brain.  The blood choke, if performed properly, can knock someone unconscious within 3-5 seconds, whereas the air choke tends to take longer depending on the person's ability to hold their breath.  A joint-lock is forcing a joint to move a way in which it is not intended to move.  This can quickly lead to injury if performed properly.  Compression locks are not typically taught, as they are not allowed in competition, but they are locks that force a hard part of the body (a shin, wrist) into a muscle, often resulting in tearing the muscle.  Whereas takedowns, getting an opponent from a standing position to the ground, are utilized in this style, they are not emphasized as much as in other styles.

Strengths:
The practitioner will feel comfortable knocked onto the ground and will be able to manipulate their opponent into various chokes and locks.  If one move does not work, BJJ practitioners can easily flow into a new move.

A BJJ practitioner should be able to escape if their hand or arm is grabbed, as hand control is a major aspect of the sport.

Weaknesses:
A drawback to this style is many American gyms do not focus on throws.  Throwing is getting an opponent from an upright position to the ground.  This is not to say that Sport BJJ gyms do not teach throws.

The sport focuses on staying on one's back rather than stomach.  A BJJ practitioner on their stomach typically will not have any moveset to use.

Wrestling (Collegiate/Folkstyle)

Folkstyle wrestling is very common among high schools and colleges.  This wrestling focuses mainly on ground fighting (pins and joint-locking) as well as some standup (clinches and throws).  A pin in this style refers to holding an opponent on their back with any part of both shoulders or shoulder blades in contact with the mat for two seconds.  Joint-locking is forcing an opponent's joint beyond its normal range of motion.  Clinching is used as a way to transition from a standing position to a ground position in wrestling.  A clinch typically involves one wrestler holding the other as they fight for the dominant position in the clinch.  A takedown is getting the opponent from a standing position to the ground.  Because this is taught as a sport, it does not focus on the self-defense aspect.

Strengths:
A wrestler is typically comfortable if grabbed, as hand control and clinching are both heavy aspects of the sport.

Weaknesses:
A wrestler focuses on fighting from on their stomach.  If a wrestler falls on their back, they may struggle to escape their opponent.

Chokes are not typically taught in this style so an enemy may not be dispatched as quickly.  This is not to say some of the moves cannot partially restrict airflow or cause discomfort to the throat.

Many wrestling coaches do not teach it as self-defense, a wrestler might not know how to apply their skills in a street fight.

Stand-Up- hand-to-hand combat which utilizes striking, typically by the fist, elbow, knee, shin, or even foot, and can be implicated at either a close or a medium range.  These techniques are usually performed while standing.

Styles:
Boxing

Boxing is a common fighting style which originated in China, but was later developed and popularized in America.  It relies purely on punches, rather than kicks, throws, or submissions.  A boxer has several punches in their arsenal such as jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts.  Boxers use variations of these punches to create different angles for attack (including but not limited to shovel uppercuts, overhands, flicker jabs, and corkscrews) and to keep their opponents on their feet.  Because of this focus on punching, boxers tend to have a much higher punching power than practitioners of other styles.  While the only attacking is by punches, a boxer utilizes defensive techniques such as slips, parries, and blocks to defend against an attacker.  Footwork is very enforced in this style of fighting, leaving boxers light on their feet.

Strengths:
Due to their long matches compared to other fighting styles (~30 minutes pro, ~9 amateur), boxers tend to have superior stamina.

Boxing is a full-contact sport, so a boxer might be harder to knock out compared to a ground fighter.

Weaknesses:
While clinching is allowed, it is not the same as clinching in Muay Thai or Judo.  Clinching in boxing is used to buy time and to recover, not to throw or trade punches.  Most likely will not do well in a clinch.

A boxer is not trained to block against kicks, leaving their legs especially vulnerable.

Judo

Judo is a martial art originating in Japan.  Sport (Olympic) Judo, the main style of Judo taught in America, focuses on stand up techniques (clinches and takedowns) to score points and transitions into groundwork (joint-locks and chokes).  While traditional Judo does teach striking, it is not the main aspect and is typically banned from competition.  Clinching is used as a way to transition from a standing position to a ground position.  A clinch typically involves one judoka holding the other as they fight for the dominant position in the clinch.  A takedown is getting the opponent from a standing position to the ground.  There are two chokes: air choke and blood choke.  To put it simply, an air choke restricts breathing, a blood choke restricts blood flow to the brain.  The blood choke, if performed properly, can knock someone unconscious within 3-5 seconds, whereas the air choke tends to take longer depending on the person's ability to hold their breath.  A joint-lock is forcing a joint to move a way in which it is not intended to move.  This can quickly lead to injury if performed properly.  Compression locks are not typically taught, as they are not allowed in competition, but they are locks that force a hard part of the body (a shin, wrist) into a muscle, often resulting in tearing the muscle.

Strengths:
If grabbed onto, a judoka should be able to escape or perform a takedown on their opponent.

A judoka should be comfortable on the ground as well as standing.  They are versatile.

Weaknesses:
The style does not focus on striking like the other stand-up styles, so trading punches and kicks would usually prove ineffective.

Although judoka do practice joint-locking and chokes, they are not as focused on these aspects as BJJ practitioners.

Tae Kwon Do (TKD)

Tae Kwon Do is a fighting style developed in Korea after WWII.  Translated roughly to "art of the hand and foot", TKD focuses on kicks to dispatch an opponent.  Both traditional and Olympic TKD are taught in America.  The difference between the two is rules in competition.  Other than that, TKD is a kicking-oriented martial art.  There are two types of kicking- standard kicks and tricking.  Standard kicks are kicks that are realistic for a fight (front snap kicks, 45-degree kicks, side kicks, etc.) whereas tricking involves kicks that look cool, but are extremely difficult and unrealistic to pull off in a fight (540 kick, corkscrew kick, backflip kicks, etc.).  TKD practitioners have a lot of flexibility in their legs and use different combinations of kicks to score points.  Punches are worth less points, therefore are not focused on.  It is a fighting style that mainly consists of long-ranged kicks, but has shorter ranged kicks as well, such as the axe kick.

Strengths:
TKD practitioners are extremely flexible, so some submissions may be harder to perform on them.  For example, a banana split (wrestling) won't stretch out and strain a TKD practitioner's groin and much as a boxer's.

TKD is a full contact sport, so a TKD practitioner tends to be harder to knock out than a ground fighter.

Weaknesses:
While clinching is allowed in some competition, it is not the same as clinching in Muay Thai or Judo.  Clinching in TKD is used to buy time and to recover, not to throw or trade strikes.  Most likely will not do well in a clinch.

Although they have many long-ranged attacks, short-ranged kicks can be much more difficult to pull off, especially if punches are being thrown.

Currently...

(As of 12/04/2019) Our group is sitting around in Long Beach's Pike, a little outlet area of the city.  They are each recounting their stories of injustice due to the rising crime and lack of police interference.  This is where they decide to become vigilantes.

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