Author Archive: Kasey Rubenstein

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#30 “Silver Shroud”

| November 29, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: Quick and Gold Dust

Silver Shroud is a gray wolf that Clay encountered in the wilds on the day the Silver Book came to him. Clay had been absent-mindedly reading aloud from the Silver Book, adjusting to the sound of his rarely used, raspy voice. The lone wolf had been silently stalking him.

The words of the book reached the ears of the wolf, and as he pounced upon Clay, he was transformed into the Silver Guardian: a silvery and translucent ghost of the wolf he had formerly been. He passed right through Clay, unable to touch him.

Unlike Gold Dust and the Lead Shadows, Silver Shroud remains permanently intangible. Unable to touch the world around him, he is the epitome of neutrality. He is still able to teleport, change shape, and phase as the other Guardians do.

The silent guardian watches over Clay, and occasionally teleports to other places to see and be seen, but this is the extent to which he has the power to affect the world. He seems well resigned to his fate, and spends much of his time keeping Clay company while he reads from the Silver Book.

#29 Clay

| November 29, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: Quick and Gold Dust

Height: 5’ 9”

Body Type: Strong once, now aging and growing frail.

Hair: Long for someone his age, gray.

Eyes: Blue-white

Race: White, Texan

Age: 61

Attire: Clay always wears a gray cowboy hat and matching gray vest. Under that he typically wears a collared work shirt with long sleeves. His pants are any of a variety of worn out and stained jeans. The shoes are, of course, cowboy boots (varying colors).

Powers: Clay is the Silver Reader. Like Quick, he woke up one morning with a book on his chest, and discovered he was the only one who could see and read what was written inside. Unlike Quick, Clay does not have any psychic powers, but he does have great wisdom that comes with living alone among nature for many years.

Personality: Clay is a quiet and thoughtful man. He prefers to be a hermit, living only with trees and animals rather than other people. He’s been off the grid for so long, he doesn’t know exactly how old he is for lack of a calendar to keep track of the days.

Every day he’s alive he considers precious; he knows the balance of life and death better having to hunt for the meat he lives off of.

 

Role in the story: As the Silver Reader, Clay’s role in the story is to promote neutrality by conserving the balance between Lead and Gold. It is written in the Silver Book that lead darkness will take the world unless the golden light is bright enough. Clay’s book also holds many secrets about the other two books, including where they are at any given time.

 

Gold Dust can meet with Clay only when Quick reads a particular passage to her from the Golden Book that allows her to teleport to his location. Clay is wary to help her at first, since he hasn’t been around people in a long time and seems to have a problem with them. Any help he does give her is only in an effort to restore the balance. He doesn’t want her to close off the flow of shadow completely.

#28 Lead Shadows

| November 29, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: Quick and Gold Dust

These creatures of darkness vary widely in size, shape, opacity, etc., and, like Gold Dust, they can change their shape at will. In fact, they share many similar powers with the Golden Guardian: they can also phase through walls, generate darkness (as opposed to light), touch someone and make them depressed (as opposed to happy), and increase the weight of objects, including their own bodies. One special power they have is invisibility. The light generated by Gold Dust reveals them when they are hidden.

 

The Lead Shadows are meant to be the opposite of “light” as represented by the Golden Guardian. As such, they are dark, and also heavy, both opposites of light. They can make themselves heavy enough to crush, while Gold Dust can only make herself light. They are destroyers, while Gold Dust only has the power to destroy them. One interesting aspect of the Lead Shadows is their ability to weigh down a person’s spirit, causing them to sink into a depression. Gold Dust can counter this with a simple touch.

 

No one is sure exactly where the shadows come from, but it is written in the Golden Book that somewhere in the world is a Leaden Book from which the shadows are generated. It is Quick and Gold Dust’s quest to find the book and close it forever.

#27 “Gold Dust” Serena Powell

| November 29, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: Quick and Gold Dust

Height: 5’ 3”

Body Type: Flat chest, stubby fingers, but otherwise your average teenage girl.

Hair: Deep, dark black. The kind of black you only get with dye. It sweeps across her forehead in angry bangs, and flies out from behind her head.

Eyes: Hazel. Always turned down critically, giving her the “angry teen” look.

Race: White

Age: 10th grader

Attire: Mostly dark colors. Long sleeves and long pants. Likes gray jeans. Wears a gold locket under her shirt. Likes boots and Converse All-Stars.

Powers: Serena herself has no powers, but whenever Quick opens the Golden Book, she instantly becomes the Golden Guardian. As the Golden Guardian, Serena is made completely out of shiny gold dust. She can change shape, generate light (later, enough to blind or burn), teleport (move at the speed of light), phase through walls, or make certain objects lighter than air. She can also touch people and make them happy, specifically if those people have been darkened by Lead Shadows. All of these powers come to her with time, as Quick reads more of the Golden Book.

Personality: Serena is as tough as nails, at times even mean. She has few friends, and no siblings. She is very smart, and enjoys exchanging trivia with Quick. Her friendship with Quick has really helped her to open up as a person. Before she was something of a bully, but now she enjoys helping people. Bullying was her way of defending herself from similar torments that she endured when she was younger. She hates her name because it makes her sound like a popular girl.

 

Role in the story: As Golden Guardian, Serena automatically teleports to Quick’s side whenever he opens the Golden Book. She uses her powers to fight off Lead Shadows who want to close the Golden Book, or kill Quick, its Reader. As her alter-ego, Serena, she is a high school girl searching for her place in the grand scheme of ‘normal life’. Quick is pretty much her only friend at the beginning of the story.

 

Her goal is to go with Quick to find the source of the Lead Shadows and stop them from being created/released upon the world.

#26 “Quick” Quique Rojas

| November 29, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: Quick and Gold Dust

Height: 4’ 11”

Body Type: Long arms, skinny, hasn’t quite grown into his shoes yet. Hitting puberty.

Hair: Black, slicked back kinda randomly.

Eyes: Dark brown, pretty much black. Hidden behind big glasses.

Race: Latino

Age: 6th grader

Attire: Quick tends to wear t-shirts and shorts, in the manner of most boys his age. (As pictured here in a shirt featuring a familiar logo.)

Powers: Quick is mildly precognitive and empathic. He occasionally has dreams of traumatic future events, which he is only sometimes able to prevent. He is a very good guesser. He can finish people’s sentences (and often does), and sometimes he feels what others are feeling even if they are far away by just thinking about them. These last couple skills get better the more he knows the person. Quick is only slightly abnormal, and someone like him could easily exist in the real world today without anyone knowing.

Personality: Quick is smart, like unbelievably smart, which makes him a little cocky. But generally he is sweet. He likes to share random trivia with his friends and large family, or, if none of them want to hear it, his pet catfish, Bark. Any time he has a dream about someone being in trouble, he tries to help that person. Only his mom and a couple of siblings know about his dreams.

 

Role in the story: One morning, Quick wakes up from a strange dream that he can hardly remember. He wakes up with a weight on his chest, and beneath both his blankets and his shirt finds the Golden Book. Quick is the Reader of the Golden Book, which means only he can even see what’s written inside. Once the book appears, strange things start to happen. People all over town are being threatened by dark shadowy figures called Lead Shadows.

 

Quick has a dream about a girl dying in a school bus crash when one of these shadows attacks. He saves the girl, Serena, and she becomes indebted to him. When next they meet, Quick reads to her from the Golden Book, and she becomes the Golden Guardian, sworn to protect the Golden Reader from the Lead Shadows. The unlikely duo fight off the shadows and search for the Leaden Book, which needs to be shut in order to stop the flow of shadows.

#25 “Magnum Man”

| November 28, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: The Beacon

To read a sketchy comic introduction to The Beacon featuring some horribly drawn stick figures, feel free to visit this photobucket album.

Magnum Man is another hired hero, somewhat like Captain Curveball. His powers also place him in the generic hero category. Magnum Man represents the NRA, and always carries a couple of signature magnum pistols, which he doesn’t use much but shows off often. Occassionally, Magnum will fire off a round to show off, or stop a bad guy in some indirect way, but he would never shoot someone (it’s written into his contract that he has to fire his gun every so often, but if he hits a person he won’t get paid). Magnum Man is very fond of puns regarding his anatomy: his arms are his guns and a certain part of him is apparently “magnum-sized”.

 

He is another in a line of unregistered heroes that The Beacon and Searchlight aim to track and tag. Currently, he is actually on the run from the law, after accidentally shooting a civilian in the leg.

 

When they eventually find him, The Beacon and Searchlight discover that Magnum Man has a softer side buried underneath all of that manly, gun-toting energy. He doesn’t even like guns, and only used them because the NRA was the only group offering him a contract, and their contract said he had to carry and use guns. He feels terrible about shooting the person, and agrees to go to court and serve time if necessary. The gesture is rare among generic heroes who commit crimes, and noted by the media. After this burst of attention, Magnum Man gets a new contract right away.

#24 “Supernicus”

| November 25, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: The Beacon

To read a sketchy comic introduction to The Beacon featuring some horribly drawn stick figures, feel free to visit this photobucket album.

Here we see Supernicus testing out his new Walking Deathbot (Featuring optional laser targeting system and manual crank handle for optimum user control! Order now!).

At first glance, Supernicus looks like a harmless old guy– gray hair, glasses, and very, very short. However, Supernicus has a superpower: an intellect beyond genius, which he uses to invent nefarious devices that he then sells to common criminals or uses to commit crimes of his own. His crimes are planned out to even the smallest contingency, and always executed perfectly. He has devices that can stop any hero from laying a finger on him, making him practically unstoppable. In other words, Supernicus is a practically unheard of successful supervillain. At this point in his career, he only robs to show off his latest inventions, and the heroes don’t even make an attempt to stop him when they see him.

 

His latest plot, to rob Heroes Bank (exclusively serving those with secret identities) runs into an unexpected road bump in the form of The Beacon, just setting up her new secret identity’s account. Supernicus’ intellect is able to process exactly what’s happening as he is unable to stop himself from rescuing The Beacon from the scene of his own crime. He makes it his personal mission to find out more about her and possibly devise a way to destroy her, the only foe he can’t personally hurt.

 

Supernicus is so belligerent because he has trouble relating to people. He has no friends, because no one can keep up with him in conversation or really understands him as a person at all. His only solace from loneliness is keeping busy working on the latest project. He found that no one wanted to buy or use inventions unless they destroyed things, and had been used successfully in a public venue. So, Supernicus dedicated his life to committing crimes as a way of showcasing his advanced weaponry. He doesn’t know what to do with all the money he makes.

#23 “Magic Medic”

| November 23, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: The Beacon

To read a sketchy comic introduction to The Beacon featuring some horribly drawn stick figures, feel free to visit this photobucket album.

Magic Medic is a hero who works entirely not for profit. His abilities are teleportation and healing. It’s not clear whether he can be hurt or killed; after many years he doesn’t appear to have aged at all, remaining at about 30. He can control when he teleports but not to where; he always teleports to the location where a person most needs his help. In a puff of smoke he appears before someone ill or injured, waves his hands over the wound or hides the person behind a curtain, and presto! When next the affected area is seen the person is completely healed. Magic Medic will go on extended jaunts healing people with no benefit to himself whatsoever, losing track of days and nights from traveling all around the world so suddenly. He is a good man and a true humanitarian.

 

When The Beacon was just a little girl and she’d fall and scrape her knee, Magic Medic was always there. Nancy’s distress call always trumped even that of a dying person. Now that Nancy is older, she hardly gets hurt so much and when she does, she hardly gets as upset, so she hasn’t bumped into the Medic in many years. When next she calls on him, it will be because she is gravely wounded. He will recognize her as Little Nancy from all those years ago, and she will recognize him even though his costume has changed a bit from all black scrubs and top hat to all white. Nancy will be reminded of a mild childhood crush she had on the Medic, one of the only truly decent heroes she has ever met. If they share a brief romance, it would be limited to just that, because the Medic’s work takes precedence over his love life. Perhaps the Medic is tempted by the life where he can focus on his own personal happiness, but The Beacon has to break up with him to get him to go back to his much more important work.

#22 “The Bombshell”

| November 22, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: The Beacon

To read a sketchy comic introduction to The Beacon featuring some horribly drawn stick figures, feel free to visit this photobucket album.

Not much is known at all about The Bombshell; she is something like a sasquatch of the superhero world. Searchlight tells The Beacon that The Bombshell “is basically an urban myth spread by women, to keep them from feeling totally outgunned by all the supermen around them.” The Beacon would like to believe that The Bombshell is real because it makes her feel less alone.

 

Reported powers of The Bombshell are varied, but in general greater than most of the supermen.  People have reported seeing her using generic powers such as flight, strength, invulnerability, speed, etc., as well as other powers: disguising her appearance or disappearing, firing energy from her eyes or hands… it’s clear that some of these accounts are exaggerated, tabloid material.

 

As far as her appearance, the sightings also yield various accounts, the only thing in common amongst them all being that she is a strikingly beautiful woman.

 

If The Bombshell really does exist, why does she choose to remain outside of the public eye? This is what leads most sensible women to stop believing in The Bombshell when they grow up, much like they stop believing in Santa Claus. But a woman has reasons to want her privacy…

#21 “Captain Curveball”

| November 22, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: The Beacon

To read a sketchy comic introduction to The Beacon featuring some horribly drawn stick figures, feel free to visit this photobucket album.

Captain Curveball is a hero belonging to the group known collectively as “generic superheroes”. He can fly, lift heavy stuff, go fast, and woo women with his bulging muscles. He also has a very nice pompadour.

 

Cap. Curveball is a professional, hired hero, who is paid by a sponsor to save people and do other hero work in the name of said sponsor, in his case Super League Baseball. Captain Curveball is the star pitcher for the New York City Captains. Other Captains include: Captain Who (on first), Captain Catch, Captain Shortstuff, etc.

 

While Captain Curveball has a Secret Identity that he does all of his hero work and public appearances in, his S.I. is not registered with the I.P.P., so they make sure to keep a close watch on him. Tracking and tagging Captain Curveball is The Beacon and Searchlight’s first assignment together.

 

As far as personality, Captain Curveball has very little. Like most born and bred generic superheroes, he was raised believing he was better than normal people, and behaves like it. He saves people because he can, not because he wants to. His favorite feeling in the world, treasured even more than a rare orgasm with a feeble human woman, is defeating a rival team on the Super Baseball diamond. In a few words he is shallow and self-entitled, but it’s hard to blame him. After all, he was born better than the rest of us.

#20 Brenda Carmichael

| November 22, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: The Beacon

To read a sketchy comic introduction to The Beacon featuring some horribly drawn stick figures, feel free to visit this photobucket album.

While Searchlight is The Beacon’s partner and equal, Brenda is more like her sidekick. Brenda and Nancy Naymore (AKA The Beacon) have been best friends since they were in kindergarten. Nancy suspects (for good reason) that Brenda is mainly interested in being her friend because she has superpowers.

 

Brenda doesn’t have any powers of her own, but she is completely obsessed with people who do. She takes photographs and catalogues them along with the particular hero’s recent appearances, description, and powers. She wasn’t interested in learning about the men behind the masks, until Nancy got a job working for the I.P.P. Now Brenda helps Nancy collect the info that Nancy uses to expose the heroes’ secret, scandalous lifestyles.

 

In a world where superheroes are real, nerds who are infatuated with the super are legitimized, but still creepy in a stalkerish way. Brenda is very, very close with Nancy, and doesn’t like all the attention she is getting from her new partner, Searchlight. What measures she might take to protect or control her best friend remains to be seen…

 

#19 “Searchlight”

| November 20, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Beacon

To read a sketchy comic introduction to The Beacon featuring some horribly drawn stick figures, feel free to visit this photobucket album.

Searchlight is a registered government hero working for the I.P.P. His job is to track down and tag heroes who do freelance and other unregistered work, so the I.P.P. can keep tabs on them. In general this type of work is considered illegal if not sanctioned by the I.P.P., but putting a superhero in jail doesn’t bode well for the new government agency’s publicity. Plus, most of these guys could break out of jail in the blink of an eye.

 

So instead, the I.P.P. sends Searchlight to keep an eye on them. Searchlight’s powers are such that he always knows where superheroes are, so that makes them easier to follow, with only one small problem—Searchlight can’t distinguish one superhero on his radar from another until he physically touches them. That’s where The Beacon comes in handy—calling the superheroes down from the sky so Searchlight can touch them.

 

Searchlight is not really a fan of his work. He finds it amoral to track people without their consent. He only works for the I.P.P. out of a sense of obligation. Because he has powers, he feels like he has to use them. Searchlight is the same age as The Beacon, and likewise just out of college, but he had this job all set up and waiting for him.

 

He doesn’t maintain a very professional candor, preferring instead to rebel when possible while still keeping his highly paying job and Secret Identity. He rebels in small ways: with his appearance (he dyes his hair black with red highlights only visible in just the right light and spikes it with gel, leaving a small braid that hangs down in the front), and with his behavior. In many ways he is still a boy rather than a man, a stark contrast to The Beacon who acts well beyond her years.

#18 “The Beacon” Nancy Naymore

| November 19, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: The Beacon

To read a sketchy comic introduction to The Beacon featuring some horribly drawn stick figures, feel free to visit this photobucket album.

In an alternate version of present-day America, people all over the world are born with extraordinary superpowers, and 99.9% of those people are men. Our story follows Nancy Naymore, a woman gifted, or rather cursed, with the involuntary ability to summon other superhumans to her aid whenever she is distressed. She believes that she is the only woman in the world with special abilities, with the possible exception of a superwoman who is little more than urban myth, known only as The Bombshell.

Just out of college at 22, Nancy has trouble getting a job because her nervousness during interviews tends to cause disruptive rescue attempts. She would much rather be doing hero work, but the I.P.P. (Identity Protection Program) rejected her due to gender bias. Without an S.I. (Secret Identity) sanctioned by the I.P.P., doing any kind of hero work is considered vigilantism and can be grounds for arrest. So, Nancy is reduced to applying wherever she can for the time being.

Because of her powers Nancy has spent most of her life thinking supermen are annoying jerks who won’t leave her alone. She projects these feelings onto other men, making it hard for her to find a satisfying relationship. When the government superhero named Searchlight comes to her rescue, he recognizes her as one of them, and sets her up with an S.I. (‘The Beacon’) and a job working for the I.P.P. Together they track and ‘tag’ superheroes, so that the I.P.P. knows where they are at all times. Their partnership is rocky at first, but they grow on each other.

Truthfully, The Beacon is fed up with the dickish behavior of most of the supermen she encounters, and plans to use what she knows about them to her and the public’s advantage by leaking scandalous stories about them to the press. Nancy’s best friend, Brenda, is a photographer who follows Nancy on her missions to get the dirt on film.

When she is not working Nancy likes to solve sudoku puzzles and read murder mysteries.

#17 Death, an alien

| November 19, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

It’s not clear what this guy’s actual name is, but people in town who have seen him call him Death because he looks uncannily like the Grim Reaper. He stands at a shockingly tall 7 feet, wears a hooded, faded black cloth robe and carries a long stick with a curved, pointed branch at the top. His parchment skin is stretched so tightly over his skull that you can see the impressions where his eyes, nose and mouth should be.

 

Not much is known about Death at all, not where he came from, how long he’s been in Crescent or why he’s there. He only attacks when provoked, behaving like a wild animal fighting for survival.

 

At first The Band thinks he might be human, and tries to find a way to help him. He communicates with them via telepathy.

 

‘Death’, both in the literal sense and represented by this physical manifestation, is tied in to the source of the kids of Crescent’s powers. How so remains to be seen…

#16 Rusty and “Shiny” Shane Toledo

| November 16, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Besides the fact that they’re identical twins of age 13, these two have little to nothing in common.

Rusty was born first. He was named for his copper red-brown hair. He despises the infantile associations with the name but embraces it nonetheless. His brother Shane was born moments later, with the same copper red-brown hair, but his parents didn’t name him based on that. Recently Shane has started dying his hair black and calling himself Shiny.

The best way to sum up the personalities of these two is by comparing them to one manic-depressive individual. Shiny is the manic and Rusty is the depressive. While Shiny is bouncing off the walls, getting excited or angry, and just emoting to an absurd extent, Rusty is cowering in the corner, trying to drown out Shiny’s noise with a pillow over his head. The two brothers do not get along.

Rusty and Shiny don’t have any superpowers. They missed out on the concert, Rusty being too depressed and Shiny having fallen into a coma-like sleep that follows an intense day of hyperactivity. When Shiny wakes up to the chaos of the Powers Riots, he decides that he’s going to participate. He gathers up all of the sharp and shiny weapons he can find in the kitchen and sets out to start his own faction of non-superpowered individuals called The Vigilantes. However, no self-respecting teen even a year older than Shiny will join him, so The Vigilantes ends up being composed of a bunch of imaginative kids. To The Band, The Vigilantes are more of a nuisance than a threat.

Shiny and his new friends plague Rusty, hardly allowing him any time alone or peace and quiet. When he overhears what The Vigilantes are planning, he decides to go to The Band and share what he knows in exchange for sanctuary.

#15 Lawyerbots

| November 16, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

In contrast with the Future Cops, everyone knows a Lawyerbot is a robot. It’s impossible not to notice. The thing looks like a trash can on treads with a fax machine on top. It doesn’t speak, but rather spits a printed memo at you for you to read.

 

It is not clear why the adult citizens of Crescent allow anyone to be defended in court by one of these machines. Sure, they’re programmed with all the necessary legal background, they’re cheaper than a human lawyer, and have markedly less ‘personality’, but these bots don’t know how to find a loophole at all. If it seems like you’re guilty, the bot will barely try to defend you. The city provides these bots to defendants who can’t afford legal fees.

 

Here’s a little scene introducing Max and his lack of respect for authority, involving the obnoxious Lawyerbot:

 

 

INT. COURTROOM- DAY

A juror rises from the jury box to read a verdict.

JUROR

We find the defendant: guilty.

The courtroom is silent. No tears or moans of sadness. No acknowledgment at all from the crowd or the defendant. Just silence. Then, a yawn.

Max slouches so low in the defendant’s chair that only his head can be seen above the table in front of him. His legs are outstretched beyond the table to show off the bright orange Converse high tops he’s wearing with his tie-less suit. His arms pop out from behind the table in a stretch and then he rights himself, resting his elbows on the table nonchalantly.

MAX

Did I miss something?

The jury member looks at him in shock and then turns to the judge, who is staring at Max menacingly.

JUDGE

Because you’re being tried as an adult, your sentence will be served in a federal penitentiary.

MAX

Oh, guilty, there’s a surprise.

Max folds his arms behind his head and leans back in his chair. The crowd mutters disapprovingly.

JUDGE

If you are suggesting some bias in my ruling, Mr. Cardiff, you can take your case to the court of appeals.

Max violently gets out of his seat.

MAX

Stop calling me “Mr. Cardiff” alright? My name is Max. And how am I supposed to appeal my case when I don’t even have a lawyer?

JUDGE

You’ve been provided a lawyer–

MAX

That’s not a lawyer! That’s a god damn robot!

A metal box on treads beside Max spits out a sheet of paper like a fax machine. Max reads it.

MAX

You have not acted in my best interest!

JUDGE

Bailiff, take Max to his cell.

The BAILIFF grabs Max and drags him away. Max struggles to no avail. He yells out at no one in particular.

MAX

Just because I’m different, you think you can put me away? Well your stupid jail doesn’t stand a chance. You can take your crappy justice system, your future cops, and this whole freakin’ city and shove it right up your–

The heavy doors between the courtroom and holding slam with finality.

#14 Future Cops

| November 15, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Here we see a Future Cop doing what he does best-- getting smashed up.

“Future Cop” is a slang term used by young people in Crescent to describe a member of the city’s police force.  The expression comes from the futuristic helmets they wear (an homage of mine to Daft Punk; music plays a critical role in this story). Most citizens of Crescent are unaware that the Future Cops are actually robots.

The Band is united in the belief that the law cannot be executed properly without a little human morality and heart behind it, so they generally hate the Future Cops. Camille and Max in particular take immense pleasure in destroying them (Camille only when necessary, Max whenever he feels like it). However, the origin of the seemingly endless wave of replacement cops remains unknown. They are thought to be programmed by the city government, an elusive group that only appears in news broadcasts rather than in person.

The Future Cops are made to appear human, so they wear uniforms that cover their entire bodies and speak in voices that sound like they could be human.

While they don’t exactly have superpowers, they have advantages only robots have: their bodies are sturdier and stronger than humans’, they can communicate with each other wirelessly across the city,  and they don’t feel anything emotional or physical. Often they are equipped with gadgets like telescoping batons, guns that fire diamond netting or knockout gas, etc. The Future Cops are brutal and determined but they never use lethal force.

Mostly, the Future Cops are there so that there can be awesome fights (whoo!) without anyone getting seriously hurt (boo!), because what good is super strength if you don’t have something to beat up and not feel guilty about?

#13 “insomniac” Tyler Farillo

| November 14, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 5’ 4”

Body Type: Looks frail and tired. Permanently hunched over in sleepiness.

Hair: Shaved head. Not completely bald like Greenbeard, but shaved pretty close. His head is covered is short black fuzz like a new Chia pet. Also he has some stubble growing in on his face.

Eyes: Gray-brown. Bloodshot from being open too often.

Race: Black

Age: 17

Attire: When Tyler stopped being able to sleep he also stopped caring about what he was wearing. Now it’s mostly sweatpants and hoodies all day and all night.

Superpowers: Consciousness (primary)- It is impossible for Tyler to be unconscious. He hasn’t slept since the concert, and even Camille can’t knock him out with her infallible knockout punch. Miraculously he is not on his way to losing his mind from exhaustion—as a matter of fact his powers make everything very clear to him. He is very aware. Sometimes he knows things he shouldn’t be able to know. Amelia observes there is something very weird going on with his subconscious. Her illusions don’t work on him.

Personality: Tyler is not looking for a fight. He can still feel pain and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He’s had a lot of time to think lately and he knows that Crescent isn’t going to last the way it’s going now. So, he joins with the New Powers, but he sort of double-agents for The Band. He thinks Carlos is a little overenthusiastic and prefers the generally relaxed company of The Band.

Power source/backstory:

  1. Tyler was at The Band’s first concert, where overenthusiastic heroes killed a person disguised as a usually robotic police officer.

Theme Song: I Need Some Sleep- Eels

#12 “Reflexion” Carlos Mendoza

| November 12, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 5’ 7”

Body Type: Athletic, broad shouldered, but still kinda skinny. Could be a quarterback.

Hair: Black, short but voluminous.

Eyes: Dark brown.

Race: Latino

Age: 16

Attire: Average attire for his age. T-shirts and shorts, cross-trainers. He doesn’t stand out from the crowd.

Superpowers: Mimicry (subconscious, primary)- When Carlos is attacked, he has an instinctual defensive reaction to imitate the attack exactly as it’s coming to him. And when I say exactly, I mean, exactly. Carlos temporarily shape-shifts into his attacker and imitates their moves as if he were the mirror image of him/her. Anything that he is being attacked with is also temporarily copied. This reaction only goes on so long as Carlos feels threatened, and he can only reflect whoever is directly threatening him at the time. If multiple people attack him at once, those attacking are each countered by a reflection of themselves at the same time, in the same place. To an outside observer this might look like Carlos has surrounded himself with mirrors (but the reflections can move in 3D space).

Personality: Carlos has always wanted to be a leader. He is captain of the basketball team at Crescent High, and he wants to study law and eventually run for city government. Carlos always believed that an admirable government ran the city of Crescent, until he saw The Band’s first concert, and the overreaction of law enforcement to The Band’s ‘peaceful protest’ of the city’s law. The concert is followed by the ‘Powers Riots’, during which many confused and newly empowered teens run rampant in the city thinking they can do whatever they want. Carlos tries to help them, but his vision of an ideal social system has fallen to pieces in the chaos. Instead, Carlos decides to gather as many people that will follow into a group called the ‘New Powers’. Together they attempt a hostile takeover of the city in order to run it under their ideal version of the law. Among the New Powers are “Greenbeard” Greg Beardsley, “Liftoff” Laurie Simmons, and “Insomniac” Tyler Farillo. Carlos finds that he greatly enjoys leading these powerful people, though he’s not sure where they’re headed. Like most revolutionaries, he is not evil; he is only trying to create a better future for himself and his followers.

Power source/backstory:

  1. Carlos was at The Band’s first concert, where overenthusiastic heroes killed a person disguised as a usually robotic police officer.

Theme Song: Take the Power Back- Rage Against the Machine

#11 “Liftoff” Laurie Simmons

| November 11, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 5’ 6”

Body Type: Skinny, but with fairly large breasts and buttocks for her age. Ideal target for the hormonal teenage males in town.

Hair: Black, just past the shoulder, tight curls like tiny telephone cords, slick with styling product.

Eyes: Brown with flecks of gold, always glittering and traced with eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara…

Race: White. Skin has some freckling.

Age: 17

Attire: Laurie is very hip to fashion trends and always wears the latest and greatest. She tends to expose her cleavage as often as possible, in order to show off her tattoo of a blossoming rose between her breasts. She knows that besides her powers, seduction is her strength, and she intends to use it.

Superpowers: Gravitational field manipulation (conscious, primary)- Laurie can manipulate how heavy or light an object is, causing it to float or remain grounded and practically unmovable. She can manipulate her own body in order to fly, or manipulate objects to move as she wills them in a form of telekinesis. She cannot, however, use her powers to break down objects that are solid. When her powers are pitted against Max’s metal manipulation, for example, Max finds he can make metal objects escape her influence by breaking them down into enough parts that she can’t focus on controlling them all. In other words, her power is easily overwhelmed by a mass assault, distraction, or sneak attack.

Personality: Laurie is first and foremost a performer. Her personality is characterized by haughtiness, attention to her appearance, and a propensity for telling (convincing) lies. Anyone who is somewhat perceptive (not usually the teenage males with raging hormones) will notice that she comes off as kind of fake right away. Her tendency is to use her powers selfishly to get what she wants, with little concern for others. This is also how she handles her relationships.

 

Power Source/Backstory:

  1. Laurie was at The Band’s first concert, where overenthusiastic heroes killed a person disguised as a usually robotic police officer.

 

Theme Song: Bug- Wavves

 

#10 “Dragonbreath” Eric Vaughn

| November 10, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 4’ 4”

Body type: Advanced toddler. Moderately chubby.

Hair: An untamed mess of dark brown squiggles.

Eyes: Reddish brown. They have an indescribable fire in them.

Race: White (He is convinced he is the last of his kind, a breed of shape-shifting dragon.)

Age: 7 (He believes he hails from medieval times, but has lost much of his memory since he assumed human form.)

Attire: Eric never takes off his dragon costume. It’s unclear how long he’s been wearing the thing, or how he bathes. To him the costume is a second skin, and removing it would be like being skinned alive.

Superpowers: Eric’s powers make him what he always thought he was: a dragon. Most of the time he remains in his human form, in costume, but if prompted by danger or desperation (or the need to bathe) he changes into his dragon form, which basically involves his body merging with the costume until the costume comes alive. He does not grow huge, or have wings to fly, but he can breathe fire (in both human and dragon form) and while in dragon form his armored skin is virtually impenetrable. As a dragon he moves very quickly and has dangerously sharp claws and teeth.

Personality: Eric is very smart for his age, but overly imaginative. His favorite book is Grendel by John Gardner (he likes the dragon in it). His favorite day is Halloween (his costume is always the same). He doesn’t have many friends on account of his odd behavior, so he goes to The Band when he wants to socialize with someone who understands him. He doesn’t fight alongside The Band, however, unless he is compensated with treasure to add to his slowly growing hoard.

 

Power Source/Backstory:

a.       Eric was at The Band’s first concert, where overenthusiastic heroes killed a person disguised as a usually robotic police officer.

 

Theme Song: Through the Fire and Flames- Dragonforce

#9 “L’Artiste” Ashley Ash

| November 10, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 5’ 5”

Body Type: Somewhat gaunt.

Hair: Just past the shoulder, black, with various colored highlights spaced throughout. The highlights have grown out to about halfway down her hair.

Eyes: Blue

Race: White

Age: 14

Attire: Lately she’s been limited to the generic orange jumpsuit of the jailbird, but before that she wore long, flowing skirts and dresses with t-shirts and leather boots. A mixture of feminine and hardcore. Her style resembles that of Greenbeard.

Superpowers: Anything that Ashley renders (draws, paints, scratches into the wall with a toothbrush) on a flat surface, she can pull out of the 2D world and into the real world. Depending on the crudeness of the illustration, the item drawn may not look exactly as it should, but it always suits the artist’s intended purpose. If she were lost in the desert and hungry and she drew an apple with her finger in the sand, the apple might still look like it was made of sand when she pulled it out, but it would taste like an apple and satiate her hunger. Ashley’s preference seems to be for still life, but she may be capable of creating something a little more complicated given the provocation.

Personality: Ashley has gone a little insane since her power first manifested. (See backstory below.) She babbles, stares into space, and does finger paintings in her own blood because they won’t let her have art supplies in prison. She’s detached but not in a sad way, exactly. Sometimes, in her better moments, her madness can be comedic. During their stint in jail together, Ashley and Camille form a strong bond because they are both fighting off darkness inside of them. Camille helps Ashley put an end to her insanity and use her powers to help people.

Power source/backstory:

a.                  After her mother died, Ashley painted a portrait of her, as beautiful and lifelike as she could make it, which is pretty damn beautiful and lifelike since Ashley is something of an artistic savant. In a moment of grief, she went to touch the finished painting, only to find her hand reached inside and pulled out her mother’s warm, fleshy, living arm. The arm, poking out of the canvas, thrashed and scratched, an angry contrast with her mother’s still smiling face in the portrait. The painting desperately drags itself after Ashley with its one exposed arm, a grotesque creation that Ashley decides could not possibly be her real mother. She sets the canvas aflame, and the exposed arm burns just as easily as the rest of the painting. The fire spreads to consume the rest of Ashley’s house, and she is arrested for arson. Ashley vows never to paint another portrait.

 

Theme song: Pictures of You- The Cure

 

#8 “Greenbeard” Greg Beardsley

| November 9, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 6’ 6”

Body Type: Let’s put it this way—he doesn’t look like he works out, but he looks like he could probably still beat you to death.

Hair: Bald. He keeps his head shaved remarkably close. Has a beard that is just long enough that someone could pull on it. Yes, it’s green.

Eyes: Dark brown. Perpetually downcast.

Race: White

Age: 19

Attire: Greg dresses somewhat like a punk rocker. Chains hang from his baggy black pants and a few piercings hang from his ears. Somehow the look is more convincing on him. Instead of looking like a pitiful teenage rebel, he looks seriously dark. Maybe it’s the perpetual frown he wears. On his back, he always carries an army green canvas knapsack that he calls his ‘emergency kit’. Inside is a change of clothes, a flask full of vodka, and condoms. Greg got a lot of tail even before he got his powers.

Superpowers: Cogency (subconscious, primary)- Everything that Greg says is utterly convincing. If you were to hear him argue a case for being a vegetarian, you would have no choice but to become a vegetarian. Greg’s powers don’t work as persuasion unless he gives a reason. For example, just saying “Shut up” would not cause a person to stop talking. He would have to say, “Shut up, you’re annoying me.” The only way you can beat Greg’s power is if you know he has it. Once you know what Greg’s doing to your head, you can convince yourself that you’re only convinced of whatever he’s saying because of his power. Of course, you still have to make a choice about whether or not Greg’s logic really makes sense, to figure out whether or not you want to believe what he’s saying…

Personality: Greg is the type of person that frowns at you while he tells you a joke. If he wants you to laugh, he’ll just say, “That was a really funny joke, you should laugh.”

‘Inscrutable’ is something one of the more insightful members of The Band (Rin) might call him. Judging a book by its cover, you might see a psychotic anti-socialite who never smiles, but he really has only the best intentions. Greg’s power makes his relationships with other people confusing: either they know about his power and can’t trust him, or they don’t know about it and they follow him blindly. He never knows if people agree with him for real or if he’s just convinced them with his power.

Source of powers/backstory:

  1. Greg gets his powers at The Band’s first concert, when a human disguised as a Future Cop (Crescent’s robotic police force) is killed by overenthusiastic heroes mistaking him for a robot.

Theme Song: Come As You Are- Nirvana

#7 “Control Freak” Charlie Windinsky

| November 8, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 4’ 10”

Body Type: Prepubescent child.

Hair: Sandy blonde and shaggy. It was a bowl cut once, but it’s grown out since then and obviously hasn’t been well cared for.

Eyes: Blue

Race: White

Age: 11

Attire: Whatever dirty, torn rags he can scrounge up. He’s been wearing the same clothes for many years so they’re often too small for him or worn out.

Superpowers: Mind Blank, Conscious (primary)- By his command, CF can empty the mind of anyone within his gaze. The effect can be temporary, as in when he only empties the conscious mind, knocking his victim out. But, he can also blank memories and even the parts of the brain that control bodily function, effectively killing his victim.

Possession, Conscious (secondary)- After a victim has been mentally blanked, a space is left for CF to transfer his mind into theirs and inhabit/control their body. While possessing someone, CF has very little conscious control over his own body; he is basically alive but behaves like a mindless zombie, sitting and staring into space. Without a guardian to watch over and feed his vacant body, he would certainly die. However, CF can return his mind to his own body at any time in case it needs to be taken care of. There is a chance that his host will regain consciousness while he is outside their body. CF takes with him all of the memories he generated when inside a host body, leaving the host confused if they wake up.

Personality: CF relies almost completely on instinct and undeveloped emotions in his use of power. He has essentially raised himself during the years since he accidentally killed his insane mother in self-defense. Occasionally Rin visits him and brings him food and other necessities. She harbors ill will toward him because she doesn’t know the exact circumstances of what happened between him and her mother. Charlie doesn’t take much comfort from her courtesy visits; instead he seeks a replacement for his weak and pitiful body in order to defend himself against the harsh world.

Power Sources/Backstory:

a.      Memory Erasure (proximity, precision, at will, not permanent)- He killed his mother accidentally when she came after him with a pair of garden shears.

b.      Mental Transplantation- In the same moment he kills his mother, he takes the shears and gets power #2.

Theme Song: Master of Puppets- Metallica

#6 “Cirrus” Katherine ‘Rin’ Windinsky

| November 6, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 5’ 3”

Body Type: Very petite, thin.

Hair: Short, straight, very light blonde almost platinum. Some bangs, short and stringy. Eyes: Green, bright, and small compared with her teammates. She wears glasses with thin, oblong, unframed lenses.

Race: White, possibly of European or Eurasian decent.

Age: 14

Attire: She is never seen without her bright yellow waterproof poncho, which hangs over her arms down to about her wrists, and hangs lower in the middle, to about mid-thigh. She keeps the oversize hood up almost all the time, even indoors. The hood helps to hide her face/identity. The rest of her costume is made up of a skin-tight dark blue body suit (like a wet suit, shiny and rubbery) and yellow galoshes with black accents.

Superpowers: Weather control, Conscious and Subconscious, Emotion triggered (primary). Here are some weather effects and their corresponding emotions: Happy=Sunny, Focused=Hot, Relaxed=Cold, Distant/Shy=Cloudy, Confused=Foggy, Alert=Windy, Upset=Rainy, Depressed=Snowy, Hurt=Hailing, Angry=Stormy (tornados, hurricanes, dust storms, lightning), Serious=Dry, Fun=Humid, Unsure=Overcast, Sure=Clear, Afraid=Dark Clouds, Curious=Misty. Without thinking, these effects extend over Rin’s general location, usually to within a few feet of her depending on the intensity of the emotion. By concentrating she can extend these effects over far reaches. She can also focus on a particular emotion in order to call out a desired effect. In extreme situations, she can also call upon tornados, lightning bolts, and other disastrous weather, but she has very little control over them.

Time travel, subconscious (secondary). Stress, grief, and/or a desire for understanding can send Rin hurtling back into her past. She learns the hard way that she can’t change anything about the past, only observe. Everything that has happened up to her present is set in stone.

Personality: Like the weather, Rin is unpredictable. Most of the time she hardly speaks, so she can be difficult to read. When she does speak, she can say very insightful and thought-provoking things. She gives the best compliments, but also the best insults.

 

Power Sources/Backstory:

a.      Weather Control (localized or broad with concentration, fluctuates with emotional state)- Katherine was a witness to her brother’s murder of her mother.

b.      Time travel- When Rin’s brother is found dead, she feels responsible for not guiding him back to the path of goodness. She wishes she could go back to him and change things, thus triggering her first trip to the past.

 

Theme Song: Sunny Afternoon- The Kinks

#5 “Wonderbolt” Walter Chen

| November 6, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

 

Height: 5’ 10”

Body Type: Average, tall, slightly muscular

Hair: Short, black. Sticks up with static.

Eyes: Dark brown, almost black. Wears large, black rimmed glasses.

Race: Chinese-American

Age: 15

Attire: Like Max, Walter doesn’t have an official costume, and prefers instead to wear T-shirts and shorts most days. Many of his T-shirts have electronic themes: either they are video game merchandise or employee shirts from electronic stores or just a shirt with a toaster on it. Sometimes he wears rubber gloves when he’s not sure if he’s going to shock someone or when he’s dealing with conductive materials, especially water. He designed a belt for himself that he wears under his shirt that has multiple electrical outlets on it, so he can plug things in and offset some of the charge he naturally builds up over time. The belt also has a cord with a plug end, in case he needs an extra boost of power.

Superpowers: Electrokinesis, mostly Subconscious (primary)- Walter generates a small electric charge naturally that builds up over time and can be released by physical contact. If he builds up enough charge over a period of days (or is all of a sudden exposed to it), he can even electrocute someone or something from a distance, like a plasma bolt. These bolts can leave from any point on his open skin, and reach any nearby conductive surface/object. Walter is somewhat handy with gadgets, and eventually designs a gun that lets him focus and aim a bolt more accurately, but it drains him pretty quickly if he’s not plugged in. The negative side-effect of using his power is that it causes him some physical pain. Being touched by water after he’s built up a large charge causes him to short, which hurts him and also drains him of his charge.

Personality: Although Walter is apparently less powerful, experienced, or useful when compared to the rest of the team, this hardly affects his personality. He is a somewhat shy but incredibly kind guy who easily resists becoming pompous over the idea of being a superhero. He is a valuable asset to the team for his expertise with computers and other hardware. He greatly enjoys the company of his teammates as friends, although he and Amelia do eventually become more than friends. He stands out from the rest of the group as the only one with a family he can go home to, and a dedication to school work as much as fighting crime. He is relatively ‘normal’ compared to his teammates, and occasionally garners some envy from them.

 

Powers/Backstory:

a.      Electricity (storage, conduction)- Death of his grandfather in the hospital. Walter’s gramps was on life support when the plug was pulled by Amelia.

 

Theme Song: Wonderman (feat. Ellie Goulding)- Tinie Tempah & Ellie Goulding

#4 “Shade Maiden” Amelia Baxter

| November 4, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 5’ 4”

Body Type: Average

Hair: Black, with very subtle hints of gray. Length is choppy, the longest bits are chin length and the shorter parts are about ½ inch above the chin. Straight. Some bangs, also choppy.

Eyes: Gray, dark circles underneath

Race: White (skin very pale)

Age: 15

Appearance detail: Always has at least part of her face hidden in shadow. Sometimes the shadow stretches across her eyes like a mask.

Attire: A long, worn out dress in faded gray, black, and purple. Accessorized with a skull pendant choker and, sometimes, thin arm warmers or fingerless gloves that extend to the elbow and black and white pearl bracelets.  (Subject to change, but always in the same theme.)

Superpowers: Illusionary Projection, Conscious and Subconscious (primary)- Amelia can alter the appearance of anything within her range of vision, making objects seem to appear and disappear or change in shape, size, color, etc. However, the objects (or lack thereof) do not physically change in reality, for they are only an illusion, and these illusions can be discovered to be so when someone tries to interact with or physically touch them. Amelia is constantly using her power to hide her identity by casting shadows over parts of her face. She never looks exactly the same twice. No one can ever really be sure what she actually looks like. The subconscious consequence of her power is that Amelia sometimes ‘receives’ illusions in the form of visions from people around her with highly active subconscious minds. This means that if she is sleeping near someone sleeping, she participates in their dreams (and nightmares) as if they were real. Sometimes these visions cause her to feel real pain, and compel her to do things she wouldn’t normally do. She has some conscious control of this power when she is awake, allowing her to see the dreams of people sleeping nearby.

Necromancy, Subconscious- When Amelia becomes extremely upset, the dead rise from beneath her feet to punish the living until she is calmed. She has little control over them, but they do not attack her.

Personality: She is the opposite of Camille when it comes to trust. Any newcomer is a threat until proven innocent. But, once you earn her trust, she will do anything for you. She is defensive emotionally and doesn’t often tell people how she is feeling. She keeps secrets, especially about her past. She is not totally dreary, however. Once she finds love with Walter Chen (below) she becomes quite pleasant, even fun, and lets her more quirky side show through. She is still distrusting of outsiders, but works well with her teammates.

 

Power Source/Backstory:

a.      Projecting Illusion (wide range, primarily visual, some sound esp. silence)- mysterious background…? Something to do with the foster home she was raised in. She was young, she saw someone die randomly in an accident or from a stroke, etc. She wished she hadn’t seen it and made the body disappear.

b.      Necromancy- Watching Walter’s grandfather dying in a hospital bed, she begins to feel his pain and uncontrollably pulls the plug, hiding the fact with illusion. She instinctively touches the metal filament of the plug. Later, at Walter’s grandfather’s funeral, she raises the dead.

 

Theme Song: Bring Me to Life- Evanescence

#3 “MURDERMAN” Max Cardiff

| November 3, 2011 | 0 Comments

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 5’ 9”

Body Type: Big, but not fat. Awkwardly somewhere between boy and man. Tall.

Hair: A little longer than chin length, the ends in the back can be seen from the front. Straight, but with a slight flair out at the end. Bangs parted in the middle. Overall an unplanned/messy look that somehow comes off as elegant. Medium-dark brown in color.

Eyes: Brown

Race: White

Age: 16

Attire: Plain black suit jacket and matching pants. Jacket is always unbuttoned, showing the white collared shirt underneath. The collar of the shirt is always unbuttoned. The tails of the shirt are never completely tucked in. The shoes are orange Converse high tops. Sometimes wears silver aviator sunglasses with burnt orange/brown gradient highly tinted reflective lenses.

Superpowers: Metal Manipulation, Conscious and Subconscious (primary)- Max can manipulate metal right down to the molecule. His finely tuned powers let him separate the metal from other compounds and break down and rebuild any metal objects almost instantly. However, metal does not always follow Max’s conscious demand, and sometimes behaves on its own accord when he is in the vicinity. Aspects of THE RAD’s (see Weapons below) personality come from Max’s subconscious or suppressed desires.

Sound Manipulation, Conscious- Max can manipulate any sound wave’s volume, frequency, direction, etc. to such an extent that he can turn one sound into a completely different one. Altering his voice, creating sonic booms from a strum on THE RAD, and moving around in complete silence are just some of the possible uses.

Personality: Max is rebellious against any establishment, tradition, or formality. He cares mostly about himself first, but will fight to protect others if it is necessary. His arrogant manner and overconfidence in himself often get him into trouble. His favorite pastimes include disobeying orders, showing off, and acting rashly. Despite all this, he has developed a somewhat goofy and pathetic crush on Camille.

Hobbies: He has a somewhat unintentional collection of bottlecaps built up. He’s not sure what he’s going to do with them yet.

Weapon/Partner: THE RAD- An old-fashioned yield sign (upside down yellow triangle) that has been converted into a guitar. The sign portion is the body, and the rectangular metal post with small circles punched out every half inch or so serves as the neck. The six steel strings attach directly to the far end of the neck, in the style of other ‘headless’ guitars like the Steinberger. The strap is a length of chain, which links onto the last hole at the body end and a hole at the front end of the body. The backside of the sign is marked with graffiti reading “THE RAD”.

THE RAD is almost always at Max’s side, either strapped to his back or floating beside him. Max can also ‘ride’ or ‘surf’ on THE RAD in a fashion similar to a hover board. THE RAD has a personality like any other character, and can use his strings like hands to gesture or make various twanging noises to communicate. THE RAD usually obeys Max’s bidding when it’s given, but often behaves in a sensitive, passionate, or kind way without prompting.

Power source/backstory:

a.      Metal (manipulation on the molecular level, wide range, subconscious and at will)- murder under the mind-control influence of Control Freak

b.      Sound (manipulation/generation at will)- later, the murder weapon, which broke down into metal dust at the time of the murder, rematerializes during meditation (Camille prompts Max to focus on one sound in order to clear his mind and access his subconscious). Max grabs it instinctively.

Theme Song: Symphony of Destruction- Megadeth

#2: “Kinetic” Camille Ruby

| November 2, 2011 | 0 Comments

 

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 5’ 5”

Body Type: Slim but muscular

Hair: Long, brown with hints of blonde and bushy/curly

Eyes: Hazel

Race: White

Age: ?? looks and acts like 19 or 20

Attire: Camille wears a skin-tight red body suit that resembles a one-piece bathing suit or leotard with long or no sleeves depending on mood or weather. She also wears a black short pleated skirt, black combat boots and white knee-high socks with two red and one yellow stripe around the top. Accessories include yellow fingerless knit gloves, a brown belt with pockets on it, and brown leather motorcycle goggles with highly tinted yellow lenses. Sometimes she also wears a yellow scarf tied in a knot around her neck to keep it from flying off. The goggles can be worn over the eyes or on top of the head like a headband for her hair.

Superpowers: Super speed, Mostly Conscious (primary)- Both Camille’s physical and mental speed can be enhanced with concentration, the side effect being proportional wear on the body or brain after extended use. Camille has to keep her energy levels high in order to compensate for her abilities, so she can be found eating almost constantly. Sometimes when Camille experiences a rush of adrenaline or imbibes an excessive amount of stimulants like caffeine she involuntarily goes into what she calls a “head rush,” during which she thinks at up to 20 times normal human speed, making the world look like it’s moving in slow motion. Often she comes out of these head rushes in a coma-like state because the overuse of her brain causes a fever and subsequently some brain damage. The coma can last anywhere from hours to days. Thankfully Camille also heals faster than most people without thinking, so she can come out of these comas without any permanent side effects.

Super Strength, Conscious and Subconscious- Making not just muscle but all bodily tissue resilient and powerful to a high degree, Camille’s strength makes her impenetrable to almost any attack, and also lets her use her super speed with reduced physical or mental side effects. She also packs quite a brutal (and precise) punch, which she uses to knockout foes with one blow every time.

Personality: The leader of The Band, she is incredibly sharp and in control. She reacts quickly in all situations, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t think things through; it just takes her less time to do so. She is kind-hearted and extremely trusting, mostly because of her belief that there is a good side to everyone. She fears nothing except failing her friends and teammates. However, she also worries that she might have a dark side. Her will is as strong as her muscular body, so she is able to keep her more frightening dark urges in check for the most part.

Power sources/Backstory:

a.      Speed- Camille’s mother was killed giving birth to her, so Camille was born fast.

b.      Strength- Camille is sent to the hospital at 4 or 5 years old, but looking her current age, with a worn out heart. She’s grown up fast, and her heart is unable to bear the strain. When the doctors tell her father she’s comatose and dying, he takes her hand. Camille jerks out of her coma with super strength. She accidentally crushes her father’s hand. She never sees him again.

Theme Song: Day ‘n’ Nite- Kid Cudi ~I try to run but see I’m not that fast. I think I’m first but surely finish last…. last.~

#1 Blaine/Joseph Jernigan

| November 1, 2011 | 0 Comments

Joseph Jernigan is a bald, tattooed, slightly overweight and surprisingly literate Texas felon on death row for the armed robbery and subsequent murder of a 75-year-old man. Once jailed, he is dogged by visions of a person who calls himself Blaine. Blaine repeatedly offers Jernigan freedom and immortality in exchange for his soul.

This character (Joseph) is based on a real person, who, after being given his lethal injection, had his body donated to science. After he died, his body was frozen and then sliced thinly so it could be scanned, piece by piece into a digital imaging system. Today they call him “The Visible Man” and many doctors use the 3D images of his body as a ‘perfect’ example of male anatomy. Jernigan was missing his appendix and one of his testicles. You can’t make this crap up: http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1125.htm

By the end of Jernigan’s story, Blaine fulfills his end of the bargain by immortalizing Jernigan forever in a digital form, and influencing the scientists to release (limited) personal information about who he was. During his 12 years in prison, Jernigan learned the error of his ways and he accepts death as a punishment for his wrongs.

I could have listed these two characters separately, but since one couldn’t exist without the other (and since I definitely can’t draw Jernigan) I decided to list them together.

Here’s a little vignette about the first meeting of Joseph and his Faustian friend:

Blaine’s Game

Two big guys are dragging me by my pits across concrete. Their arms are meat hooks, bulging with muscle and fat and living sinews. My sinews are dead. I am nothing but dead meat. Already slaughtered, but still waiting to be butchered, and conscious enough to feel it. Just barely.

The big guys drop me hard in a square room with blank gray walls. The searing pain in my knees is a precious reminder of the last long drag I’ll have in a while, on a cigarette or otherwise. They take the restraints off of my wrists and ankles. I am off the hook. The literal one at least. Really, I won’t be off the hook for another forty-five years to life. This is the freezer, where they provide storage for the cold, and keep them cold.

“Goodbye, meat,” I say to the pair of bulging hulks. Their bulging hooks swing away.

They slam the door without saying a word, bolting it, leaving me in solitary confinement, so I won’t disturb the other popsicles. Some people can be so impolite. Nothing but darkness and a greasy green toilet to keep me company now.

Got a light?              

I must’ve hit my head sometime recently.

You know, if there were no such thing as fire, no one would ever smoke.

I must’ve hit my head hard.

Leaning casually against the door of my cell…

“Who are you?” I ask.

Your name’s Jernigan isn’t it? I was kidding about you having a light. You’re all dark.

A man, I think it’s a man, in a black pinstripe suit, with a white ascot around his neck and dark gloves on his hands… and a purple-black hole where his face should be. He rubs his thumb and the tip of his index finger together in front of the cigarette dangling from—were there lips? A small flame appears there in his fingers and lights the cigarette. He lifts his fedora from his head and I can see the tip of the purple-black pantyhose he has stretched over his face.

My name’s Blaine. Obliged to meet you.

Maybe I shoulda plead insanity.

Nonsense, you’re perfectly sane.

When someone appears outta nowhere and starts talking to your inner monologue, all sure signs point somewhere south of sanity.

Such poetry.

He takes a long drag on his cigarette straight through the pantyhose and exhales, the smoke sifting through the material and pouring out from all around the edges of his head. If this guy has one swatch of skin anywhere on his body I might never know. Suddenly, I don’t want that cigarette as much as I should.

They say the insane don’t know they’re insane.

“Yeah, well I just think I’m insane so where does that leave me?”

Enlightened. Or… not.

I put my head in my hands. I’m beginning to think I’d rather have a conversation with the toilet. It’s hard to tell what a guy’s feeling when his face is covered in lady’s hosiery.

Listen, Jernigan, I’m not here to ruin your perfectly lovely day.

His sarcasm was enough to make me want to kill him. First I lose my freedom, then I lose my mind. My day couldn’t possibly get worse.

As a matter of fact, I’m here to improve your situation. You just tell me what you want, and it’s yours.

“I wasn’t born in the last five minutes. No figment of my imagination is getting me anything worthwhile.”

Try me.

A momentary silence seems like an eternity when a man with no eyes is staring you down. Okay, Blaine, I’ll play along. How about this: I don’t want to die.

Immortality. I can do that.

And I want out of here.

Done.

He wheezes out some more smoke, and then flicks the butt of his cigarette onto the floor, where it turns to ash.

            But you’ve gotta do something for me.

Here comes the catch.

Let’s be traditional. Why don’t you give me… your soul.

He says it like it’s not important. Like he takes souls every day. Don’t I need a soul?

He bends over laughing this laugh that makes me sick. I feel like I’ll never laugh again.

            You can still use it. It’ll just be mine.

“Are you the Devil?”

Hm.

I think he’s smiling. Through the tiny window in the solid steel cell door I can see the outside― whatever lights were left on start to flicker and die out.

When you don’t have a hope left in this world, does it matter?

 

2011 Challenger: Kasey Rubenstein

| October 30, 2011 | 0 Comments

This is me on a good day.

If there was an alarm in this challenge for newbies, I would probably set it off.

My name’s Kasey, I’m a fresh out of college film major harboring an intense obsession with stories and characters, especially those of the fantasy or superhero variety. Characters mill about in my head like free range chicken whether I like it or not, so when I saw all of the other talented, like-minded people participating in this month-long story-inducing extravaganza I figured “Well, why the hell not.”

I hope to thrill you all with an effort that involves little to no drawing… Although I am sorely tempted, my pitiful attempts at art often leave me with a deep depression that is the opposite of productive. Maybe I’ll do outfits. Maybe. Otherwise I’ll just stick with words.

Good luck to everyone in the month ahead!