What's in a Name?

[Arkham]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Christopher Clark was only a tiny bit obsessed. More of an intellectual curiousity, he kept telling himself. But he collected rarities associated with famous murdurers collected from auctions.

 

It was at one such auction that he came upon the watch. It was supposed to have once belonged to the original owner of the Whitefern resort, a Mr. Thomas Wilby. Now Mr. Wilby had a quite long and illustrious career running the resort, until 1897 when someone finally escaped. It seems in the construction of the resort, Mr. Wilby had a secret pit dug, along with hidden rooms and passages. These he used to abduct travelers who stayed alone at the resort and inflict upon them the most atrocious of tortures. His favorite sport in this was inflicting a number of wounds, and then holding his watch, calculating how long it would take the victim to die.

 

Now Christopher had to have this. He was the sole serious bidder and picked it up for cheap. That night though, the watch began to talk to him. And he held it.

 

With the watch in his hand, Christopher stepped out into the night, strangely compelled to walk aways. He came upon a man walking his Yorkshire Terrier. Christopher opened the watch, glanced at the hands, at the numbers, and then watched them bleed; man and dog both.

 

Now this was terrifying to Christopher, and he fled back to his house as swiftly as he could. But it was also fascinating. Strangely, strangely fascinating.

 

To hide his activities Christopher made himself a costume, and called himself the Bloodwatch. For he was sure it was the watch, and not himself, that was doing these deeds...

 

Next: Agent What

[Karma]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Next: Agent What

 

The being known as Agent What is the second in a line Psychomorphic Biomechanisms (beings able to impersonate not only the physical characteristics of it's target, but also their mental charactersitcs making them theoretically impossible to detect, even by psychics but whose lack of a soul makes them stick out like a beacon to various forms of mystical detection) created by an unnamed shady government agency (it avoids scrutiny) for use in espionage. After the debacle of the first model's escape and entry into the 'freelance market', the second model, Agent What, was fitted with a 'loyalty implant' which makes it uncapable of having 'dangerous thoughts'. This makes it less flexible that its older sibling, but just as incapable of moral judgement. Its first mission is to track down it's escaped sibling and destroy it with extreme prejudice. It's second will be to take the place of POTUS and give it's masters even greater control of the free world...

 

Next up: Mr. Lonely.

[Asperion]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

It's tough being a hermit forced to live on the outskirts of a modern city. All that I have ever asked for is to be left alone. Have no one visit me - EVER. How much more obvious can one make things? I mean I have signs saying "No Solicitors", solid iron gates with "No Visitors" sign, and other abvious tell-tales that you are unwanted in this house. However everyday people show up to make me by something, get me to sign up for some project, contribute to thier cause, whatever. They would even try to use the phone or puter if I owned either. I realize those that know about me call me Mr. Lonely but I do not care since I am never with any of them. However for those extremely annoying individuals, they all have some mysterious way that they disappear, usually permanentally. Hopefully I can get on with my solitary quiet life now - THERE'S THAT DOORBELL, AGAIN!!!

 

For the next entrant: Loquitor

[Karma]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Loquitur (short for 'Res Ipsa Loquitur') is the alias of DA Samuel Greeves, whose dedication to justice has seen him take up extra-legal extra-currcular activities. Unlike many vigilanties however, Loquitur targets not only criminals but their solicitors, especially those who are, through legal trickery, able to get aquitted clients whose crimes are so blatant and guilt so obvious that only legal trickery could see them get off. Mafia bosses who gun down rivals in public, armed robbers whose entire crimes are videotaped, child molestors caught in the act. These people and those who defend them successfully in court have much to fear from the man whose name means 'the thing speak for itself'.

 

Next up: Blue Genes

[st barbara]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

"When Roxy was born no-one thoght that she was different ! As she went through childhood people noticed that she favoured the colour blue (clothes, marbles, toys etc). It wasn't until she was sixteen and on a date at a drive in that she discovered that the colour blue favoured HER as well ! Her date got a bit "amorous" and didn't seem to want to take "no" for an answer and Roxy, fighting him off with limited success, thought about strangling him with his own tie. It actually did start to strangle him, enabling Roxy to escape the car and run all the way home. She told her parents baout the "incident" but left out the part about the tie. Being an avid reader of comics Roxy thought that just maybe she might have telekinesis "you know, like Jean Grey !". She found that she DID but that, for some reason, it only worked on things that were coloured blue ! While at high school she told no-one, but practised with her strange new powers in secret. Then came the day when a neighbours kid was being bullied by older kids and Roxy lept to his defence, as did a blue shirt and a pair of jeans from a nearby washing line ! So Roxy became a super heroine with the ability to mentally control anything coloured blue, calling herself "Blue Genes" for a laugh and arming herself with a "utility belt" of blue devices. She isn't up to challanging "Dr Destroyer" yet but she can(and does) help out in her local area and is something of a local celebrity ! Next :"The Smoke Ghost"

[Karma]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

The Smoke Ghost

You know the old saying: "Where there's smoke..." Well for Jaydan Reynolds, AKA The Smoke Ghost, that's wrong. Dead Wrong. Ever since that first fire, the one that claimed his old life Jaydan has made it his mission to see all arsonists and their work go 'up in smoke'. The suit he wears was originally designed to simply act as a barrier between his horribly burned skin and the outside world which could cause him pain and infection. He's improved it however, improving it's defensability, especially against the effects of heat and flame, and adding microtized smoke projectors and various forms of flame retardent (some of which double as close combat weapons).

Now the fire-fighters welcome and the arsonists fear the figure that walk in the smoke, the figure of 'The Smoke Ghost'.

(I've always wanted to create a super firefighter, thanks)

 

Next contestant: Magenta

[John T]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Magenta

 

Linda Anders wasn’t particularly worried: War of the Worlds was just an old science fiction novel written by some guy named Wells a long time ago. Sure, the meteor that had crashed into her barn had done a fair bit of damage, but no fires had started. She’d just call the authorities first thing in the morning…

 

Well… maybe one more… closer… look, before she called it a day…

 

Pretty, in its own way, glowing softly, pulsing gently… and what on Earth was that noise? Was the crazy thing actually… singing to her?..

 

Tentatively, she reached out…

 

AGONY!!! Raw, screaming PAIN as the power ripped through her, the song now a mad shriek in her mind as someone… someTHING tried, clawing, to get in, searching, probing the edge of her rapidly fading sanity…

 

Consciousness… we are alive, we are the I, now, and yet… what ARE we?..

 

We look at the self… yellow-orange “skeletal†structure, shining through translucent lavender-crimson “fleshâ€â€¦ this “body†now composed half of energy, half… other…

 

We look again…

 

We are Magenta…

 

Next: Oblivion

 

John T

[GestaltBennie]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Oblivion. The monstrous offshoot of a failed Russian telepathic experiment, Oblivion appears to be a human shaped negative field (think of Marvel's Eternity without the frills). At Oblivion's heart is a black hole that's a psionic, not a spatial phenomena. Originally Oblivion was dispatched by the KGB into the West to seek out members of the US intelligence community and use its telepathic abilities to suck out their memories. A battle with some silver age superheroes forced it into a tiny containment unit for thirty years; unfortunately someone recently let it out of its bottle. with thirty years of accumulated hatred (and improved abilities) to unleash upon the world.

 

Next - The Macedonian.

[John T]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Anybody?

 

I just know where it IS; nothing about its history.

 

Does this help?

[Arkham]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Alexander Grande was at one point a small-time thug. But with a brilliant mind, physical near-perfection, and lack of restraint, he quickly rose to prominence in his Eastern European gang.

 

After a couple of his men were foiled in a heist by a power-armor wearing superhero, his angle of attack changed. His extensive connections allowed him to track the hero's armor down to a scientific research center in the upper west-side. He himself and over a dozen hench men broke in when they were sure there was just the one lead scientist working alone. Alex made him an offer he could not refuse. And so now the scientist supplies Alex's men with ultra-tech weapons, and Alexander himself with a modified copy of the power armor.

 

Now Alexander Grande is refered to as the Macedonian after his heritage, he has taken over all organized crime in the state, and still he is reaching farther...

 

Next: Captain Self-Destruct.

[Karma]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

 

Next: Captain Self-Destruct.

 

"Stand Down, foul fiend" shouted the newcomer "Or face my wrath"

"And what wrath might that be little man?" asked the supervillian "Whatr does SD stand for anyway"

"Self- Destruct, it stands for. For I am Captain Self Destruct"

"So if I don't stand down you'll blow up and kill us all, is that it? Great ability"

"That's not exactly it, you do not to test me Villian"

The villian looked at the weak looking man who seemed to big for his britches, he looked at the money, and he ddecided to risk it. He could probably soak any damage this fool dealt out with his self destructive attack.

 

Suddenly the villian arm shot up into his face, breaking his nose. Then he punched himself in the kidney before hitting himself in the worst place possible.

"Stop hitting yourself" said Captain Self-Destruct "or don't. See I warned you. Why is it that people can't understand that I have the ability to turn their powers against them? 'Self Destruct'! Can I make it any plainer?"

 

Next up: Brain-teaser

[st barbara]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

It began in high school when Rose Collins was studying hard for an exam. She was in "study room" and had just taken a break to rub her tired eyes when she was overwhelmed by a headache and suddenly she could "hear" something in her head. She almost paniced but suddenly realised that it was the voice of a boy sitting nearby who was also studying for the same exam. Only when she looked at him his lips were NOT moving, and the voice was still in her head. THen she realised that she was somehow reading his mind and she thought about the page that she was reading, only to have him turn the page in his book and start thinking about the same problem ! Suddenly she KNEW that she could control what people thought about. She had super powers, like um whats her name in "Eurostar"? Over the next few days she practised and found that she could subtly nudge peole into thinking about whatever she wanted them to. She couldn't control their thoughts or reactions, just the SUBJECTS that they thought about, and if it happenned to be a teacher he was likely to think about the answers as well as the questions to an exam ! Rose passed her exam with flying colours . She continues to use her rather low level mind control powers to give herself an edge in everyday life and is thinking of ways to make herself a "super" identity. Name "Brainteaser" ! Next : "Aquamarine"

[Asperion]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

WWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The alarm calls me from the sleeping pod much earlier than planned. After coming to my senses, I verify the place that we are and where we should be. It is lightyears off! This is a sector that out people have never explored before. That is easy to do since this is the first mission away from our home solar system and we have been flying at the speed of light for almost 100 years now (it was supposed to be 150 years). I awake all the others in hopes that we can figure out what should be done to correct this problem. Around the large giant planet in the system center we get too close to one of the satellites and it slings us to the third planet from the solitary star in this system. Just as we are about to regain control we are caught too close to said planet's gravity well and are spiraled into the planet. Despite all efforts to escape the trap we fail and crash. Sometime later I awake in a totally strange location unaware of what just happened and wondering where the wreckage of my ship is. Several strange looking creatures that seem to be attempting to communicate surround me but I cannot understand them. After some time I begin to have a crude understanding of these strange beings. They call themselves "human", this planet is "Earth", they refer to me as "Aquamarine" since I seem to have a skin that resembles that gem, and that all the others on my craft were killed or have yet to awake. Things look like I will have to make the best life that I can while surrounded by these humans of Earth.

 

I would like everyone to meet: Ultra Magnus

[st barbara]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

He was born to wealth and privilege. Heir to a high tech empire. Then came the day when a super battle spilled over into the street where he was waiting for his parents; just as their limosine pulled up down the street from him. There was an explosion and young Magnus saw the energy weilding "hero" destroy his parents and their car before he defeated the villain ! He watched the hero being congratulated, but no-one came to console him as the villain was hauled off to prison. Magnus was bitter and, after his parents estate had been sorted out(with him inheriting their high tech empire !) he secretly worked to create a powersuit for himself that duplicated the powers of many of these "superheros". Now he secretly seeks battle with these "heros", committing crimes to draw them out to fight so that he can gain "revenge" for his parents death. He is "Ultra Magnus", the ultimate warrior , and he WILL have his revenge ! (It's nice to come up with an obsessed villain for a change !) Next : Halcyon !

[Basil]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

"Stay calm, honey," her dad always said.

"Calm, cool, collected," was her mother's chant.

 

Ashley Tanner was the daughter of Count Storm, infamous superhero/-villain, a man who wanted to do good, but whose temper was always getting the better of him. Her mother was Alimorinia, the sea spirit, a superpowered woman infamous for her temper. With such parents, it was clear Ashley was destined for superpowers. Her parents, repenting their youthful misdeeds, hoped Ashely wasn't destined to have a raging temper. They sought to teach Ashley the calm control they had learned with such difficulty.

 

They got their wish --- a little too thoroughly. Ashley can charitibly be described as even-tempered. More acurrately as cold. She isn't unkind, nor indifferent to suffering and need. She's just too unflappable, too neutral, too "calm, cool, and collected."

 

This has effected her powers. Though able to control the winds (like her father), water (like her mother), and the general reactions and emotions of natural, animate creatures (more than either parent can do), she can only do so to impose calm conditions. She can decrease, or even still, winds up to hurricane force (though only within a few kilometers), still waves up to moderate tsunami force (again, only within a few kilometers), and ease emotions such as fear and hatred in animals and humans.

 

Interestingly, she also has the powers of flight and extremely good (and nearly tireless) swimming.

 

Knowing something of legendry, Ashley has taken the name Halcyon, a bird (identified with the kingfisher) that the ancient Greeks believed able to calm the waves of the sea. She has the image of a kingfisher on her costume, both the front and on her cape.

 

 

Next: Miss Mistletoe

[st barbara]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Nice one "Basil". That is pretty similar to what I came up with for "Halcyon" !

[Basil]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Nice one "Basil". That is pretty similar to what I came up with for "Halcyon" !

 

Thanks.

 

Knowing a bit of Greek myths, and having good reference books, can come in handy.

 

BTW, isn't anyone going to do "Miss Mistletoe?"

[st barbara]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

It can be a bit of a shock to discover that your family history is NOT what you thought it was ! Bronwyn Price certainly got a shock when she discovered, upon rerading her grandfather's old papers when he died that she came from a long line of druids that stretched back to the time of the Roman invasions of Britain ! Still, that didn't mean anything to a twenty first century student of botany, did it ? As happens things changed one day when she was on holidays back at her grandfather's farm when Bronwyn was walking in the woods. She was coming back to the farm when she saw smoke rising from the house. Her mother was screaming and her father was being attacked by menwearing strange robes ! Suddenly, something that she had read in her grandfather's papers came back to her and Bronwyn began to chant in old Welsh. To the astonishment of everyone concerned the ivy that covered the walls of the old farm suddenly came to life and attacked the robe wearers ! They turned towards the onrushing Bronwyn, then turned and fled, crying out in fear ! Her father recovered quickly enough and they reluctantly, explained Bronwyn's Druidic heritage to her. The girl decided that, if she HAD the power to control plants she was going to use it to help people ! She discovered that she had other powers over the next few months as she learned all she could of the Druidic ways and she designed herself a costume that features a green druidic styled tunic with modern trousers, and she carries an oak staff and wears a belt of mistltoe. Being a modern girl she didn't particularly want the word "druid" associated with her heroing so she calls herself "Miss Mistletoe", the defender of Britains last remaining wilderness areas ! Next : "Silver Moon"

[Courynn]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

After her father was turned, Lacy knew what she has to do. The hunt didn't take long and being an expert marskman she only needed one shot.

 

With her father dead and the one that turned him into a were wolf still out there, Lacy knew she wasn't done hunting yet.

 

Now with vengence in mind Lacy takes up her bow on nights of the full moon and hunts werewolves Under the name Silver Moon.

 

Here is one I have tried to make a character for for a long time : TINY DANCER

[Asperion]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Life was sweet for the young Amber Swen. While her family was not all that wealthy, they were able to handle all financial problems with a little extra to put away. She displayed an aptitude for dancing and music for an extremely early age. As she went to dance lessons she discovered that she not only is an exceptional dancer but also can use the dance to influence the minds of anyone watching and put them into a thrall. With additional practice and control she learned how to really play with and read people's minds, but only while dancing. However she never became all that tall so everyone started calling her the TINY DANCER. Today she is a well-paid professional dancer and whenever trouble appears so does the mesmerizing TINY DANCER.

 

Lets try Hound Dog

[Basil]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Lets try Hound Dog

 

"I'm a were-WHAT??!?"

 

"Um, a were-basset."

 

"OH NO!!!"

 

It's not easy being a lycanthrope of any type, but some are worse than others. Poor Richard Cardman has perhaps the worse fate: he's a were-dog. Not a German Shepard, not a Doberman, but a basset-hound. Luckily, Richard is resilient, and has adapted to his fate. He's decided to go for a hero (he just can't see being evil), and he tracks down crime as Hound Dog, Nose For Good!

 

That is, when he can overcome his embarrassment.

 

 

 

Next up, The Book Lover.

[Asperion]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Of all the possible powers, I get stuck with the lamest of them all. is what Ahmed Remon thought. He grew up admiring the valiant efforts of the superhero that exist, the way that they show up and risk their lives to save the people for nothing in return. He never realized that he had a power until one day some lesser-known hero wanna-bes started talking to him about signing up with them. They told him that the extra special insight that he always gets whenever he so much as touches anything that is printed is actually a form of hyper-intelligence. All that he has to do is touch the paper or book and he "sees" everything that is on it. Of course this did help him greatly in school. To discover the questions and answers on a test, all that he had to do was touch the teachers answer sheet. Although that was not usually necessary since he already had the book memorized and both the questions and answers were taken directly from the book most of the time, although the teacher did know enough to reword the question. This was also the method that was used to learn such exotic things like martial arts, cooking, survival, geography, Shakespeare, military tactics and discipline, and computers. Since joining with these wanna-be heroes he has started heroing under the pseudonym that the bullies taunted him with during school - Book Lover.

 

Next lets have: Rumble

[st barbara]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Peter and Paul Wells were twins; just average guys in low paying jobs trying to get by. That is until Peter got into the wrong place at the wrong time ! He didn't know that it was the wrong place. It was the local Museum for heavens sake and he was meeting his brother Paul after work. Peter was running late and as he raced up the marble steps he was almost knocked over by the staff rushing in the other direction in panicked flight ! He called his brothers name and battled his way against the flow INTO the museum weere he found his brother lying limp in the hands of a creature that seemed to have stepped from some sort of Ancient Middle Eastern nightmare ! As A horrified Peter watched his brother was torn limb from limb in front of him ! Peter called on any higher powers for help, any God or gods that might be listening. Someone must have been because Peter felt himself expand, his muscles ripping his shirt and trousers to shreds as he hurled himself at the creature that had murdered his brother, driving it back with sledghammer blows until it collapsed to the floor before him. He raised his massive, bloodied fists and roared with rage the sound seeming to make the very walls of the museum tremble ! Almost at once the rage passed and Peter found himself standing in the museum clad in the remains of his clothes next to the remains of his brother . He ran away after that, but he has since practised with his powers so that he can turn the strength and size increase on and off at will (he is 8ft tall when he is at full size). He has got himself a simple "costume" of a pair of wrestling tights and boots and is calling himself "Rumble"; a powerful hero ready to help out wherever and whenever he can . He still doesn't know where his power comes from but while he has it Peter is going to use it to help those who can't help themselves; to try to even the odds ! Next : "The Crimson Parrot"

[Lilliandra]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Sara Richardson had always loved birds ever since she was a very small child. She grew up in The northwest near the canadian border in Washington State. She was always surrounded by nature. Her Uncle had a cabin in the forrest , and every summer She and her family would go up there. This is where she felt more alive and more at home than anywhere else. As Time went on her love of wildlife and more specifically birds just grew. She graduated High School with a perfect 4.0 and got a full ride scholarship for Washington State University. Where of course she studied Ornithology. In her junior year she was approached by her biology teacher about going on a expedition to the rain forrest of the Amazon to study the habits of rare parrots in the wild. When she got there she was so appauled at all the poaching of these beautiful and very endangered animals. That She swore that she would never let it happen as long as she could prevent it. So She tried the more main stream route and Go to the press and what not. Since she didnt have alot of funding or money The People in charge just did not care. Frusterated one night and having alittle to much to drink she broke into one of the well-known poachers homes and just destroyed all Hhis records computers everything. Then left a simple note Signed The Crimson Parrot. From then on She has dedicated her life to the stopping of poachers. One way or another.

 

The Next Name :Mirror Image

[Karma]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Lauren Freely had spent her life as a nobody, a middle child with an older sister more attractive and a younger sister more intelligent than she could ever be. She would lie awake at night wishing she could be more like them, or like anyone but herself.

She got her wish when she came across an old mirror in a corner store. she took it home and while looking in it caught sight of her older sister and once again wished she were as beautiful, suddenly the image of her sister in the mirror merged with her own and suddenly there were two identical reflections in the glass. Her sister screamed and ran to fetch their mother. Lauren wished she were herself again, but this time the mirror refused to co-operate. Her little sister came in to see what the commotion was and Lauren wished she were as intelligent as her so she could think of a way to extract herself from the situation, once more the refections merged and Lauren became the sitting image of her younger sister, and as she had wished, gained her IQ. Unable to see a better solution she decided to run away and try to find a way to return to her original state.

She continues her quest, but in the mean time she has become a super identity thief and power mimic, able to mimic the appearance, abilities (and she has discovered, genetic structure) of any person whose image she can catch in her mirror. Naturally she has become known as 'Mirror Image' .

 

Next contestant: The Speaker.