I also like TALOS. Though if we really want it to be alliterative, AEGIS works for me too.
edited 2nd Aug '16 10:31:04 PM by emilyorthoclase
Again, I'm sticking with Talos because it got the most votes. So far.
Charlotte Silverberg's profile is finished! Long live the king.
Approved. Can't wait to see "him" in action!
War Crime, formerly Blood Hound
- Shannon Shoals, villain, formerly anti-hero
- Shannon is a psyker, a type of mage-psi combo. Mostly he uses the raw power to turn himself into a Lightning Bruiser Flying Brick, but he's displayed general empathetic projection and detection, normally towards negative emotions, as well just general sorcery, almost always themed towards horror and destruction. He draws strength from violence, terror and degradation, acts and associated emotions displayed in his vicinity feeding him. He's basically Vehemence from Grrl Power.
- On the more practical side, he's a seasoned fighter with some formal training but far more real world experience.
- Late twenties male of body builder build, white/black mix, bald. In the time before, he was a lot more slim and grew his hair into braided dreadlocks. In that time, he had dressed up in tattered blood splattered brown robes and black body armor underneath. Nowadays, fuck it, just pants.
- In the before, he was a quiet, brooding, humorless individual with no forgiveness in his heart. In this time after, he lust for violence and relishes in destruction. He laughs and talks and quips, he doesn't hold a grudge often.
- Shannon's parentage is complicated. His biological father was Aaron Shoals, aka the Hunter, aka the Monster, another anti-hero turned villain. Aaron was the physical vessel of the Blood Heart, the primary soul of an alien demon-god also called the Monster, a narrative entity that, supposedly, wove the stories of entropy, rage, horror, destruction and pain into the fabrics of the cosmos.
- How Aaron came to channel this entity's heart is unknown, but for his career as the Hunter he sought to use it for good. He didn't display the same power his son eventually would, except raw super strength. Rather, he transformed into a large number of monstrosities, depending on what job he needed done. His methods were brutal and often lethal, but he sought a better tommorow, even if he felt he had no place in it.
- Aaron sought to head off some kinda major invasion of Earth (I'll leave the detail to Sijo), and to do so he gave himself fully to the Blood Heart and become the Monster, fully incarnated into a physical vessel. It carried out his last wish to cut a swathe of terror and blood across the invader's forces. Afterwards, however, the heroes (and even villains) of Earth's yesteryear at the time had to work together to put him down.
- Aaron's horrific transformation was suppressed from public knowledge, the survivors agreeing to secrecy, buried him in an anonymous cave, and rather remember the Hunter as the hero, rather than the Monster. His son, his last act of creation, grew up thinking his father was that. The Monster's essence ran through him, although manifested differently. He sought to emulate his dad's work as the Blood Hound, brutal hunter of the wicked.
- Late in his career, while on the run from authorities after doing his vigilante anti-hero thing, ya know, like going judge-jury-and-executioner on a serial killer, Shannon hid in a cave, unknowingly hiding inside his father's grave. There, the Blood Heart spoke to him. It offered power. Shannon knew this as the being his father had channeled for his heroic deeds. He thought it was a wild thing of vengeance, and trusted it enough to take the deal.
- Shannon entered the cave as Blood Hound, and exited it as War Crime. For year hence then, he's terrorized the world, his body and mind in possession of the Monster. He's responsible for instigating wars and massive super brawls alike to feed his hunger.
Interesting- and dangerous. Sounds like someone who'd make a good boss for tough heroes.
I have a plan.
- Identity: Abraham Van Rensselaer & Katharine Van Rensselaer, villains, Superior Industries scientists, public identity
- Powers & Abilities: N/A
- Description: Abraham and Katharine are both corporate mad scientists. If they're not wearing nondescript lab coats and goggles, they're dressed in fine suits. Abraham has graying Einstein-style hair and a full beard, while Katharine has black hair and maintains a straight-laced appearance.
- Personality: Abraham and Katharine are nearly inseparable as both a working duo and as a married couple. They are both considered to be mad scientists, and regularly ignore the law, scientific regulations, and common sense. Abraham conducts his experiments to further his pride and his twisted view of science, while Katharine prefers making money off of her studies. Both strive for perfection in their work, and have little tolerance for failure of any kind. Abraham behaves much like a stereotypical mad scientist, complete with a strange German accent (despite not actually being German), while Katharine conducts herself as an emotionless, corporate bureaucrat concerned with the bottom line. The Van Rensselaers are unaware that their son is alive and known as the Sewer King.
- Background: Very little is known about the two scientists Abraham and Katharine Van Rensselaer. At some point, they married, and had a son named Hieronymus. Hieronymus was born as a twisted human-rat hybrid due to the genetic damage the couple had inflicted on themselves over the years, and was abandoned in the trash when he was only a few years old, as his parents found him to be unfit for experimentation. Abraham and Katharine work for Superior Industries, and focus their attention on bizarre genetic research.
- Identity: Joseph "Pops" Peabody & Marsha Peabody, neutral, retirees, public identity
- Powers & Abilities: N/A
- Description: Pops and Marsha Peabody are both fairly old, have white hair, and have rural sensibilities. Pops is extremely skinny, thin-haired, and dislikes wearing shirts in his retirement (he'll wear a tank top if he absolutely has to), while Marsha is more sensible about her choice of clothing, wearing colorful shirts and blue jeans.
- Personality: Pops and Marsha Peabody are the typical rural couple, making do with what they have in the Cornerside Trailer Park. Unable to have children of their own, the Peabody couple were delighted to find a son in the form of Hieronymus one day at work, but equally dreaded the day when he left. Despite their poor, rural upbringing, the Peabodies are open-minded and preach tolerance. While they hold a sense of envy towards the rich folk in Easton City, they do not hold a grudge against the city as bad as their adopted son does. Pops and Marsha are unaware that Hieronymus is in fact the Sewer King, but occasionally contact their son using long-distance communication.
- Background: Pops and Marsha Peabody were born and raised in the Cornerside Trailer Park in the rural reaches outside of Easton City, where they married. Joe and Marsha both worked at the local landfill, where they one day found Hieronymus Van Rensselaer one night, discovering his name on a tag, but not finding any information of his true parents. The two decided to retire to raise Hieronymus full-time, never being able to have a child of their own. When he was of age, Hieronymus left his adoptive parents to seek opportunities in Easton.
I may or may not play this guy, but I at least wanted to put him out there as an NPC and for worldbuilding if nothing else.
Identity: Ambrose Knox Powers & Abilities: None yet. Ambrose is in remarkable shape thanks to his rigorous hotshot firefighter training, as well as his hobby of rock-climbing. Ambrose is also pretty experienced in team dynamics, arson investigation, parachuting into dangerous areas, and general mechanical skills. He’s a skilled amateur photographer and glassblower.
Description: Ambrose is a young African-American man. He’s tall and muscular, with a winning smile and his station badge/number tattooed on his shoulder. He keeps his hair braided but in a tidy tail.
Personality: He’s always known about the history of his family and wanted to live up to it, making his passionate and driven to service justice and help others. However, the traumatic situation he endured has made him much more serious and hand-edged, dedicating his life to ensure that supervillains don’t get away with their crimes. If you’re a good guy he’ll have your back and as long as you pull your weight everything will be fine, but family comes first and he will always take the side of one of the Knox over anyone else unless there’s a very good reason.
Background: The Knox family has a long history of heroism, and the name has always carried a lot of weight. From his distant ancestor the Queen of the Dunes, down to his grandfather who flew in both World Wars using the heroic alias Barnstormer-there have always been heroes (and a few villains) named Knox. Grandfather Knox also founded the public service chain known as Safehouses, which were community aid/free medical clinics/legal aid/substance abuse centers (as well as secret stashes of clothes and supplies for down-on-their-luck heroes) in every major city. Ambrose himself grew up learning this history, and he was excited to make his own legend. From an early age he trained with his older brother Joel to both hone his mind and keep fit if his path led to being a hero. He became a member of a firefighter Hotshot crew and smokejumper in order to gain the amazing physical fitness and crisis response skills he knew he’d need to become a masked hero, and for a time all was well. He helped take down several non-powered villains and thwart schemes, and had some semblance of a social and romantic life.
Trouble came in the form of another minor supervillain called The Great Lake. Never the smartest bad guy, he made two discoveries in prison that would cause a great deal of grief down the road. The first was that the source of his ability to transform into and generate seemingly endless amounts of water were a result of his tapping into an entire dimension of liquid. The second was that this unending gulf was also being used by all of the other Lakes in the multiverse, and that they could communicate through it. Most of his alternates were likewise idiots who were in prison.
However, one version of his self, known by the name Lord Fathom, was not, and in fact was the ruler of his version of Earth (which, as you may guess, was somewhat wetter than our own). Fathom decided that he couldn’t stand having his alternates be low-level muscle for other bad guys, and hatched a cunning plan by the simple expedient of telling his other selves the true identities of the former heroes of his dimension, most of who he’d either figured out or tortured into confession years ago.
Our Lake, however, was somewhat smarter, and he’d also heard the reports of failure from his alternates. To this end, he decided to recruit help to take his own revenge. So he reached out to various supervillains: Walpurgis, Hollowpoint, the Waxwork Man, vampire surgeon Dr. Veyn, super-racist Sundown and his flying Terror Town, the mercenary called Ballista, mutant cyborg sadist The Brass Bull, criminal speedster Rundown, and even two of the most feared: The Sacrifice (who creeps everyone out, even divine beings) and Feathered Serpent (voted Most Dangerous Man Alive ten years running even before he gained superpowers). Lake told them everything he knew, and a plan was hatched-to destroy the Knox family and their legacy of heroism.
First they used magic to connect his to all of the other members of his family across the multiverse. Then they used their advanced technology to set up a screen in his small cell. Every day they showed him the death and destruction of the other bearers of the Knox name by the supervillains of a thousand other worlds. Heroes and brave people; men, women & children, all wiped out by enemies who were focused on a single goal. Hollowpoint, Rundown and the Bull wanted to torture his in a more physical manner, but Veyn and the Serpent vetoed that plan; the one from a sense of old-fashioned chivalry and the other from a desire to keep Ambroses’ pain pure-if they tortured his, he wouldn’t be able to focus on the “bigger picture.”
This went on for weeks. Every day a new picture of people she’d never know, but to whom she felt an intimate connection, as if she had known them all of his lives. Some did get away or found a mystical or technological way to escape. No plan is infallible, and Knox were never pushovers. But many did die, and Ambrose felt every time one of his family were destroyed. It wasn’t a real pain, but more as if the universe had lost some of its hope and potential for good; in a brief moment of black humor he muttered “Every day is Alderaan.”
Then the family began to fight back. Not all of the Knox family throughout reality were Badass Normals; more than a few had gained superhuman powers somewhere during their adventures, and it didn’t take long for the more cosmically-attuned of them to realize that something was very wrong. Mystic senses and robotic dimensional probes reached out and made contact with each other. Information was exchanged. And the most powerful members of the Knox began to make their plans for a counterattack after sensing that the center of the attack was Ambrose’ dimension. With a concentrated effort, they managed to hijack his monitor. His captors had gotten complacent while waiting their turn to attack his family with the aid of their dimensional counterparts in a final purge and didn’t notice the change. His otherdimensional relatives comforted him with the news that they had managed to begin helping out in other places as well-while the battle was far from won, the tide might yet turn in their favor.
Their ability to interfere directly in his dimension was somewhat limited thanks to the sorceries of Walpurgis and his Brothers of Summanus which had been laid, ironically, in order to prevent his own planes’ family from finding his, but the Knox attempted to rescue his by opening a portal to a nearly-identical dimension. Unfortunately, Walpurgis was more alert than they expected and he and his acolytes were soon engaged in a mystical battle with the otherdimensional heroes. Urged by his would-be rescuers to leap through the gate while they had the upper hand, Ambrose was struck by a disrupting bolt of energy that tore apart the door. Managing to escape in the resulting confusion, Ambrose set out to warn his family in hiding and strike back at their enemies across all of the dimensions.
edited 10th Aug '16 2:29:21 PM by Booky
For the record Booky and I had discussed this character via PM before I approved it. I have plans for it but they won't happen yet so I'm putting it on standby. And thanks for yet another contribution to this universe's background! 
No problem! And I have a few more I can pop in whenever you like.
In love with an Uptown Girl
Identity: Dragon Man, aka Aaron Thompson, undecided if he is a hero or villain.
Powers & Abilities: He can fly, has skin as hard as diamonds in most places, breaths fire, has heightened senses, and super strength. However, his under belly does not have scales as strong as the rest of his body, but they can stop bullets. He is of course fire proof, being a dragon man. However, he has no combat training, and isn't the brightest person. He is at least Super Weight 3, but probably doesn't even realise how powerful he is.
Description: Basically a human-dragon hybrid, wearing black fireproof, indestructible pants. His scale colour is mainly grey, with his eyes a shade of black with red, slited pupils. He has spines running down his back, along with several horns on his head, two of which are large enough for use in combat.
Personality: Having become a dragon human hybrid, Dragon Man is currently in a confused state, and is capable of going on a rampage at the slightest moment. This makes him very unpredictable for the time being, and if he ever calms down, he may resort to his old human personality, a fun loving, joking man who loved helping people. However, he may also become a savage monster, ready to kill at a moments notice.
Background: Aaron Thompson was once a firefighter in New York, and was popular with the other members of his fire brigade. He was always known for his laid back, easy going, jokester personality. However, one day, during a horrific fire at an old apartment building, Aaron found a strange rock. Upon touching it, he was transformed into a monster, and went on a rampage, fleeing the city of New York. Now, he lives in hiding, unsure of what he is.
edited 12th Aug '16 5:10:22 AM by Vampireandthen
Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. Nice to meet you, hope you can guess my name.
Hmm... Ok, approved.
I have an scenario in the works that features a *lot* of combat. Dragon Man would fit in well. It's not going to happen yet though, so please be patient.
In love with an Uptown Girl
Okay. Message me when it is ready. Should I post in the mean time.
Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. Nice to meet you, hope you can guess my name.
Well, events involving the Charity Gala or the Museum may turn violent soon. You can join in then if you wish.
In love with an Uptown Girl
Okay.
Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. Nice to meet you, hope you can guess my name.
Blood Mage Apologist
Hey there! I'd love to join in (I'm a big fan of Superheroes and their opposites) and I'd be honored if you'd include me. If you're still accepting new Villains (And Heroes, and Anti-Heroes, and everything else under the sun) I can post a Bio for ya guys.
Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' look
Hi and we're definitely still open, feel free to post your character here and I'll go over it ASAP.
Blood Mage Apologist
Now edited for recent events!
Identity: Sebastian Brown. He doesn't hide his identity anymore- he lacks any reason too, after all.
Alignment: Villain.
Powers and Abilities:
Shadow Blades:
Sebastian can summon and manipulate black flames and turn them into weaponry, although he hasn't managed to make anything more mechanically complex than a crossbow. The weapons he forms act like they're made of normal steel when pitted against non-organic material, but when they come into contact with flesh, they gain a few special properties. Wounds inflicted by them heal much, much slower, bleed more, and are a lot more painful than normal. Each weapon has a special look to it, and descriptions will be posted here as he summons different ones.
-Rapier: A long sword with thin blade, which is made out of black steel, which is surrounded by flames. It has a crossed hilt which is misty and incorporeal, although it feels as solid as iron in Sebastian's hands.
-Longsword: A massive sword, easily as almost long as Sebastian is. It has a simple cross and hilt, but the blade is jagged and black, and made of an almost-unbreakable crystal material.
-Shield: A very large shield made out of black steel, with a simple handle on the back. It's almost as big as Sebastian is.
-Flail: A large flail. The chain is seemingly made out of semi-solid mist, and the spiked-ball is crafted out of the same black-metal his tower shield is made out of. It also burns with black fire. The handle has grooves for better gripping as well.
Shadow Step:
Turning into pure mist for a few seconds, Sebastian can teleport to a patch of darkness a short distance away. Said shadows don't need to be caused by natural sunlight, but they do need to be large enough for him to stand in.
Strength of the Grave:
Sebastian is stronger, faster, and more dexterous than any normal human. In addition, he doesn't need to sleep, eat, or breathe.
Wraith Form:
Channeling his destructive energies, Sebastian can turn himself into a shadowy, flaming humanoid. Looking like a person made out of black fire, flames curl and swarm around him; he isn't very fast while in this form, and it drains a lot of energy from him- but he basically annihilates everything and everyone in his path.
Weaknesses:
-Undead Nature: Sebastian was in a coma, not strictly dead. But whatever The Shadow did to bring him back didn't seem to care about that- now, he's physically dead. His heart doesn't beat, he doesn't age, he doesn't need to eat or sleep, and he feels ice cold to the touch. Combine that with his less than... usual... attire, it's pretty obvious he ain't human in the slightest.
-Combat Oriented: When all you have is a hammer, everything else looks like a nail. Sebastian lacks any powers that can be used outside of destroying things. He can’t pick a lock or sneak into a bank vault, so therefore he resorts to smashing that bank vault and, you know, smashing that lock.
-Sworn and Beholden: Sebastian has literally no powers of his own. The only reason that he’s not in a coma right now is because of his patron; if his connection with The Shadow is severed, he loses his ability to conjure weapons, and is basically a fast and agile punching bag.
-Melee Fighter: Although he can and will summon ranged weapons, Sebastian is a close-range fighter first and foremost. So when fighting an opponent he can't get up and personal with, he's generally at a disadvantage.
Description: Sebastian used to be rather generic looking. Now, after he's woken from his coma, he's very pale. His body has, strangely, been restored to a fit, toned state, although he isn't very large. He wears a black and red robe now, instead of his usual green- and his eyes have shifted to a dark red. Nothing screams Obviously Evil like he does.
Personality: Sebastian, pre-coma, was a somewhat nice person and wasn't much of a villain. Things have changed since then- however the Shadow brought him back, it seems to have affected his personality. He's crueler, colder, and takes more joy in fighting and crushing his opponents.
Background: Sebastian used to be an Anti-Villain that served the Conqueror, a powerful titan. But during a battle with a powerful primeval force, he was knocked into a coma by the psychic backlash caused by the creature's death; after a while in said coma, he was offered a deal by the Shadow. He took it.
Whether that was a good idea is debatable, but the consequences can't be ignored. He's become an undead creature, and his sense of morals and kindness has dimmed. Now he seeks to make a name for himself as a powerful villain- and he won't let anyone stop him from achieving his or his patron's goals.
edited 11th May '17 9:02:15 AM by Cwest5538
Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' look
In love with an Uptown Girl
Wait.....a fire Warlock? Avoid Dragon Man mate. I basically gave him all the powers you would expect of a dragon. Such as being fire proof.
Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. Nice to meet you, hope you can guess my name.
Blood Mage Apologist
0_0
Well, that complicates things xD I'll make sure to steer clear of him. (Or push someone else in his path, but ya know, whatever works.)
Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' look
Eh don't worry, making sure characters meet their correct matches is my job. 
Oh and approved btw! I'll add him to the list ASAP. And feel free to join in whenever you feel it's right. Like, maybe Warlock's master is sending him after that mysterious artifact in the museum so many people seem to want so badly...
Blood Mage Apologist
Thanks a ton! I'll join right in. I get the distinct feeling that many interesting individuals shall meet very soon xD
Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' look
Character Dossier
Name: Saturn, aka Nikki Ayesha Carpenter
Alignment: —. It depends on the situation, though that's likely given her a reputation as a villain.
Job/Position: Bank teller for Easton Central Bank; unaffiliated cape
Powers
Saturn's Rings: Saturn can create rings of ice, water, dust, sand and other basic particles from materials nearby that orbit around her body in interlocking patterns around her heart, each with about a five foot radius. At any time, she can dismiss these rings and have the particles fall back into the area around her; or return to their original state of vapor, if she is creating ice or water for her rings. She may also fire all particles of a ring at a specified target that she can see, and the particles follow any movement that she sees the target making; or throw a ring from her form, following the form of a figure she can see.
Weakness - Sight Reliance: Saturn relies on her eyes completely for her ability to aim her ring tosses and particle sprays. Losing sight of a figure will render most of her attacks useless unless she's able to switch to a different target, and illusions that make her see things in a way different then they are will destroy all semblance of her ability to hit a target.
Planetary Endurance: Saturn can take a blow. Ice, sand, dust and other particles passively layer over Saturn's skin, before converting themselves into very thin layers of crystalline armor over her body over time. This crystalline armor can endure one or two blows from most sources, before shattering and returning to particles that feed Saturn's rings.
Weakness - Building: Saturn can only build her armor or her rings. She can't build both at the same time. Keeping her on the defensive prevents her from going on the offensive, unless she decides to give up on rebuilding her armor completely.
Appearance
Saturn's Appearance: Saturn.
◊ Rings not depicted here, nor is the simple skin-color cloth mask she wears over her face.
Personality
Charity: Saturn hates to see a sad kid's face, and she especially hates to see a hungry kid's face. She's more then willing to share what she has with others, and her often ill-gotten gains end up in the hands of charitable causes. (Pride) Saturn feels herself responsible for every starving child she isn't able to help feed, and feels herself a messiah for every one that she can help feed and clothe.
Gluttony: Saturn wants to experience all that there is to experience in the world, and what's more is that she wants everyone to experience all that the world can offer. Whether it be thrilling roller coasters, unmarked drugs or the devil's bottle, Saturn wants more, more, more. (Diligence) Saturn never stops working for what she wants, no matter how little it might be. She'll work until the sun stops shining in search for a cold cup of coffee, and even then her armor will get her another minute or two to find that coffee.
Kindness: Saturn enjoys seeing other people's happiness, and enjoys helping people reach that happiness just as much. She's willing to do a lot to make her acquaintances and friends happy, and is often even willing to make accommodations for her rivals and enemies if it helps keep everyone happy. (Wroth) But when those accommodations break, so does Saturn's good mood. And when Saturn isn't happy, boy, nobody's happy.
History
Meteorite: On Nikki's ninth birthday, a meteorite crashed through the side of her farm house home and killed her mother in the process. Nikki was trapped in the collapsing house with the remains of the meteorite for hours, and exposed to the cosmic object's strange radiation, until the fire department and her Dad were finally able to pull her out. The radiation from the meteor rattled more than her mind and body, and soon she was experiencing slight telekinetic control over tiny, nearby objects; specs of household dust and frost would pull towards her and begin to orbit around her, if she wasn't careful. Slowly, Nikki learned to control it, and only gather rings upon her decision to gather rings. She eventually took the name Saturn, believing it to both be the origin of part of the meteorite that struck her house and a good joke for the rings of particles that she formed.
Easton City: Reaching adulthood and leaving her small hometown of Radildon, Nikki moved to Easton City and enrolled in Polaris University of Easton. She found employment quickly as a Bank Teller for Central Bank, having held the same position at Radildon's Royal Credit Union before she moved.
Hopefully that's acceptable. A bit skimpy on the backstory, but backstories really aren't that important.
edited 14th Aug '16 5:11:58 AM by alioth
Accepted! I'll add you to the list ASAP. Please join the story when an appropriate opportunity presents itself.
Except Agents of ATLAS is taken. I'd Like our names to be original.