Lurker > scarletspeed7

Susie remains one of my favorite characters to voice, and the more she worms her way into the campaign, the happier I am. The Rosetta-Susie relationship absolutely defines Rosetta these days, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

#34 - Prince Henry
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/8/0/AAJ38fAAED9M.png
All hail the prince. The bastard son of George V, Prince Henry was a hidden member of the royal family that developed superhuman strength, speed and flight. Though never rising to the level of Superman, Henry was considered a demigod, an example of the power that flowed through the veins of the House of Windsor. However, to reveal Henry would be to openly admit to the King's infidelity, and for that, Henry was relegated to leaving on the Isle of Wight and Isle of Man at different times in his upbringing.

However, with the onset of World War II, Henry was unleashed as a weapon in service of the royal family, and rumors began to build. Soon it was one of the worst kept secrets in the intelligence circle that Prince Henry existed - and these rumors would persist for decades, despite a lack of hard evidence linking Henry to any of his supposed appearances. Thus a legend was born - a royal protector only spoken of in hushed whispers. Ultimately, this legend would provide Prince Henry the sort of mythical status that made his arrival on the scene Manchester a hope for so many - but for the party, it was revealed that Henry had been, at some point, coopted into Checkmate. And not their Checkmate, but the Checkmate of a new, mysterious Black King. One that has its fingers in MI6 and Scotland Yard, among other places. Henry has also appeared in memories on the Story Line, recently seen alongside Jimmy. The tangled web grows that much quicker.

I know from Scare especially, Prince Henry has had a real impact - he comes across as this timeless heavy-hitter, and his mix of both heroism and villainy makes for a complex gray area to explore. What is the Royal Family's involvement with the global espionage community? Just what motivates Prince Henry? Hell, the guy had John Watson locked in a leopard cage, and yet he is fighting tooth and nail against the forces of Darkseid to hold the line at the No-Flow Row. Immensely powerful but potentially compromised. England's answer to the Man of Steel may prove pivotal in the war to come.

Hint: A diamond in the rough?

Detroit
Dallas

The Green Lantern Corps isn't a team in the same way the Chicago Police Department isn't a team.

These rankings would easily go to Starsa's head. She doesn't need any more puffed-up compliments! She's already reaching incorrigible levels after disguising herself as a Green Lantern ring successfully on Oa!

Well, she thinks she's disguised herself. Everyone powerful enough to be aware of such things... probably already is.

#35 - Tomcat
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/8/6/AAUHRBAAEQmq.jpg
Speaking of JSA members, here is the socially curious Tomcat, son of the Wildcat, with a background in boxing and hunting. Yet another legacy character, Tomcat was onboard the Justice League Satellite during the outbreak of the Anti-Life Equation on A-Day, and since then, he's been swept up in the travels and travails of the League in which he now serves. Tom, however, doesn't have an acute awareness of the League's legacy; instead, he's much more in touch with his JSA roots, where his father was a founding member. Tomcat even has a bit of a dismissive attitude about the JLA, which makes it all the more amusing that he's become a member of this makeshift team out of necessity.

Arriving in Z'onn Z'orr, I think it's become apparent that Tom has a versatile role he can play. The son of a were-panther woman and the greatest boxer of the 20th century, the combination of power and skill has made Tom Bronson perhaps one of the more valuable potential field team members available. And while that competence is obvious, there's another layer of bestial curiosity, the sort that allows for the invasion of privacy, sniffing about, getting into other peoples' business. And he loves to roughhouse - both in teaching and in his personal time. Though Data 7 enjoys playing around with all sorts of ill-prepared animals, I think Tomcat is a very fitting foil for those physical training and goofing scenes, as Tom is equal parts as excited to play as to prepare.

Furthermore, Tom has a clear connection to the two most important teams in the DCU. And I see you over there; don't come at me with the Titans because that membership roster is in and out faster than Wally West's first time in the back of his El Camino on prom night. The JSA is the first and the JLA is the best; this is an immutable truth. So when we talk about Tomcat, we're talking about the intersection where the past meets the present, where history meets reality. He has the potential to do big things, and I think he's presented a highly amusing personality to boot.

Hint: Unrealized royalty.

You might have missed one, there. I added in Thom Kallor who always forget was a JSA member for a few issues.

Jack Knight
Thom Kallor
Alan Scott
Stargirl
Billy Batson
Mister Terrific
Doctor Mid-Nite
Hawkgirl
Spectre
Jakeem Thunder
Black Canary
Obsidian
Damage
Tomcat
Judomaster (Japanese one)
Lightning
Manhunter

What's your Justice Society ranking so far, War? Or anyone else!

#36 - Sentinel
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/7/7/AAUHRBAAEQh1.jpg
Alan Ladd Wellington Scott. The first, the original, the blazing emerald beacon that shone at the start of the Golden Age of Superheroes. If there are any firsts in the DC Universe, they are Jay Garrick and Alan Scott, the first Flash and Green Lantern respectively. Together, they are the founders of the first team of mysterymen, the JSA, and the catalysts of the the movement that would lead to the superhero movement. What I'm saying is that there are a lot of icons in the community, but every points to Alan Scott as a pioneer - and he gets respect.

As part of the Odyssey, Alan is one of the few functioning heroes defending the billion refugees from the collapsed planet Rann. Alongside Airwave, Jemm and Shift, Alan was first encountered alongside the sprawling fleet, stretched to his limits defending the fleet. And, let's be honest, he isn't without his injuries as well - he's lost one eye, and the other that's left? Well, he isn't sure it's his, either. And his body has been wracked with injuries, forcing him to conjure up a giant lantern-like emerald armor in order to reinforce his body in the field. He's a giver, he's a trooper - but as Saoirse has discovered, he's all business. While Saoirse frets constantly over her good friend Jade, Alan Scott has demonstrated a... startling lack of worry for his emerald-skinned daughter or his shadow-powered son and wayward hero Obsidian. While Saoirse has made both Scott children a personal priority to rescue, Alan has... not.

There's an offness to it, a sign that perhaps, Alan is consumed by his duty as a hero at the expense of his duties as a father. There's definitely some animosity between the two characters, and it's a real meal. I find the push and pull between Saoirse and Sentinel to be the sort of material that really pushes a complexity to the character. Alan is a child of the 20s and 30s - he's from a different time, a different world, really. Morality can be foreign to the point of alienation between such far-flunbg generations - I can't wait for the inevitable confrontation that's building.

Even so, you can't deny - the man IS a hero. He's making real sacrifices in protecting the future and legacy of an entire race right now. The question for Saoirse is going to be... how do you tell off a neglectful father for choosing the needs of the many over the needs of the few?

Hint: This sort of aggression seems to run in the family.

Selling Star Wars to George Lucas

#37 - Baphomet
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/2/8/AAUHRBAAEQd8.png
Hey there, darlin'. This is just an arcane Knights Templar deity, manifesting as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull. That doesn't stop this filly from finding Data 7 to be one scrumptious puppy dog, ya dig?

Baphomet - who, yes, is an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull - first debuted in Greenwich, home of the Prime Meridian, where she spent about a half hour helping the party escape the Scissormen and other horrors of the Cult of the Unwritten Book. Why? Quite frankly, it was because a giant eye was hovering over the city of London, and it was beginning to decreate the world. Not uncreate - decreate. These are two separate things. Now, I understand that they both sound like nonsense words, but if you were, say, an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull, it would all make a lot of sense. More sense than it sounds. And for that one, glorious half-hour, an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull hit on Data 7 and raced through the Greenwich streets in one of my favorite action scenes in a while.

Baphomet was then decreated herself - but what can you escape? The Cult of the Unwritten Book doesn't taken kindly to an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull. So the old story goes, the common refrain. And thus, as soon as she'd arrived, she just went away. But I have faith that the Decreator will be stopped by the party, and Data 7's true love will return. Because, quite frankly, nothing can stop an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull.

Hint: This character is not an arcane Knights Templar deity that manifests as a disembodied horse's head with a spike through its skull.

TotallyNotMI posted...

If this is Auto-Chef I'm flipping a table

Proof of table?

It wouldn't be the only wife of a Gotham villain named Nora!

#38 - Bat-Boy
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/1/1/AAUHRBAAEQaj.png
Nora backwards first appeared in Campaign 1, the victim of his father's mistreatment and testing. Turned into some sort of chiroptersapien, Aaron Langstrom was a wild, cornered creature. Less vicious then frightened, Aaron eventually was cowed into submission by the party at the time, and eventually he was reverted to human. However, by the start of Campaign 2, it was revealed that Francine Langstrom and converted her entire family back into the were-bat legacy of her husband, Man-Bat, and Aaron was found once again fully transformed in the Cinque prison. It was there that children who proved resistant to the Equation were subjected to cruel, humiliating experiments meant to test the extents of Anti-Life. Fortunately for Aaron, friends both old and new came in and swept him back to safety in Checkmate. Now, he's found guardianship in the pair of Bloodfruit and Data 7.

While both dote on Bat-Boy, it's Data 7 that proves the most remarkably interesting. You see, Aaron is resistant to rolls by Data 7 of his natural comprehension with animal languages. This means that Bat-Boy communicates entirely through body language, and like a newborn tyke, everything has to be relearned - his senses have changed, his mental faculties are back at square one, and Data 7 seems to have developed a real empathy for the sweet, silent were-bat. I really enjoy flexing the muscles of imagery with Bat-Boy, and if the above image doesn't already tip you off to it, Aaron has extremely emotive eyes that I hope carry the weight of the scene from the DM's side. More fascinating, I think, is that Bat-Boy is the child of Data 7's long hated nemesis, Man-Bat. The scientist who experimented ruthlessly on Data 7, Kirk Langstrom left many of Data's first friends and found family members dead or tortured - only a few survived. Yet, when given the most precious cargo in Man-Bat's possession, Data 7 has demonstrated far, far more compassion for Bat-Boy than nearly anyone else in his circle of influence. It's a complex story that is always gripping, even in its simplicity.

And, much like with Bloodfruit, there is a sweet compassion to the process of carrying for the Spring's most unusual resident. Bat-Boy is developing slowly, acclimating once more to a life spent less as a human than a beast - and perhaps it's that specific distinction that prevented the Equation from setting in. Only time will tell just what part Bat-Boy will play in the campaign to come.

Hint: Another undrafted character that falls higher on an alphabetical list than this entry's character.

Without intervention he would have most assuredly died!

Bethesda always expected a later release than Microsoft inexplicably announced, though. It's a very different comparison.

I think the point of delaying is so they have time to make it playable.

Honestly, not a big deal, since Bethesda insiders were saying Microsoft was trying to rush the game out faster than they wanted, and they were lobbying for more time to polish the project.

Detroit
Dallas

#39 - Tanakata Z
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/9/7/AAUHRBAAEQYx.png
You don't get redder in the... lepidopteran skinfolds than the chief survivor of the worst Red Lantern attack in Green Lantern history. Tanakata Z, a relatively recent recruit to the Corps, was already on edge after the mentally dominating Psi-Phon did the damn thing on not one, not two, but four Green Lanterns caught unaware. You'd think that would be bad day enough for the fellow, but then the Red Lanterns reared their heads for the very first time, besetting upon the Sector Safehouse in 543 and murdering a handful of Tanakata's close confidants in the Corps. Barely escaping with his life thanks to Data 7, Tanakata Z has been working through the sort of rage that would qualify him to serve alongside his enemies, rather than his allies.

Tanakata has been a slow burn as a character, progressing steadily from recovery mentally and physically to becoming the Lantern equivalent of a functional alcoholic. Relying more and more on rage to keep him upright, Tanakata Z has even lashed out violently and uncontrollably during a routine exhibition with new rookie Lanterns, landing a half-dozen of them in the Oan medical facility. These actions seem to have perked up Data 7's ears, and sensing an opportunity to help one of what Data considers the most fascinating part of being in space - aliens - he's begun to befriend the now almost-exiled Lantern. This, of course, is something that Data can relate to, having been marked by the Guardians themselves for disciplinary measures after traveling to Ysmault and conferring with the Reds without permission.

Tanakata clearly has a major role to play. The exploration of how emotion affects the Guardians and their Lanterns is far from limited to Tanakata Z; after all, Scar's entire storyline puts a premium on a single Guardian rediscovering the virtues and pitfalls of embracing emotion after billion year absence. But Tanakata Z comes at this theme from a different angle - what if emotion is all that keeps you together after a trauma? And what if it's also what is, at the same time, driving you to fall apart? The fate of Tanakata Z is likely tied entirely to the Corps he maligns and curses with his every breath - but what happens when the time comes to make a decision about the Red Lanterns? How will Tanakata Z react to Data 7's fondness for the rage-filled archenemies of the Oan corps?

Hint: Our second undrafted character has often been referred to by our players in reverse.

#40 - Bleez
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/9/2/AAJ38fAAEDw4.png
Though once a graceful and unbridled beauty, Bleez's tranquil existence was marred by the presence of the ring in her sector, and soon enough this winged beauty had transformed, filled with the feast of red. Every feather from her almost angelic wings molted away, leaving only a skeletal flame, exposed to the painful elements around her - more fuel to power the crimson rage of her ring.

Bleez's one-session appearance seemed to captivate the party who visited her - most specifically Scare and JB. I have to admit, seeing the players take to a grief-stricken character like Bleez was really rewarding. In most other situations, Bleez would be portrayed as a villain, pat. However, this campaign really has offered me the opportunity to dive into the psychological intricacies of how each emotion on the color spectrum can be stretched to its limit. Bleez represents that sort-of Aristotelian sense of tragedy, evoking both pity and fear in the players - in some ways, you experience revulsion at first, the disgusting nature of her convulsing, vomiting form and her grotesque voice in stark opposition to her truer origins. Her beauty has been marred by anger, and where once she lived a prosperous life, she instead has embraced a painful adversity. Her yearning for freedom has achieved freedom at the cost of everything else.

All that remains, now, is the very human sense of revenge.

Particularly with Scare and JB, I have a feeling that the story of Bleez will continue, traveling its tragic rails until the last stop - a conclusion that I expect while be equal parts frustrating and exhilarating. And for all the moments in between, the discomfort and compassion the party feels will continue to inspire me to push further into complicated storytelling. It's always a learning process for me, and I relish trying to constantly improve in my storytelling.

Hint: The reddest lantern there is.

Counterpoint to War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5PkGVaqWeY

Levar ain't got shit on Arthur

Reading Rainbow - No books available to Levar Burton

The Rehearsal - Unlike in Nathan for You, Nathan will require a full rehearsal of the fistfight in order to practice his victory, a notable weakness in his strategy.

#41 - Marlus Randone
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/2/6/AAUHRBAAEQLK.png
Imagine having the wherewithal, ambition and raw perceptive abilities to not only sneak into the most secure superhero headquarters ever designed - but to do so three times. Marlus Randone is perhaps the most impressive everyday character in this campaign, having spent three separate stints aboard Justice League bases that either orbit the Earth or are anchored TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON... and some of these stints lasted for weeks at a time. At first, this was simply to score the story of the century, but the second and third times, the fledgling journalist decided that survival was the better part of valor, and so instead of facing down Darkseid's forces, Marlus used his Justice League communicator to great effect and wound up spending a month living in the vents of the Justice League's last active satellite.

Now, Marlus only has major scenes at this point with Rosetta, but I think they've been an absolute blast. What the young man has managed to do is evade not only the Justice League personnel for extensive periods of time, but also security systems designed by such luminaries as Steel, Batman, Martian Manhunter and Mister Miracle. Imagine just what that entails - sweeps by highly-articulated security mechs, laser grids on fractally patterned systems with thousands of permutations, scent hunters from the planet Rann, and genetic isolators meant to search for any unexpected lifeforms down to a bacterial and viral level. Marlus Randone evaded all of this - and in the process, ended up discovering a plot even the Justice League had managed to overlook, putting his nose for a mystery to good use.

For all of this, Marlus had earned an honorary Justice League communicator from Martian Manhunter - he never expected to find use for it, until the JLA called him. Just before the events of A-Day, Marlus received an all-points alert - the last action Martian Manhunter would carry out - that warned of the impending dangers of Darkseid. And not one to tarry for too long when danger comes his way, Marlus did what he'd done before - he hightailed it to a Justice League refuge and hid until such time as he could hide no more.

Rescued from the Justice League Satellite, Marlus has impressed Rosetta in more ways than one - first, with his unbridled skill as a burglar of sorts, and secondly by having impressed Rosetta's own idol, Martian Manhunter. All these things are conspiring to demonstrate that, maybe, just maybe, a master infiltrator like Marlus might be just what the Waller ordered, as the PCs of this campaign continue to size up maximum security landmarks around the globe.

Hint: At a sports bar, this individual would order bone-in wings.

#42 - Air Wave
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/8/0/AAUHRBAAEQKc.png

As in, "let's air wave good bye to all of those points we missed out on, bub."

Air Wave, better known as Hal Jordan - yes, Hal Jordan, for his given name is Harold Jordan - stakes his claim to fame not just as the electromagnetic rider of radio waves across the universe, but also as the cousin of... Hal Jordan (whose given name is Harold Jordan). Look, I don't make the rules. This is fucking comics canonical. Hal Jordan's cousin is Hal Jordan. They're both superheroes. Air Wave is also the son of the original Airwave and his wife, the second Airwave. That's a story in and of itself, don't you worry - and someday, it may even be told in this campaign! But for now, we'll focus on Air Wave, a member of the Odyssey.

One crucial component of the story of this campaign is space. For everything space-based out among the stars, however, there is a crucial throughline. One that is defined by the forlorn, hopelessness of being a stranded wayward traveler across the stars. For that, I turned to Homeric inspiration to tell the story of the Odyssey. Because, ultimately, the entirety of the corner cosmic focuses on, as Presea from Tales of Symphonia would put it: "I just want to go home." And boy, howdy, do the members of the Odyssey just want to go home.

Gathered by the wisdom and might of Donna Troy, the formerly dead formerly Wonder-Girl superchick boasting some starlight, starbright divine Greek powers, the Odyssey was comprised of some of the best the Earth had to offer - Firestorm, Alan Scott, Cyborg, Animal Man, Hawkgirl, Supergirl. And among the elite was Air Wave, who had taken the invitation to journey to the stars in order to help Donna Troy rectify a dark prophecy that clouded her nightmares. But when the Odyssey pulled up just shy of Polaris, they discovered Rann and Thanagar at war, and GIANT GOLDEN HANDS pouring out of the center of a star, slamming planets together and absorbing the resultant energy.

Air Wave is one of the few, few uninjured survivors of that journey - most are missing, many more are injured, and it's really only Air Wave left who hasn't been shake to the core by this tragedy. So now, as the Rann Refugee Fleet circles Oa, desperate to maintain their survival, Air Wave has taken it upon himself to play morale police. That's why I love this guy - he's energetic, enthusiastic, and he's ALWAYS nearby. You can blame that on being as fast as lightning, I suppose. I think every interaction with him has a hint of classic comic book superhero to it, a splash of four color glory. Every player seems a little more energetic with Air Wave around, right? And he even featured in the classic plot point of "Are Hal Jordan and Hal Jordan actually different people?", wherein Air Wave and Green Lantern consistently kept showing up consecutively and never simultaneously, always searching for the then-absent Hal. Abbott and Costello ain't got nothing on the Jordans.

In the end, my hope is that the raw, staid and conservative approach to a superhero character in Air Wave continues to be the tonic for the more miserable general tone of superheroes in this Final Crisis feature. We all need a laugh, once and a while.

Hint: A veteran of space exploration.

Meanwhile... the question remains, 'What's in the Bermuda Triangle, if not Mera?'

#43 - Mera
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/0/4/AAUHRBAAEQJQ.png
The recurrent themes of the Red Lanterns - guilt, tragedy, revenge. Sector 2814 has always been a hotbed of activity for the Green Lanterns; should it be any different for the Reds? Outside of a rather irritable feline fellow by the name of Dex-Starr, Sector 2814 also plays host to the primary Red Lantern of her domain - Mera, wife of the now-deceased Aquaman. Mera's grief fuels her rage, and there seem to be no bounds, only untold depths to the furor she possesses. Her son was murdered, her kingdom fallen and her husband divorced due to the unspoken rifts formed between the two. Mera has grown angrier and angrier - likely no doubt a part of her upbringing as the princess of a prison-realm. Mera is essentially what it would be like if Australia had only ever been a penal colony, and it developed a royal family bred solely from reprobates and criminals. She's tough, but she's swift to anger. Her passion drove Aquaman into her arms, but without him, Mera's reins are unbridled.

The meeting with Mera was one where there were a couple audible gasps involved. I think Wickle was more than a bit flabbergasted as he sported his guise of Minerva, learning the awful, unvarnished truth. Minerva's queen was now a banshee, screeching with the call of the crimson blood-red anger that is the Red Lantern Corps - yet a piece of her still resides deep within. Mera had sense enough to offer a garter belt as a sign of her recognition that perhaps - despite Atlantis being deserving of vengeance for allowing Arthur to suffer and die for their sakes - a small bit of Mera is still that unlikely ruler, that strong monarch that was a crucial part of Aquaman's success. However... now she plays against the Green Lantern Corps as one of their most vocal, visceral villains. Can the party prevent Mera's scarlet fury from destroying everything they've worked toward? Is it possible to, from her grief, raise up the once and possibly future queen?

Hint: Let's dive back into the wide array of legacy characters once more.

WarThaNemesis2 posted...

I do love me some long-readings, as my adoration for listening into Vesper during campaign 1, and my everything with Dawn this campaign likely shows off. Paul's a peach, I love the guy already.

Dawn is another good example of this crowd. We could write books around them - if I was a better writer!

Detroit

He only has had one chapter release, and it happened barely before the cut-off for these six months. I really didn't feel he'd been utilized enough for a higher ranking.

#44 - Paul Lincoln
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/0/4/AAUHRBAAEQHs.jpg
Nothing quite so legacy as a man whose life now revolves around writing a book entitled "Legacies."

Lincoln snuck into the campaign as part of RP Bingo's bonus month, and since that point, he has largely laid low - until Rosetta finally unlocked the first chapter of his new book, an oral account transcribed from the most dynamic and eclectic voices across the DCU, compiled to tell the origins of this current crisis. I have to admit, I'm very excited to continue presenting, piecemeal, each facet of what led to this campaign, as told by heroes, villains and whoever else is invited into the fold along the way.

Lincoln is fairly elderly - reaching his early 80s, Paul's been through World War II, a life as a beat cop in Star City, and as a side hustle, work as an amateur investigative journalist. All of these career paths have led Paul Lincoln to the conclusion that his life has been to constantly shaped by mysterymen that he wishes to give back to them, compiling their history for himself. This life-spanning effort earned him the respect of the US military's last surviving Admiral, and now with clearance to go and do as he pleases, Lincoln's sole focus is as a biographer and historian. The campaign has a variety of wells where the players can go for new information, lore and data as they wish - but Paul Lincoln's mechanical function is entirely unique.

By carrying out simple tasks for Paul - usually revolving around arranging interviews between a key figure in the resistance and himself - Paul's book is completed, chapter by chapter. Judging by the first reactions to his initial release, the story of Doctor Mid-Nite's revelations as to Sue Dibny's killer, I got the overwhelming sense that all of you really, really enjoyed part one. Combining that with War's constant fascination with all things arcane and hidden, like a detective on the hunt, assured a place for Lincoln on this list. Outside of Vicki Vale and Jack Knight, I think Paul Lincoln is the most key component to fleshing out the campaign's backstory - and I always am thrilled to see players take interest in what led to these events and how they shape and mold their own characters going forward.

Paul Lincoln's Studs Terkels-esque oral histories will continue to define the origins of war. I look forward to it.

Hint: A provider of garments.

#45 - Thunder
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/8/1/AAUHRBAAEQCp.jpg

She is gay.

Thunder was saddled with the unfortunate distinction of debuting in a session chock-a-box full of major debuts - the party braved the interior of Washington, D.C. to reach the Hall of Justice, where the family of superhero Black Lightning faced down the family of supervillain Tattooed Man III (Mark Richards) - and things only got crazier from here. Ultimately, Black Lightning made a sacrifice to ensure his daughters' well-beings, and for a while, after they - and the Justice League! - came home, it was silence for the mourning Pierce Girls for several weeks.

And then, finally... finally... we got a pair of scenes gifted to me by Scare and MI, and those moments have really defined the character of Thunder. Cool, invested, willing to pitch in, Thunder is very much her father's daughter. While she will be the first to admit she lacks the raw power of her younger sister Lightning, Thunder has the experience and the quick wit to insert herself into any situation and be of use. She also has a real confidence about herself that meshed so well with fellow lightning-zapper Xander as well as the confident-to-a-fault Brennus.

While Xander vibed well given their power similarities, however, Thunder and Brennus bonded a bit over their troubles in being gay heroes in a world of Darkseid. Thunder's girlfriend, the Amazon Grace, is missing, and she has no knowledge of her whereabouts. But, given the state of America and Darkseid's proclivity for torturing and eradicating any trace of Wonder Woman's legacy, it's not too far-fetched to believe that Grace was put in the Dark Lord's crosshairs. (Not to mention, of course, that some party members briefly saw her in Orlando as a Fury.)

The quickly-developing friendships between just two players I think really embedded the importance of Thunder in Z'onn Z'orr - yet another of a new generation of heroes, a common theme of the survivors of this post-A-Day. That sacrifice Black Lightning made only furthers this notion that it will be a new generation to solve the problems of the past.

Hint: A legacy character.

I recommend it; all of the solo sessions were really enjoyable, but it was certainly the most Christmas-y one, by far.

#46 - Morisca
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/2/4/AAUHRBAAEQAM.jpg
There are times when, as you try to play 400 characters over six months, you naturally get a bead on one of them and lock into a personality you can't help but love. You yearn to return to the voice, the mannerisms - everything just clicks on all cylinders.

Morisca was that character for me in this particular block of sessions.

On Johnbobb's Christmas session, Bloodfruit and the Kid traveled back to the scene of the crime - Time in a Bottle, where Kid Eternity had been rescued from a rather brutal, exploitive practice wherein in Thomas Edison extracted famous historical figures right from the Kid's chest, equating them in the process. On this visit, once again, an overwhelming number of deceased individuals began to suddenly arrive at Time in a Bottle. However, this time, they were arriving for an impromptu Christmas party. Everyone from the writer of Silent Night to the performer of Frosty the Snowman was there; goblins and bartenders, talking owls and the Sugar Plum Fairy herself. I think JB had a blast, and I felt that Bloodfruit's adventurous spirit and her genuine compassion shone throughout. But my personal favorite aspect of this session was an ancient Atlantean sorceress who arrived with a giant speared shark in tow and begin to wonder if Time in a Bottle had been protected with the Warding Tree - which is perhaps the first historical use of Mistletoe. After all, angry subterranean creatures my invade the party without it. Morisca would then prattle on and on about things that I imagine made little to no sense to anyone but herself, and entered the party.

Morisca's airy, thousand-mile stare was just so absolutely wonderful to present. This is a woman who clearly is packed to the gills with undersea magical knowledge, yet she seems to possess no particular understanding of how to talk to someone or eat food or... do anything ordinary. I'm sure I'm not doing Morisca justice, but everyone listening seemed to really get a kick from her mix of madness and competency, dotted with a strange, relaxed attitude in the face of what she perceives to be potential doom.

Argh! So much fun. I hope that she never faced down those dread Murgles.

Hint: This child of the 20th century sparked the formation of a team that lived on the borders of the superhero community.

Oooh, I really like that.

Honestly, you all put together a tremendous plan in Leesburg - but you knew you were going to be outgunned, no matter what happened. That you came away with as few losses and casualties as you did really has played a crucial role in changing the soul of Castling and providing hope to the refugees. I totally get it - but man, you guys knocked that out of the park.

TotallyNotMI posted...

I need to get Greg's team back out in the field soon.

Johannesburg or Vlatava first is the question...

I'd love to see more Briggs in action!

#47 - Greg Briggs
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Who in the fuck is Greg Briggs? Well, if you'd shut up for a moment, maybe get a glass of water, breathe a little, I'll tell you. I mean, jeez. Take it down a notch.

Briggs is the ex-husband of a D-list superhero called Looker, who served with the Outsiders for a few cups of coffee before being quite suddenly altered by a vampire and taking to solo adventuring. their marriage fell apart, and Greg and Lia Briggs separated but never quite divorced. Years later, the man called Greg reemerged in a clique of superhero-adjacent A-Day survivors - particularly, this group was comprised entirely of the family members of individuals like Supergirl and Donna Troy. After rescue from a neighborhood controlled by Hush's forces, Greg would become an integral part of the Leesburg resistance, surviving the pivotal Battle of Leesburg and traveling through South America to Antarctica.

My love for Greg is that he has been molded and inspired by Checkmate's player characters. Briggs was, at first, a little lost in the refugee city of Castling, but with a little encouragement, Briggs has decided that he wants to play a role in retaking the world from Darkseid. He has no inherent skills or talents. He's not a hero - hell, he doesn't even know one anymore. His wife was captured and turned into a Fury. He has no children, no other family members. He fights because he can - and he's wholeheartedly leaned into learning as much as he humanly can from Checkmate's training teachers. He's started combat training under Brennus and Data. He's exercising under the Checkmate regimen created by Jagger and Marie. And he does all of this because, if for no other reason, Greg Briggs feels a sense of obligation for being alive. Those PCs who led the Battle of Leesburg inspired him and instilled a sense of obligation in Greg Briggs, and here - at the end of the world - instead of curling up and wilting under the sheer tonnage of stress and guilt he must be feeling, he has found a second life, renewed purpose.

These everyday men and women, for me, are the most fascinating ones to present, and Greg Briggs' story is far from over. I'd like to think it's only beginning.

Hint: This character was a quite the Christmas present, debuting in one of our X-Mas solo sessions.

Really, JB?

Another aspect I enjoy of Hooty and Patroklos is the visual nature of their actions, which stands in stark contrast to the dialogue-laden majority of characters in the campaign. It exercises a different portion of my brain, presenting those characters.

Jeopardy - Cancer blows
Impractical Jokers - Everyone at Fox News has guns, and we know they don't abide by laws and rules

#48 - Hooty
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/1/0/AAJ38fAAEDq6.png
Hoo!

What's better than an animal partner to one superhero? How about an animal partner to two! Both Doctor Mid-Nite and, unexpectedly, Xander have had the opportunity to be coupled with the perpetually curious owl that has been a long-time staple of the JUSTICE Society, since the days of their outset in World War II. After being bathed in the radiation of Ian Karkull, Hooty's lifespan was extended tenfold, giving him a youthful exuberance over the decades as first the partner of the original Doctor Mid-Nite as well as the current Doctor. Hooty's presence was first discovered in the Justice League Satellite, and he teleported back to Earth with Xander inadvertantly, where he remained for quite some time.

Scare did a phenomenal job of taking up this sudden new partner in all of his roleplay scenes, feeding the fellow or enduring his sudden flapping wings while riding one shoulder or another as Xander goes about his various duties around Z'onn Z'orr. Hooty may be half-obstacle, half-assistant, depending on the scene, but I think he injected such life into Xander's character. From one moment to the next, Xander would contend with the exuberance of Hooty by trying to vainly no-sell so many of his loveable quirks. It really was a testament to his patience, as well as Scare's innate way to find the chemistry between his character and one foisted upon him quite suddenly.

Eventually, Hooty returned to his dear friend, Pieter Cross - and that partnership has taken on new meaning, now that Mid-Nite's trademarked lenses are destroyed. Without his Nite Goggles, Cross' blindness has no cure, and so he's braving an unknown night with a nocturnal creature there to provide as much support as Hooty can muster. Personally, the pairing is significant to me, in that the two of them have no easy way to communicate - it's a learned partnership they've developed, and now it is the crutch that Mid-Nite must rely on. It would seem so foreign, I believe, except for the fact that Scare really blazed a trail with Hooty, so as we witness Mid-Nite scenes, there's an innate understanding of what this relationship entails on an empathic level.

Hoo!

Hint: An unguessed character from our draft - from Leesburg!

hombad46 posted...

He truly is the greatest of all time.

I'm glad you still remember this.

#49 - Patroklos
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/3/6/AAUHRBAAEP9Q.png
The rival to the infamous and inhumanly beautiful Maadison - Patroklos, faithful companion to Doctor John Davison, our resident surgeon in Z'onn Z'orr. Patroklos braved the horrors of Themyscira and remained stationed in the place Where Themyscira Used to Be, trusting that his closest friend Spirit would some day brave the horrors of Darkseid's world and sweep him to safety. Now, Patroklos has returned to the duty he performs the best - keeping Spirit in good spirits.

Patroklos long has been a stoic, mostly-unspeaking part of both campaigns. What I think draws hombad to the character is that our resident animal whisperers don't spend too much time making Patroklos' thoughts known, and therefore the character is inscrutable, coming across as somewhat emotionless. And in that quiet, staid face, there is both a youthful impulsiveness and an understated wisdom that allows Patroklos to fulfill an important role in Spirit's close-knit circle. The truth is that Patroklos is actually quite, quite old - he is a goat belonging to the Hesperides, of which the tree of the golden apples belonged in Greek Mythology. You would think such ageless beings would be very intelligent, but he's also a goat, and as goats are wont to do, he tries to eat those golden apples whenever he can - even though their seeds made his brethren explode suddenly, without warning.

Luckily, Spirit and Data 7 prevented that terrible fate, and Patroklos is still here all these many years later, still a guide in a now-teenaged Spirit's life as a fledgling doctor. Still, it highlights that Spirit really does have a pet - maybe the most courageous, unusual pet you could ever hope to have, but a pet nonetheless. Just one that is much more in keeping with Spirit's own unusual existence.

Just make sure he doesn't eat Canary - or her jeans.

Hint: A long-term Society staple.

Okay, MI you see this on my screen:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/1/6/AAUHRBAAEP88.png

That icon is super-small. Is it... a shoe?

#49 - Floronic Man
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Jason Woodrue gained the powers of a plant elemental from his prolonged experimentation into the natural world. For years, Woodrue would menace everyone from Batman to Green Lantern to Green Arrow... but now, in a time when the Society reigns supreme throughout America, the Floronic Man has surprisingly changed his tune, and he serves as the protector of the *star*-shaped forest at the heart of Star City. Thanks to his efforts, there is a tenuous defensive encampment, a natural fortress where the unequated, unSociety, unChurched and UnMACs can go to weather the storm raging around them at all five points of the forest's star.

What guides the Floronic Man? Perhaps it is everything he's said - Floronic Man has witnessed visions of a dormant "entity" that lays beneath Star City's new forest, an entity that must be protected. For it is this unnamed creature that supposedly started the First Age of Magic, giving life to the planet and ensuring the continued destiny of an entire planet's flora and fauna. The Floronic Man, once a snivelling, weaselly villain with only self-interest at heart has changed, shifted, been reborn. Now, he is a new guardian to life itself - and despite the discomforting visage of a once frighteningly evil plant elemental, Floronic Man may be the greatest ally our party has in Star City...

... and he was found not a moment too soon. For in the efforts to escape the Furies of Star City, the party has caused the capture of one by Floronic Man. Disturbed by the 25% decrease in their membership, Speedy's trio of survivors have called in THE Fury specialist. And now Floronic Man will face his toughest foe yet...

...his own student and creation: Poison Ivy.

Oh man, I can't wait to get back to Star City. Can you?

Hint: The Chicago Bears and this character have rivals that share the same home state.

Detroit

Maniac64 posted...

Have you guys met a plant based Lantern?

In fact, they have! War in particular has had the privilege of meeting Olapet... but he should tell that story.

The players in the campaign will know that I've often struggled with creating and presenting child-aged characters, which is why, when I manage to introduce one that gains some traction, I feel a sense of pride. Thus, much like a Christmas dinner, it's hard to make this list without a heaping helping of
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/0/8/AAUHRBAAEP4I.jpg
Ham.

So who ARE you, Ham? This young merboy from Tritonis began life as a one-off joke, the capitalization of a meme from outside of the campaign. But thanks to Pepper and Brennus, the hapless young boy has become a key fixture in one of the largest underwater cities in the Atlantis component of the campaign. Racing ahead of the party as they travel from tier to tier in the tall, socially isolated caste-based city of Tritonis, Ham lugs around a system of instruments that makes Bert from Mary Poppins look like he's got compact taste in music. The boy churns out the tunes of ancient Atlantis and gives booming announcements of the party's approach - but thanks to Brennus lavishing him with untold amounts of wealth, Ham has become more than just a young Tritonian trying to get by. He's instead turned reliant on the party, always seeking to be at their side whenever they do ANYTHING. After all, Brennus' enchantments tipped him big-time, to the tune of hundreds of gold coins, when the boy was virtually begging for coppers.

Add to this Pepper's treatment of Ham as a veritable equal and her desire for Ham to function as an intel gathering go-fer. Suddenly, this background player, this fleeting joke, has become a de facto party member, a young, precocious creature who clearly has been found useful by the party. Despite Ham only appearing in two sessions, he's quickly endeared himself with the Tritonian clique, and I fully expect him to continue to expand his role as the story of Tritonis continues. He's already earned himself a "Go To Break" title card - what further heights can this sweet, innocent young street urchin reach with the party - and Brennus' magical wallet - at his back?

Hint: Astronomical pursuits collide with botanical delights