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Psyche Alexandra Albright Character Playlist Evanescence: Bring Me To Life Taylor Swift: Shake It Off Taylor Swift: Mean Anna Kendrick: When I'm Gone (Cups) Taylor Swift: 22 Walk the Moon: Shut Up and Dance Archetype and Design Psyche's inspiration was almost entirely early Jean Grey in power set and set as a T-baby since that was the closest that Freedom City's setting has to the 1980s Marvel mutants. The rest of Psyche's development comes from the fact that her powers expressed from birth. With her schooling from 5-15 in government funded testing, her on screen antics started at 16 in Claremont where she was part of the founding of Young Freedom. Her costumes usually are drawn from 80s and 90s X-men in style while her personal style is always a clashing mix of colors that are eye-jarring but make Alex happy. Current Role and Hooks Hooks for threads to meet or know Alex are pretty easy. She is a registered T-baby and is out as a public, famous face trying to prove that their kind are not to be feared. She's the CEO of AEON, a corporation she founded with the goal of studying and helping metahumans of all origins. She's an alumni of Claremont and FCU. Her parents live in the Hanover suburb and she's been a native of Freedom City her entire life. It's easy to meet Alex in her role as CEO of AEON, whether that's in an official capacity of one sort or another or when she's required to attend events for the cities movers and shakers. History Alex's mother and father, Rebecca and Victor Albright, were relatively normal citizens of Freedom City. It's true that Rebecca once moonlighted as a bow-toting side-kick to a D-list hero, but those days were long behind her as she and Victor tried to start a family. As Rebecca had served during the grim 80's, her turning away from super her antics left a longstanding rift between Rebecca and her father that was only mended shortly before his death. After struggling to conceive, they were overjoyed when Alex was finally on the way. Unfortunately, the terminus invasion occurred while Rebecca was at the hospital's class on childbirth. The entire class was bathed in the energies of one of the portals but Rebecca and another pregnant mother escaped the escalating battle, thanks to Rebecca's former skills. It was little surprise that the two mothers-to-be became fast friends or that Alex and the other woman's son, Michael, were thrown together often. They were neighbors, it turned out, and the children grew up just across the street from one another. What was surprising was that when Alex, who had always been precocious, started to talk, she talked about everything. Including the thoughts other people had and things she couldn't possibly manage to see. Rebecca, a stay-at-home mother, spent her young daughter's early years trying to teach the clever child to keep her powers under wraps and, also, how impolite it was to go reading other people's thoughts which was a difficult lesson for an inquisitive young mind. Fortunately, she had a ready companion in Mike and her constant mental prattle at him formed a deep and lasting psychic bond that neither one remembers life without. Reluctantly, but confident that she had impressed the importance of secrecy on her offspring, Alex was enrolled in school with her friend Michael. When Michael hit another boy and knocked him across the room and near through a wall, everyone was shocked and frightened at his strength. Despite the reassurances to the children that 'everyone was going to be fine', Alex couldn't help but volunteer - loudly and firmly - that they were all lying, the boy was badly hurt. She knew because she read their thoughts. She even went so far to prove it. Not because she hadn't listened to her mother but felt that if Michael was going to be in trouble, she ought to be in the same trouble as the fight was at least partially her fault. Both children were outed as 'supers', and Alex spent the next decade or so busing into a government contracted facility instead of a normal school environment and then home. They were 'taught' alongside other children that were in utero during the Terminus. Rebecca grew more and more concerned as Alex grew older. Her experience with government oversight and super heroes was only negative. When Alex was around ten, her mother began trying to get her out of the program and into Claremont instead. Rebecca, rightly or wrongly, was convinced that eventually the government would seek to turn her baby into a soldier. It took every contact Rebecca had from her long forgotten super-days but getting put into Claremont was the best thing that could have happened to Alex. Graduating with honors, after her school and life in the teenage super-hero group, Alex’s life was forever altered by her interactions with her time-displaced offspring. Rather than college, Alex founded the AEON foundation, a group focusing on ethical metahuman studies - coming out as a Terminus-child and former super-hero, the young billionaire has hung up her spandex and turned to a life of philanthropy and research. Of course, nothing lasts forever. At twenty-two, she misses making a difference in a more concrete way. She also misses her friends. Who says a young psychic can't have it all? Costume and Appearance Out of her costume, Alex is a slender, self-possessed young woman. With large eyes and a heart-shaped face, Alex's gaze is too intent to hide well and its really the warmth in her smile that gives her any claim to beauty. Her hair is red and prone to curling if she doesn't take the effort to straighten it in the mornings. If she's been caught in a casual moment, she's probably in multiple layers of conflicting colors and without question, something has sparkles. She tones it down for more official meetings as these days Alex employees a very put upon fashion consultant. It is never, however, monochromatic. When Alex was a student hero, she wore her mother's old costume which was all red and white and a rather short skirt. These days, she's in the same blue and gold that Phalanx wears and the body suit is not all that much more complicated than her old student uniform but she keeps the archer-style tip-less gloves in homage to the costume she wore for years. Psyche also no longer bothers with a mask. There's no point these days, after all. She's done hiding her identity. Powers Alex's power stem from the terminus energy she was exposed to in utero. As the entropic energies of the Terminus contain aspects of all sorts of energy, it's hard to say what specifically mutated Alex's physiology. Both psychic and super genius, it was the telepathic nature of her gifts that first manifested. Alex has been telepathic sense birth and its natural to her. It's far harder to turn out other people than to listen in to them which has been a struggle with her strong ethics. Honing her brain to telekinetically interact with the world took much more concerted effort on Alex's part. It has never been as natural as her telepathy but she has both fine control and raw strength. The more control she gains, the less visible any ripples of her powers are on the world although when the terminus imbued energy does manifest, it does show in glowing sparkling light. Personal Life Both of Alex's parents still live in the house she grew up in - which is entirely paid off these days. They go on more vacations as well thanks to their offspring's tendency for trips-as-presents. It's Alex's way of trying to make up for all the years where the government asked them very nicely not to leave the city. Alex lives alone in the AEON tower but those who knew her at Claremont are aware that she and Mike have been engaged since before graduation. They've had a rather long engagement, as such things go, but now that Mike's no longer making every effort for 'normal', things will likely progress on that front. It's less well known outside of Claremont classmates that for a while, Alex and Mike's time lost daughter was a student alongside them. Thankfully, for the moment at least, Zoe is returned to her own timeline. AEON AEON's origins was as a company trading stocks and bonds. When Alex realized that Zoe might be here long enough to need to go to college, she put her prodigious brain to making a lot of money, very quickly. Being a super genius comes in very handy when trying to guess the trends. Alex coaxed her roommate into helping with her scheme and Mike offered some of the savings bonds he had for college to help with backing. Both Mike and Erin have seen significant returns on their efforts, many times over, although both have often been reluctant to touch their portions of the proceeds. Eventually the idea grew into being more of a business. Alex wanted to understand more, especially about the odd nature of Zoe's powers, so she turned the growing AEON in that direction. That was five years ago. These days, AEON is a multibillion dollar company that specializes in metahuman research and biogenetic work, with other smaller technological divisions that work on developing everything from containment to enhancement. When research turns up something that is not necessarily useful to the main goals, it becomes patented and licensed to be profited on and further the corporation's aims of providing aid to emerging metahumans. The advertise that they'll aid metahumans in crisis with their powers to the best of their abilities and thus far, they seem to be doing exactly that. Allies, Associates and Enemies AlliesPhalanx: Alex's other half. She honestly doesn't know if her mind even could survive his death. Fortunately, he's nigh-invulnerable so hopefully, she'll never have to. Wander: Alex's roommate from Claremont and the sister that she never had. There is no doubt or question that Alex would do just about anything for Erin if she asked. After all, just look at Jessie. Edge: Mark was the first boy to ask Alex out so many years ago. Alex has looked into many minds over the years and feels comfortable saying that if there's a purer heart out there than Mark's, she's never seen it. Midnight: Trevor and Alex may not always see eye to eye but the fact that Erin loves him would be plenty reason for Alex to have his back. Beyond that, he's a good person and a better hero. AssociatesYoung Freedom 1.0: Hellion, Geckoman, and Breakdown were the other students that formed the initial Young Freedom. Alex has already gone to hell's door to help get James back and while she's not always in touch these days, she'd still help if the chips were down.Terminus Children: Good or bad, Alex is one of the most public faces of the T-babies these days and she feels some sort of inherent responsibility to try and help others that were caught in the same set of circumstances beyond their control. EnemiesThe Terminus: Its the boogeyman of the universe and the last big invasion is what gave Alex and so many others their odd powers. She tries every day to use them in ways that Omega would not approve of - for good. Pathos: There's not much, at this point, that can make Alex shudder and turn away. The efforts of her alternate-self, however, chill Alex to the core. No one has to remind Alex what's waiting if she goes down a dark path. She's already seen it.

Bombshell Natalya Browning Character Playlist ABBA: Voulez Vous Nancy Sinatra: These Boots Are Made for Walking Willam: Thick Thighs Lady Gaga: The Edge of Glory Jennifer Lopez: On the Floor Brittney Spears: Work B**tch Ru Paul: Sissy that Walk Archetype and Design Bombshell was entirely designed as the Catwoman to Scarab's Batman during the 1960s. Originally written as a villain NPC for the site, and then re-worked through an arc to once again take on a more heroic bent. Like Catwoman, Bombshell is an antihero who will take on a heroic role when its clearly called for but spends most of her time as a foil for the less morally grey superheroes. Her persona and inspiration comes from the 1940s femme fatale as it syncs nicely with her first time as a super hero. Her origins are a golden age spy during the war and is drawn from real life spies. Britain's SOE was one of the first to take female civilians and train them for deep cover spy work in Axis territory. SOE would later go on to become MI6 and that's the real life inspiration for Tayla's super hero story. Current Role and Hooks At the moment, Talya is without antagonist or team so I'm hoping to nudge her gently along in that direction as it develops. If a character operated somewhere between 1939 and 1972, they could have known Bombshell in any number of her masks. During the 40's she was part of the Allies of Freedom fighting in the European front of the war, although her work was more soldier than spy. During the 50s, she went over to Russia to take part in Cold War spy-antics although left when things grew too murky even for her. Her final arc pre-jail was as a solo villain during the swinging 60s. After that, if a character has done a stint in super-jail between 1972 and 2009, they might know Bombshell as a frail little old lady. History Bombshell started out a hero. Born in England to an upper-class family, when the war arrived, Talya was recruited from civilian life to serve in the SOE, as a spy and thief - and occasionally, an assassin. Mental training helped her shield her thoughts and presence from the Nazis and it was a skill that Talya honed to a lethal edge. The four agents she was deployed with were even lucky enough to break into a cache of one of the mystical artifacts that was one of the secret weapons. In the ensuing explosion, all four Brits were gifted with eternal life and minor protections. For Talya, that enhanced her natural aptitudes for stealth and shielding into mystically enhanced physiology. Gifts that she was quick to turn into weapons for the Allies during the war, coming onto the scene as the shadow known as Bombshell. She spent the war years in Europe, often in deep cover but also teaming up with other Allies of Freedom to help turn the tide. For her efforts in the war, Talya was recognized by the British crown although her medals rarely make an appearance these days but for the occasional funeral. Once the war was at an end, Talya remained with the newly forming MI6 and her talents were turned towards the potential threat that Russia posed for the Western world. This, however, was a much murkier world and Talya lost her taste for the spy game as it became much less clear what good and evil war. She carried on for a while with the skills and talents that she'd honed before abandoning her country's cause when the price became too high. Jaded and disillusioned with Queen and Country, Talya was rootless for a while as she vanished as only the very best spies can. Abandoning war-torn Europe, Talya gave into her thrill-seeking ways, becoming a world class thief. As England was still rebuilding, she left European shores for the prosperous US. Still slightly bitter at how her country had been decimated while America thrived, she had no moral qualms with helping herself to that bounty. She only stole artifacts that were not native to the Americas. Never anything as gauche as money. She favored ancient jewelry but any British artifact would do. She clashed with Freedom League greatly during the '60s, enjoying a special game of cat and mouse with the Scarab as her abilities helped her remain elusive to his senses. Although she went up against a variety of heroes and occasionally, other villains, she delighted in being a thorn in Scarab's side and their constant battle had distinctly romantic overtones to many of their allies. Talya found the Scarab's determination to redeem her charming although she remained committed to her course - perhaps to spite him. When the immortal agents that had been Talya's teammates for her very first mission, Talya was quick to catch up for old times sake. Unfortunately, they had grown far darker than Bombshell was ever willing to go. She was a thief but never a murderer. Innocent life was one that she was not willing to cross and never had been. In fact, Talya worked with the Freedom League to turn on her old friends in exchange for a minimum sentence. Twenty-five years instead of the life terms the others got. She didn't intend to stay in prison but when Scarab died a few months after her sentence began, she changed her mind. No one knew she was unaging. She'd kept that secret carefully. Talya was good at keeping secrets. Instead, she spent her time and used her disguise skills to look more fragile with the years. The plan was to let Natalya Browning die and start fresh. That plan, however, was thrown into disarray when a new superhero showed up, claiming the Scarab name and legacy. Talya was incensed. Abandoning her plans for a quiet retirement of her persona for something new, Talya resumed her Bombshell identity to teach this upstart a lesson. To her surprise, the new Scarab was, in fact, the old Scarab's reincarnation - with all the memories of the man she'd known although a new face and personality. For a while, she picked up her old game of aggravating Scarab, but eventually Talya found that the villains of the era weren't any sort that she wanted to throw her lot in with. No style. No panache. Too much murder. After another heel-face turn, Bombshell was back on the side of good. Ish. When the chips are down, Talya's always on the side of 'lets not blow up the world'. Burning buildings. Rescuing cats from trees. Sure. She still has a bit of a weakness for taking things from rich people who fail to appreciate them, but everyone has their personality quirks. Costume and Appearance Out of costume, Natalya Browning is a stunning woman and she generally dresses to accentuate it. As retro-40s is chic once more, Talya generally favors the aesthetic when she's out and about as herself. Of course, the woman is a master of disguise so if she wants instead to be out looking non descript, that's possible too. When utilizing her most well developed alter-ego, she blends into the crowd as a rather nondescript brunette. If she's herself, though, Talya is usually all curves and long legs with her blonde hair styled over one eye a la Jessica Rabbit. By and large, Talya is always playing a role that she's set out for herself and it is only the rare and trusted individual that gets to see anything less than what Talya wants them to see. As Bombshell, her costume has always been drawn from what her comic book counterparts have worn during the time. Its a 4th wall gag that she updates her look and occasionally bemoans that its what the current look is. Her most recent costume is an homage to the current Catwoman catsuit, goggles and straps. During earlier eras, it has changed many, many times to reflect the changing styles of the various eras. Her most well known costume involved a miniskirt and gogo boots during the 1960s. Powers Bombshell, at her core, is a highly trained spy and thief. Thanks to the mystical artifact during her earliest job in Nazi Germany, she was embed with mystical energy that prevents her aging and heals her body from any trauma it receives. Which is not to say that the injuries don't hurt along the way. There are many good reasons that Bombshell has been very happy to let Ace take on the role of impossible to kill immortal. She values her secrets. The same mystical energy infuses her body with the ability to enhance her natural abilities to hide. She relies on fighting batons to even the playing field when it comes to dealing out the damage but Bombshell has always worked best as a strike and run combatant. She has near a centuries' worth of skills and is only adding to that every year. Personal Life Talya lives alone and she prefers it that way. She has a small house in the suburbs that she's owned since the 1950s and none of her neighbors are aware of who Talya really is. She prefers it that way. Although she is a consummate flirt, Talya rarely takes anything back home. Elena has seen the inside of her house and Ace has as well. Even with them, however, she prefers things to remain on rooftops or the places they choose to frequent. Some habits die hard and Talya's life is always carefully compartmentalized. Bleed over makes her uncomfortable so she prevents it from occurring most of the time. Any living family she has is distant enough that she doesn't do much more than cursorily keep track of their well being. Allies, Associates and Enemies AlliesAce Danger: Ace is one of the very few souls left alive that she worked with during the war and the two share a special bond that only time and similar circumstances can result in. She doesn't always agree with Ace, but she understands him as few can.Scarab: Talya has been Scarab's lover in two different life times. As Elena continues to age, Talya will have to face another goodbye and the uncertainty if Scarab's next incarnation will share the entity's current fondness for her. Jack of All Blades: Talya has a special fondness for the West End native. After all, its not everyone she'll call to come help her get out of jail. Its been a few years, but she'd still show up if the swordsman had any need for her help.AssociatesAllies of Freedom: There aren't many left alive but the other veterans of World War II that fought can still count on Bombshell to answer a phone call. She shows up without fail at their funerals when they do happen. She is understandably closer to those who fought in Europe during the war but the super hero community was a lot smaller during the 1940s.EnemiesEveryone Else? Talya's made a lot of enemies over the years. There are the three NPC ex-spies that she's helped put in jail that are still in prison. But beyond them there's any number of other people who she's gotten on the bad side of over the years.

Nighthawk Robin Dianne Chevalier Character Playlist Trapt: Headstrong Maroon 5: One More Night OneRepublic: Counting Stars Jason DeRulo: Don't Wanna Go Home Beyonce: Run the World LMFAO: Party Rock Anthem Archetype and Design Nighthawk was an homage originally to the Batman of the Silver Age. The original thought behind her creation was what if Bruce Wayne had been poor and female when his parents died. What would that have looked like. In development, she's taken on more of a Power Man or Captain America as her Ultiman heritage pushes her beyond human normal. Still, strip everything down to the core of the character and its a young woman who really just doesn't want to see people lose the ones they love. Her current costume is based on what she can easily keep at hand but her adult costume draws from Psylocke and Nightwing in many ways. Current Role and Hooks Nighthawk sees herself as the protector of the innocents that live in the Fens, a task that she'd thrown herself into with singleminded devotion. She avoids the actual super villains, figuring she's out of their league but any sort of normal scum on the streets she pursues with enough grim determination to have labeled herself a vigilante. Recently, Claremont's headmistress has offered her a spot in the academy to hone her skills (and to keep herself from getting killed before she turns eighteen). While confident on the streets of the Fens, Robin is very much a fish out of water at the Academy as for the last six years her schooling has been spotty and for the last three years, she's been a homeless truant. Hooks to pull Nighthawk in are plentiful. Any sort of criminal activity that looks like it might hurt some innocent bystander and she'll throw herself into the thick of it. She's a student at Claremont with all of those associated requirements on her time but she still abandons the cushy academy to wander the Fens looking for trouble. She IS a known super hero, of the vigilante stripe, that works exclusively in the Fens which she is intimately familiar with. Robin doesn't just confine her hero-ing to punching things. She has some real guilt for the roof over her head and the access to food that she tends to try and cart off anything she gets that isn't pure need to bring it back 'home'. History Robin's family and home were happy until she was ten. They were poor, working class folk in the Fens but whatever financial limitations her parents had, it didn't touch Robin's life in any meaningful way. She was a beloved only child. Her parents scrimped and saved to make sure she could go to her gymnastics classes even though that was a definite luxury. Robin was a middling student, bright but unmotivated, but she was driven and dedicated to her after school activities. Her coach was beginning to talk about seriously looking at training for an athlete's life. She was happy. Her parents were killed, robbed, on a rare evening out when she was ten. The days that followed remain something of a blur. Her father's relatives were in Haiti, her mother's family was non-existent and with no one to take her in, Robin was left to the care of the system. She was bounced in and out of foster homes - none of them the stuff of horror stories but all of them overworked and ill prepared to deal with a grief stricken child with no outlet for her pain, or rage at the unfairness of having all she'd known whisked away. Robin started down a path that takes too many of the Fens kids, hanging out with a bad crowd and missing school. She was truant often and began the sort of petty antics that can lead down a much darker road. Although, whether Robin would have embraced that life was questionable. Truancy and graffiti is one thing, after all, but true villainy is an entirely different matter. Regardless, her late nights unsupervised left her by pure happenstance at the mouth of an alley as another crime was in progress in the Fens. The experience was a blur and remains a jumble of images and emotions to this day but at the end of the scuffle, she was standing, blood dripping off her knuckles. There was no thanks from the rather terrified young woman she'd helped but Robin didn't need thanks. She'd found an outlet, and a cause. Robin had finally found something to live for. She threw herself into the new life she'd chosen with a reckless fervor, creating a moniker and, in time, a reputation. Abandoning the latest foster home, Robin took to the streets, scavenging to survive by day and by night pursuing her quest to clean up the Fens, one petty crime at a time. Costume and Appearance Robin wears faded and frayed clothing that are without exception hand-me-downs or salvaged from the trash. Almost all of her clothing is a little oversized and she tops it off with a leather jacket that's also a size or two too large. She only has one pair of shoes, old and frayed sneakers that have been patched with duct tape more than once. She's a striking young woman under the old clothing. Her skin is a smooth brown and her eyes are a surprising shade of grey. Her dark hair is naturally a mop of tight black curls but she tries to trade favors for hair styling to have them put up in micro braids when she can to keep the unruly and easily snarled curls in a more manageable sort style for her life. Out of her clothes, Robin has the sort of near-zero-muscle fat that comes from hard conditioning and limited diet. Her build is compact, muscular - as much gymnast as dancer but she is honestly, a little too lean. Also, under her clothes, there are scars that criss cross her body. Robin has been shot a few times, and been stabbed or slashed more often than that and the marks of that remain on her skin as faint white reminders of her various brushes with death. At the moment, Nighthawk has no costume but for a shirt with a bird logo that she wears and a dark t-shirt with holes poked out for eyes tied around her head. Powers Robin began Claremont thinking that she had no powers because she has always associated her speed and strength with training and hard work. She's never tried to lift a car off of someone, or tried to punch a brick wall as hard as she could. It wasn't until her experiences at Claremont put lie to her understanding of her limitations. Additionally, part of Robin's supernatural abilities has been consumed with keeping her alive and in decent enough shape while living a very hard life. With access to food and rest, as she began to actually be able to tap into the peak of her capabilities. Robin's not sure what to think of it although she assumes its some minor mutation as she's no paragon. Robin's powers are all innate. Unknown to her, the limits of her body are simply higher than humans because she's only half human. (See Secret Origin Below). In a fight, Robin tends to take the tactics of first in, last out. She's a scrappy fighter that does best in close quarters and she knows it. As she grows at Claremont, she'll expand her bag of tricks but when it comes down to a fight, due to both personality and power, Robin will be on the front line. Personal Life Robin's personal life is next to non-existent. She's spent the last three years letting what few, slim ties she had as Robin vanish into nothing and cultivated instead Nighthawk's network of contacts and the occasional ally willing to let her rest up for a night in a spare room or on a couch. Robin's used to doing for herself and letting no one in and that has stunted her interpersonal skills a bit. Oh, she's perfectly capable of carrying on a superficial conversation but letting someone actually into her emotional space isn't something she even knows how to do. She may never actually be good at it. The sad thing is, Robin actually does want that human connection. At least a part of her does. But she's also afraid of loss and the hurt that comes along with it. Robin has a lot of barriers to break down to ever find something like 'emotionally functional' again. While she's not suicidal, part of her has accepted her own death as an inevitable conclusion to the life she's chosen. Homeless Robin has been homeless for almost three years and its not easy. It's left her both guilty about the sudden influx of things like 'food', 'shelter' and clean water but also its hard to adjust. Robin struggles to understand where her classmates are coming from. She doesn't begrudge them their advantages but things like casual waste do ruffle her feathers. Her bed at Claremont is too soft and her room is too quiet. Half the time she feels like a wild thing, trying to adjust to a very nice cage. Robin stays at Claremont because she understands the benefits and she appreciates everything she's been given but it's still hard. When people aren't looking, she takes extra from the cafeteria and some nights, if she can't get comfortable under her bed, she sneaks out to try and find a spot on the roof to nap because honestly, it's much more what she's used to now. Secret Origins Robin's powers are not a minor mutation but rather a genetic legacy from her mother who hails from Hyperborea. It was not a simple robber that killed Robin's parents but rather an attack by snake people on an Ultiman exile and Robin's father merely happened to have been their collateral damage. Robin has no knowledge of her heritage, nor any thing from her mother that would betray that ancestry although more questions may get raised if she ever develops the more esoteric powers of her diluted birthright. One can see Robin's Ultiman ancestry in her ruthless devotion to excellence, a trait she gained from her mother but much of the more tell-tale signs have been blunted by both her lack of training and her human half. Allies, Associates and Enemies AlliesAssociatesClaremont: Although Nighthawk is still stumbling through making any real friendships at Claremont, it really doesn't take much to earn her loyalty. Those she meets at Claremont, as little as she might have in common, she shares a certain kinship. Nighthawk is willing to jump in front of a bullet for total strangers, she wouldn't hesitate to do the same for her first tentative friends in a long time. EnemiesMisc. Gangs: The Fens have many and varied criminals and Robin has made it a personal goal to track down every single one and kick their teeth in. There are any number of criminals in the Fens that would like to see Nighthawk shot full of many rounds of bullets and put out of their hair for good. One of these days they might actually manage to organize enough to try it.

Phantom Taylor Xiao Farretti (nee Chun) Character Playlist Fall Out Boy: Immortals Fall Out Boy: My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark Imagine Dragons: Radioactive Halsey: Control Sheppard: Geronimo Archetype and Design In design, Phantom was drawn from silver age era magic users and mystics. A little bit of Dr. Strange and a little bit of Son of Satan were the inspiration for the character. Originally intended to take on the Gatekeeper powerset from the Freedom City setting, she was instead developed as her own legacy. Her costume was drawn from the same era. The Cloak and Dagger designs of the 1980s as well as the same era Zantanna costume. Current Role and Hooks Phantom's role is to enforce the pact and keep things where they belong. Although she lives on the Earth of Freedom City's setting, she can - and has - been active across the multiverse. She has in the past filled in for the cryptic mystic role as her abilities tend to mean she's a good go-to when esoteric information needs to be uncovered. Phantom can be a good introductory thread for characters from another dimension as in setting, she has good reason to check up on them. These threads have run the gamut from hostile to helpful for the trans-dimensional character. Other potential hooks for Phantom include her connections to the supernatural community, especially the vampires as her spouse is Jack Farretti and their son is a half-vampire, or dhampir. She's in the twenty-something/thirty-something group of parents with young families so characters with kids in either Claremont or its elementary school could easily know her. History Taylor Chun was a nineteen year old linguistics student when her Great Uncle entrusted her with the Eye of Heshem for safe-keeping. Despite all odds, or perhaps because it had always been intended for her, she was able to translate and pronounce the Atlantean inscription on the back. In the blink of an eye, she was given the power, and responsibility, of Phantom. Also known as the Chosen of Heshem, she serves to keep the balance of the multiverse, fighting from threats that might unravel creation itself. She was trained by several mystics from various dimensions in the Dimension of Doors and, to her count of time, was there for at least a few years. During that time, she was not allowed to return home and had assumed time was passing in a similar vein for her family as she went through the process of grieving them. Taylor was disoriented when she returned to find that no time on Prime seemed to have passed at all. Since then, she's gone on to make connections in the super hero community, fighting alongside various heroes and taking part in battles both large and small. Most recently, she's returned from a long absence from at least Earth Prime to resurrect her life once more. Costume and Appearance Taylor is a small woman out of her costume and her body was frozen in time at the moment she accepted the duties of her role. Although she is imbued with plenty of mystical potency, she was given no particular offensive skills and has to train for those as any mortal woman would and the tone of her muscles comes from regular practice and workouts. She favors kickboxing as her activity of choice. At 5'1", Taylor is short but her frame is compact and toned under her curves. Her speaking voice is in the alto range, the tone low and slightly husky. Her hair is black, long and straight. As Phantom, she wears a long-sleeved, high necked purple leotard that includes a face-mask. She wears long leather gloves and leather thigh boots and over all of it a voluminous cloak that is tattered on its edges and when she lands, trails on the ground. In either guise, she is never without the Atlantean amulet, the Eye of Heshem around her throat, the chain is old and thick, matching the setting of the Eye itself which holds a dark faceted gem of unknown origin. Powers The most obvious and casual manifestation of what Phantom is, is the fact that she flickers in and out of reality - not quite fully here unless she makes the choice to manifest fully. Taylor's ephemeral state is tied to her fight/flight reflexes and those who know Taylor well, are well aware that startling her will generally result in her phasing through whatever she might be standing near at the time. The magic she summons most often is made manifest with same white eldritch witch light that flashes across the Void and gives her eyes their otherworldly glow. There have been times when rage has fueled her powers instead and during those rare moments, her eyes and magic have been marked by the black of the Void instead. Unlike most casters, Phantom has no need of word or gesture to summon magic to her hands but when exhausted, she does fall back on those routes to help her focus. Personal Life Taylor Chun is the youngest of five children. Her father is Chinese American and her mother is Caucasian of mixed ancestry although she takes great pride in her various heritages. There is a running gag for Taylor's mother's attempts at making fusion dishes of the mixed heritage that are usually terrible. Both of Taylor's parents are doctors at one of Freedom City's hospitals, and her brother has taken on a similar career path. Her other brothers have all gone into various STEM career paths and Taylor has always been considered the 'artistic' one for her career in translation and the humanities. Taylor eventually confessed that she had an alter-ego and her family is somewhat bemused and dismayed at turns at the very different life she has from what they expected. That she vanishes for long stretches with no warning doesn't help. Taylor began a rather troubled relationship with a fellow team-mate on the Knights of Freedom, Jack Farretti, not long after she joined the super-team. Despite the odds, their relationship survived both super-heroics and the revelation of Jack's true nature. They were married in December, 2009 and had a dhampir son, JJ, in short order - whose conception was a shock to everyone involved. The family now includes his teenage self from the future that Taylor is more than a little lost on how to handle. Huang, the elder version, is a student at Claremont and teen super-hero hoping to follow in his parents footsteps (but cooler!), and JJ has just started kindergarten at the associated elementary. The Haunted House These days, Taylor's home is the one she shares with her husband and their children, a rather older looking manor in North Bay that's up at the end of a long, winding drive. The Farretti home looks like one of the oldest houses in Freedom City, and it is. It's well cared for but thanks to countless movies, the older style victorian lines give it a more sinister look that isn't helped by the fact that heavy tree cover has been cultivated and in addition to the pool, the grounds also hold a not insignificant family mausoleum. The house is hard to find if you don't know exactly where you're going. There's a mystical energy that encourages people to drive past the overgrown drive - which is why they by and large have mail sent to post office boxes rather than deal with a constantly lost mailman. To the more knowing eye, the whole area pulses with the magic that has been carefully worked over it, from the wards and runes that see to the protection, to the ghosts that populate the house. The haunters are largely happy and consider those living there, as well as properly introduced guests, family and respond to them. They are given free reign to scare away any who aren't welcome, and even encouraged. Alternate Dimensions There are certainly dimensions where there are versions of Taylor Chun among the near Earths but there is no duplicate of Phantom's particular bailiwick of any sort. When she accepted the burden, she was pulled outside of the fabric of Earth Prime to coexist in the Void. Technically speaking, she's no longer fully native to the dimension of Freedom City and the powers associated with that have no Near Earth counterparts. A hook has been left for there to be a counterpart to Phantom with similar rights and duties but imbued with light instead of the shadows, Dagger to her Cloak if you will if interest ever arrises in using that hook. Allies, Associates and Enemies AlliesAvenger: Jack might be semi-retired from his crime-fighting these days, and busy with his role among his vampiric brethren, but Taylor has no doubts that he'd be there when the chips are down, her husband has her back. Despite her tendency to avoid getting involved in vampire politics, if there was a real threat, she'd be there. Fleur De Joie: In many ways, Stesha was the first real friend Taylor made after becoming Phantom. The woman has literally died to keep her son safe (she got better), and Taylor has never forgotten that. Ouroboros: The teen mystic is Taylor's own (if time-lost) son. Regardless of the oddity of his sudden appearance in her life, Taylor would fight as hard for him as she would for his five year old self. She's pretty darn unlikely to let him anywhere near a fight or call on him, much to the teen's eternal frustration. Grimalkin: The dark fae is an ex-Knight, like Taylor and her husband, and although her relationship with Grim has been strained at times for various reasons, she still one of the super heroes that Taylor trusts most with her many secrets. AssociatesWander: The time displaced powerhouse was JJ's baby sitter in her high school days. Taylor doesn't really keep in touch but she trusts Wander the most of that year of Claremont's graduates. Sandman: The inheritor of his wife's legacy, Taylor feels some responsibility to see that he survives cutting his teeth on the supernatural. He's not quite a protege but she's trying to keep an eye out for him.Set: A recent associate, but the displaced Egyptian god reminds her - sometimes unsettlingly - of some of Ouroboros' foibles and she's rather fond of his keeper, Sekhmet. Scarab: Although Taylor and Elena are friends, they are often at odds with the way to approach most problems. Their relationship has been a little strained ever since the explosion of the Knights. EnemiesZealot: One of the few people who has successfully gotten the drop on Taylor. Of all the enemies she's fought, many of them more powerful, she's least likely to be rational about this one. Dracula: Dude sent minions to crash her wedding and then showed up to try and steal or perhaps kill her unborn son on the day of his birth. There's not a whole lot of entities Taylor truly hates but he's on that short list.