Bonfire

[olopi]

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Twenty Questions

 

HellQ

 

Edited March 26, 2016 by olopi

[olopi]

Twenty Questions:

 

1. Where is your hero from?

 

Orange County, Vermont. Born and raised there, moved to Freedom a while ago.

 

2. How would your hero physically describe him/herself? Is this different from how others would?

 

I'd say I'm, well, pretty hot. Other than that I've got a rather average build, my body's all about my face. I'm not sure about others, but since I get quite a lot of looks when walking down the street, I guess the hot part applies too. Some people seem to be a bit weirded out by my deep red hair.

 

3. Does your hero have distinguishing speech characteristics or recurring mannerisms?

 

Well, I don't know. I don't really listen to myself, I let others do that. I'm quite fond of power-related puns however. I suppose a lot of my sentences start with "well..."

 

4. What is your hero's motivation?

 

Well (oops I did it again), I have these powers, so I guess I should do something with them. Especially since I can help the Firefighters. Other than that, I'm unemployed right now, and this sure beats sitting around at home.

 

5. What are your hero's greatest strengths and weaknesses?

 

My greatest strength? Probably my ability to talk. I'm more of a talker than a fighter, it just feels a lot nicer, less violence. As for my weaknesses, why do you want to know, huh? Are you planning on damaging me? Just kidding, it's anything that makes me be unable to use my powers, since I'm just a meat shield with good looks in that case.

 

6. What does your hero love? What does your hero hate?

 

I'm quite fond of the looks on mooks' faces when they realize I just managed to put them into prison without even attacking them. It's pretty great.

 

And hate? Huh, I guess bad weather. It's even less fun if you are completely vulnerable. Also Blades I guess, no idea why but I really hate them!

 

7. How would you describe your character's mental and emotional state?

 

Personally I'd say I'm rather sane, but I might not be the best judge of that.

 

8. What does your hero fear the most?

 

Losing my powers. I've gotten really used to all the cool stuff I get from them, and not having them anymore would be quite disturbing.

 

9. What is your character's greatest ambition?

 

Well, apart from earning enough money to pay rent? Being on the roster of a super-team.

 

10. How does your hero feel about the state of the world and his/her place in it?

 

Well, looking around, the world certainly isn't the fairest place. I guess thanks to my powers it's my job to make it just a bit fairer for those who need it.

 

11. Does your hero have any prejudices? How does he/she get along with others?

 

I try to go into everything without any prejudices. Whether or not it always works I'm not sure, but I do my best to not let people's looks, interests or other things affect my opinion when talking with them for the first time.

 

12. Where do your heroes loyalties lie? In what order?

 

Well, I'm kind of broke pretty much all the time, so, unfortunately, money. At the moment this primarily means working with the Fire Department, and they're pretty cool people.

 

Also my blog, I love all my readers! And thanks to all of them for donating all the time, it's making work a lot easier!

 

13. Does your hero have a lover or partner? How do they feel about the hero now?

 

I'm currently single, have been for a few months.

 

14. Does your hero have a family? What is the relationship there like?

 

I've got my parents and my big sister back in Vermont. We're on good terms, we talk every once in a while, and I fly over during the holidays most of the time.

 

15. How would the people closest to your hero describe him or her?

 

Well, I guess the people closest to Bonfire would be the Fire Department, and they'd probably describe me as "That smoke guy who comes in and helps us deal with fires while showing off"

 

16. Is your hero a role model?

 

No idea, I guess so? Got my powers and I'm using them for good, but that's about it. There's probably better role models out there, kids!

 

17. How spiritual is your hero? Does your hero follow a religious tradition?

 

My family's never been too spiritual. We occasionally went to church on Easter or Christmas, but that's about it, and that's also my stance on it. I'm not really religious, but I'll let people believe what they believe in.

 

18. Is your hero part of a team, or would he/she like to be? Why?

 

Not yet. Definitely planning on it however! My powers work much better with other people around, and I enjoy being around people.

 

19. How does your hero feel about the place of metahumans and aliens on Earth?

 

Well, I used to have a thing with an "alien" refugee. It didn't work out long term, but yeah. In my opinion they should be treated the same.

 

20. If you could give one piece of advice to your hero, what would it be?

 

 

Figure out whether or not you want to keep your identity secret and take more measures to do so, or go fully public and don't worry about it.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2016 by olopi

[olopi]

 

HellQ

Introduction

Who are you? Sum yourself up in one sentence.

Freedom's HOTTEST Newcomer, baby!

Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume?

Well, apart from that one, quite a lot of people call me Smokehead or Hothead because of my "mask"

What is your full birth name?

Cassidy Quinn Bauer

Where do you live?

I live in the Fens, Oak Street 266, above a small café.

How old are you? What year were you born (if applicable)?

I'm 19 now, was born back in '97.

Physical Traits

What is your gender? If not applicable, please explain.

I'm male.

How would you describe your heritage?

Nothing special there.

How tall are you?

5'10.

What is your body type?

It's pretty average, I’d say.

Do you have any particular weaknesses, such as allergies or physical disabilities?

Well, Cass Bauer doesn't. Bonfire on the other hand? Quite a few. And since Bonfire's powers are active quite often, Cass Bauer does too.

How do you carry yourself? Are you graceful, or heavy on your feet? Can you be stealthy; do you walk with confidence?

A graceful, confident stride, telling everybody "Hey, I'm here, talk to me!"

Describe your skin, eye, and hair color.

My skin's that of your average white person, if you take away various burn marks everywhere. My eyes have had a red teint ever since I got my powers, the same applies to my hair which I started dyeing deep red so it looks better.

How do you wear your hair, if applicable? Do you have facial hair?

It's pretty long at this point, usually I wear a bandana or something to keep it out of my face.

I've got a bit of a soul patch to go with it.

Do you consider yourself attractive? Do others?

Well, yeah, I'm Freedom's HOTTEST Newcomer after all! And generally yes, I know quite a few people that think I look pretty attractive.

Do you have any scars, tattoos, piercings, or birthmarks?

Burn marks. Burn marks EVERYWHERE. Other than that? A small tattoo on my back. I've been thinking about getting more, but not yet, money's a bit short at the moment.

Do you resemble anyone famous?

Not that I'm aware of.

Do you have a dominant hand?

I'm right handed.

What kind of clothing do you wear?

I generally wear pretty colourful stuff. Not too big a fan of jeans, too.

Do you wear makeup?

No need to, I look good enough already!

What is your vocal range? Is your voice distinctive in some way?

It's about average, maybe slightly on the high side.

Do you have any distinctive habits, nervous tics, or mannerisms? Where did they come from, and what causes them? Do other people notice and remark on these habits? Do they annoy you or other people?

Not really, at least none I would be aware of.

 

History

 

Where do you come from?

Orange County, Vermont

Have you made any major moves, or do you live in your hometown?

I moved to Freedom for college a while ago.

Do you feel loyal to your country of citizenship? Do you consider yourself patriotic? How do you feel about the government of your country?

Well, it could be worse. Not patriotic or anything, but I do still live here. I don't care too much about the government, I'm more about local politics.

How do you feel about the place you come from?

It's out in the middle of nowhere. It was nice and quiet and all, but I'll take going out to the shops and not having to allocate an hour for each way over the quiet.

Where is your home town? What was/is it like?

It's in Orange County. It's a small town, nothing special about it. It had a few small stores, a soap museum, and that's about it.

Growing up, were most of the people you knew similar to you, or were you somehow a minority? How did that affect you?

I usually was with the cool kids, actually. Well, I socialized a lot, and got pretty good at it.

Is there something you've always been really good at or really bad at? How has that affected your life?

I've always been pretty good at talking, especially ever since I got my powers. It's pretty useful to get out of sticky situations.  Things like being brought to the police station after a demo turned south, but that was back before my powers activated.

Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?

Nope, my live was pretty boring up until I moved to Freedom.

Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life.

Well, we took a weekend trip to NY at one point and I was so amazed by the city life I pushed forward to going to a College at a big city.

What stupid things did you do when you were younger?

Uh, what counts as younger here? I did quite a lot of stupid stuff. There's that one time we got lost in the woods for 2 days, that time we almost burned down my friend's kitchen, the Treehouse incident, and more recently a few political things.

Where did you go to school? How much school did you have, and did you enjoy it?

Due to a few lucky coincidences I managed to get into FreeSA, actually! Was pretty good, but also quite stressful, I wasn't quite on the level the others were, probably primarily since I was younger than most of them.

Do you have any mementos of your childhood? What are they, and why did you keep them? If you have none, why not?

Most of it is back at home, I didn't have enough space to bring it to Freedom. There's quite a lot back home though, from a charred log of wood in the garden, to a few paintings, to a town map, simple stuff that only has sentimental value.

When did you decide to become a hero? Why? Did anyone influence you one way or another in the decision?

I got caught up in a robbery. Decided that hey, I might as well try to see whether or not my powers work for crimefighting. And they did! Some people at the fire station also said I should try it before that happened, but I never felt like bothering up to that point.

Is the reason you give people for becoming a hero different than your real reason? If so, why?

Not really? Like, I'm in it to help people, but I don’t really talk about it that much since it's the thing why everybody does it. So I just talk about the other reasons.

Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you?

None that I remember. Considering how much I don't remember that doesn't have to mean much.

Do you represent yourself as being different from who you really are? Why?

Nah, I'm quite extroverted and act that way. Maybe I sometimes get a bit caught up in the shenanigans and one-liners, but that's about it.

If you do have these secrets, what do you fear would happen if the truth became known? How far would you go to protect those secrets?

Well, If I had any I probably wouldn't go around telling them to everybody, but I doubt I'd make too much of an effort to hide them.

Do you have any sort of criminal record? If so, is it public knowledge?

Well, let's see. A few cases of public indecency (curse you, non-power-proof clothes!), A few parking tickets, and the whole thing about the riots, but that got dropped since there wasn't enough evidence against me. They’re all against Cass Bauer, so Bonfire’s totes fine.

 

Family

What are your biological parents' names?

Morris and Kimberlee

Were you raised by them? If not, please explain and describe who raised you.

Unless they were somehow replaced with automatons or aliens, the answer to that would be yes.

What was their standing in the community? What did/do they do for a living?

Dad works for the town, and Mum occasionally does some side-jobs, but primarily was a stay-at-home back when I still lived there.

Where are your parents now?

Still there, still doing their thing. I think Mum took up a job in a bakery a few weeks ago.

Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot?

They moved once, before I was born, but never while I was alive.

How did you get along with their parents? How do you get along with them now (if applicable)?

We get along pretty good.

How do your parents view you now, or how would they?

Same as always. They're not too happy I'm still unemployed, but as long as I don't have too many money problems I think they're okay with the situation.

Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what are their names? Describe your relationship with them.

My big sister Charlie. We're on pretty good terms. We're siblings so obviously we mock each other and stuff, but it's all in good faith.

What was your birth order in the family?

Charlie's older than me by 4 years.

Where are your siblings now? Do they have families of their own? What do they do?

She recently moved in with her long-time boyfriend Chase, at a farm. I think Charlie works there. No kids yet as far as I'm aware.

Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged?

We talk, once every week or so.

Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular?

I like all of them, to be honest.

Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?

Not in supers related ways, nope.

Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? If so, please explain.

My uncle Ted I guess? Our family never had a lot of contact with him. He occasionally showed up out of nowhere, but that's about it. He was found dead a few months ago.

Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? If so, please explain, including how it has affected your life.

Chances are if you go back far enough there's SOMEBODY, but nobody I'd be directly aware of.

Do you have a partner and children currently? If so, please describe them.

Nah and nope.

If you do not have a partner or children, do you want them someday? How firm are you in your opinion on this, and what might change your mind?

Well, I'm a people person, so maybe? I'm 19, I have other things to worry about at the moment.

What type of person would be your ideal mate?

Hm, somebody with my kind of humor I guess.

 

 

Relationships

Do you have any close friends? If so, please describe them, and how you came to be close to them.

Jade, an artist friend of mine. We met at school and still hang out occasionally. We have a few similar interests, so that helps.

Sam, who's a pretty cool dude. Met him not too long ago. He works for one of the newspapers and is always talking about recent news. I also worked for him before, taking a few pictures.

And a lot of others, but these 2 stand out.

Do you have a best friend? If so, how did they become your best friend? How close are you to your best friend?

I don't have a single best friend. All my friends are my best friends!

If you were to go missing, who would worry about you?

Probably whoever I'd have anything scheduled with, then the fire department, and then when my family would notice it them.

Have you lost any loves? If so, how did it happen, and what did you do?

Fortunately, not.

Do you have any bitter enemies? If so, please describe them and their history with you.

None so far. Let's see how long it stays that way.

If you have enemies, how do you think they might attempt to work against you in the future?

-

What is the worst thing someone has done to you?

I guess those hostage takers who tried putting a bullet through my brain would count.

Where do your loyalties lie? In what order?

Well, my friends and family, money, and then everything else.

Who or what do you trust the most? Why?

I trust everybody, but I'm always a bit cautious. It's worked out so far, so there's no need to change it.

Who or what do you despise? Why?

Well, Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers, the usual suspects.

What qualities do you admire most in other people? Are these qualities you possess?

I think people in general are great, but I guess especially people who are really good at social stuff. I kind of am, I guess?

What qualities do you hate most in other people? Do you have any of those qualities?

Uh, Indecisiveness I guess? I'm not the most decisive person either, to be fair.

Do you have a secret identity? If so, who knows it? Do you hide it from people who are close to you? Why?

It's secret. Nobody knows. As far as I'm aware. I see no reason to really reveal it, I'm not big enough of a deal to be known, and if I was there'd be the Dilemma of people I know possibly being in danger.

Do you work well on teams and in groups? Are you a leader or a follower?

I work really well on teams, both as leader and follower.

Are you on a super team? If so, how do you get along with your comrades? Do you trust them, or do you have secrets from them?

Not yet. It's only a matter of time, hopefully.

Are you a member of any church, fraternal organization, club, committee, political party, or other group? How much time do you spend on that?

I'm a member of the local democratic socialist party, and I'm in a photographer's club. I spend some of my free time with things relating to them, but not a huge amount.

 

Personality & Beliefs

Who are your heroes?

I never really was too big into the hero things, back in Vermont they were a whole different world and here in Freedom I've usually been too busy with school, so .... I guess whoever caught that car that almost landed on me about 2 years ago?

Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances?

Not really.

Do you like being a hero? If so, what is the most rewarding part? If not, what makes you keep doing it?

I think looking around internet forums and seeing people talk about you, getting fanmail, that kind of stuff is what makes this truly fun.

Is there anything that would make you give up hero work, or even switch sides?

Maybe? I don't know, it'd probably depend on a lot of things.

What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)?

Be somewhat known, meet other heroes.

What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)?

Be part of a Team, maybe even be popular!

What is your greatest fear? Why? What do you do when something triggers this fear?

Well, there's losing my power, which would be like somebody taking away part of my body, and then there's Blades. I get really uncomfortable around them, even if they usually can't hurt me.

Is there anything you would give your life for?

Maybe? In the heat of the moment I probably wouldn't think about it too much and just do it.

How do you feel about money and material wealth? Do you desire it or disdain it? Are you miserly with what you have, or do you like to share? Is it a mark of success, or a means to an end?

Well, I do have to pay rent, so I am rather fond of money.

How do you generally treat others?

The best I can. I'm not gonna go out of my way to buy them things, but I try being as good of a person I can be.

Are you a trusting person? Has your trust ever been abused?

I trust everyone to a certain degree. It's not been abused yet; I've abused it on some criminals however.

Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? Do you have a lot of self-confidence?

I'm a complete extrovert. I'm fairly confident in myself, yeah.

How do you act around attractive, available members of your preferred sex?

I stay mostly the same. Feels creepy to do otherwise, and I’d be swooning quite a lot otherwise.

What are your most annoying habits?

I guess "Randomly eats wood, paper and petroleum" would count?

Do you feel contempt for any general category of people? Who are they, and why?

As I've said before, I try to talk with everybody without classifying them first.

What is your favorite food? Do you prefer any particular type of food? Do you take the time to enjoy your food, or do you eat as fast as you can?

I'm a big fan of meatballs. I'm a rather fast eater, but I can take my time to enjoy quality food.

What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

Petroleum? It's pretty useful, kinda expensive unfortunately. Other than that, Coffee probably.

What is your favorite treat (dessert)?

No idea, chocolate maybe?

Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat?

I'm pretty happy as long as there's something on my plate.

What is your favorite color? Are there any colors you dislike?

Probably red. I don't dislike any color tho.

What sort of music do you like? Is there any that you hate?

I listen to whatever's running on the radio, I enjoy most music.

If you have a favorite scent, what is it?

Quite fond of burning pinecones (Gee, I wonder why)

Do you have a favorite animal?

Not really.

What is your most treasured possession? Why?

My camera I guess? It's probably the most expensive thing I own.

Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts?

Eh, I've gotten used to roughing it.

Is there a job or a task you would absolutely refuse to do?

No idea. Anything clearly villainous?

Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, how do your beliefs affect your life? How important is it to you?

I'm not really religious, so no.

Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special?

Doesn't really apply either.

If you belong to a religious organization, how often do you attend? Do you have a specific place of worship, or friends within the organization? How much do you agree with the beliefs of your organization?

-

Could you kill? Have you killed?

Considering my powers? Most likely. I'm totally fine with not having to and not having done it so far.

What circumstances led to you forming that conviction, or taking that action?

Well, generally speaking, killing people is pretty bad.

Are there circumstances under which you believe it is permissible to kill? What are they?

That is something I will figure out should it ever happen.

How would you react to watching someone kill another person? Would your reaction be different if the killer was a friend or an enemy of yours?

Well, I try to avoid people getting killed in the first place. Not sure what my reaction would be. Anger? Sadness?

How would you react if something important was stolen from you?

I'd get it back. I know enough people to track it down and get it again.

How would you react to public humiliation?

I'm on the internet a lot, it happens. I actually find it quite funny to read how people want to humiliate me.

How would you react if a good friend or relative were purposely or accidentally killed? Has it happened to you?

Well, I'd probably try to find whoever did it and hand 'em over to the police. Probably. I don't know, we'd have to see.

What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why?

Well, we have this international laws regarding crimes against humanity, I think most of those apply.

If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours?

1. Freak out

2. Say my goodbyes

3. Take a loan and buy the most expensive thing I can afford just for the fun of it.

4. Freak out even more

5. Fly somewhere remote and see just how much I can push my powers before I fall unconscious. Sounds like a pretty fun way to go out

 

Career & Training

Do you have any special training in your hero skills? If so, where and how did you get it?

I'm completely self-trained. I wouldn't be surprised if I figure out more powers in the future.

Who taught you the most about your heroing abilities? What was your relationship with that person?

-

Do you have any particularly unusual skills? How did you acquire them?

Well, the whole Charismatic thing doesn't really match with all the Fire and Smoke, but I'm not gonna complain about it.

Do you do something besides hero work for a living? Have you ever done anything else, or do you plan to?

Every once in a while I get a quick freelance contract, mostly weddings or art projects.

What is your preferred combat style?

Talking it out. Oh, and tricking people I guess.

Have you ever received any awards or honours?

I'm an honorary firefighter, if that counts.

What skill areas would you like most to improve in? Is there anything you can't do that you wish desperately you could?

Well, at the moment I'm super vulnerable if my powers were not to work. I guess I should take self defense classes or something.

How do you act around people who are more skilled than you in areas you'd like to improve? Are you jealous, or do you try and learn?

I try to pick up what they do so I can improve in it.

 

 

Lifestyle & Hobbies

What is a normal day for you? How do you feel when something interrupts this routine?

I get up at 12-ish, check my E-Mail for any work related things, check whether or not a friend's sent me something, then I go onto various supers related forums and websites to check what's going on. Usually after that I grab a coffee downstairs and head out to patrol, and get home at 2-3ish depending on what’s going down and how tired I am.

Do you have any hobbies, or interests outside hero work? What are they, and where did you pick them up?

Well, I'm still a photographer. I also quite enjoy videogames, but I really can't afford them at the moment and my laptop can't run most anyways.

What do you do for fun?

Well, I enjoy talking with people.

Do you have a costume? What does it look like?

Most of the time, nothing. The closest thing to a uniform I have is my power-proof underwear. I got pretty tired of always being naked after using my powers. They actually have pockets for my phone!

How do you normally dress when not in costume?

Usually it's a t-shirt or sleeveless shirt and some basic legwear.

What do you wear to bed most nights?

I'm a fan of sweatpants.

Do you wear any special jewellery? What is it, and what does it look like?

Nah, I'd constantly lose it otherwise.

Do you have a special place where you keep your valuables?

At home I suppose? I keep 'em hidden under the huge mess that is my apartment.

What's your preferred means of local travel? How about long distance?

Short distances I can usually fly, for medium distances I can use my bike (which produces about as much smoke as I do), and for longer distances I guess it's public transport.

 

 

Miscellaneous

Have you ever made a will, or tried to make arrangements for your death? What provisions did you make?

I try not to think about dying too much.

If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body?

Nope. Considering I'd probably die while in smoke form I'd probably just disappear entirely.

What would you like to be remembered for after your death?

Well, being a hero I guess?

Do you believe you pose a threat to the public? Why or why not?

Probably. My powers have quite a bit of collateral damage on them, so I try not to use them whenever possible. It's kinda sad, but such is safety.

What do you perceive as your greatest strength?

My social skills.

What do you perceive as your greatest weakness?

I feel like I rely on my powers to stay safe too much.

As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Use proper tone so they might heed your advice...

Hey dude, stop worrying about being defenseless, figure out how to use your powers more precisely, and do something about your pseudo-secret identity.

[olopi]

Timeline

 

April 2nd 2016 - With One Voice

Leviathan, Terrifica and Bonfire, as well as some others all in their secret identity, discuss the state of society, the world, and other things.

 

April 2nd 2016 - 5 Finger Discout X

The Shrike, Terrifica and Bonfire investiage a heist on a nautical company with ties to supers!

 

April 5th 2016 - Gangbusters!

The Eternal Dragon, Doctor Warp and Bonfire deal with a robbery that includes criminals shooting at them with some fancy gear.

 

April 17th 2016 - Nuclear Option !

After retreating to a bar to relax, Bonfire stumbles across a pile of Uranium, in a twist of events leading to him attacking a nuclear science company and ultimately temporarily shutting down most nuclear reactors along the east coast.

 

April 20th 2016 - Nuclear Depths !

Bonfire decides to do a bit of PR after being branded a terrorist by media all throughout the county, and things rapidly escalate, bringing him back to Neutron Industries' HQ

 

April 20th 2016 - Un-Organ-Ised Crime

As a group of skeletal dinosaurs starts wrecking a street in Freedom City, Blue Jay, The Speaker and Bonfire team up to deal with the skeletal menace and then investigate just why they even appeared

 

May 2nd 2016 - A Show of Force !

As it turns out, AEGIS takes some issue with supers coming in and destroying property, causing them to send Agents Warne and Stone, also known as Adept and Upgrade, to question Bonfire

 

June 13th 2016 - Irradiated Intervention

After a month of dealing with Bureaucracy, AEGIS gets the Go-Ahead to continue on the Bonfire case, and apprehend those he mentioned. But, can Agents Warne and Stone, working together with Bonfire get through the troubles of Neutron's legal team, while dealing with some resistance from within?

 

July 13th 2016 - The Drone Ranger

While chasing some drones involved in criminal activities, Bonfire meets the pair of Pacer and Stalwart - Twin Superheros, and quite powerful ones at that! Can the three of them deal with the source of the drones' activities?

 

July 15th 2016 - A Day at Starbase

A stop at Starbase Coffee turns sour when a rock breaks through the front window. Fortunately, Comrade Frost and Volcanic happen to be in the same shop as Bonfire, and the three of them set out to deal with the person throwing the rock, only to get involved in something much bigger than some small-time vandalism

Edited August 7, 2016 by olopi

[olopi]

 

 

 

A New Horizon

Posted 3 hours ago       |      752 views      |        12 comments

 

 

Morning all, Freedom’s Hottest Newcomer here,

So, a while ago I announced that I would be running a blog covering The Leviathan and his actions. The reactions of you all were surprisingly positive and uplifting, and as most of you probably know (and if you don’t, go check out the blog!), over the past two months I’ve continued to regularly update the blog, adding in whatever information I found myself, got from my contacts, or was otherwise able to obtain. So far, so good, nothing special there.

 

Now, this hasn’t been the only thing that’s happened. Of course, I talked about a lot of the stuff before, but there’s one thing that’s changed ever since I started working on the Leviathan blog. About a week after starting the blog, I got a first, let’s call it, request. A fellow Hero from Canada sent me a business E-Mail. He asked if it was possible to hire me to run their blog. And, believe it or not, while I contemplated that, I got three more, similar messages. One through a mutual contact, one directly here, and one more through E-Mail.

 

I didn’t reply immediately. I asked some people about their opinions. I read into a few things. And most importantly, I analysed the offers. All of them, individually, were ready to pay for any potential services. They probably knew how to get into my head, right? I told them all to keep it secret for now, and that I would further consider it.

 

And so I did. I came to the conclusion that it was worth it. But not quite in the way that was proposed. Instead, I have decided to try something new, to venture beyond, towards A New Horizon.

 

Introducing Beacon Communications LLC. Hero-Powered Communication, for Heroes

 

Yeah, you read that right. Beacon Communications. Owned, staffed and organized 100% by yours truly (for the moment). For any hero that wants some help with their PR. Instead of contacting Bonfire, they/you now contact Beacon Comms., who have proper, standardized rates. We will work with you, to create the right public image for you. Be it blogs, media statements, or just finding you interviews. We have a fair amount of first-hand experience on the field of Heroic Public Image to draw on, and can call upon a large amount of contacts for all kinds of situations, be it a nice new photo, or a full press campaign.

 

The website is up and running already, so if you want more information on it, go check it out. From here on out I’ll address what this means for:

 

•          Bonfire

•          This Blog

 

Now, what does it mean? Hopefully, not a lot. I’ll still be out doing what I always did. It will probably cut into my time, but thanks to my flexible schedule, I’ll still manage to do everything I did before. So, changes to myself and my activity? Very little, if any at all. Hopefully, at least.

 

The one you probably care most is the impact it’ll have on this blog. None. Straight up. This blog will continue to work as before. I will not let money, or my new job, change anything. There will be no content that’s just here because of Beacon. There will be no promotion of content, unless I would’ve done it regardless. (Which, let’s face it, will happen, and has happened before.)

 

For all your questions, the comments section and the forums are always open. I will also be doing an AMA, mostly because of Beacon, but also for any other questions you have, in three days, at 8 PM EST.

 

Now, with that, go check out The Grey Grinder, Zephyr, Laugh Lass and Sparkster, who were the ones that, through their requests, gave me the idea to do this.

 

Until next time,

Stay Hot, Bonfire out!

 

 

 

[olopi]

Rep Charts, Old and New

 

March 2016

 

Spoiler

Bonfire

 

Knowledge (Pop Culture) or Gather Information:

 

DC15: Bonfire's the name of the guy who runs that one blog, right?

 

DC20: He primarily talks about his patrols and occasional fights on there. He tries to avoid actual combat, using various tricks to do so.

 

DC25: The blog talks about things incredibly openly and detailed, almost too detailed. Maybe he's hiding something on how he fights?

 

Knowledge (Current Events) or Gather Information:

DC15: On the 24th of February there was a hostage taking down in Greenbank. A rookie calling himself Bonfire appeared out of nowhere and fought the hostage takers.

 

DC20: The reports say he was just suddenly standing inside the building. Either he can teleport, turn invisible, or he was there beforehand.

 

DC25: Bonfire often shows up when the fire department is somewhere, he probably has some ties to them.

 

Gather Information:

DC10: Bonfire's a new hero, working primarily in southern Downtown. He uses a variety of smoke related powers and often works with the Fire Department.

 

DC15: He runs a blog called "Freedom's HOTTEST Newcomer", where he talks about what he does in great detail.

 

DC20: He is quite involved with the Internet Fanbase, and is often active on various forums and social media. Most people seem to like him on there.

 

DC25: According to him, he has no idea how he got his powers, he just has them and uses them.

 

DC30: He talks about money a lot, he's probably rather poor.

 

Knowledge (Arcane Lore)

DC35: There is something about his powers that just FEELS faintly magical.

 

 

Cassidy Bauer:

Knowledge (Arts) or Gather Information:

 

DC10: A quick search brings up a website belonging to Cassidy Bauer, Freelance Photographer. There's various pictures on here, he seems to take just about any job.

 

DC15: He graduated FreeSA in late 2015 with slightly below-average grades, and has been doing freelance work ever since. Not a whole lot it seems like.

 

DC20: There's an E-Mail address on there too, but it's a bit hidden.

 

February 2017:

Spoiler

Bonfire

 

Knowledge (Pop Culture):

DC15: “Freedom’s HOTTEST Newcomer”, Bonfire is a Freedom City based Hero, best known for his social media presence, where he talks about the everyday life of a superhero. He has amassed quite the fan base, both in FC itself and outside. Also notable is the fact that he recently opened a PR agency, to help other heroes increase their media presence – Beacon LLC.

DC20: In between day-to-day posts, Bonfire also gives a fair amount of detail on his crime fighting. His fighting style seems to rely on deceit and using combat only when necessary.

DC25: With how detailed the blog talks about some things, it feels like either Bonfire is lying occasionally, or he really trusts his fan base.

 

Knowledge (Current Events):

DC15: Outside of his online presence, Bonfire is best known for his attack on Neutron Industries in late April 2016. The aftermath of said attack was the complete breakdown of the east coast’s nuclear power grid for over a day. The event had been captured on video, catapulting Bonfire onto (inter)national headlines. There never was a full official response, much to the disgust of various political figures, even if Bonfire claims that multiple bounty hunters were sent after him.

DC20: Bonfire calls himself a full-time hero, and judging by how often he appears, there is at least some truth in that. He seems to go solo quite often, as there are not much records of him working together with other heroes.

DC25: Bonfire loves interviews. There are many of them, and he seems to be pretty adept at handling them. Perhaps part of it is also stalling for time, which would explain some things about him hardly ever working with others.

 

Gather Information:

DC10: Bonfire is a hero who has been operating all across Freedom City for about a year. In this time, he has risen both to some fame, but also some notoriety. He has gathered a large fan base through his online activity, where he writes posts detailing the life of a superhero.

DC15: Bonfire is also known for causing a large-scale power breakdown during April 2016, when he attacked a company working on nuclear science. The exact details of this event are hotly debated, to this day, but Bonfire has claimed responsibility, earning him praise by environmentalists and other political groups, but also a lot of negativity and threats from other political and societal circles. There never was an official response by the government, but most people agree that AEGIS probably was involved, and use it to explain a lack of communication from Bonfire for some time afterwards.

DC20: Bonfire currently is the founder, head and only employee of Beacon LLC, a PR company. He founded it early 2017, “For any hero that wants some help with their PR.” He seems to have quite a few clients all across the English-speaking world. His blog entries do not further mention this, apart from occasionally giving links to his clients’ sites, but he has become slightly less active as a hero ever since.

DC25: Bonfire calls himself a full-time hero. According to him, his main income are donations from his fans and ad money. His blog gets a fair amount of readers, and quite a few make monthly donations, to help keep their favourite hero active. Ever since founding Beacon LLC, he does not mention his monetary situation as much anymore, even if donations keep at a fairly stable level.

DC30: Some digging reveals that Bonfire does not know the source of his powers. He mentioned this a few times when starting out as a hero, but has not brought it up for the better part of a year.

 

Cassidy Bauer:

Knowledge (Arts) or Gather Knowledge:

DC10: A quick search brings up a website belonging to Cassidy Bauer, Freelance Photographer. Judging by his portfolio, he is not specialized in one subject. He mentions that he “will take just about any job”.

DC15: His qualifications are rather unspectacular, with only a FreeSA course he graduated with slightly below-average grades in late 2015. He doesn’t have a whole lot of previous work listed on his page, even if his images show that he has the knowledge.

DC20: The website also includes full contact information, even if it takes a bit of time to find it.

 

Edited February 12, 2017 by olopi