Synth_EU

((He's not Laugh Riot anymore! You'll ruin his reputation with such slander.

It was a good night and I had a blast playing the newly reformed Freddy.))

Welcome back Z!

((Well, this is in the Roleplaying section, but I thought I'd put it here. I've handled Freddy becoming a hero as best I can, and I'd love feedback. Contact me in game. @Synthet.))


“Frederick, have you anything you would like to say?”

Freddy shifted in his reinforced chair and nodded before standing up, the people behind him in the courtroom staring at his broad shoulders. He was a large man - a huge man in fact. There was no pretending that Freddy was just a big man who worked out, a second glance at his size was all it would take to confirm that he was a metahuman. A mutant in fact, and one who was at one time considered an Omega level threat by Longbow agents in the field.

But now here he stood in a courtroom in Paragon City, accompanied by Vanguard operatives ranging from the uniformed agents to enlisted heroes. They weren’t there to protect the citizens in the courtroom though, they were showing support for Freddy. He had been working with Vanguard almost non stop since the second Rikti war started and had quickly become a trusted operative. With his incredible strength and resistance to harm he was usually the first into battle, and the last one still fighting when things got bad. He would probably have been considered a war hero if it weren’t for his past.

Before becoming involved in Vanguard, Freddy Jones had been anything but a model citizen. He had been better known as the super criminal Laugh Riot, easily recognisable by his ghastly grinning mask. A long list of crimes were attributed to him, mainly in the Rogue Isles, but there were enough in Paragon that he was a wanted man there.

Since joining Vanguard though he had kept his record as clean as a whistle, he seemed to have become a model citizen so far as the law was concerned. He had cut a deal with Vanguard when the war started. He would work for them for free, carrying out whatever missions against the Rikti they had for him pro bono, and in return they would help him get his record cleaned up. They had already tried with the Paragon courts for him once before in return for the work he was doing for them, but his appeal had been rejected. A month later and he was back again, granted temporary free passage in and out of the city so long as he stayed with his Vanguard escorts.

“I’d like to say, first of all, that I’m glad for this second chance at getting my second chance.” He smiled. “I think it was the right decision not to grant me a pardon before, it helped me to learn a lot about myself. But I think that I’m ready now, if the city feels that I am.”
“Thank you Frederick.” The judge nodded. “Have you anything you would like to say to the people you have wronged? I believe some of them and their families are here today.”

Freddy slowly turned around to face the rows of witnesses. Hatred was plain on a lot of faces, hatred so clear he could almost feel it radiating off of them. There were friendly faces as well, Ben “Big Lunk” Campbel and his fiancé Becky “Summoness” Saunders. They had both been character witnesses for him, although Bens testimony might have done more harm than good. And at the back of the room sat a thin woman in a white coat and hat, with a tall red haired woman beside her. His sister Sarah “Afterlight” Jones and her partner Tina Onders.

“I’m sorry.” Freddy said in his deep voice. “I know it’s a cliché, but I don’t have much else. I’m sorry to the people I’ve hurt. I know there are some of you who will never be able to forgive me, and you should never have to. I feel guilt for the things I’ve done. I even feel guilt for asking for forgiveness, because I know that I don’t deserve it. I never will. But… but I have to try and make up for the things I’ve done. It’s the only way I can live with myself.” He paused, as if about to say something else, but then turned back to the judge and nodded.
“That sounded very heartfelt Frederick. You can sit down.”

Freddy exhaled and sat back in his reinforced chair, specially built to seat the larger people who passed through the courts of Paragon City.

“Frederick… your case is unusual. You have done things which, quite frankly, frighten me. And I’ve been a judge in this city for almost twenty six years now, so there isn’t much that rattles me anymore.” The judge pushed his glasses up and watched Freddy for a reaction. “You are a young man capable of incredible feats of strength, and you are almost entirely impervious to harm. You are what every man wishes to be - unbreakable. Your use of these gifts, except for your work with Vanguard, has quite frankly been disgusting.”

Freddy nodded and looked down. This is what he had been expecting, but he would come back again. And again, and again if he had to. He wasn’t about to give up his chance for redemption no matter how long it took or how hard he had to work for it.

“Your appeal was rejected the first time due to your psychological evaluation. It was shown that you had a slight anger problem. So I am slightly surprised that your psychological evaluation this time is so much more positive, there seems to have been a vast improvement. And your defence of the Overbrook Dam against Rikti forces is certainly impressive. Although I have been informed you were only shipped in due to a shortage of other available operatives at the time, the fact that you put yourself in harms way for the city is still a mark in your favour. However, based purely upon the reports I have in front of me, and the extensive file that has been compiled upon you, I could not in good conscience grant you a pardon at this time.”

Freddy sighed and nodded his head slowly. At the back of the room Tina almost stood up, stopped only by Sarah’s small hand on her arm.

“…But. Having met you Frederick and hearing what you have to say for yourself, as well as the testimony of those who know you best, I have been persuaded that you are truly a changed man. No amount of paperwork could convince me that you are truly repentant. Only you could do that, and I believe you. Therefore I am, on a trial basis, granting you a probationary pardon and freedom to walk the streets of Paragon City. You will have a parole officer who you -”

The judge was drowned out by the Vanguard operatives with Frederick cheering and breaking into applause, with Tina at the back of the room yelling an energetic “YES!”. Freddy was grinning broadly at everyone around him. It was all he could do not to jump up and start cheering himself, but it probably wouldn’t look good. He could celebrate later, because this good feeling certainly didn’t feel like it was going to go away anytime soon.

***

“In todays news, the criminal previously known as “Laugh Riot” was granted a pardon for his crimes…”

“RIOT GETS LAST LAUGH!”

“Once again public officials mishandle a vital case and jeopardise our citizens…”

“Making headlines today is Freddy Jones, who proves that anyone can redeem themselves…”

“…the scene was one of celebration as Mr. Jones embraced his younger sister…”

“The headline of almost every paper seems to be about Laugh Riot’s pardon.”

“MY SECOND CHANCE, SAYS CRIMINAL.”

“Did you see the news today?”

“…eastern time today, the judge announced what Mr. Jones has been waiting for…”

“Certainly making headlines isn’t he?”

“A CHANGED MAN!”

“The media has apparently given him a new alias…”

“In an interview, he stated that he hopes to prove himself…”

“The young headliner…”

“Can we really trust him?”

“Freddy “Headliner” Jones applied for a hero license…”

“CAPE OR FAKE?”

“Did you hear that Headliner Jones wants to be a hero now?”

“Freddy “Headliner” Jones made an announcement to the press this afternoon. “I will never wear a mask again. I will not hide who I am from people or pretend that my past never happened. I just want it to be legal for me to help someone if I see them in trouble. I’ve been given these gifts and I feel that I should use them for the good of the city now, not my own good.” Paragon officials have yet to make a statement…”

“HEADLINER - HERO!”

((This is a writeup of a roleplay session I and Raven had about Azarath recruiting someone for his cause. For any of you who know her, the character Sarah in this piece in our timeline eventually becomes the heroine Afterlight.))

There was a slight popping sound and a wave of cool air spread down the corridor as Azarath moved into the time period. He was several years in the past - depending on where you started from of course. But his research on the woman he was after hit a slow spot around 2007, so that was where he had started backwards from to try and find the ideal time for… recruitment. After 2007 she started to get rather dull after that, trying to save the world through politics. The future was useless to him. This was where he would find one of his greatest weapons, someone who deserved his personal attention.
He looked up and down the corridor of the old mental hospital. The place was old, all things being relative of course. It looked to have been built in the forties perhaps, and had since gone through a half hearted renovation. Entire sections of the hospital were in the same state they had been when the place was abandoned in the seventies, but certain parts of it had been partially patched up. Not a lot more than new medical equipment and some fresh coats of paint, but enough to give the doctors who worked here now the illusions of professionalism.
The corridor was empty in either direction, Azarath had timed this so he wouldn’t have to worry about the nurses or orderlies. Not that he would have to worry anyway, but this would go much smoother without any interruptions. He began to walk down the hallway, his long black coat not moving as he walked, untouched by the air. He glanced through the small square windows in the thick reinforced doors he passed, spying the oddest collection of children and teenagers in their little padded cells. Some were powerful, no doubt, but there was one gem of true power here. And he would bend it to his will.
Stopping outside one of the rooms he looked through the window at a frail girl. Fifteen or sixteen, he couldn’t recall unimportant details like her date of birth. But it was 2002, so that was about right. She had unkempt and straggly black hair that covered most of her face and gave her a feral aspect to her appearance. She had green eyes, full of the fading fire of desperation, and a network of jagged scars up and down both forearms. It wasn’t hard to tell where she got those from. Even now she was sitting on her bed, rocking back and forth as she drew her ragged fingernails down her left forearm, bringing blood to the surface.
“Stop it… stop it… stop it… stop it…” she chanted to herself. He smirked, almost unnoticeably. Amazing, what something as everyday as time could do to people. She watched her own blood run down her arm for a time before letting out a small scream and punching the mattress beside her. Azarath simply stepped forward, phasing through the thick door with a shimmer of dark energy.
On closer inspection the room was worse than he had thought. Quite literally a padded cell, even the floor and ceiling were covered to try and prevent the occupant from doing serious harm to themselves. The bed was a rickety hospital bed, tilted slightly to one side from where one of the legs had been bent inwards. Across the floor books were scattered with some of the pages ripped out and thrown around the room. Mainly history books, but one or two on the arcane. They were useless, complete fakes, but he would have to check up on how she had been allowed to have them. She looked up at him sharply, a wild glint in her eyes.
“Smiler?” She asked. “Smiler… Smiler… not Smiler…”
“No. Not Smiler.” He said in his smooth voice.
She glared at him before snapping, “Go away.”
He shook his head and answered in that same smooth, controlled voice. “I can’t do that I’m afraid.”
“Leave me alone. Go. Go! No more tests today - Doctor Pavliotis said so!”
He looked straight at her, his expression flat and emotionless. “I’m not here for the tests.”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and drew her legs up close to her chest, hugging them close. “No touching.” She said in a lower voice. He simply shook his head and looked around the room while she stared at him. “Go away. Leave me alone.”
“I said no.” He said, taking a step forwards, shaking his head again as she bared her teeth at him like an animal. “So… Sarah… why are you here… more to the point… why do you stay?”
She seemed to focus on something far away as she spoke. “Tests Sarah. Won't hurt. Have to see why, have to learn, have to know. Have to understand. You can do great things Sarah, we saw you when you were a child. Stop pretending Sarah, take your pills, show us, show us show us show us!” She screamed, grabbing handfuls of her hair and yanking her own head down between her knees. “Go away. I want to see Smiler. Bring Smiler back!”
Azarath rubbed his temples and murmured, “She’s further gone than I expected.” He had expected her to be unbalanced, but he hadn’t realised just how close to the edge of true madness she really was.
“Feel it.” She chanted to herself. “There, beneath the surface. I can’t… I don’t understand. It was there, now it’s gone…” She trailed off, then suddenly slammed her fist down onto the bed and screamed at it. “MOVE! MOVE MOVE MOVE!”
“Do you mean your powers, Sarah?” He asked thoughtfully. “Pills… pretending… ahh, they’re inhibiting them with the drugs without realising. How… human.”
“Talking talking talking, I can hear it, but it’s so SLOW! It’s lies, all of it, I can’t hear the truth anymore, just a buzz! Buzz buzz buzz!” She shifted forward onto her knees and stared into Azarath’s dark eyes, almost seeming to look through them. “They keep taking it from me, in the night!” She brandished her bloody arm like a shield. “So I get it out, less for them! They won’t have me! And this way I get it out, I have to get it out.”
“I see… bleeding the medication out. Clever. But rather foolish at the same time.” He took several steps forward until he was at the foot of the bed. She fell back and shifted as far away from as she could on the bed.
“No touching.”
“Sarah. If I can get you out of here. If I stop them taking it. Will you use your power to help me?” She stared at him for a while. Minutes. He could indulge her, he had all the time in the world.
“Never getting out.”
“Oh?”
“Here forever. They’re not coming.”
“I won’t abandon you like they have Sarah.”
“He fought… tried to save me, but… he’s never found me… moved on…”
“They’ve left you for dead, all of them. I won’t Sarah. And I won’t hide your power from you.”
She glared suspiciously at him. “Trick.”
“You think so?”
“Trick. Happened before. No touching!” She warned him imperiously, pulling her knees up to her chin again.
“You really think I would do that?” He asked. “I’m here to help you. Not like the others, I won’t let them hurt you Sarah… none of them.” He almost smiled as he spoke, the corners of his mouth curving upwards slightly.
She took to watching him again, his neat black hair, handsome features. He simply stood with his arms crossed across his chest and looked down on her patiently, his face showing no sign of judgement. When she spoke again it was with a soft uncertainty, the wildness if her voice and expression fading. “Are… are you an angel?”
He almost smiled again. “I can be.”
“My daddy told me about angels.” She said, slowly unfolding herself from her protective position. “With wings, and halo’s… they carry out His Will, he said, they deliver justice and… mercy…”
“I’m not the usual angel. But I will bring you Mercy… and I will take every one of these foul creatures to justice.”
She shifted forward slightly, anxious now. “Are you here to kill me? I can’t go to heaven until I die and… they won’t let me, here.”
“I’m not here to kill you Sarah. I’m here to save you.”
She stared at him again before looking away and beginning to rub her forearms nervously. “I want to go home…” She said softly, sounding like a frightened child. “Can you take me home?”
He nodded. “Yes, I can. And I will.”
She nodded as well, still looking away. “Make me hear the truth again? Make me… make me make it MOVE!” She suddenly slammed her fist down violently on the bed again.
He reached out and placed his hand upon her forehead. “I promise Sarah.”
She flinched away with a murmur of, “No touching.”
“I apologise. I’m going to make the truth come back. And make you move things again. Are you ready?”
“Everything was better then. Yes.”
“Good. Then become who you were always meant to be Sarah. A being of power.” A tendril of dark energy detached itself from his arm and slithered down the side of her head, moving down her neck and arm. She stared at it, frozen, as it snaked into one of the cuts on her arms. She began to shiver and tremble as a cold sensation washed over her before it left through the same cut and returned to Azaraths hand. “The drugs are gone. You’re free now Sarah.”
When her trembling stopped she looked around the room slowly, seeming to take everything in with a new awareness. When her eyes returned to Azarath she locked gazes with him and immediately tried to plunge into his mind with an incredibly vast and unfocused, untrained psychic power. For all her strength, it was like running headfirst into a brick wall and being thrown violently back. The very power of his defences was enough to make her rock back slightly, her eyes becoming unfocused for a second. She bared her teeth at him again as all the books and the bed raised off the floor a few inches before slamming back down. “I CAN’T HEAR IT!”
“No one can hear it from me.” He said flatly. “Part of being an angel, I’m afraid.”
She frowned and looked away, focusing on a spot on the bed and furrowing her brow. “Doctor Roberts. Glasses. Beard. Daughter. Two horses. Likes theatre. Dead.” She smiled with a grim satisfaction. “Simmons…. Brings me food. Big. Quiet. Dead. Nurse White. Dark hair. Dead. Doctor Morgan. Dead. Doctor Fletcher. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Doctor Pavlio-”
“Done playing?” He interrupted her.
She looked up, focusing back on him. “They hurt me. The d-doctors.”
“I can show you much better ways of hurting them Sarah.”
“J-j-justice?”
He almost frowned. Some sort of side effect of taking her off the drugs had resulted in that grating stutter. He would have to fix that. “Justice indeed.”
“They’re b-bad m-m-men.”
He looked down on her and held out his hand. “I can show you ways of keeping them in eternal torment… pains tenfold of what they have inflicted upon you. That’s justice, isn’t it Sarah?”
She nodded. “Yes. J-justice.” And took his hand.

Hi everyone,

I'm fairly new to City of Villains but I've been roleplaying for a few years now. So I was wondering, are there any decent roleplaying supergroups out there for a technology robot/traps mastermind? Probably a build so common that no one wants it in their SG, but I figured this was the best place to ask around.

Thanks in advance,

Lord Synthet.