[Masks] Hurray For The Riff Raff!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [Masks] Hurray For The Riff Raff!

someone awful.: Sep 7, 2007

Here to swipe crime off the streets from the shadows, it's me! Alleycat! The cool cat who rights wrongs and triumphs over evil! ... okay, look. I haven't been doing this very long, so I might've ripped off that slogan from somewhere.

THE JANUS posted:

HERO NAME: Alleycat
Real name: Lee Dalton
Look: Man; white; boring clothing; iconic costume; small mask
Abilities: heightened physical abilities (strength/agility/toughness); impossible mobility; supernatural senses
"I guess being picked on growing up taught me how to move, how to take a hit, and how to sense when danger's near. I may not be 'super', but I'm still pretty good!"

Labels
Danger 0
Freak -1
Savior +1
Superior 0
Mundane +3

JANUS moves:
❑ The Mask
You wear a mask and hide your real identity. Choose what Label you try to embody while wearing your mask. (Savior)
Once per session, you can affirm either your heroic or secret identity to switch your Mundane with your mask�s Label. When you reveal your secret identity to someone who didn�t know it already, mark potential.

❑ Game face
When you commit yourself to save someone or defeat a terrible enemy, mark a condition and take +1 ongoing to all rolls in direct pursuit of that goal. At the end of any scene in which you don�t make progress towards that goal, mark a condition. When you fulfill your goal, mark potential.

❑ I�ll save you!
You�re willing to pay high costs to keep your loved ones safe. Reveal your secret identity to someone watching or mark a condition to defend a loved one as if you rolled a 12+.

SECRET IDENTITY
Your mundane life comes with a series of obligations. Choose a total of three obligations.
Deliveryperson; schoolwork; caring for someone
When time passes, roll + your Mundane to see how you�re managing your obligations. On a hit, things are going pretty well�you have an opportunity or advantage thanks to one of your obligations. On a 7-9, you�ve lapsed on one obligation, your choice. On a miss, you haven�t given your normal life anywhere near the attention it deserves; the GM chooses two obligations that are going to bite you in the butt.

MOMENT OF TRUTH
The mask is a lie, and some piece of you has always known that. Doesn�t matter if others can see it. You�re the one that can do the impossible. Mask off. Costume on. And you�re going to save the drat day. Of course, you better hope nobody nasty is watching�

TEAM MOVES
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, ask them if they see you as the person wearing the mask or the person underneath. If the former, mark potential and clear a condition. If the latter, take Influence over them if you reveal yourself.

When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, tell them a secret about who you really are. Give them Influence, and shift your Mundane up and your mask�s Label down.

BACKSTORY sheet posted:

When did you first put on the mask? Why?

When I was in grade school, I used to get picked on a lot. For being small, and shy, and girly, and a crybaby. Typical kid stuff, but I guess it's where my sense of justice comes from. I don't think anyone's pain or troubles should go ignored. I decided that I needed to stand up -- and if I was gonna stand, I might as well help any other overlooked people, too.

I'm still new to this whole 'dressing up and fighting crime' thing, but it just feels right. The first time Alleycat crept out of the shadows was last summer. People had been noticing stray animals disappearing, and then some peoples' pets got stolen too -- including my best friend Omar's cat. I felt so burnt up, seeing how hurt and heartbroken he was, that I... I felt like I had to do something. So I did. Re-purposed an old halloween costume, hardened my wits, and hunted down the jerks who'd stolen all the animals. Turned out they were just some opportunist creeps who were going to sell 'em for testing to Harmony Labs -- you know, that big "eco-friendly" science megacorp? Yeah, I didn't know they tested on animals, either.

Anyway, I got Omar his cat back, and I guess the Alleycat moniker's here to stay.

Why do you keep a secret identity?

I don't need or want recognition for what I do. I'm not trying to get any fame or glory -- honestly, it's fine with me if I don't even get noticed. I deliver papers in the morning; the last thing I want to do is see myself in the front page headlines. All I'm doing is what's right, and helping those who can't help themselves. If Alleycat gets some notoriety and spreads that kind of good spirit to other people, great! Just keep me out of it.

Who, outside of the team, knows about your dual identity?

My younger sister, Dawn. She's Alleycat's biggest fan.

...I'll be honest. My little sister is -- ever since our parents separated, she's had it hard. Better than when they were together -- Dad's not around to yell at her anymore -- but I never used to see her smile. Then she caught me sneaking back in from a night out as Alleycat, and ... well, she had the biggest grin I'd ever seen anyone wear. She thinks it's great what I do, and it's nice to have her on my side. She's the only person I'd have wanted to tell. But I still wish she didn't know? Or that she wouldn't be so insanely enthusiastic about Alleycat to other people, at least. Not that Alleycat's any big deal to anyone or whatever, but there's always the "what ifs".

Better her knowing than Mom, I guess. Mom works all the time and the last thing she needs is to worry about me getting beaten up while I should be studying for my math finals.

Who thinks the worst of your masked identity?

Honestly, it's kind of funny, but uh... after Alleycat started getting noticed a little, the deputy sheriff -- I think his name is Ray Weissman? Anyway -- he showed up at my high school to give a mandatory assembly. Mostly it was just to try to dissuade people from vigilantism, I guess? All the usual crap you hear from adults, all 'you don't understand what justice is' and 'your youthful judgment can't be trusted' and blah blah blah. But he specifically namedropped Alleycat! Repeatedly! I don't know what I did to get on his bad side, but his little speech definitely put him firmly in mine. Though, to be fair, it would've even if Alleycat hadn't been starring in it.

Why do you care about the team?

A team, a good team, should be like a family. I kind of mentioned it earlier, but my blood family situation? Not the greatest. I don't mind helping Mom take care of Dawn. She's a good kid, she does her chores and doesn't complain about it. But a lot of the time, I kind of feel like I'm in over my head. Like I'm drowning with nobody to pull me up for air. And whatever life the others come from, I bet they feel that way sometimes, too. Nobody can be strong all of the time, even if we, as heroes, have to pretend like it. So I guess that core idea, the thought of a group that can just be there for each other through anything and everything... I'd love to have that, and I'd love to help them have that, too.

Which hero inspired you to get into the business?

Chevalier is basically my idol. She represents everything I wish I could stand for. I'm not really anything like her -- she's a knight, a highly-trained swordswoman, and strong and beautiful. When I'm feeling down, or when I'm recovering from getting my rear end kicked, I look up the video of her swearing her Knightly oaths on Youtube. The speech she gives about protecting the weak because it's our duty to do so, if we have the means... hearing her talk is what made me realize that I did have that kind of strength inside me.

I used to have a poster of her up in my room but one of my friends thought it was because I wanted to stare at her boobs, so I took it down.

What embarrassing incident happened during your first attempts at heroics?

More than I want to remember. I'm still new at this, remember? My first embarassment was the time I tried to stop a guy from mugging a lady by hopping out of the shadows with one of those cliche-laden Heroic Speeches. On the one hand, it worked -- she ran away while I was talking -- but on the other, uh. He didn't wait for me to finish, and all I got for my troubles was a black eye and a reminder that real life isn't an anime.

What has been your greatest success on the streets of Summitview?

Other than the cat thing? (Which was pretty great. How many heroes succeed at their first solo mission?) I've been trying to stick to small stuff, stuff that feels approachable.

Oh! I did get back the head of the Founder's Statue after someone stole it. Pretty sure it's why Deputy Weissman or whatever his name is hates me, 'cause he knows where I found it. Thing is, why would it matter to him if some rookie cop got kicked off the force for stealing the thing? And who cares that much about a dumb statue head anyway?

I should've actually gotten some evidence on the guy and gone through proper channels, but instead I just stole the head and put it back on the statue where it belonged. I even forgot to check if it was hollow, like all the rumors say -- I just wanted to fix the problem I saw.

What aspect of Summitview would you miss most?
Is it weird to say my part-time job? Like I said, I deliver papers in the morning, and it's really relaxing to just go buzzing down the familiar routes on my bike every weekday. I've gotten to know some of the early birds a little, too, at least by sight. Sure, the hills make it a pain in the butt (literally!), but I guess I'm just weird enough to like it.

What are you doing in the show's intro credits montage?
Standing on a building looking broody and thoughtful, only to grin like a dork when the camera focuses on him.

someone awful. fucked around with this message at 11:06 on Oct 8, 2016

# ¿ Oct 6, 2016 01:47

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 23:20

someone awful.: Sep 7, 2007

So I heard your Mom is up for a big promotion! Congratulations! Do you think that she's going to need to move to the big city? What does she do? What do you think about all that?

I always thought my mom's job was kind of cool, she's a court reporter! She watches all kinds of stuff happen at the courthouse and has to write down every single word accurately. That's insane to me and I have a lot of respect for her that she's able to do it. She's really good at what she does, and I wouldn't be surprised if the firm she works for wanted her to move into the city and work on the bigger hearings. Actually, I hadn't thought about it before -- it'd be kind of funny if she had to report on a hearing for a criminal Alleycat caught, wouldn't it? I sure hope I wouldn't get called in as a witness, that'd complicate my life now that I think about it. Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when it happens, right?

I think moving would be hard for Dawn. It's hard for her to make friends and she's grown up with the ones she has, so that'd be painful. (I mean, I'd have to make new friends too...) But it's not like Mom would have to work longer hours, she'd just be doing the same job and making more money for it. And it would be nice to not have to worry about bills, and stuff... like, we do fine, we're not broke, and it's good to have one less thing for her to stress over...

Plus there's Alleycat and the team to think about. If I moved to a big city, I'd still try to make a difference there, but it'd be harder to get noticed... and I can only do so much by myself. But that's a really selfish way to think. If it's good for everyone else, well... if it happens, I'll just have to find a way to make it work...

Wow, that's a lot to think about. :ohdear:

I know you like to keep a low profile, but that doesn't always work out. What's the closest you've come to having your identity revealed on the job?

Cell phone cameras, man! Cell phone cameras will be the death of me and everyone we know!

Yes, I'm exaggerating, but at the same time I'm not. If there's one thing people like more than being saved by a totally sweet hero like Alleycat, it's getting a quick picture of that hero as they're getting down to business with beating the bad guys.

This was pretty recent, actually, one of the more dangerous things I tried to take on by myself before joining a team. There was rumored to be some creeps hanging out in the sewers (side note: ew) and using the tunnels to avoid getting caught after stealing stuff from the bigger shops on Main Street. It was partly true: yeah, the stores were getting robbed, but instead of "some creeps" it was "one scary looking gator-man" and instead of "using" the tunnels, he was straight-up living in them. While I was bravely running away to tell someone who could actually do something about it, he tripped me with his tail and I fell into some awful sewer water (side note: even more ew)! Usually when I'm in public I have a hood up, but as I crawled out of that Main Street manhole there was no way I was even gonna wear my cloak when it was all sewer-y and gross.

So once I'm safe and trying to sort out my costume situation, what do I hear but the fake-shutter noise of a cell phone camera?! And even worse, it was Hannah Means, the biggest gossip a my high school! Ugh! I'm really lucky there was a fire escape in a nearby alley that I could just barely jump to reach. There's no way she wouldn't have cornered me and recognized me and then told every single person in school. She was proud enough of her awful blurry out-of-focus picture of the back of my -- I mean Alleycat's -- head with his ears all crooked...

You've seen some Harmony Labs employees in town, right? What do you think they are up to?

I Googled them after I ran into those goons, and their whole webpage seemed a little creepy and cult-y, but I guess that's how these places get investors to give them money. They're a global corporation that does medical research and other science stuff, and there's nothing in Summitview of all places that should be grabbing their attention. The only other thing I could find is that they were sponsoring a research project at nearby Peak Place University.

I mean, if you want me to take a complete stab in the dark about it, I wonder if it's related to the increase in hybrids -- or mutants or whatever we're calling them today -- that's been reported lately? It's not like there's an epidemic or anything, but they used to be the kind of thing you'd only hear about on the news, and definitely not around here. But within the last couple years, reports of sightings have been going up, some even verifiably true, and now even I've seen an alligator dude hanging out in the sewers. It'd line up if they were experimenting on animals, I guess.

That still doesn't explain why they'd choose this town, though. All I can guess is it's because we're small enough nobody'd really pay attention if weird stuff like this started happening here.... like I said, though, it's all just a guess.

What, outside of heroics, have you thought about dedicating your life to?

That's a big thought.

Until my parents broke up, I didn't really have any goals or dreams. I was just a sad kid who kind of floated through life, keeping my head down, trying not to stand out... but now that it's just us three, I guess I finally looked up.

I like helping people. When I'm out in the early hours delivering papers, you don't see a lot of people... but the ones you do see usually have problems. There's an old woman who always waits to see me and say hello, because I remind her of her son who was in the military -- so sometimes we talk, and I think it makes her happy. There's a little homeless camp in the forest where I cut through to get home; they're all good people there, who lost their jobs or whatever else, and they seem to appreciate it when I say hi, and sometimes I give them a newspaper.

Maybe I could be some kind of therapist? Or social worker? I bet those are really stressful jobs, but people have to do them. I don't know if I have that kind of strength, though, as "just a person". When I'm Alleycat, I think I can do anything. I feel powerful, I guess, even though I'm still just ... well, me. But when I'm not?

I... don't know.

How might moving to Halcyon City help you in accomplishing that dream?

A bigger city means more people. More people means more unhappiness. More unhappiness means they need more help.

That's a lovely way of putting it. I'm not so great with words, I guess. Actually, the idea of moving to Halcyon or any huge city -- it really scares me. I think... no, I know I want to do it someday, but I'm terrified of it. There's more opportunities to succeed, but failing seems even more dangerous. People don't notice you. Like, if I -- or Alleycat, actually -- went missing, there are people who would realize I was gone and look for me. Would that happen in a city with hundreds of thousands of people?

But small towns are dying. I hear it on the news all the time. And more and more people move away for jobs or other reasons -- I've seen friends go with their families, and hey, maybe my mom will too. Cities are where everything is. Even if I stayed here, I don't think I'd be able to do a lot of good, just because there aren't as many people -- and fewer of those who'd want or need help to begin with. You can't change the world if you don't go out into it.

someone awful. fucked around with this message at 16:14 on Oct 8, 2016

# ¿ Oct 7, 2016 15:43

someone awful.: Sep 7, 2007

I can't come up with a compelling reason why they'd know his secret identity. Clark Kent Magic is in full effect with the superhero costume.

quote:

Tundra knew you from your civilian life first.

The North-Wind Witches are so cool! Haha, that was a bad pun and it wasn't intentional. Anyway, Carol -- sorry -- Tundra! And I went to school together, and, well... she's a magical girl now! It just made sense that she and Alleycat -- I mean, I -- should be there for each other if we need it, right? So of course I let her know. And now we're on a team together!

quote:

You refused to tell Showstopper your secret identity when they asked.

It's not like I don't trust him -- it isn't! -- but Showstopper... his whole thing is being loud and flashy and... I just didn't want to tell him, okay?
_{Okay, look, he seems like he has some kind of respect for Alleycat almost maybe possibly and I don't want to lose that if he finds out I'm just a dork kid with a paper route.}

quote:

You look up to your teammates; they seem to have this superhero thing figured out. Give two of them Influence over you.

All American Girl has so much confidence! I think we have a lot in common but she just seems so much... better at this hero stuff than I am.
And Tundra, well, like I said. The North-Wind Witches, I used to read about them being all awesome and protecting Halcyon City -- and she's one of them! How crazy is that?!

Leadership vote
Nobody's going to take this stuff super personally or anything, right?!

Um, um... All American Girl! She's really confident and pretty smart and I bet she'd make a great leader. Not that anyone else would make a bad one, just... she seems like The Type.

someone awful. fucked around with this message at 07:59 on Oct 14, 2016

# ¿ Oct 13, 2016 02:10

someone awful.: Sep 7, 2007

@Tundra -- tell me if this works for you!

quote:

You once got caught doing something that shames your legacy with Alleycat.

"I don't know if she's still mad at me about this, but uh, this is a thing that happened and it was totally my fault. Really! I asked her to help me look into the 'ghost' that was haunting the old abandoned train depot... I mean, I figured it wasn't a ghost, but I didn't expect it to be a crazy girl with insane lightning powers! I tried to get her to calm down, but I guess something I said really set her off 'cause she started throwing bolts like crazy -- she started a fire, Tundra had to throw around a whole bunch of ice to keep it from spreading -- it was a gigantic mess and we didn't even catch her! It was a total disaster, and it made us both look really bad, but I think it was worse for her because of what a fiasco it was, with the ice everywhere and stuff. There's like nothing left of the depot, now, either..."

"That's her! She was all 'this won't be the last you hear of Arclight!' but so far it has been. I kinda hope it stays that way..."

# ¿ Oct 14, 2016 18:08

someone awful.: Sep 7, 2007

Showstopper was... chasing the same guy I was, I think? He said he was, anyway, but he kind of just showed up after I'd caught the dude. I'd heard of him before -- I think everyone in town has! ~~He''s pretty cool so I was scared to meet him.~~ But after all that, he said we should work together? And he was so enthusiastic about it, it was like, wow! Okay! Sure!

Tundra exploded through a wall while I was looking around for someone who needed saving. Turned out she didn't, but we got to chase down a bearwolf (werebear? webearwolf?) together and that was pretty great.

I don't know Mystia that well, but I think she seems nice! I don't think I met her before this whole team formed up. I hope we can be friends. ~~Her magic scares me a little.~~

I met All American Girl when I got cornered by a pair of jerks who were pissed off at me for trashing their fancy counterfeiting workshop while they were gone. (Still don't know how they found out it was Alleycat -- I mean me.) All-American Girl came outta nowhere and she was like, bam! Pow! Why don't you try picking a fair fight, you cowards! And all that kind of cool stuff! And we took them down together. It was soooo cool. It seems like we have a lot in common, and I'm glad to have her on my side!

# ¿ Oct 14, 2016 23:44

someone awful.: Sep 7, 2007

Hi I'm still here and interested and I'm sorry for living up to my name and contributing to Thread Death.

Politics and depression whacked me in the face but I can (and will!) go post if it'd kickstart the thread again.

# ¿ Nov 26, 2016 13:17

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 23:20

someone awful.: Sep 7, 2007

haha, right after i posted, my irl cat started dying and it's really taken the wind out of my sails regarding RPing a cat-flavored superhero kid (or doing much else, to be completely honest...), so i think you should probably count me out.

sorry for being an abject failure at playbypost :x

# ¿ Dec 6, 2016 08:08

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