[X] girl
[X] Name: Catherine Reed
[X] Graduated from the local Gotham High School and at the fresh age of 18 were anxiously awaiting to hear back from any of the Universites you had applied too. Alright you had waited and put it off kinda late but so what if you didn't hear back from your first two choices in either Metropolis or Star City, surely you would get into Gotham U if all else failed, right? If not maybe you would just take a year off and travel around, you had saved up some from high school jobs. Maybe you could figure out what you wanted to do then.
[X] A handsome blond guy in a trench coat, who seemed to have found the cigarettes in his coat he was looking for and once he lit up, turned in your direction with a sly look.
[X] Ask for magical training. You did kinda save them and get hit by them so…
Right, so if I'm reading the vote tally correctly then it looks like plan just go with the flow won. I'll go ahead and put up a basic character sheet and probably have update 2 out soon.
General Info:
- recently graduated from Gotham University
- bored with current life, wants something exciting for a change of pace
- recently involved in magic altercation
- believes in honing mental as well as physical aspects of himself
- wants a challenge
- believes traditional path set before him is not a challenge or interesting
Traits
- Magic Sense - auto check for sensing magic and knowing what it is doing around you
- True Magic - forget parlor tricks and cantrips you have the potential to pull out the big stuff
Social Links:
Family
Philip Ryde - father, proud, loving, distant, retired military, wants to see you succeed 6/10
Olympia Ryde - mother, doting, loving, ambitious, socialitie, wants you to bring her acclaim through your deeds 7/10
Roommates
Gil - spoiled rich kid, plans on making his own fortune independent of his family, snobbish friend 4/10
Siegfried - studious pious kid, wants to make the world a better, more just place through the legal system and his own deeds, close friend 6/10
Magical
John Constantine - your first contact with the magical world, unsure, good first impression 1/10
Current Inventory
-starting cash 9,000 Roll for starting cash, Roll: 34 (1-100, lowest 500, highest 25,000) -inert magic orb
Current Obligations
-rent 500/month (1500 split three ways)
(Roll: 97 for first impression, great start) Alright, that's it then when he gets over here you will calmly ask him what the hell just happened and if he could teach you any of what he just did (because that was amazing). What actually happens is as the mage is almost in front of you, he is too preoccupied studying you back to notice the tree branch in his path. Which is kind of embarrassing for him and you as you swiftly end up with an armful of mage and him a face full of your magnificent pecs, you're very thankful at this point that the mage had the forethought to move his still smoking cigarette out of the way.
"So I see you've already fallen for me but how about a name to go with your handsome face."
"Ha, oh you I like already, name's John and you and me friend have somethings to discuss. But you're right names first and then let's go somewhere I won't have to worry about the scenery trying to kill me."
So the handsome mage's name is John, you'll have to remember that. You nodded your head to indicate where you had parked as walking to anywhere nice from here would take a while and he hadn't come through that portal with anything that looked like transportation. "Name's Waver Ryde, some people call me Velvet, some Ryde. I don't mind either. This way to my car and we can find someplace better to talk."
Well it wasn't high class but the pub you had pulled up to had served you and your friends well on those nights when you needed a good drink and something filling to eat. You had driven over in silence after directing John to where you had parked. There had been plenty of questions you wanted to ask and plenty of times you had to bite your tongue to stop yourself. You wouldn't have normally bothered but looking over to see how tired your passenger looked once he had a chance to sit made you decide patience would serve you better on this occasion than rushing ahead with questions your new friend probably would not even hear.
(Roll: 4 for noticing magic) Once you had taken a seat at a back booth, you noticed John do some sort of hand motion then give you a nod. "Alright, that should do it for now." You hadn't felt anything different but maybe he had done some sort of magic just then? "So I'm sure you're just brimming with questions but to start I need to know what you know."
"What I know, going to assume you don't just mean in general but more specially about what happened at the swamp?" A quiet nod is all you get in return. "Well, I saw you and a few friends of yours that didn't quite look right, come tumbling out of the swamp, more specially out of a tree with the strangest looking place right in the middle of the thing. Next there was a lot of screaming, fire being tossed about, and what I would swear was people flying or floating around before I got hit in the face with your pretty paper weight. Then more screaming, this time from you and next thing I see is your friends and the acid trip they came from all go poof. By the way I probably should return the damn thing to you now that it doesn't seem like you will burn the place down over it. "
You feel around for the thing that smashed into earlier when you realize you don't remember putting it away. You doubt you just left the thing in the swamp as it had seemed pretty important for some reason at the time and after the way you two meet you don't believe you would be forgetting the thing anytime soon. Just as you feel your face start to heat up with the realization that maybe you had forgotten the object the two magical parties had been fighting over you see John reach into his coat and pull out the little ball that had you so flustered.
"This what you lookin' for mate? Yeah it's a nifty little thing alright. Doesn't look like much I'll give you that but as you can see some people are very attached." He passes it back and forth in his hands for a moment before reaching over and placing it in front of you. "Now that I know you know exactly nothing about what you are getting into we can start. That back at the swamp was magic as you may have guessed and yeah magic is a very real thing that exists and can be used for both good and evil, might have heard of some of the more well known users in the hero scene if you've been paying attention. Why this matters for you and why we are here now, is that pretty paper weight as you put it, which is about as useful as one for now, is quite the potent magical artifact. The usual use for it being awakening and strengthening of one's magical potential and judging by its current state that has just happened. Congratulations, Waver you're a wizard now."
So after that whammy of a conversation you were back at your apartment and once again contemplating the path you wanted your life to take. You and John had sat and talked a little longer about what exactly that meant for you and the help he could offer if you wanted to pursue magic further. John did say just because you had the option now didn't necessarily mean you had to pursue it but if you did you could expect your life to be a bit more interesting from now on. He also mentioned before he left that he would be in town for a few more weeks before he had somewhere else to be and left you with the address of a friend of his in town that you would be able to find him at.
Well magic, something that despite hearing about in the occasional superhero news, you had never expected to be something you would be involved in. But wasn't this exactly what you had been wanting not to long ago? Something new, something that would challenge you in a way you had not encountered before? You would have to be a coward or a fool to turn this down just because of the possibility of a little danger and excitement was exactly what you had been wanting for earlier in the day. So last question, where to start?
Choose 3 actions for first half of week
[] Go to the address of John's friend (Magic, magic, magic!)
[] Look for a job (You lazy bum)
[] Look into a place for yourself (Roommates, so last year. Does cut down on rent thought)
[] Apply to graduate program (More school? Well okay but what field.)
[] Research magic online (Who know there could be something good mixed in with the rubbish.)
[] Research known magic superheroes and villains (Might as well see what you should be able to do, eventually)
[] Social Link
-[] Philip Ryde
-[] Olympia Ryde
-[] Gil
-[] Siegfried
Meh, pull up at the friend's place and ask them to they face.
So I'm thinking spend some time with ma and pa and check out the friend. Y'know, be a good son and hold off a bit to put down roots before we get onto this magic thing do not doesn't kick the ground out from under us right after we settle down.
[X] Plan filial magus
[] Go to the address of John's friend (Magic, magic, magic!)
[] Social Link
-[] Philip Ryde
-[] Olympia Ryde
Basically spendi ng time with ma and pa being a good son and going to see to our magic education. Avoiding putting down any roots until we see how magic affects our life.
Once we get the magic thing seen to we should finish pur education, move out, get a job, etc.
How free do you think Bruce would be with financial support for a Justice League associate living in Gotham? If we got an introduction through the hero social network he could find us a comfortable dummy job as some kind of consultant for Wayne Industries to let us concentrate on our hero work. Having a magician on hand in the city could be very useful for him.
How free do you think Bruce would be with financial support for a Justice League associate living in Gotham? If we got an introduction through the hero social network he could find us a comfortable dummy job as some kind of consultant for Wayne Industries to let us concentrate on our hero work. Having a magician on hand in the city could be very useful for him.
Same amount I say as he would be to any hero that he could get on retainer. That is to say a healthy salary, paperwork, hazard pay, and whatever funds needed to pursue our real work. Conditions, however loose it would be we would need to be on retainer and probably get no vacation time beyond not being needed when we're not needed, also may want us out of his town. Benefits, utter freedom and financial stability.
If we get to become worth the expense I think this would be a very good setup.
One concern on the Bruce Wayne plan...he's not really a fan of Meta's in Gotham. He's friends with some, but he's not a huge fan of them. Not enough to set us up imo.
Then could we move somewhere with a friendly superhero playboy-billionaire? I'm not that into DC to know the full cast, but Green Arrow is one too right? Aqua Man is a king, maybe he could get us a job at an Atlantean embassy. There must other wealthy Justice League members who could spare us the horrors of a day job.
Then could we move somewhere with a friendly superhero playboy-billionaire? I'm not that into DC to know the full cast, but Green Arrow is one too right? Aqua Man is a king, maybe he could get us a job at an Atlantean embassy. There must other wealthy Justice League members who could spare us the horrors of a day job.
Well, you know what you want to do now don't you. You are going to pursue this opportunity you've been given to its fullest. You don't know where you will end up from here, maybe a hero.. Maybe not. Either way, this is something you never imagined possible before and something about that is so very invigorating. Before you can get to far ahead of yourself though you know there is a few practical things you will need to get out of the way before anything else. First of all, you want to talk to your dad about this, if there is one person in your life you have always seen as a steady presence that knows what he is doing, its been Philip Ryde.
Next, it's probably time you actually start looking for a job isn't it? Sure you have a bit of cash stashed away from college side jobs and being lucky enough to have gotten scholarships and help from your parents in paying for your college, so you aren't in debt, but that stash isn't going to last forever. Especially now that you've graduated and Philip and Olympia Ryde are of the belief that those that are capable and able should work to better and support themselves, so no more safety net in the form of parent handouts for you.
Finally and perhaps even most importantly, you need to actually go to the address of that friend John gave you, and find out what learning about and training your magic would actually entail.
[X] Philip Ryde Social
"So that's it basically, I know this isn't something that you and mom ever planned for me but I was hoping for your advice." Try as you might to sound confident and uncaring before your father a part of you couldn't help but wilt under his stern gaze and make yourself fight the urge to look away. It took a moment but eventually your dad sighed and looked away first.
"Are you serious about this Waver?"
"Absolutely."
"Son, are you sure this is something you want to get mixed up in? I was in the military for long enough Waver and I'm not ignorant enough of the world to dismiss the existence of magic but the stories I've heard, they don't paint a pretty picture. And this guy, John, who got you involved in all this, what do you even know of him? Did he even tell you his last name or hell the name of this friend, that you are supposed to just invite yourself over to and meet?"
Well those are good questions but damn if in the moment you don't feel your face burning and the need to reaffirm that of course you know such things even though you very much do not know any such thing. Before you can say so though, your dad reaches out to put his hand on your shoulder.
"Listen Waver, you have always been headstrong and always so sure of yourself but I just want you to think carefully before you get yourself into something you can't get out of. I'm not going to stop you from making your own choice here, Lord knows you are old enough and stubborn enough that I can't make your decisions for you anymore but do try to use some of that sense your mother and I tried to cultivate in you and make sure that whatever you do, it's you making those choices and not someone else making those choices for you.That's my advice to you right now. Whatever else we have been Waver, your mother and I do love you and want you to be happy."
Well that's a bit heavy. Good to know that your parents care and will support you making your own choices here but besides that all you think you've accomplished here is making your father aware of your new potential and worry about you and your propensity to rush into things without thinking them through. Good job so far Waver, heavy sarcasm on the good part.
[] Anything you want to say back to your dad
-[]Write-in
[] Leave it as is
[X] Look for a Job
Well honestly you have a few prospects to choose from and you aren't quite sure what appeals to you most. The first couple options are all pretty similar and the result of you sending out applications in mass when you were riding the high of first getting your diploma.
Speaking of which, now that you have the option of learning magic you have to wonder if getting your degree in " " really mattered.
[] business
[] English
[] Psychology
[] Engineering
[] Write-in
Author's Note - probably not that important but since I never specified what you majored in earlier I thought I'd leave it to vote. This will probably be more relevant if you go back to school or want to focus on a career involving your degree.
The first couple options were all kinda similar and reminded you of what one might term a "generic office job" that is you would be working in a cubicle 8 hours a day for a corporate overlord in which you were just one of the many cogs in their ever turning machine. Alright, a tad over dramatic but still it pretty much was what you didn't want to do and the main reason you were considering it was the salary and you knew it would make your parents happy.
Pros
Starting salary of 65,000/year.
Stable job
Family Approved
Cons
Boring Job
Strict work hours
The next job you were thinking about was not one job per se but a series of contracts, more specifically you were thinking about doing contract work online. It would mean a bit more instability but it would give you more flexibility in case magic training required odd hours. Your family might not like it as much but hey you could just say online work was just a new trend of the times.
Pros
Flexible Hours
Can have more choice in your work
Cons
Will have to look for new jobs every few weeks
Pay will depend on job
The last job you were considering is actually the one you are least sure about but still interested in. You hadn't been planning on this but you had been walking around town one day when you had felt a weird, almost but not quite tingling sensation that seemed to get stronger as you came closer to this one store. It looked to be on first impression some weird mishmash of a bookstore and antique shop with a heavy new age aesthetic going on. You had been intrigued by the controlled chaos of the place and what looked to be a mix of cheap plastic knock off wands sitting next to a book, that made the hair on your arms raise up, when the owner had come out of the back.
He had started a conversation with you that seemed to be testing if you were actually aware of real magic or not. Once you had proven yourself sufficiently to him, he introduced himself as Keith and you started chatting about magic and the store itself in more depth. Apparently he served both those in the know and those who either thought of themselves as such or just those looking for a cool prop for their costume so he kept a lot of actual magic inventory and just magic-looking stuff in stock. When it came out that you could reliably sense what was and wasn't magic, bit of a shock to you, and that you were new to this Keith offered you a job as an assistant working at his shop. He said it would be nice to have someone working for him, that wouldn't accidentally sell cursed merchandise or already have pissed off sort of demon summoning warlock, working for him. You thought he was probably joking about that last bit. Of course if you don't end up taking the job you can always come back and shop at your leisure he made sure to add with a wink as you made your way out.
Pros
Another source of magic knowledge
Discount on magic items at Keith's shop
Cons
Income isn't likely to be that high ~33,000/year
Parents will be disappointed
It's still retail with all the joy of customer interaction
So that's where you are at with job options right now. Of course, just because that is what you have available now that doesn't mean you have to take any of those options or that those are all that's available.
Well after the heart-warming conversation with your dad, you are somewhat regretting not getting more info off of John when you had the chance. Seriously, it is really bothering you right now that you don't know what his last name is or what his friends name even is. How are you even supposed to introduce yourself to this person? You don't even know if they are a guy, girl, alien, or superhero? You maybe were a bit to excited back there. Now that you think on it, you are really hoping John at least mentioned you to his friend before you show up.
Oh, thank God, as you round the back alley to were John told you to go you see him standing outside smoking by the door. Well now that you know you won't have to try to explain yourself to a stranger you feel yourself become a little more confident again and straighten up as you smile and wave to your new friend(acquaintance?).
"John, good to see you, I wasn't sure if you would be here."
"Yeah, you too mate. It's good timing you got here when you did. I think our host should be arriving soon too so let's get inside before he does." As he says so, he stops to put out his cigarette and undo the lock before letting you and himself in.
It actually doesn't look like much at first glance. The place seems pretty bare to you, sure there's the normal furniture but you are surprised to see no pictures or any personal touches that would indicate anybody living here and most flat surfaces seem to be hard at work gathering a nice layer of dust. Is his friend a ghost, your magic tingling sensation that you got at Keith's shop doesn't seem to be happening here. Wait, would a ghost activate that?
"Um John, are you sure anybody actually lives here?"
"Lives here? Nope, don't imagine so."
"Wait, I thought this was the your friend's place."
"It is. Surprised he hasn't shown yet actually."
Well that's kind of ominous. Who does he know that would be aware of when he's broken into their house and just show up shortly after. As you contemplate that mystery you are suddenly broken out of your reprieve by a dark mass appearing out of the shadows and right in front of John.
"Constantine."
"Batman." A grin. "Ah, don't be like that. What better way to get your attention, it's not like I can just go to the police hq and turn on that fancy light they have for you can I?"
Oh shit. John knows Batman, the Batman, the dark knight, caped crusader, and all the other titles you can't think of right now, that Batman! And apparently John's last name is Constantine, should remember that too, maybe ask Keith if he knows him. But much more importantly Batman is right here! Christ, and you were thinking about just meeting him by yourself! What the hell Waver, dad was right. You were being too reckless! Oh, they were still talking weren't they? Alright focus now, panic later. Preferably somewhere you wouldn't embarrass yourself in front of Gotham's greatest protector.
"So, what do you think? Want to sponsor an up and coming mage, I know he's a little older than your usual protege but the kid needs a good role model right?"
Wait, what? Is John trying to get rid of you? By getting Batman to teach you? Okay, focus that doesn't make sense does it. Batman doesn't know magic, does he? And the age thing, what was that about? You weren't that old, was he referring to Robin. You didn't know how old Robin was but he had been with Batman a while now right.
[] First Robin, Dick Grayson
[] Second Robin, Jason Todd
[] Third Robin, Tim Drake
[] Fourth Robin, Damian Wayne
"John you can't just foist him off on someone else and leave. You did this, you need to make it right."
"So you're saying you want me to stick around Gotham after I finish up or are you saying you want me to drag an innocent kid into what I regularly do?"
"Hmm."
"I'm not saying make him Robin but I can't take an apprentice on right now and you are friends with a couple of mages that don't want to see me right now. Ask Zatanna or Blood, he lives close by, to watch him right now and make sure he doesn't kill himself or anyone else while he gets his feet under him."
So he is trying to get rid of you. That's... discouraging, though it does sound like what he normal does is rough if even Batman isn't disagreeing. Still though…
"I'll look into it… and him." With that you are being started down by the Batman and even though physically you are probably taller than him, you don't feel like it right now. Not that height matters too much to Batman if his tangos with Bane are any indication.
"I'll be in touch John."
"Ta Batman."
And he's gone. Maybe Batman does know magic.
"Well I think that went well."
"John, no offense, but what the hell? Did you give me the address to Batman's safe house? What if I had gotten here before you? And you're leaving?"
"Alright Waver, take a seat would ya? I know it's a big deal for you seeing the big man himself but try to breathe why don't you?"
That is probably a good idea. Sit down and breathe that is, but you aren't going to let this go. So with a glare from you John sits down too and proceeds to get on with it.
"Let's see, where to start, yes this is one of Batman's many safe houses so feel special why don't you. If you had gotten here before me, and broken in, then probably not much of anything. This is a safe house but a pretty empty one, Batman probably took most of the fun stuff out, or hidden it really well, when he told me about it. That last one, yeah, what I do normally isn't great for an apprentice anyway but recently it's been a bit more chaotic. Plus Gotham isn't really where I enjoy hanging my coat anyway so you'd have to leave if you wanted me to teach you. Batman isn't a huge fan of others in his territory either, especially not me for some reason."
Well that's… alright that isn't so bad. A bit confusing that he said Batman doesn't like him but he seems to be working for Batman right now but you do know Batman isn't a big fan of other superheroes operating in Gotham, so maybe that's it?
"Like I said though, Waver I won't be leaving for another two or three weeks and I doubt Batman will have much to say on the others before then so you can come by while I'm here and I'll help you with the basics until then."
Well, what to say to that?
[] Ask more questions
-[] Who were the others he mentioned?
-[] Can we start now?
-[] write-in
[] Try to convince John you can handle being his apprentice
-[] Write-in convincing argument
[] That's enough for now
Hey all, sorry for the delay, wasn't sure were I wanted to go with this and I've never written for these characters before so that was a speed bump. Let me know your thoughts on the writing, characterization, and what not. For those that are curious this is what I rolled for and the results:
Philp Ryde Roll 1D100: 5 reroll: 65
Yeah I rerolled this first one because its so early in the quest, probably won't do that again though
Address of John's friend
Roll options 1D100: 100
0-1: nothing there
2-10: Ritchie Simpson
10-25: Zatara
26-50: Jason Blood
51-75: Zatanna Zatara
75-95: Oracle
96-100: Batman
Roll for if John is there 1D100: 97
<50 - no
>50 - yes
Roll for reception 1D100 + 15 for John being there: 74
If you notice, Oracle was one of the options for the friend roll but since she didn't get rolled and the Robin vote is a thing right now she may or may not exist yet. The Robin vote as you can guess will affect how far along the bat family is and who the current Robin is right now. I didn't get to it in this update but there will probably be something similar to decide the state of the Justice League later. This is still pretty early in the setting up stages and I didn't want to do a strict quest of one specific setting/timeline since I don't think I would know one well enough to do it justice so some more background things may or may not be decided that way.
Having better insight into how people think will almost certainly be helpful here, as a mage and/or as a superhero.
[X] Magic Shop
Office jobs are for regular people, not aspiring mages.
[X] Third Robin, Tim Drake
-[X] Who were the others he mentioned?
[X] That's enough for now
If Constantine doesn't think he can handle us as an apprentice right now, probably best not to second-guess him, since there are others in the community and Batman might be inclined to hook us up. (Also, working for either Zatara is much safer than staying around John Constantine.)
