Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Oct 29, 2024 22:29:11 GMT
Post by facade on Oct 29, 2024 22:29:11 GMT
 | facade | @freelance_facade
Location: Tokyo, Japan. | Current Status: heating up the forge
Now Playing: Tally Hall - The Bidding
"The mask makes sense-" An off-hand comment, no doubt. Nonetheless, facade raised an eyebrow. What did she mean? He always wore a mask, it'd make no sense to comment on that now. What? If she meant his general maintenance of a secret identity, the only difference between them was that Retsu's own mask had fallen through. A false persona? Did she think, beyond all the obvious shit he was hiding, he was somehow deceiving her in a special way? No use stalling on it. For all facade knew, she'd said that to throw him off. Speaking of fixating on random details... Retsu's eye(s) spoke volumes more than her mouth. What she was imagining, he had no idea. Perhaps some paranoid insistence that this very meeting had all been a trap. Maybe she was just admiring his craftsmansh- Huh?
No longer inspecting details. As facade looked up from his booting laptop, he narrowly caught the explosive expert's gaze stalling on the fading hologram. Weird. "W-" Nope, that's an inside thought! 'What is she, a moth? A deer?' Lucky for him, his mask obscured the shit-eating grin that snuck onto his face. His self-awareness caught the other half.
He maintained eye contact, waiting for Retsu to finish before he responded. "The EMP don't gotta be anything advanced. I can make the actual pulse device, just need a grenade casing that'll let me prime and cook it, plus activation on-contact. Something like a flashbang could work for a base." A few seconds passed before he turned his laptop around to show Retsu a mock-up of what he was describing.
"As for the other project, I had something in mind for your use. Could be useful for you to have a way of remotely deploying your explosives. I'm good with drones, so we could work with that. Or, if the other half of my specialty is of more interest to you," faux-green eyes flashed their true icy hue "-I could make a holographic projector that doubles as an infrared or light-break sensor for triggering traps. If you find yourself outnumbered, it's an easy way to seem like you're not~"
As if to illustrate the second of these points, facade openly flicked a device up into his left hand from his sleeve and stood to face Retsu. Flash drive-sized and jet-black. Flipping a switch, his hand seemed to be replaced by that of a movie robot. He clapped his hands twice, which caused the lights in the room to briefly flicker. With another click, the effect dissipated and he placed the device on the couch armrest. If Retsu had been further scanning the room, she'd notice a weird shimmer in the corner once facade had started talking about drones. "But that's just my stuff, anything you were wanting to work on?"
|
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Post by facade on May 7, 2024 19:44:32 GMT
For the past... however many minutes, Aiden's heart and mind had been racing. As he returned to the 'real world', there was a brief lapse in this. Peace. He breathed in... ...and out. Then, his awareness caught back up with his body with a gasp. Adrenaline, not yet clear of his bloodstream, forced Aiden back into that hypervigilant fight-or-flight state. There were so many people here, in a space where there should not be. Most importantly, that fucking mimic! She still dared to take the face of Rui, even now? Oh, how he wanted to break that false body. Break the real body beneath, until she couldn't look like herself if she tried. But... he couldn't. These people were in the way, and she ran. Fucker. He'd have to get his intel guys on tracking her down later. Just breathe. Breathe in-
"OW, FUCK!"
An involuntary response to being suddenly shocked, as Rui's body violently reanimated. Now, he'd seen her come back from 'fatal' injuries before. Injuries that'd kill anyone else, that was her Quirk after all. But not like this. She died. He saw her die. There was blood! There had never been blood before. So, already on a hair trigger, Aiden turned with reflex alone and brought up his hand as Rui rose from the floor.
Click!
The gun hadn't jammed this time. It was, however, out of ammo. Aiden looked on in terror, anticipating a deadly threat. Eyes wide and hands shaky, he watched as Rui said nothing and began to walk away. What if she'd survived? What if somehow her new Quirk had done something to that metal bullet and saved her? He... he would've shot. That wasn't the first thing on Aiden's mind right now, though. "HEY! Don't just fuck off! How are you walking away like any of this is normal?! How are you alive?! Say something, god damn it! ANSWER ME, MATSUI! H- hey!" He choked on his words, unable to keep up the tirade as Matsui Rui ignored him and left, left like some fucking zombie. What was happening? This couldn't be a dream, it felt far too vivid. Too real. He would've woken up at the gunshots, that's how dreams worked, right? Not to mention he hadn't been to sleep in 36+ hours. Had he been dreaming since yesterday?
facade began walking, steps slow and deliberate. He could think all this through later, but right now he needed to get out of here. He was still in danger, after all. Still Quirkless in a chaotic world of Quirkers, with nothing to defend himself. Nothing except the gun. He decided to keep it, as a memento mori if nothing else. He was rich and well-connected enough to get a way better weapon, but that wasn't the point. This one was special. This one killed the invincible Capricorn. Or did it? Either way, it was a reminder that nobody was above death. One bullet, in the right place at the right time. As he was thinking this over, facade noticed someone following him out of the store. It was that philosopher chick, following him like a lost kitten. Wait... a kitten? That's it! He knew that Khepri was somehow familiar, but only now did he figure it out. He'd seen her in the Underground Arena, but not looking like this. Man, he was awful at recognising mutants without their mutations.
Turning his head to face her, facade still did not reveal himself. The de-catbugged Khepri was met only by the kanji for 'follow', lighting up his mask. She looked exhausted, a step away from dead. He probably did too, honestly. Even recognising that technically this person was a hero and thus an enemy, he couldn't bring himself to harbour any ill will towards her right now. Just sympathy and recognition. Slowly, carefully, the duo made their way to one of Aiden's personal safe houses. As the adrenaline finally died down, Aiden found himself passed out on a sofa bed.
tl;dr - Momentary sigh of relief. - Stress Level: error - anger at Fake!Rui, but can't do shit about it Matsu- fear at Zombie!Rui, but gun's empty. - more pleading to deaf ears, when will he learn? Rui Matsui- sympathy for Khepri, leads her to a safehouse. Mafdet Khepri- Great job, guys! |
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Apr 22, 2024 23:34:37 GMT
Post by facade on Apr 22, 2024 23:34:37 GMT
We must not be afraid, for fear leads to anger.
Adrenaline is one hell of a drug. It can enable one to perform almost superhuman feats in times of great need, from hysterical strength to a figurative infinite stamina glitch. It also has one hell of a drawback. Tunnel vision. Making contact with the head of the clone and splat-ing it across the floor was a great feeling. Aiden felt elation for just half a second. Then, with cruel suddenness, his attention was arrested. Too fast for him to think, too fast for even thoughtless action.
A voice.
A gunshot.
A yell.
T h u d . Click! Clatter.
A cacophony of noise, Lemony Snicket's Rube-Goldberg Machine of Unfortunate Events.
Wh...Rui! RUI! Aiden was still standing, so it had to be her! "Don't you fucking dare die on me! Rui!" She couldn't hear him. Turning, Aiden only saw red pooling from her forehead. That was enough. She shouldn't be bleeding. Shouldn't be hurt. Shouldn't be dead, god damn it! The invincible crackhead was lying there with her skull cracked open. That image stained Aiden's memory. The red stained his mind.
Anger leads to hate.
The gun. The gun! That fucker, that dumbass dropped his gun! Aiden, all out of attention to spare for the two clones still gunning for him, rushed to collect the discarded weapon. The other guy tried to fire at him, so Aiden figured there was at least one other bullet in here. So why'd he throw it?... Jammed, figures. Aiden was familiar with guns, at least. How the insides worked, how to fire them. Not his area of expertise, but unjamming the gun could be as simple as some percussive maintenance with the safety on. Pointing the murder weapon right back at Mirror Guy, Aiden lets his subconscious guide his speech as well. "Hey, Chekhov! You dropped this, but I'll make this shit count!" Rage. The emotion that fuelled Aiden in that moment was unrelenting. Aiden emptied the rest of the gun's clip into the man who killed his partner in crime. His friend. 5 bullets, 8, however many were left rained on the guy. Aiming for the head, but imprecise in where they hit on-target.
Hate leads to p a i n.
Resisting the urge to pistol whip the other man and finish the job for sure, Aiden fires the last shot off running. He's still in danger, after all. He couldn't let this guy get both of them. He had to live. Had to live for... where's Rui? There! He was too fuckin mad to question why he was following Khepri through the portal, how they knew the way. All he cared about was Rui...'s body. She got her out. With the final threshold crossed, he was alive? Alive! How had he lived there? The Quirkless one. The weak one. Always the eye in the sky, never the boots on the ground. How had he lived where the immortal Capricorn had died? It didn't make sense. None of this stupid, fucked up house of mirrors made any fucking sense! Were they really in the clear? Really at the end? The tears were making it hard to see clearly. Tears, of course!
Crying for his 'bestie', who died hopeful that he would save her. He couldn't save shit. Heroes saved people.
He was a villain, but fuck did he ever feel less like the mastermind. "We're outta here. Seeya, Hypatia." He had some records to strike off. Now, where the fuck was the exit?
tl;dr - Stress Level: 200% - A sudden, terrible moment of clarity. - A powerless plea on deaf ears. Rui Matsui- Chekhov's gun, shoot to kill. Matsu - Still under threat from the SlowClones™️, uses last of his adrenaline to book it for the mirror. - Nice breakdown, mind if I join? Mafdet Khepri |
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Apr 15, 2024 23:56:24 GMT
Post by facade on Apr 15, 2024 23:56:24 GMT
There it is. As confident as he tried to seem, Aiden was paranoid behind the mask. Always waiting for the pin to drop. Waiting to be proven right about Quirkers, mostly. When Fake!Rui dropped the act, Aiden's fight-or-flight kicked in. He didn't wanna die here, and that was a real possibility right now. Lucky for him, things were about to get better for him and him alone. He felt something change, felt the tongue-tieing leave him. Just in time for that imposter fuck to start running their mouth. He didn't wanna hear it. His heart rate was rising, and Aiden's head pivoted just in time to see through the looking glass. Was that... RUI! Wait...he was there? Not reflected in a mirror, no, it wasn't anywhere near opposite to him and his surroundings didn't match at all. What was he doing with Rui right now? It wasn't right. Not real. Not real. NOT REAL. This was a trick, a facade. He cursed his naming sense for the irony.
What next? He heard a shock, and then turned to see the other girl fall. Hit her head, too. Ouch. Then, slowly, she rose. Adrenaline taking hold of his mind, he alluded to the only female philosopher he could think of. Seemed fitting, unknowingly so, given the shared Egyptian heritage. "Yo, Hypatia, you doing okay? Looks like she... they hit you with something pretty bad..." she was frozen, maybe she was in shock? That was a pretty bad head impact. "Should probably sit back down, I'll try and find-" Speaking of shock, he was about to receive one.
His eyes fixed on the scene through the mirror once more.
They were gonna hurt her, kill her!
His... his what? Employee, associate, ally, friend?
Bestie was probably the word Rui would've used, were she not cowering in fear. It didn't matter to Aiden right now, though.
She was in danger.
Nobody was helping. Nobody could help except him. No bystander effect or flashy hero to hide behind. No excuse.
As logical and cold as he tried to seem, Aiden was emotional beneath it all. Afraid. Fear, left unattended, will do one of three things. Fade away, crystallise into panic, or boil over into anger. Before he knew it, facade's body was moving. His fist was swinging through the air. "FUCKER! How dare you! How dare you take my mask! How dare you take it and use it to hurt Capricorn! My mask! My ally! FUCK YOU!" Before he knew it, Aiden's fist was headed straight for that fucker's stolen mask. The mirror man's glass mask. He hoped it shattered in his eyes, like real glass. Reeling from that, though, Aiden stood a little in front of Rui. Over her. He'd forgotten about her new Quirk, tunnel-visioned. "Fuck are you doing on the floor, Capricorn? You gonna let the tech guy beat you to the punch? How many pro heroes was it you killed again? The hell are these chucklefucks gonna do? Get up!" Was that the best speech? Fuck no, but it was the best he was gonna do while hyped up on self-preservation and outrage. Shit's intoxicating, he was starting to understand how Retsu got that way. But slowly it was drying up. He became aware of the postion he'd put himself in. Frontliner. Fuck.
tl;dr - Stress Level: 80% - I alone am the real facade - You good? Mafdet Khepri - Picks Rui, moving before his brain can catch up. - Swings for the faker's glass mask. Matsu - Gives Rui Matsui a little 50% pep speech, 50% taunt. |
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Apr 15, 2024 13:21:12 GMT
Post by facade on Apr 15, 2024 13:21:12 GMT
[googlefont=Quicksand] [attr="class","likedo"] [attr="class","likedotitle"] [attr="class","likedotitle2"]PANTHEON  [attr="class","likedoinfo"] [attr="class","likedosub"]Important Information
Faction: Villains Headquarters: Varies, meeting locations rotate. Preferred Contact: Please get in contact via @ in the villain plots channel. Description: Pantheon is the name of an alliance of villains brought together by a single common interest; networking and supporting one another. The members of the organization all have access to the ENKI Network and actively use it in their activities. They regularly communicate through it, sell goods, share information, assist in one another's nefarious schemes, and sometimes even engage in friendly rivalries and competitions. The members of Pantheon are not beholden to a single ideology, believing that villains are not monolithic. Instead, the organization is broken up into Courts that is lead by an individiual who also happens to be one of the administrators of the ENKI system. Each of these Courts is thematically represented by a different type of polytheistic religion and the members of the courts like to take on monickers that represent the various gods of those religions. These pseudonyms are entirely cosmetic and used internally or to help confuse heroes/police, they do not under any circumstances replace a villains chosen codename. These Courts each serve a different role in supporting the Villain Network and between their personal plots and machinations perform these roles as an occupation, going as far as getting paid by the organization to do their work. It should be known that the Courts of Pantheon do not always get along and there are many gray areas between them. Each Court may have its own driving mission statement, philosophy, or outlook on society. They work together out of necessity and a common belief in the effectiveness of the system rather than because they genuinely like one another (though they may very well respect one another). Often times members of courts will bounce between the various groups, picking up double or even triple duty depending on the needs of Pantheon. The individuality in the organization makes it strong, so it goes without saying, what happens when the leaders of each court agree unanimously? If that ever happens, heaven help us all.
Joining: Pantheon Members are exclusively villains and users of the ENKI system. Without access to the system, joining is impossible. Getting access is fairly easy, one must simply befriend an existing user of the system and be invited into the organization. A background check will be run by the various intelligence groups within Pantheon to check for dangerous ties to heroes and police. Afterwards, an ENKI packet will be sent out and the villain will be welcomed by Pantheon with open arms. From there they can work their way up through their chosen Court. It should be known that each Court handles its membership, rules, and hierarchy differently though generally speaking the heirarchy matches their roles in the ENKI system. Adding a new Court: It is possible for a high level villain to play a role in adding a new court/branch to the faction. Details will be handled OOCly before a plot is created IC to see to the birth of the new portion. [attr="class","likedosub"]Court List The Heavenly Court - Generalists - The court themed after various pre-classical myths and the western Zodiac (which originated in sumeria/babylon), lead by the co-founder and 'mother' of the ENKI System, Ishtar, is tasked predominantly with supporting and coordinating other villains, acting as the brains to Asgard's hands. Some are craftsmen or engineers that have been drawn in by Ishtar's offerings of access to cutting edge technology and resources. Others respect her raw power and have great abilities of their own. The group is varied in strengths and specific abilities. Ishtar looks after the members of her court carefully and acts like a mother to them. She is notably a strict leader and taskmaster, expecting greatness from the people she invites into her inner circle. The organization's philosophy focuses on serving villainy as a whole and taking advantage of the ecosystem created by the hero vs villain conflict. Halls of Asgard - Problem Solvers - Taking after the myths of early medieval Scandinavia & Central Europe and lead by the co-founder (and developer) of the ENKI System, Loki, this Court is dedicated to providing a wide variety of services for other villains and offering more practical assistance. Many are combatants, hackers or infiltrators drawn together by the promise of steady work and a veritable armory courtesy of Loki. The Asgardians are less the brain of ENKI's network and more its hands, providing the brute force necessary to crack security systems, tear down defenses, access discreet information and (most importantly) protect against or hunt down Heroes who may interfere. Loki is less a leader of this dynamic crew and more its handler, making sure all weapons are distributed where they will be most useful. (Contact BlueJay about joining the Asgardian Court.) [attr="class","likedosub"]Member List LEADER: ISHTAR | LEADER: LOKI | DIRECTOR: VALKYRIE | DIRECTOR: CAPRICORN | OFFICER: TAURUS | MEMBER: BALDR |
MEMBER: TIAMAT PHARAOH LEAP. [newclass=.likedo]background-color:#f0f0f0;padding:25px;width:600px;color:#888888;line-height:10px;[/newclass] [newclass=.likedotitle]background-color:#ffffff;border:solid 9px #444444;padding:1px;[/newclass] [newclass=.likedotitle2]background-color:#444444;color:#ffffff;font:bold 10px Calibri;line-height:35px;text-align:center;letter-spacing:2px;[/newclass] [newclass=.likedoinfo]margin-top:-10px;border:solid 1px #e5e5e5;background-color:#f9f9f9;padding:24px;font:10px verdana;text-align:justify;line-height:12px;[/newclass] [newclass=.likedosub]background-color:#444444;font:bold 8px Calibri;text-align:left;padding:10px;color:#ffffff;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:1px;[/newclass] |
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Apr 15, 2024 12:13:05 GMT
Post by facade on Apr 15, 2024 12:13:05 GMT
The Following is the Current List of Users with access to the ENKI system and participate in activities involving it. Participation is not required but encouraged since it helps get plots going and people meeting new people! If you would like access to the ENKI system, feel free to post a response here and I'll add you to the list. There are different access levels depending on involvement with the ENKI system; Administrator - These are the chief villains behind the system, coordinating it. They may contribute to the system in many ways covering multiple functions and categories. They have the ability to use a feature of the system where they can call for meetings of all the users and arrange for transportation for them. There are currently two Admins of the ENKI system reflecting the existing two leadership positions in Pantheon, though one is missing as of late. More may be added in the future. Director - These villains have volunteered to contribute to and even helm a part of the system but do not want the responsibilities of being an admin or may even directly work under one of the admins. They may be the head of a mercenary group, a squad of villains, black marketeers, the owner of a clinic, or even gear producers. Either way, they usually own one of the methods of service. They can call meetings among the officers attached to them and have access to direct lines of communication to the Administrators. Officer - Someone who wants to be a part of the system and assist, usually picks a director to help. Officers tend to have the most capability of movement and do a lot of the legwork for the System. This can involve 'acquiring' new drivers for the transportation system, seeking out new sources of funding, and dealing with problems. General Users - Not interested in the extra stuff, just want the healthcare, shelter, and ammo. Court refers to the subfaction of Pantheon that the user belongs to. Some villains do not belong to a particular subfaction and just enjoy the benefits of the system.
Username Court Access Level
ISHTAR HEAVEN Administrator (Offline)
LOKI ASGARD Administrator
VALKYRIE ASGARD Director (Minion Services)
CAPRICORN HEAVEN Director (Medical Services)
TAURUS HEAVEN Officer (Combatant)
BALDR ASGARD General User (Available Minion)
TIAMAT HEAVEN General User (Undecided) |
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Apr 15, 2024 11:46:22 GMT
Post by facade on Apr 15, 2024 11:46:22 GMT
ENKI ENKI is an exclusive system designed by a villain known as Loki and distributed solely to Villains who are members of the villainous group known as Pantheon. It is made up of three parts, the phone, the app, and the control ring. Users with access to the system recieve the entire kit in one package. The system functions as a way for villains to not only communicate and share information, but to support one another and gain access to the various ways Pantheon supports its villains. The PhoneThe ENKI Phone is a special device designed by Unique Variant Solutions (aka UVS), a company that produces hero-grade support gear. The device is nearly indestructable, prepared for being present during high grade quirker combat. (It should be noted that the phone provides no mechanical benefit from this, it just won't break). It is connected to the telecommunications network with a secure line. The Control RingThe ENKI Control Ring marks the wearer as the user of the matching ENKI Phone. Without the ring present on the person's body somewhere, the phone will not function. It has an area of effect of about five feet but with a touch can be set to voice control mode, extending its range significantly to react to voice commands from the user. The AppThe ENKI App is the beating heart of the device. It has numerous features useful to Villains. The large circular button at the top of the APP is the ENKI button, touching the button activates a microphone or keyboard to interact with the ENKI assistant. The ENKI assistant can answer questions based on information available to it from the villain support network. It can also provide quick access to the other features on the app. Phone/App Diagram: Functions in order from left to right, top down (of the diagram): 1) Villain Net - A secure darknet browser designed for the Phone. 2) Villain Support - This function allows the user to issue a request for support from other villains. The request will either be directly connected to a nearby ENKI villain, or to Loki to arrange for the assistance if no others are within range. 3) Black Market - This function allows the user to access the marketplace where support gear, weapons, and other materials sold by villains is available. (This is where Loki distributes most of the support gear he develops at UVS for heroes and then repurposes for villains, you may place orders for custom gear from him here). 4) Message Board - This function allows for villains to communicate directly with one another on a private message board only accessible from the devices. Imagine 4chan, but with more threats of violence! 5) Transportation - This function allows for a nearby form of transportation to be pinged and summoned to retrieve the villain rapidly. Many civilians held by their debts are part of this program and will basically function as villain Uber drivers. 6) Safe Haven - This function reveals a map of nearby villain-friendly safe houses. 7) Medical Services - This function alerts the system that the villain requires medical attention, connecting the villain to the Villain Mummy or an underworld doctor if she isn't available. 8) Legal Services - This function alerts the system that the villain requires the services of a lawyer. A villain-friendly legal professional will be dispatched to their aid posthaste. 9) 'Minion' Services - This function alerts the sytem that the villain requires 'goons' or 'minions' to assist them in a job and gives them access to a list of sources. |
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Post by facade on Apr 8, 2024 22:58:54 GMT
This was all just getting weirder and weirder. Rui... what was she saying? It didn't make sense, but not in the way it had before. This sounded purposeful. Confident. She no longer cared about her reward, and her of all people advised against touching anything? "Nice (awful) fucking try. Sus (non-suspicious) behaviour." Something was wrong. He wasn't gonna stick around and find out what. Khepri's speech didn't help matters, once again, but at least this time it wasn't her fault. "You've gotta be (not be) fucking with me..." But, when she was able to get her words in writing, it started making a hell of a lot more sense. So she noticed all that weirdness too, huh?
Aiden was fully onboard to go along with Khepri's plan here, given he was gonna follow the sparks anyway. To that end, he passed Khepri his little shock stick. "You... can (can't) make better (worse) use of this than me, give those mirrors hell!" He laughed at the absurdity of the situation, their salvation seemingly lying in such a minor action. He hoped Mr Mushroom was onboard with them, but frankly he didn't care about the guy rn. "Aight, listen up (cover your ears), Shitty (Great) Rui! Follow us or don't, this shit's on you (on us)!"
tl;dr - stress level: 70% - the plan is simple? - the plan is simple. - gives Mafdet Khepri the tiny taser - following the sparks MatsuRui Matsui |
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Post by facade on Apr 1, 2024 23:58:09 GMT
As smart and perceptive as he is, Aiden is having a hard time taking any of this in or processing it. So much is happening at once, and nobody's making any sense. Is this what a panic attack feels like? 'Nah, not yet. 'Least I can still think.', he thought. As weird as the mushroom guy's mannerisms were, he at least seemed to have his head on straight. facade is about to try and ask the guy a question, when he feels a shock stronger than any joy buzzer should be. "Ow! Nice guy (fucker), what wasn't (was) that for?!" He reeled, eyes briefly caught by the sparks cascading off the mirrors, then puts that in his 'later' file and turns his attention back to Mr. Mushroom. The very clear demonstration of his opposite speech is the last domino to fall, and Aiden gets it. Reversing whatever he says, huh? This'll be fun (sarcastic).
"I... think (don't think) I get it? Say what you don't mean (mean), and it'll turn out right?" Khepri's comments manage to then stun Aiden one-by-one, a 4-hit combo ending in complete gibberish. After a good 3 seconds of buffering, he turns to the not-catbug. "That's- that's not (that is) how this shit works, wise guy (crackhead). What even was (wasn't) that f-... last (first) part?! It's like you're (you aren't) speaking French, or something!" Aiden was beginning to get a migraine. To add to his rising blood pressure, Rui was no longer hanging around the group. Where had she gone? "Satan bless it (God damn it), Capricorn! I take (don't take) my eyes off you for t-... ten seconds (a tenth of a second)! Where...?" Quickly looking around (and dodging the flying mirrors), Aiden is able to locate Not!Rui walking off alone. Alright, deep breaths, focus on the message. "Hey, get back here (stay over there)! If you wander off alone (stay here together), you don't get (get) the prize!" While he didn't make this place, Rui thought he did. Maybe he could use that?
While talking, though, Aiden had walked up to a nearby non-black mirror. The beautiful cascading effect from earlier replayed in his mind's eye. Hoping to trigger something that might lead to a clue, he shocked it with his little baby tazer (UnderControl Collection item).
tl;dr - System Shock Rui Matsui- Stress Level: 50% - Gets the trick, pushed over the edge by Kinoko-san's help. - Khepri isn't helping. [Cue Laugh Track] Mafdet Khepri- Realises he took his eyes off Rui for 10 seconds. Uh-oh. - Calls over for (fake) Rui to come back, leveraging her belief that he set this up. Matsu- Noting the electric effect, tries (weakly) shocking a mirror himself. |
|
Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Mar 19, 2024 19:51:40 GMT
Post by facade on Mar 19, 2024 19:51:40 GMT
Aiden is, once again, startled when someone is very suddenly talking to him (current events are not good for his paranoia). When Mr. Mushroom Man starts talking, Aiden finds he can only understand half of it at most. Gesturing to the other two present, he interjects. "Can someone tell me what the fuck he's saying? I don't speak samurai!" Eventually, especially if conveyed to him, Aiden gets the gist of 'my cousin went in there an hour ago, didn't come out.' Before Aiden can voice how much of a red flag that is, though, he felt himself being pulled off his feet. Pulled sideways. Towards the building. "Huh? The fuck is... no, no! Absolutely n-" The building wasn't considerate enough to let him finish.
The sudden silence threw Aiden off, then the 'BOOM!' stunned him momentarily. Blood pressure rising. Shielding his eyes from the brief light, Aiden was speechless. This... room? Building? Place? Whatever it was, he was in total awe. A fractal maze of light and colour, a house of mirrors on steroids, it was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. For a short time, what felt like minutes to him, Aiden just stared. Stared with stars in his eyes, reflected literally in the screen of his mask.
It took Mushroom Man's comment to bring facade back to his senses. Wait...tiny? "What don't (do) you mean? This place is tiny (huge)! Way smaller (bigger) than it shouldn't (should) be, wrong (right)? Like, that wasn't (was) a convenience store. Did some Quirkless (Quirker) do all this?" He gestured vaguely at the space around them. Then, another thought came to mind. This guy didn't seem like the type to fuck up his words, old-fashioned as he was. Maybe there was some kind of trick to this? "Maybe it isn't (it's) fucking with how we see things, the same (differently) for all (each) of us? We should split up (stick together) and be careful (not) to just trust what everyone else isn't (is) saying. God doesn't know (knows) how small (big) this place really isn't (is)..." He turned to face the others, trying (and failing) to convey a coherent strategy for making their way around.
I.e. "I hate (love) logic puzzles, this is gonna be fucking awful (so much fun)!" tl;dr - What is blud yapping about - Stress Level: 20% - Wonderstruck, just staring. - Snapped out of it, responds to Mushroom Man (ineffectively) Matsu - The Plan Is Simple™️ (Incomprehensible) Mafdet Khepri Rui Matsui |
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
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Post by facade on Mar 19, 2024 0:15:09 GMT
Aiden Markusson was not having a good time. Yesterday, people just started collapsing? For no reason? So many people unconscious, just like that. Not everyone, though. For the few that were still kicking around, shit was bad. Quirks were switching around like some fucked up Secret Santa, and Aiden apparently wasn't on the list. Still quirkless! So now he just had to watch as the lucky ones stumbled around with Quirks that weren't even theirs. It had taken a total of five (5) minutes for social order to entirely break down, mostly cause heroes and police were very suddenly understaffed. He'd barely made it home intact, shutting himself in and praying that some rando on a power trip didn't break in and snap him like a twig. Aiden was no stranger to all-nighters, but normally it was simple hyperfixation that drove him through them. This time it was fear, which was certainly less familiar. The night passed, and then the day, until it was sunset once more. A full day since whatever the fuck happened.
A message from Rui broke the trance that he usually fell into when coding. Good to know one of his strongest allies was still alive, but the message was weird. Why did she wanna meet up suddenly, and why all the way in Shibuya in front of a random convenience store? Either way, he made his way there on foot. The familiar voice startled Aiden, prompting a "-who the fuck?" before he saw Rui. Same blonde hair, same height, same head-empty smile. Yep, that was her alright. Not a mutant any more, though. What was her new Quirk? "Hey, Capricorn. Liking the new look! Bloody and bruised is all the rage right now." At her next line, Aiden raised an eyebrow. He'd never seen either of those people before. Nor this weird store, especially since it was her idea to meet here and she showed up first. Forgetting that sarcasm was significantly less common in Japanese speech, he played along. "Uhh... yeah, sure, it's a game." He laughed to himself. If nothing else, Rui was a source of amusement. Khepri's interaction with the mushroom guy was weird, though. The wave... was she asking them to come closer? This whole thing was sus as hell, no way he was going in there willingly. "Fuck's up with her?" He asked Rui, voice lowered.
Stress Level: 10%
tl;dr - Malding because Quirkless, pulls up to the store - Blonde woman jumpscare, playing along (sarcastic tone) Rui Matsui - Not going in there willingly, but has no choice in the matter >:3 - Get a load of this guy Mafdet Khepri Matsu |
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
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Post by facade on Feb 29, 2024 0:30:53 GMT
"Fair, guess I'm thinking of somebody else. Heard you were looking for the mirror? It's over there, pretty sure it's being sold by the crackhead with stoneskin." He gave the tip to Antoine, pointing to a few of the plinths being watched-over by another vendor. Once the security guard left, Aiden made a note to do a little research after this whole event was over and done with. Meanwhile, his attention switched to Retsu. Her criticism of the whole thing was valid, prompting a shrug. "Yeah, most of us were fucking around with the gear, but some of it's pretty damn useful past the appearance." He couldn't help but watch her face and mannerisms, observing that trademark manic grin. Retsu's mind was both beautiful and terrifying to him. A horror-puzzle game he couldn't seem to crack. What kind of Geneva Suggestion bullshit had she thought of now? "Well, I was rooting for Player One, cause he got my tech. The catgirl too, mostly cause she's a goddamn UAU student and if she went down we'd all be fucked. Guessing by that look, you didn't get whatever you were betting on?"
As much as his attention was drawn towards his explosive associate, Rui demanded it. His mask's display switched briefly to a question mark when the undying oni tried to act like he owed her a favour. "Sure, I'll get you a drink, but I know exactly how many kills you got that day. You'll get the money when you set up your fuckin' payment info on the system... Or ask Minotaur to do it for you." He got up and headed over to the bar, ready to fulfil the request. "What drink?" He raised his voice over the din of lost bets and drunken villains, calling out to Rui. Once that had been resolved, facade returned to the table to field Elias' question. "I wasn't the main organiser, so I can't say how long the planning part took, but you'd be surprised. From blueprints, it was like 3 weeks tops? Get enough Quirker meatheads paid or 'triggered' and you could build Rome in a day. The tech side is held together with duct tape, cause they brought me in mid-way through setup, but honestly it's going smoother than I thought it would. I'm sure with you running the show, I would've had about 50 less reasons to burst a blood vessel."
As he finished talking, facade's phone vibrated. Taking a look at the message, he sighed. "Speak of the devil, I gotta get back to work. Been nice talkin'. Don't detonate the building, 'least not for another hour or two. Lemme know if anyone wants to help me fuck with Azazel, heard enough of his yapping today." He stood from the table, taking a napkin-wrapped cheeseburger with him in one hand. Aiden returned to his little corner of the venue, leaving the trolling offer open.
tl;dr - Suit yourself Ghouligan- Playing games Bakiri Retsu- Calling the bluff Rui Matsui- Not as long as you'd think Elias- No rest for the wicked, back to work |
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
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Post by facade on Feb 8, 2024 17:18:32 GMT
 | facade | @freelance_facade
Location: Tokyo, Japan. | Current Status: gladiators, ready.
Now Playing: Ren - Money Game Pt. 2
So far, this was all going as expected, if not as planned. facade had spent most of the day (and most of the event) behind the scenes, essentially running tech support and admin for the event he'd helped (in part) to set up with some ENKI backing. The 'guns shooting real bullets' thing had nearly given him an aneurysm. He'd also, once things were fully in swing and working as intended, been betting on the results of the arena's events. The fact that one of the contestants was on record as a UA student was very close to giving him a stroke. But, all in all, things were going well.
Aiden put a significant amount of money on Player One, purely because he was the only one that had gotten gear made by facade himself. The only thing stopping him from rigging the event was the fact that villains and vigilantes tended to be enjoyers of extreme violence. In addition to watching the arena, he'd also been off to the side on the phone a lot, talking to a UVS salesman present at one of the 'legitimate' arenas' exhibitions. A busy bee, to say the least. Finally, he got a moment to take a break and get out on the floor with the other spectators. Retsu and Rui immediately caught his eye, seemingly part of a larger group, so facade headed over towards them. He was wearing his usual getup and a black lower-face mask as a formality, one Retsu at least would be familiar with.
"Evening, ladies and gentlemen. Enjoying the show?" He said, to no-one in particular as he sidled up alongside the eclectic group. "The demo expert's right, folks. Everything's here to test and take, if ya like it... Hey, don't toss shit around, ya crackhead!" He was briefly distracted by Rui's disposal of the yo-yo, catching it mid-air. "A laser knife is a damn good idea though, I should try that. If you want something to play with, Rui, try this. Little taser baton." He handed her the Shock_Stick v1. It'd be funny if she shocked herself with it, if nothing else.
He turned to the other two men accompanying the chaotic duo, recognising only one of them. "Hey, Mr Nirvana himself! Can I get you a drink? This place looks crappy, but the bar's top-notch. And... sorry, have I met you before? Ya look familiar for some reason, can't quite put a finger on it. I go by facade, guess you could call me a freelancer?" He offered Antoine a handshake, eyes showing a smile but mouth hidden. As Elias went over to a table, Aiden wondered what he'd missed. "Oh, you guys getting a bite to eat?"
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
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Jan 22, 2024 22:59:10 GMT
Post by facade on Jan 22, 2024 22:59:10 GMT
It'd been a while since the raid on Yizoy, a company that had since come under UVS' umbrella properly. He'd chewed out the old CEO about security, when he was 'officially' made aware. Honestly, a part of facade's mind was convinced that Retsu would never show up. She was paranoid, even moreso than he was, and quite blatantly distrusted him still. That would be smart of her, if she wasn't one of the few people he'd resolved to avoid pissing off or back-stabbing at all costs. Late in the morning, typing away at a computer in his room of one of the apartments connected to the workshop, he came to a realisation.
"Fuck, I forgot to change the keypads..."
He'd had weeks to make that small change, and it'd completely slipped his mind. Keypads were insecure, they were easy to brute force and they could be read by the naked eye if used often enough. Plus, as he'd learnt from Retsu, they could be rigged to make quite the nasty trap. But how else to secure the workshop from the outside? From the front door there'd be no reason to suspect that this wasn't just an apartment building, and it was, but the external entrance to this part of the first floor could potentially stand out. No villain he knew, especially not Retsu, would trust any kind of biometrics on the door, and he hadn't given her any other code or key.
Pondering this, he left the 'break room' so to speak and headed through an internal door into the main chamber of the workshop. Almost on queue, the click of the door unlocking resounded like the pulling of a grenade's pin and Aiden stepped behind one of the blastproof walls for cover. For all he knew, it wouldn't be at all out of character for Retsu to lead with a grenade, to probe for traps or something. Luckily, there was no such pre-emptive strike. Either way, he knew deep inside that their little game of minesweeper had begun even before set foot in the building and a single wrong move could lead to his demise, either now or when he least expected it. "Yeah, I know. I pride myself on quality for my clients, y'know?" Aiden was wearing fairly little prosthetics or makeup compared to what he usually used as Facade, simply sporting a lower face mask and some green coloured contacts. He was dressed casually, in black jeans and an over-sized black hoodie (comfortable in the air-conditioned building).
He motioned for Retsu to come in, walking over to a couch a little further into the room. It was one of three that surrounded a seemingly innocuous coffee table, save for the circular glass panel in its centre. There were a number of coasters littering its surface, too. Aiden passed his hand over the panel, causing a holographic projection to appear above the table at about chest height (for him), then sat down. It was a 3D UI, with a load of schematics/CAD files, material/component order links, and code snippets in little bubbles around a central search box.
"Take a seat, if you want. I want to talk shop before we get started. Then, I can give you a quick tour of the place. This is a little OS I made to test out my hologram tech. You can pull up info, research, blueprints, send stuff to the printers, whatever. There's one of the projectors next to each workbench, just pass your hand over the panel palm-forward to open or close it." He was sitting on the edge of the couch, cleaning up/sorting the interface. Then, he closed the projection and opened up his laptop (previously sat on the couch). "Any immediate questions? I'll try to give straight answers."
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Setting up smoke & mirrors.
ALIAS
FACADE
OCCUPATION
CTO of ProjectYou & Unique Variant Solutions
EVENT TOKENS
140
QUIRK
QUIRKLESS
Villain
|
Jan 22, 2024 15:15:46 GMT
Post by facade on Jan 22, 2024 15:15:46 GMT
| facade | @freelance_facade
Location: Tokyo, Japan. | Current Status: laughing at dumbass heroes
Now Playing: CG5 - I See a Dreamer
'What a bother.'
Aiden looked down at his phone, watching the camera feed from one of his workshops/safehouses as a small squad of police and heroes broke their way in. The carnage was beautiful as he triggered the traps he'd just rigged, at least incapacitating the whole lot of them. He learned that trick from Bakuretsu. What had started as a normal day (i.e. Aiden working through the night and only knowing it was 'tomorrow' when the sun rose) had turned into a pretty annoying one, receiving intel that one of his clients planned to Judas him when they met up that morning in just that safehouse. Looking closer, they were indeed among the group that had entered. Aiden made sure that one died. What was it honestly with those heroes not minding their fucking business, with cowardly fucking ambush tactics?
"Eat shit." Was all they heard, through a speaker hidden somewhere. The ambulances would come for them soon.
Commotion from above drew the hacker's attention upward, just in time to see two heroes chasing after someone who seemed to be denying any wrongdoing. Y'know, any other day, Aiden would've just minded his business. Today, he was feeling spiteful. The two heroes... yep. He'd dealt with them before, or at least their agency. The Water Guns Hero: Uzi Mizu, and the Sky Surfer Hero: Nimble Nimbus. Self-righteous dickheads, and not even the good kind of righteous, the lawful kind. Boring. Looks like they'd upgraded their gear since their last meeting... those rats! Violating an exclusive contract. Now, he had a stake in this. Whoever they were chasing, he didn't really care, they just weren't allowed to catch him. Speaking of, the guy had deftly dodged the dumbasses dogging him by dropping down into the distance between domiciles. Devious~
Somehow, that was enough for the heroes to lose the guy. At this moment, Aiden sat down up against one of the buildings. It was time to join the fun. He was about to simply connect to the local CCTV network, but looked up with childlike glee as a new toy presented itself. Aiden Markusson loved drones. It was almost too easy to hijack the device, taking advantage of the agency's shockingly awful cybersecurity to cut off their connection/camera feed from the drone and briefly mute their comms with the two heroes while he was at it. With it now under his control, he picked a random path through the alleyways and side-streets hoping the heroes would follow for a bit at least. Then, an advertising sign on a bus stop next to Hiro would suddenly switch to a black screen. 'Not much time, the heroes are chasing a wild goose. Come with me, if you wanna live.' read the sign, accompanied by a blinking arrow leading to what he was almost certain was a veritable maze of pathways. If he could lead the guy to one of his (non-ENKI) safehouses, then it'd be pretty easy to lose the heroes entirely. The distraction wasn't sustainable for long, but if this guy missed his shot, that was on him.
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