Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by
Guild of Gamers: The Card Master
Chapter 05: Madison
— Quest Section —
Should Charlie push for Arcadia?
Yes, fuck Winslow. Yes, and push for Sophia and Emma as well.Nah, stay at Winslow. (66%)
– Charles 'Charlie' Barnes –
At the end of the day, I don't particularly want to go to Arcadia after some thought. I mean, sure it probably looks (and smells) better than Winslow but my friends and sister are in Winslow. Plus, if I go to school with the boy scouts, I'm gonna be stuck dealing with the other wards way more than I will be at Arcadia after making it clear I'm dipping the moment I turn eighteen. That's just asking for them to waste my school time trying to sell the program to me. At Winslow I just have Sophia who is as interested in sticking around as I am. She's not gonna waste my time with PRT propaganda.
More importantly, I know Winslow. I know where to avoid and how to spot the gang's junior division. Arcadia might be 'better' but I doubt it doesn't have its own messes that I'd be navigating blind. Much like the Wards, I'm only in Winslow for another year and a half before I graduate and get out of here. After that, I can move on to college for whichever job I'm looking for. My grades are good enough for me to aim for just about anything, but I'm leaning towards becoming a lawyer if the whole hero biz doesn't work out as a fulltime job.
Which leads nicely into the next matter. My 'internship'. The Wards program takes lengths to explain the frequent disappearances of their Wards. It's easy to wonder if someone at Arcadia might be a Ward that matches their build when they disappear after (and sometime during) class every day and always seem busy when they shouldn't have anywhere to be. Some have 'volunteer' programs, others have internships or 'part-time jobs' that explain why they're always busy with the PRT helping with the cover story. Mine is with Dad's Law Firm to test the waters before deciding if I want to go to law school. Some of the higher-ups know the truth but all have been forced into NDAs (even if it was more complicated than usual since they're all lawyers).
Plus, one of them is literally Brandish so they're used to hero business. She's known for being a complete hardass when it comes to everything, especially corruption so there's little risk that they leak my name. Plus, if they do? Exposing a Ward's identity is how you get a visit from Alexandria where she promptly uppercuts you into the sun or something. The PRT doesn't fuck around when it comes to Ward safety.
Basically, I will go and do intern things there every so often but mostly it's all just for show and they'll claim that sure, Charlie was there making coffee and fetching documents or some shit like that. At least it'll look good on my resume even if everything goes to shit, and nobody should question it since following Dad into his line of work makes sense from an outsider point of view. Personally, I'm half-wondering if Dad did this to boost his own cred in his workplace with a superhero son since this means his bosses know who I am. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid and just a little schizo. Not everything is that complicated, and they gave me other choices for my 'extra-curricular' activities.
I did feel a little like Emma during the 'photoshoot'. Basically, they set up a load of different outfits and scenarios for me to pose for to take pictures of my 'at work' for social media, with changes to make them look like they're taken on different days rather than over the course of a couple of hours. It wasn't bad because I don't take many photos so they didn't need many for me to use.
They've even set up my social media accounts for my hero persona already. PHO, Instagram and a bunch I never use nor do I intend to start using. God, maybe Emma should have been the one to get powers, she'd love this shit. I use PHO to shitpost, troll and bait Greg into getting banned again.
Now, I've got a set of classes on 'public media' coming up as part of my Hero training. There's an ungodly amount of classes for damn near everything but most are optional. What I found interesting is that time in these classes counts toward my mandatory hours each week.
If I weaponise them, the Console, and meet and greets, I could probably waste enough time to never have to do a single patrol before I graduate. It's not like they could complain that I'm studying, right? And if they did, I can cry to the Youth Guard about them trying to send me out underprepared when I still have classes to finish first.
Not that I'm planning to do that, but it's just something to keep in mind if I want to start passively resisting. Like Sophia said, Youth Guard are a bigger problem for the PRT than they are for us poor kids being forced into this dangerous lifestyle. If you know the rules, you can make sure you never have to lift a finger as the most ineffective hero in history.
Sorry, civilians, I can't save you. I have… uhh, 'Body Language' 101 to get to. How can I be a proper hero if I don't know how to pose for the posters? You can't expect me to fight Neo-Nazi Villains without passing a class on how to give proper interviews to the media.
As with my costume, the PRT gave me a list of potential hero names and most were shit. I did kinda like Nevermore, but most were too goth or sounded like a DND character's name. Still, they weren't all bad and in the end I went with Corvo.
It's Italian for raven and crow, apparently. It's fancy but not so fancy I'll feel daft saying it. Plus, it fits my black outfit and the silver raven skull.
Most of my summons are ghosts, but apparently ghost related names feel too villainous, so making the Foul Watcher the 'familiar' of my hero persona fit better. Floodhound is great but he's too cute to fit with the persona I'm going for. I'll still be using him, obviously, but not as part of the image.
Corvo, the Wards ENE branch's new Master-Trump Hero. Summoning monsters to fight for me and using my 'spells' to empower allies and debuff my enemies.
Right now, they're starting the hype phase. Hints at a new hero, giving the public little nuggets of information before my official announcement. They've had me send Foul Watcher out several times, having it act strangely as marketing. Foul Watcher is capable of 'speaking' words, which Glen has used to great effect.
PHO has been going wild over ideas on just what the new Wards powers actually are and if it's related to the video of Miss Militia flying that went crazy just a day before. I'm genuinely curious over just how many of the PHO members are secret PRT plants because they have worked out something close to my powers.
One of the PR stunts had the Patrician Geist make a short appearance running alongside Armsmasters bike while he was on patrol before vanishing, and Armsmaster showed Ghostform that night.
The current theory is that I'm like Othala but instead of just touching people, I summon a monster-like projection that gives them the power. Foul Watcher gave Miss Militia flight, Patrician Geist gave Armsmaster the ability to go incorporeal. It's close to the truth, and probably what the PRT is going for since having the villains know the exact details of my powers isn't a good thing.
They used Gallant as an example. Apparently he's a Blaster, but they let the public think he's a Tinker. There's no hiding that I can summon and use 'spells' but muddying the waters makes it harder to prepare counters for me.
Funnily enough, they've already found my PHO account because someone with far too much free time went through accounts by age and found my already verified account. I put a raven emblem as my pfp, and it doesn't take a genius to link Foul Watcher and Corvo with a Verified Hero tag.
'Corvo' has also been linked to the tower, especially after I summoned the Hedge Maze on the new island. Stormbound Geist has made several appearances above the tower. causing storms that don't actually affect the city because of the distance.
Apparently this was all expected, and they got me to change my profile pic to a side-profile of head in my outfit. It reveals nothing, since the hood is up, but apparently it's little things like this that add to the hype. I guess they've done this enough times to know what they are doing, and the mystery works for my enigmatic and secretive persona. Basically, the PR guys worked out that I'm an introvert and they decided to work that into my persona so it enhances my image rather than detracts from it. It changes things from 'Corvo is awkward' to 'Corvo is quiet and mysterious' apparently.
I'm still wrapping my head around the idea that I'll have merch soon. My only condolence is that Greg won't buy any since he only collects merchandise of female heroes. Usually unofficial, knock-off merch too because the official merch covers too much skin but when it's just some guys trying to make a buck, they can have the heroine's tits out for the posters. I vaguely remember Brandish going on a crusade over unofficial New Wave merchandise since Glory Girl is the subject of a lot of it.
It's up for debate how much it actually affected the trade. Sure, she got a few traders shut down and there's a whole nightmarish mess when it comes to Cape Copyright but people are always gonna want to make some quick money. PRT Heroes and Heroines are copyrighted but indie heroes aren't so simple. New Wave are, I think, but they have a lawyer on team and have public identities. Most are shit out of luck since you can't register a copyright under a false name and only a madman would unmask to register the copyright in their real name since the copyright owner can just be looked up.
I guess you could have someone you trust register it in your name, but then you're announcing that this civilian has a connection to this hero and that's a whole other mess. The Elite does that, but they have civilians on staff that they have register all their Cape personas. Apparently the only villain in Brockton Bay whose persona is trademarked is… Skidmark.
He got high and filed the copyright under his real name after he was used as a minor villain in some Cape game, but his identity is more or less public as it is. The Merchants are barely even classified as a gang, and they aren't known for their careful actions and intelligence.
"You wanna come over and play Cape Fighters later?" Greg asks, distracting me from my musings.
"Nah, got more intern shit to do. First weeks are the busiest," I say apologetically, watching the clock tick along slowly.
"Can't believe you're wasting your free time on playing gopher for your dad's law firm," Greg snorts.
"It'll look good on my resume, and it pays better than getting a part time job at Fugly Bobs," I shrug. "Besides, we're going to be seniors next year, gotta have a plan for what the fuck we're going to do when we get out of Winslow. I don't want to go with Dads plan to go to law school and find out I fucking hate all that legal bullcrap. Better to try it out now, and if that doesn't work I've got time to make a plan B. Worst case, I waste some evenings and make some pocket money for the summer."
"Eh, fair enough. Dad keeps harping on me to get a part time job this summer. Maybe I should see if I can get an internship with him?" Greg agrees, rubbing his chin. Greg isn't dumb when he actually stops to consider what he's saying, he just doesn't have a filter and sticks his foot in his mouth whenever girls are involved. "...you should try to bang Brandish."
I take it back. He's dumb.
"Yeah, sure. That's going to go down well," I agree in the most mocking voice I can bring myself to do.
"Just saying. Everyone knows her husband is depressed as shit, and anti-depressants fuck with your ability to get it up. She's a peak lonely milf just waiting for someone to revive her sex life," Greg declares with far more confidence than he should have. "If you're attentive, she's bound to give you an inch. Start small, and work your way up so she trusts and relies on you. Then it'll be a shoulder rub and before long, you'll be banging her in the records room."
"You got that from a porn game, didn't you?" I ask.
"It could work!" Greg argues.
"Or, alternatively, she summons a blazing spear of light and sticks it up my ass sideways. Then Flashbang blows me up, then Panacea heals me up so Glory Girl can beat me to death all over again," I counter with a roll of my eyes.
"Cowards never prosper. You've got a chance to get in with the second biggest milf in the cape scene and you're too afraid to grasp it with both hands. And you'd need both hands for that ass," Greg retorts. I know he's not being serious, a small grin on his lips.
"Wait, who's the biggest?" I ask.
"Dude, Photon Momma?" Greg says incredulously. "I don't know why she bothers fighting villains. If she called them a good boy and stroked their hair, they'd convert in an instant."
…fuck, he's not wrong. Lady Photon really does have some amazing milf energy. Brandish is too angry and intimidating to have the proper milf energy. New Wave really does have some of the hottest girls in the Brockton Bay cape scene, doesn't it? Or maybe I just have a thing for blondes.
"...maybe I should get an internship at your dad's place?" Greg mumbles to himself.
"No."
"Fine, fine. Hog all the New Wave girls, see if I care," Greg grumbles before the bell rings. "Have fun making coffee and… what do Interns even do?"
"The boring shit nobody else wants to, I think," I admit with a lazy shrug. "I'll message you when I get home. I'll probably be down for shooting squeakers online to destress. Assuming I'm not too tired."
"Hell yeah," Greg agrees, fist bumping me. "I'm gonna go and grab Sparky, then. Later."
Checking my phone, I stretch as I stand up and head for the door. Maybe I should get a car? I can definitely bully dad into paying for my lessons and car. He did actually get me a pretty good contract with the PRT, better than the other Wards from what Sophia tells me, so I have money to pay for gas and shit. For now, it's not that far on the bus to get to the law firm. I am actually going in today, because I need to make some appearances in the early days. The advantage to this internship is that I can use nepotism as my excuse for why I disappear or just don't show up sometimes.
Dad was made partner and while he's a divorce lawyer, he's a damn good one and this is Brockton Bay. He's made a lot of friends in high places by aiding important figures in getting away from their partner with as little pain as possible. For them, for the partner I imagine it stings like a bitch. So, if his son skips work or disappears way earlier than he should without being punished, clearly it's just good old fashioned nepotism at work.
Still, home first, I need to get changed into my 'work outfit'. Dad insisted. Turns out I wasn't escaping the suit and tie after all, but at least it's less stuffy than the usual stuff he'd make me wear for events. As I finish my shower, I grab my phone having heard it ping while I was getting ready.
As I open it, I expect a message from Greg or someone in the family, which makes me pause at the unfamiliar number.
'Heya, Charlie! It's Mads. got ur number from Ems. just wanted to reassure you that my lips are sealed tight. I know how to keep a secret x'
How sweet. I'd have preferred Emma to keep her mouth shut to begin with but I suppose I'll take her friend knowing the importance of doing what Emma failed to.
'Thanks.'
Not exactly a wordy reply, but I am on a schedule here since I have places to be. Tossing my phone onto the bed, I get dressed in my smart work outfit. Dad isn't even going to be there today. Emma cried about me getting a shopping trip when she didn't even though it was for work, so he's taking her shopping instead. Such a baby.
Hearing my phone vibrate again, I sigh and consider telling Emma to not give my number away. Madison has always been a chatty one, she's cornered me a few times when she's visiting and she just yaps endlessly.
'please, we should be thanking you for your service~ Brockton would suck way less if everyone was as responsible as you! consider me your first fangirl!'
My service? I haven't fucking done anything yet. What does she even want-
'maybe i should show u just how grateful i can be~'
My fingers pause over the buttons as the image attached loads of her blowing me a kiss in what looks like an en suite bathroom. Too cutesy to be in the main bathroom of her place. The decor of her bathroom isn't what made me freeze, but what I can't see.
Her clothes.
She's still in her underwear, a cutesy white matching set with a blue bow in the middle of her bra and at the centre of her panties, but that's the only thing she's bothered to wear for this.
'Chaaaarlie~ u still there? r u blushing? i bet u are, you've always had an adorable blush.'
'I'm not blushing. I was just getting changed for work.'
I, the all-powerful hero Corvo, am not blushing at all. In fact, I have never once blushed in my life.
'and you didn't even send me a pic back! meanie~ playing hard to get, huh? or just hard lol! i'm just getting a bubble bath myself!'
Emma, I am going to kill (or kiss) you. The second attached photo is Madison laying in a very bubbly bath. You can't see anything thanks to the bubbles, but she's just enough out of the water to heavily hint at her bare breasts as she gives me a pouty smile.
'What are you playing at?'
I do not trust Emma's friends. Sophia was trying to feed me something, and while I believe half of what she said, I didn't miss her trying to disparage the PRT and her handler. Now Mads, who I rarely speak to, is sending me near-nudes?
'lol you're so blunt. you could hurt a girls feelings, y'know? you've heard me gossiping with the girls enough to know i have a thing for capes (dont scowl, ill delete the message later lol). you're cute, im cute, you're a hero, im a hero fangirl. do i need to spell it out lol'
I have heard Mads repeatedly stated interest in capes. Thin walls between my room and Emma's means I know half the gossip that they know. I got a better pair of headphones for my birthday last year so I didn't have to hear them.
'don't overthink it, cutie. its not like im asking for your hand in marriage lol! just something to think about. here's a couple more things to… think about when ur in your bed tonight~ have fun at work, try not to be too… stiff on your first day XD'
The final attachment loads, as she blows another kiss to the camera. She's risen up out of the water enough for her chest to be on full display, the bubbles clearly wiped away as two cute pink nipples, clearly hard, stare back at me. Was she playing with herself? Madison has always been the quiet one of the trio, but it is always the quiet ones.
'ps if you jerk off to these, you gotta tell me. itd be so hot to know your stroking yourself to my pics. ooh! call me so i can dirty talk you while you beat your meat!'
What the hell is wrong with this girl?
At least the girls at work will be more serious. I am ill-prepared for this type of teasing.
– Lisa Wilbourne (Tattletale) –
Getting an internship at the same firm as Charlie was childsplay. The PRT unknowingly gave her the in. Whenever they had a Ward start somewhere, they opened up more slots to help muddy the waters and from there, it was easy to ace the interview and beat out the other applicants.
In truth, she was kinda looking forward to the actual job part of this new assignment. Sure, she was just an intern but this was a place she could thrive with all that sweet intel and drama to pluck at. What she was looking forward to less was the imminent seduction mission she had been tasked with. Sure, Coil hadn't outright said 'go fuck him' but he knew that she knew his actual intentions. Her goal was to shift Charlie over to the moral grey zone she lived in, and honeypots had been used for so long for a reason.
Dressed in a form fitting shirt and blazer with a purple tie (because she couldn't resist hinting at her true identity), and a skirt that was shorter than she was comfortable with, Lisa mused to herself. It wasn't that she didn't like revealing clothes, but when your power told you everything people were thinking about you, it was better to not encourage them and she was prepared to have every arrogant lawyer ogling her ass all day. Well, it wouldn't be worse than the skintight suit she wore on her real job.
Still, every cloud had a silver lining and she'd found hers. This was going to be a long term job because Coil was oddly focused on Charlie for reasons she didn't know. Sure, the fucking Chief Director had fastracked him and his powers were bullshit but she was definitely missing something. What mattered was that this was all she'd be doing for the foreseeable future and Coil himself had advised caution. She could take the slow route which gave her time to work out how to remove the collar from around her neck, because as long as she was making an effort and some progress, her power thought Coil would leave her to the task.
While she had some issues with this plan, she still intended to come out on top.
Her power whispered in her mind, telling her that Charlie was increasingly obsessed with being in control of his life and it would likely carry over to his sex life, therefore he'd probably be the one on top.
She told it to shut its damn mouth.
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♦ Topic: New Ward? Corvo
In: Boards ► Locations ► America ► Brockton Bay
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted On Jan 12th 2011:
It's that time of the year again!
The PRT are following their usual patterns and rumours are spreading that they intend to announce a new Ward some time next week. As always, PHO has been far too impatient and started digging immediately so I thought I'd make a post with all the currently gathered information. As always, none of this is currently confirmed.
Firstly, until disproven, we'll be calling him Corvo as this account was created just before the PRT began dripfeeding hints. @Corvo
It is verified as a cape, despite the name being unknown, which usually means PRT. It also has a raven emblem as the pfp which has been linked to the strange crow/raven that has been seen multiple times.
EDIT: the pfp has since changed to a sideprofile of a hooded man
Corvo is tentatively linked to the creation of the mages tower and the hedge maze. What these actually do is up for debate as the PRT are preventing anyone from approaching but they've confirmed that it is safe.
Corvo appears to be some kind of projection style Master, able to summon gothic creations such as an eldritch raven/crow [Crow], and two different ghostly figures [HorsemanGhost] [Stormghost]
The crow has been seen multiple times this past week. During a Wards Patrol, it landed on Shadow Stalkers shoulder and cawed the words 'he is coming' before flying away. It was seen laughing after Miss Militia defeated Fenja and Menja. It has been seen coming and going from the tower multiple times.
The storm ghost seems to stick to the island, leaving it in an unending lightning storm while the horse riding ghost was seen running alongside Armsmaster, keeping up with the Armscycle before it faded and vanished.
In addition, Corvo is believed to be a Trump similar to Othala in that he can give buffs to allies. Miss Militia was seen flying with a pair of ethereal blue wings. Armsmaster went incorporeal during a rescue operation, extracting a civilian from a burning building by running through the walls and then coming back out carrying them. It is theorised that each summon grants a power to an ally, but we have no real information to work on.
If anyone else has information on him or these summons, please let me know so I can add it to the post.
EDIT: I was sent a PM of this picture and video taken during the Wards meet and greet. You can see a hooded figure standing on a nearby rooftop, but the meet and greet was later than usual, and the darkness and camera quality make it hard to make out any details. What you can see is the bird on his shoulder. He (assuming it is a he), stands watching the crowd for a moment before he disappears. [picture] [video]
Wards Meet and Greets are very secure, so either the figure is a powerful stranger or he was meant to be there. I'm leaning toward the second. They did something similar with Shadow Stalker during the run up to her announcement.
(Showing page 1 of 9)
►Deadman
Replied On Jan 12th 2011:
Hell yeah, new anti-hero?
been a while since the PRT announced one of them, they don't usually go for the darker designs. Guess they didn't have a choice with the guy summoning ghosts. Those things aren't Casper.
►FlippingMads
Replied On Jan 12th 2011:
Pretty soon, huh? They just announced Browbeat but they are saying he's transferring away. Maybe it's someone transferring in from another branch?
Anyone seen powers like these before?
►Mane Magenta
Replied On Jan 12th 2011:
Trumps are rare. Ones that can safely buff their allies are even rarer. The only one that comes close is Othala, and she doesn't summon ghosts and is also a fucking nazi.
I doubt she's dropped the swastika and rebranded as some gothic aura farmer
►Nondeceptive
Replied On Jan 12th 2011:
he was kinda aura farming on the rooftop, huh?
bro was hitting the piccolo pose and everything
►WagTheDog
Replied On Jan 12th 2011:
Maybe he's Crusader and Othala's secret love child? Nobody tell Victor he got cucked
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On Jan 12th 2011:
@ToTheVictorGoTheSpoils
your girl is for the streets
►ToTheVictorGoTheSpoils
Replied On Jan 12th 2011:
I've told you before, I'm not that Victor
One day, you're going to insult a cape on here and they're going to track you down Void. The real Victor can do basically anything, right? He could definitely hack you and find your irl identity. Stop trying to poke him.
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On Jan 12th 2011:
yeah he's dangerous
but he's also a cuck lol
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 7, 8, 9
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— Quest Section —
What should Charlie do about Madison?
Encourage her to see how far she'll go. (Red)Reject her advances. (White)Somethings up, send Foul Watcher to spy on her (Blue)Send Foul Watcher to spy on her and accept her advances to see where it goes (Black)
Author's Note: Yes, that is Victor's real PHO account. Void doesn't think it is, but insults him repeatedly. It has taken all of Victor's self control not to kill him.
Written: 08/03/2026