Paragon City Freedom Corps Academy
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Welcome, students, parents, counselors, managers and guardians, welcome one and all, to the Freedom Corp's first and largest campus in the free world, The Paragon City Freedom Corps Academy. Welcome to the premiere school for metahuman development and exploration. When you're done with your courses here at PCFCA you'll not only have a full education, designed to focus on those most vital areas to your life and career path, but you'll also have a broad spread of general knowledge, knowledge of how to operate in a team environment and alone, and of course, you will know your own powers inside and out, as well as the best way to bring those powers to bear in making the world better, as an ethical and moral citizen and an upstanding icon for this day and age - a hero.
We stand here not as a bastion of the elite, but as a place of learning for those civil servants chosen by life itself. Some of you are here because of mutations in the blood, others from unfortunate scientific processes, some still thanks to magical accidents, and some of those amongst you who seek to study at Paragon City Freedom Corps Academy simply to hone what natural abilities they have to the finest. We have no qualms about how you came to be here - all that we ask is that you know why.
PCFCA creates heroes.
A hero does not do things for their self-aggrandizement. A hero needs to be noticed - a hero is a beacon of hope, an emblem for people to remember, something for people to feel proud of and someone who should feel pride in themselves. But if you've come to PCFCA to advance advertising careers, to engage in reckless teenage pursuits of crimefighting, this is not the Academy for you. We are here to make you the best you can be, for the right reasons.
Do you have it in you?
- - Welcome To The Paragon City Freedom Corps Academy Pamphlet, creative commons.
Contents |
Public Fascia
PCFCA is one of many 'Meta Schools' established by Freedom Corps, a group designed to give young metahumans the training and developmental tools they need to graduate into successful superhero careers, and to see to it that powers are used ethically and properly.
Typically, graduates of PCFCA actually are offered positions in the Longbow Warden program, quickly shepherded and groomed for leadership positions. Those who achieve well in their chosen fields of study, but who do not demonstrate leadership skills are still offered grants and maintenance contracts, to keep the abilities of a hero serving the greater good.
Notable Rules And Regulations
Below are some significant Excerpts from the School Code of Conduct:
Responsibility Of The Academy
- 3.1 The school assumes legal guardianship and responsibility for the actions of its students in public. This is known as loco parentis and is a common law ruling for boarding schools and dormitory housing.
3.2 Because of clause 3.1, any metahuman crime-fighting, as permitted by the Citizen Crime Fighting Act, is strictly forbidden. Students are not deemed to be of legal age to responsibly use their powers. Punishment for violating this rule is a single warning and a curtailing of off-campus freedom. Punishment for a second offense is expulsion.
Uniform Code
- 4.2.1 The school is designed to explore and foster a sense of camaraderie while still allowing students a way to explore and present their individuality. Students are not required to have a uniform, nor are they mandated to dress in a particular fashion barring for local codes of decency and cultural sensitivity.
4.2.1.1 As a codicil to the above, students are offered a basic Longbow outfit that they are asked to customize to best suit themselves to be worn when on parade or engaging in maneuvers under the official watchword of the school. Much discussion is done in Heroic Ethics and Legend Building courses as to the importance of uniform, and also individuality - we seek to allow students this freedom while still giving them a grounding.
Private Lives
- 4.6.1 This school functions in loco parentis, but just as parents need to give children room to develop, so to does this school give each student strictly-defined areas of privacy. School policy states that the private lives of students are exactly that.
4.6.1.1 Pursuant to the above, the Academy maintains the right to deny press access to information about students. Students are advised but not required to avoid public statements and to instead leave interactions with the press and public to the Public Affairs Department of Freedom Corps.
On The Down Low
Of course, there is still nonetheless a subculture within the school - like any school, dynamics form and cliques develop. The added level of superhuman powers often arise, and many students are actually disinclined to speak about their powers with their fellow students. Some students, whose powers mark them physically tend to be shyer and more socially outcast, but the school will often devote temporary holographic and stealth measures just to ensure those students can make their days of education easier.
Rumors circulate amongst the students of the Academy that there exists a group - some call it a gang, others think it too disorganized for that status - who have some form of hi-jacked communication network (pirated from the infamous Crossroads) that simultaneously gives them an untraceable contact to one another, and the means to access (SG benefits, etc.)
This group has, rumor has it, established themselves as a subtle a counterpoint to the Academy policy of disinvolvement in the Might For Right act. Some rhetoric on the matter has been posted to out-of-the way websites and message boards, but none has been substantiated proving that the group are actually related to the Academy, and indeed, a number of private schools have been rumored to harbor the group.
This group represents not gang activity per se, but they are in breach of school rules. Given the nature of their work, rumors circle various administrative authorities in the school who choose to let reports of student Hero activities slide. Some of the more vicious rumors claim that the students in question have some information that lets them blackmail the teachers for their silence.
Dean John Mason
Some more mundane rumors hover around the assuaged [Dean's Character Page|Submissions Dean] of the school, whose job it is to take students out on missions and to counsel them on moments of ethical crisis. This position gives the dean a great amount of personal time with the students, and while he has always been above-board, students do love to gossip. Some of the more outlandish rumors include:
- The Dean owns a moray eel which he keeps in a small goldfish bowl, exploiting extra-dimensional physics powers.
- The Dean, in his youth as a student at the school, actually discovered an interdimensional flux from the interplanar cortex known as Crossroads, and has been offering it as a secret to precocious students as a way to keep covert heroing exactly that[1].
- The Dean does not actually eat or sleep, but subsists on the fear students have of mathematics
- The Dean does not have a chin under his beard, but instead just another fist.
- The Dean's speed can only be measured in units of Panic.
- The Dean can move faster than deadlines, meaning he is the only thing faster than a looming exam in the school environment.
- The Dean is a mild precognitive, capable of perceiving the future in very refined ways ahead of time.
- The Dean's powers were too weak to become a Warden and he therefore spends his days making the other students annoyingly miserable with homework due dates that will coincide with all the best parties.
Notable Students
OOC Note: This list will be regularly updated with each character in the group. You should provide a short blurb for your character, formatted as the other pieces are. This is used as a mechanic to provide whatever 'public' information the other students at the school would have about you. See here for a guide how to do this if you need a hand.
- White Tiger
PCFCA Student ID Number: 27185
PCFCA Course Schedule: Heroic Theory, Applied Powers, Advanced Melee Weapons Training, Anatomy, Dance.
A new transfer student from Hounslow, England. Maya Bhamra is of Indian descent and is currently 17 years of age. Transferring late in the year to the Academy, the board thought it best to place Maya as a third year student, despite being a year older then her fellow classmates. Since arriving, Maya has pretty much kept to herself, those who have heard her speak have found she speaks with a heavy British accent. Maya comes from a tight family that follows conservative Indian traditions, traditions that Maya is now having trouble staying true to, since exposing herself to American culture.
- Nanomorph
PCFCA Student ID Number: 66250
PCFCA Course Schedule: Heroic Theory, Heroic Ethics, World History, Cognitive Sciences, Engineering, Temporal Paradox.
Appearing within the Academy almost overnight, most faculty do not even know the details of his registration. A bit withdrawn and often seen staring at sometimes the most random of objects for hours on in. Also known to visit the labs late at night, working on new gadgets to design, and is also known to give away completed designs to students who have simply asked for them.
- Alluvial
PCFCA Student ID Number: 95722
PCFCA Course Schedule: Heroic Theory, Applied Powers, Geology, Small Unit Tactics
Bell Salinger's reputation at the Freedom Corp Academy is rather simple; she's training to be a Warden, and, will most likely meet her goal. She excels in combat maneuvers and is the first one into a fight and the last one out. Socially, however, Bell tends to be rather over looked. She's quiet, shy, and prefers to remain as much in the background as possible.
- Celsilass
PCFCA Student ID Number: 98852
PCFCA Course Schedule: Heroic Theory, Applied Powers, Applied Thermodynmics, Physics
Celeste Noel is in her first year at the academy. She joined under encouragement from her parents, a heroic duo themselves, to develop her newfound powers. A bit of a quiet girl at first, she tends to come out of her shell once she's found her place in a group.
- Cryo Girl
PCFCA Student ID Number: 99579
PCFCA Course Schedule: Heroic Theory, Applied Powers, Heroic Ethics, AP Physics, Energy Dynamics, Journalism, and is editor of the school newspaper.
Due to the information force fed directly into her brain by the Crey Corporation, Cryo Girl has been placed in second year classes. Though lacking in many social skills, she is extremely intelligent and a fast learner. She is somewhat shy and withdrawn but seems to be genuinely kind and desires nothing more than to be accepted.
- Timbre
PCFCA Student ID Number: 95951
PCFCA Course Schedule: Heroic Theory, AP Physics, Applied Powers, Energy Dynamics, Dance, Gymnastics, as well as being on the Cheer squad.
Catherine Anne Bridwell has spent two years at the PCFCA. She's bright, charismatic, and generally well liked by her peers and the faculty. She's roommates with Flashfire and has a reputation of being both a teacher's pet and an incorrigible flirt.
- Crush Girl
PCFCA Student ID Number: (85654)
PCFCA Course Schedule: (Gymnastics, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Kinesiology, Psychological Operations, Criminology, Heroic Theory)
'Crush Girl' is near the completion of her second year, second semester at the PCPFA. She is a very private individual (though no one has ever described her as shy), preferring to spend her free time studying or exercising. Crush Girl does serve in a public capacity as the co-chair of the Peaceful Warrior committee.
- Flashfire
PCFCA Student ID Number: 95987
Year: 3rd Year
PCFCA Course Schedule: Heroic Theory, Electronics, Geography, Information Technology, Photography, Dance, Captain of the Girl's Field Hockey team.
Flashfire is in her third year at PCFCA. Spunky, mischievous, and at times irresponsible. Kacey is that girl who people either really like or really can't stand. It's very common to hear an instructor yelling out her name and even more common to see her sitting in detention twirling her gum. She is roommates with Timbre, who tends to keep her from crossing the line when she can. She can be a good student and an even better teammate when she can get herself motivated.
- Elemental Envoy
PCFCA Student ID Number: 564219
PCFCA Course Schedule: Heroic Tactics, Astrology, Advanced Robotics, Cause and Effect, Spiritual Studies, Oranbega Entities
The Elemental Envoy is a freshman who just entered the PCFCA after transferring back to the United States from Japan, and known for being a magical hero with the Reiki Ken Sentai. Often seen having arguments with the thin air he claims he's in direct contact with the kamis that make up the world. A black cat who he calls "Hex" is often seen following him around just watching, something that others claim is just another odd quirk of his 'bad luck.'
Out-of-Character Information
Crossroads - The Academy is a supergroup designed by adults, to be played by adults roleplaying adolescent characters. We expect certain levels of maturity and interpersonal respect.
This is not an ERP/MRP SG. If your primary interests are in that regard, we recommend you look elsewhere. There are no doubts going to be sexual situations, but these are from private interactions, not the primary reason for the SG.
This is a RPSG. We expect you to be willing to be social. Pay attention to other people as well as to yourself. If you want other people to be interested in what you have to say, you should offer them the same courtesy and consideration. Everyone is here to have fun playing their characters, and everyone should be working together to improve one another's experience.
The Academy is not a place to bring your out-of-character issues or grudges. If you have a previous out-of-character issue with the player of another character in the group, it is your job to settle it with them. We're not your mom.
Applicant Requirements
- SG members should be appropriate characters who are primarily defined by their interaction with other students and the school. If your character is more about his private business venture or his boy genius robot super club, then you probably should focus on that.
- SG members are expected to cede to the OOC authority of higher-ranked members of the SG, which is given out to those deemed responsible with the authority.
- SG members are required to be in Supergroup mode at all times from levels 1-25. You suffer no penalty for doing so, so it's literally free money for us.
- SG members need to have a Longbow-inspired or Longbow-suggestive costume for IC events and the like. This outfit would not be regularly worn for IC teaming.
Application Process
Alright! So our scary wall of rules and gigantic slabs of text haven't scared you off? Great! Just follow these quick steps to getting in contact with us, and soon you two can join the ranks of the finest Longbow Wardens in training!
Get a copy of the form available here, copy it into a text file, and get it to us by adding it to here, above the other applications. Once it's added send a global message to @Gossamer Blush
Once you do this, our crack team of submission specialists will attend to it and contact you in game for a meet-and-greet interview affair. We'll talk things over with you, and if everything's okay, we'll invite you to join us then and there.
Official Rules
Technically, by the letter of the rules in Paragon City Freedom Corps Youth Academy, members of the Academy should not:
- Visit any hazard zones without an adult chaperone, or a directive from a contact (a mission door in a zone)
- Engage in illegal activity of any kind, including copyright infringement
- Visit any licensed establishment or partake in any illicit substance for nonmedical reasons
- Gamble
They should:
- File time cards, needing a chaperone's signature
- File appropriate acquisition and explanation forms
- Keep up to date on classwork and homework
- Present themselves as exemplars and heroes
How This Applies To You
The students in Crossroads: The Academy are lightly covert. That is to say, they have sanctioned times during which they do hero work, typically in groups or with adult chaperones, and they have other times when they ignore their schedules and use their free time to do other hero work.
In the end, this doesn't have a hard mechanical effect. Your character might have good behaviour privileges that let them roam around unimpeded in hazard zones to sweep zombies to your heart's content; or they might be on a covert search and risk getting in trouble. This is all up to the individual to roleplay.
These rules are not in place to constrict your roleplay, but to give the students a realistic structure to interact with: Adults do not give teenagers free reign to act unsupervised. Excel in that structure, or rail against it as you feel fits your character.
The Base
The Base in Crossroads: The Academy is not any official building, but rather a 'secret clubhouse' extracted from a subdimensional eddy known as Crossroads. The origins of Crossroads is relatively secretive, and information is hard to obtain, but the matter responds to Geography's powers and connects to the city grids for power and light.
In the end, the base is a TARDIS-like little pocket, a secret clubhouse with entrances dotted around the city. It's the student's little private space, and they use it as such - the technology there is recovered from remit auctions and purchased with collected funds. More than a few of the places are shop products, and the computer systems are used for homework as much as they are for pornography[2].
The atmosphere is low-key, the temperature is consistantly cool, and the place is unregulated. Provided you're in a dorm during lights-out or check-up (or seem to be, courtesy of some illusionist or just plain duplicitous students), the pocket of Crossroads is a safe haven from classwork and Being Quiet Because You'll Wake Someone Up.
