Vice Dawson
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Vice Dawson | |
| Player: @Opposite | |
| Origin: | Mutation |
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| Archetype: | Brute |
| Threat Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Vice Dawson |
| Known Aliases: | Diversus, Antithetical, Opposite |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 20 |
| Height: | 6' 2" |
| Weight: | 200 lb |
| Eye Color: | Blue |
| Hair Color: | Blonde |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | U.S. citizen |
| Occupation: | Confidential |
| Place of Birth: | Oceanview |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Marital Status: | Confidential |
| Known Relatives: | Confidential |
| Known Powers | |
| Electricity manipulation, super speed, and super strength. | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Manipulation of electrical energies and greater than average speed/strength. | |
| Equipment | |
| Specialized suit of armor | |
| No additional information available. | |
Hey there! Opposite was originally a character that was, well, totally based off of nothing. I snagged the name a few months after CoV came out and, like, the original draft made him an assault rifle/radiation corrupter. That guy, named Chris Dawson at the time, didn't last too long and so I killed him off and tossed the mantle to a second guy: energy/energy stalker. Vice is actually the third revision and, hell, maybe someday there might be a fourth. :P
Contents |
Origins
The second child of two retired superheroes, Vice Dawson was born in Oceanview with his brother Christopher. Having been born nearly five years after the initial Shivan invasion, Vice started off at an odd pace. While others were out playing baseball, his life was confined to a decaying apartment complex to protect him from the radiation and, while other kids required exercise to keep themselves healthy, Vice was seemingly superhuman to begin with. On Vice's sixth birthday Christopher went missing and, shortly after, his mother succumbed to depression, taking her life. This lead to his father's turn to alcoholism for support.
It didn't take long for the drinking to take over the former paragon's mind; memories of failed heroism, of war, of everything only acted as fuel the fire that set off his rage. And, with the declining gang activity of Bloody Bay, his outlet soon turned from crime and to his remaining son: Vice. Given, this lasted no more than five years, as Vice eventually followed in his brother's footsteps--all the way out of Bloody Bay.
For years, Vice struggled along the power tubes with fellow Freakshow. Though he never took in their modifications or truly integrated into their ranks, he was undoubtedly one of their own. Unknowingly, he was slowly taking in bits and pieces of the energy that were put off by the tubes. As time progressed, Vice came to realize that he was indeed mutating further. His super strength that had been inherited degraded, only to be made up for in the ability to manipulate electricity. Once the mutation finalized, Vice's body had created an entirely new organ on the opposite side of his heart: an electrical entity. It literally pumped energy through his body as if it were fuel, powered solely by the gradual yet consistent ingestion of water.
And soon enough, Vice no longer needed the Freakshow or the struggle. He found himself working with the Brickers and Arachnos and anything that would pay. Banks were robbed and stores were looted. Food became of no concern as his body eventually sieved out the reason to eat. All he needed was water. Water and power. And that's what he received.
Early Associates
- Sarah Dawson - Weakness, impatience, doubt
Vice's mother, Sarah was a younger superhero who was never quite capable of making it on her own. It was only when she met Royce that she found not only her partner for life, but her ticket to stardom and recognition for all of her benevolent actions. Given, she never would have needed the attention, but it was surely nice to have. When her oldest son went missing she couldn't cope with the stress and ended up failing to find a will to live, leading to her inevitable demise.
- Royce Dawson - Cowardice, wrath, reckless
Vice's father, Royce served in the biggest wars of Earth alongside other famous heroes. For the longest time, he was renown for his almost humorous ways of going about things--even nicknamed "Tank" for once wrapping an enemy panzer around his head and using it as a helmet. But when the wars ended, Royce found himself in a smaller place with less leniency on destruction. He was forced to carry around a card and certificate and pay for anything he broke, almost acting as enough to throw him from heroism to villainy. As he was about to reach his breaking point, Royce met and fell in love with Sarah.
After Sarah passed away, he was also incapable of coping with his problems and turned to alcohol. For a time, it was a good thing, even seeming to diminish the gang activity in Bloody Bay. But once all the gangs retreated to their shadows and abandoned buildings, the only thing left to fight was his son.
- Christopher Dawson - Arrogance, anger, disloyalty
Vice's older brother, Christopher was born two years before Vice. At the age of 8 he ran away from home, confused and afraid of contaminating his household with a mutation gained from the Shivan meteors. Christopher befriended and grew up with the Freakshow of Bloody Bay, eventually rising high enough to grab a ride off the island. It was there that he found himself in Cap Au Diable and began his work with Arachnos.
After months of work, Christopher was given a task to defeat a hero known as "Opposite" and to take his cape as proof of the defeat. And so he did. Shortly after, Chris obtained the title of the then-deceased hero, as well as the mantle. For years after, he found himself robbing banks and defeating heroes with his control over radiation and a simplistic assault rifle. At the end of it all, he started off where he began and was defeated by his own brother.
- H4K3R - Jealousy, vanity, sloth
Met shortly after his escape from home, H4K3R was the sole reason that Vice was ever capable of finding his brother or getting off the island. H4K3R was one of the many Freakshow that had previously associated with Christopher, though unlike the others, H4K3R was envious of the attention that the brother received. As such, H4K3R willingly spilled his guts about everything he knew.
Mutation
Vice's anatomy, though seemingly identical to that of a normal person's, is quite different than the average human being's. Severe altercations to his inner protein transportation systems have taken place since, as well as the modification of many prominent organs. One major example would be the formation of a second heart-like entity.
Second heart
The second heart in his anatomy exists on the opposite side of his true heart. While it is not made of tissue in any sense of the word, the consistent magnetic ball fluxes and transports electricity in a separate set of "veins" and "arteries" throughout the body. The second heart itself is powered by another, equally separate set of veins and arteries that pump a portion of the ingested water into the the electricity's center.
Water veins/arteries
Instead of water being filtered through the normal method, its instead fed directly into the second heart. Here, the energies act as a filter to burn out the majority of lethal toxins and/or solid fragments. Shortly after, the rest of the water is transported into the normal transportation system and the remaining portions of fluid replenish and restrengthen the last of the body's fluids.
Electrical veins/arteries
This transportation system takes electricity directly from the second heart and circulates it over the majority of the body, directly under the base of stratified epithelial layer of the skin. This not only tightens skin, but also acts as a defensive field for anything that might assault and break through the upper layer of flesh. Due to the consistent voltage, neurons have long since retracted and became significantly more nullified towards most sensations.
Rise
Since Vice's rise from normality in Cap Au Diable, he eventually amassed enough money to bring together a variety of things that truly made him his own person. Everything from armor to technology, residences to followings, influence to infamy, he's gained over the past decade.
Armor
The armor that Vice wears consists heavily of loose plating that would not fit the normal person. Instead, the plates are subconsciously controlled by his magnetic aura and are held tightly to his chest. This is a similar method to how his feet are consistently rooted to the ground by his high-in-metal-content boots. Under the plating exists a thick layer of iron and polyfiber weave, which is likely the only bit of armor that could be worn with relative ease by another person. Along with the actual armoring, Vice wears the original mantle of a hero once known as "Opposite" and a mask and unusual eyepiece that separates him from attempted imposters.
Technology
Despite relying mainly on his mutation, Vice has always held an interest in the progression of science and technology. As such, his free time tends to be devoted to the furthering of his powers and fixing of his flaws. Be it through new binding agents for his armor or advanced operating systems to oversee daily actions, he tries to make the best of his little education and appears to be doing a far better job than many others.
Dimensional Influence
Even though he disapproves of the war in Preatoria, Vice has a tendency to meddle about in other dimensions, often spending far more time than needed in his set tasks. He goes as far to claim that most of his time is spent in a dimension controlled by him (or, specifically, a different iteration of him) in an attempt to figure out how he could come to power.
At the same time, Vice proved a minor roll in the initial resistance fighting in Preatoria. Until Primal Earth was fully immersed in the battle, he acted as an interrogator and information-pulled for the Resistance. Known by the alias "Rattled" there, his interrogation methods often lead to the deaths of loyalists and innocents.
Residence
Although Vice used to live in an abandoned bunker in Warburg, he has since taken a grant from a mysterious organization and finds himself dwelling in an undersea base just off the tip of Greenland. Sporting a fancy teleportation system and classic submarine pathway, its secrecy is defined primarily by its inability to reach or find by people who aren't consistently searching in the deep sea.
Following
Forming a small group called "Rupture," it was originally intended to be an organization based around the concept of forceful reform. Since its original creation, the organization has taken a side trip from its origins and now focuses on the preservation of humanity from the "Coming Storm." After all, how can you reform society if there is no society to save?
Dimensional Devastation (Short story)
"My name," he spoke, "is Vice." And never could a man's name be so fitting, for in that moment he held the world in a palm, the rest of the universe in his other. The black eyes that scanned over the irony of destruction burned with the hatred of millions and, suddenly, he understood the fear and failures of Hitler and Trotsky; propped against an exposed beam in his golden armor, a stream leaked from the roof and pattered onto his polyester flooring.
A pathetic excuse for a human being laid behind Vice, its body broken, bloodied, and bruised. "Y-your people.. where.. where did they come from?" The form shifted in its sprawl, releasing a quiet groan. Shrouded in darkness, all of its features--save its eyes--were dulled. The eyes flashed in a speck of their former glory, red flames trickling from tear ducts into small, pooled bodies of water. Below them, the remnants of sieged society fought against their new rulers. The star spangled banner was blood soaked and tattered and laying in the rain, its presence desolate of both death and vitality, abandoned in favor of what truly mattered over a unified country: life, independence.
Lights faded as a wave of electricity marched up the street, faces of a force--over one-thousand strong--illuminated by auras of blood red electricity. Their uniforms were golden and, in the middle of their formation, existed leaner figures with baggy clothes. Towards the outside marched creatures with shields of pure electricity, their traits smothered in thick steel plating. The streets were glass, shattered further by each step of the all-consuming energy and the sky was brightly lit in a blurry, emerald hue. "We're not from your world," muttered Vice, his eyes following the movements of his men below, "the version of Earth that I hail from is called 'Primal Earth'." He glanced to the withered darkness, "I'm here to save your people."
"S-save us!? You're ri-ripping us apart!" Its words were laced with as much humanity as one person could hold. Fear, true interest, true ignorance.
"They've been watching your kind just as long as they've been watching mine. The difference, however, is that your defenses wouldn't have been enough to sustain life if you had tried to. They're more than the destroyers of worlds, they're the destroyers of dimensions. Of life."
The flames smothered in the wet flooring as the darkness went limp; meteors crushed houses, destroyed blocks; cities fell in an instant as destruction oozed from its capsule; countries broken without word from their rulers; continents encircled in darkness; a world at war with something far out of its league--something meant for just that: destruction of worlds. Vice sterned himself as he walked towards the ledge of the half-building, a gloved hand pressed to his ventilator in admiration of the world's play.
It was beautiful, truly, as if the aurora borealis manifested physically and fell from the sky. The flames, the destruction, it was all iconic beauty, the truest example of magnificence in destruction; that building, those corpses? They were the Mona Lisa's expression, neither smile nor frown, but emotion--or lack thereof. It was apathy. It was empathy. It was interpretation. He pressed his hand to a device against his ear and forced words through the ventilator. "You're to hold the city for as long as possible. Throw up the energy fields and set up a containmented sector and, when it's under control, expand, recruit. Force the mutations and tell them it's for the good of their people, go so far as to explain if you have to."
He turned a corner of the building and climbed down staircase-after-staircase until he reached the basement. Bloodied control panels and tattered bodies lined the room, bullet proof glass held in shards by the underlying metal lace. And at the far side existed a circular gate that took up the wall opposite of him. Its purple energies swirled and shifted; the epicenter a bright, pulsing white. As Vice's person eased to step back through the other side of the portal, a static-filled transmission slipped from a device that rested against his ear. "I know the drill, sir. We've done it before."
Trivia!
- Technically, the current Opposite is the fourth iteration of Primal Earth's Opposites. First was a hero, the second was a different hero, the third was Vice's supposed brother, and he is the fourth.
- Vice's name is a reference to his childhood and the vices he faced. Even though I have no idea why any self-respecting parents would name their child Vice, it's pretty fitting considering his past. It's also a shoot on the irony that I attempt to play his current iteration as a seemingly neutral or viceless character.
- Despite biblical references in past monologues, in no sense is he a religious person. I doubt any church would openly accept a shady guy named Vice anyway.
