Char's Public Service Announcement


The things that pop into my head: I sent one of my players a text message of the Captain America Patience PSA from the end credits for Spider-Man Homecoming and it got me to thinking.  First of the Guns ‘N Roses song and then of an older superhero sitting down and giving some advice and within a minute or three it turned into this snippet of story that takes place on Earth-218…

Rudy/Char was my main superhero character for the old Marvel Superheroes campaign I was part of back in high school.  Rudy’s uncle (Juan) trained him in wrestling and helped provide alibis for his secret identity.  Pablo is Juan’s son and has tested positive for the X-Gene and wants to become a superhero too.
Do not try this at home...you will not get superpowers.  You will die.



Rudy’s Story - The Public Service Announcement

Pablo kicked the soccer ball in disgust and it sailed away into the darkness.  “I just don’ get it, man!  If my DNA says I’m s’pposed to have powers, then how come I ain’t got powers?”

Char shook his head, sat down and then the Hispanic hero peeled off his Luchador’s mask and tucked it into his belt.  He took a deep breath and that was when Pablo noticed the flecks of gray in his cousin Rudy’s goatee.  “It’s not something you can rush.  You can’t force it.  It will either happen or it won’t.  You have to let nature take its course.”


“Yeah, but you out there fightin’ monsters and supervillains and savin’ the world.  I’m sittin’ here jus’ bein’ useless.”

Rudy shook his head and sighed.  “I knew a kid like you once.  His name was Luis – he lived up the block from our grandmother.  Had the X-Gene or Metagene or whatever it is they’re calling it these days and tried to give himself an origin.  Hooked up a toaster to a car battery with some jumper cables and dropped it into a bathtub full of water.”


“Madre Dios…what kind of powers did he get?  Like shooting lightning?”

“No.  It killed him.  You get what I’m saying?  Best thing you can do is help out around here.  That’s how you help.  Take care of your family so I can do what I need to do out there.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Osse - The Forgotten Continent of the Forgotten Realms

Image
Osse is one least detailed continents of the Forgotten Realms.   There is almost no canon information regarding it or its inhabitants.   Even the Forgotten Realms wiki has little to say about this Australian-analog. So, of course, my players will be going there eventually .   I sat down with what little information I had and began fleshing out ideas for what I feel should be there.   It isn’t far from Kara-Tur and that got me to thinking about Monster Island from the old Godzilla movies so I decided that Osse must be the spawning ground for Kaiju.   There is also no equivalent (at last not really) for the myths of Atlantis so I made the interior of the continent home to my own version of that as well.   This is what I came up with. Capital: None Population: 711,813 (68% Ossean Human, 22% Poseidian Human, 4% Lizardfolk, 3% Aarakocra, 1% Mountain Dwarf, 1% Shoal Halfling) Government: City-States, Tribes Religion: Jazirian (also known as the Rainbow Serpent), Bahloo (Sel
Read more

The EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle

Image
1976 GMC Motorhome Palm Beach model 26' Crew: 4     Passengers: 19 Cargo: 425 lbs.* Init: -4 Top Speed: 60 (6) - approximately 35 - 40 mph Defense: 6 (-4 size) Hardness: 10 SZ: G (8' wide x 26' long x 10' high) Purchase: 45     Restriction: Mil (+3) * each unused passenger slot allows the vehicle to carry an additional 100 lbs. of cargo. • 6 wheels with reinforced tires • Communications: High-Range Radio, Compass, GPS, Night Vision (via driver's periscope) • Back of vehicle opens for assault ramp Armaments: • 7.62mm Machine Guns (x2, forward arc) • Flamethrowers (4/side, fire-linked, over rear wheels) • Light Tank Gun (rear arc) • Rocket Rack (roof-mounted, retractable, 6 rockets) Despite performing well on its one and only (unauthorized) mission , the prototype EM-50 was decommissioned and flown back to the United States and placed in storage at the Sierra Army Depot in Northern C
Read more

Beldam (Other Mother from Coraline)

Image
I watched the movie “ Coraline ” for the first time this weekend.   Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen snippets of the film here and there over the years and I recognized the character when the movie started but I have never sat down and Watched the movie (or read the book).   By the time the show was over, I have to admit that I was fascinated by the entire thing.   The animation and pacing were incredibly well done and the main antagonist was delightfully wicked.   This is who I want to focus on today – Beldam, a.k.a. the Other Mother.   Some viewers may think that she was some sort of demon, offering children their heart’s desire in exchange for their souls, much like a crossroads demon but I feel like she more closely resembles a faerie, a member of the Unseelie Court who is allowed a great deal of independence in her operations.   I also think that since the protagonist, Coraline, was just a child that Beldam wouldn’t necessarily have been overly powerful, holding a relatively low
Read more

Gisaku Fujita - Ninja Chef

Image
Gisaku Fujita Original Concept Drawing Job Title: Ninja Chef Qualities               Average [+0] Ninja Good [+2] Chef Good [+2] Karaoke Singer Good [+2] Food Safety Poor [-2] Money Mgmt Background: Gisaku Fujita is a chef, like Gisaku Fujita's father before Gisaku Fujita. Gisaku Fujita likes to sing and has terrible impulse control when it comes to spending money. Element: Fire Clan: Five-Fingered Foot Matter of Honor: Gisaku Fujita will always speak of Gisaku Fujita in the third person. Honor Score: 10 Gear Ninja Burger Uniform (bullet-resistant, fire-retardant, and stain resistant – includes ninja mask, tabi boots, and fingerless gloves) Pocket GPS (with screen that displays team member location) Wireless Headset (with built-in camera and microphone) Frying Pan, Spatula, Assorted Spices Gisaku Fujita : Human (male) Ninja 1 CR: 1     Medium Humanoid (Human)     HD: 1d6+1     Hp: 7 Init: +3     Spd: 30'     AC: 13 (+3 Dex, Ninja Burger Uniform*) Attacks: (BAB +0, Grap +0)
Read more

Accidentally Funny

Image
Humor is not that unusual in gaming sessions.   When it happens on accident however, it can create long-lasting memories. Once upon a time, I ran a solo adventure for a dwarf named Happy Jack.   Happy was a psychic and an inventor of sorts.   From the pressurized wooden keg full of alchemist’s fire worn on his back with the spray nozzle and sparker to his own brand of beer, Happy Jack was an innovator.   His player always made sure to take good notes of his adventures so he could review what had happened and plan Happy’s next move. For the adventure, I adapted the AD&D 2 nd ed module “Wizard’s Challenge”.   I placed my telling of this tale in Eveningstar in northern Cormyr.   The village, a favorite retreat of King Azoun’s was ruled over by Tessaril Winter.   She was known for mentoring mages of all talents and was a magnet for hopeful apprentices. Several years prior to Happy Jack’s adventures in the village, mysterious circumstances caused the sudden demise of several ap
Read more

Malazzarr's Temple in Lankhmar

Image
While adventuring in Lankhmar , the party completed a job for the local Overlord and were granted possession of an abandoned temple dedicated to Tyaa , goddess of birds. Her worshipers had been driven from the city several years prior following a scandal and the building had stood vacant ever since. While most of the party was away tending to other matters, the group's primary wizard remained behind to prepare their new home for habitation. Note #1: At this point, the party's spellcasters were suffering from debilitating pain every time they tried using their magic. This was related to the creature that would serve as this portion of the campaign's Big Bad. Romulus rises early, knowing he has an important meeting to attend. He takes a carriage over to Marr’s office to review the paperwork transferring the abandoned temple of Tyaa from the City of Lankhmar to the party. With that completed, the halfling makes a trip back to the River District and then to the tem
Read more