Difference between revisions of "Street Shadow"

Revision as of 03:00, 3 January 2014

"YOLO don't apply 'cause I'm never gonna die and only thing deadlier than my sword is my word."

Talking about Jason Koga at large requires belief in ghosts. While the supernatural is often commonly cited as a reason for superpowers, a disembodied mentor like he claims is completely ludicrous and untrue.

History

Jason Koga's history is fairly brief considering he's a teen superhero and not one of the better ones. Born and raised in Millennium City's West Side, he found himself enjoying hip-hop a bit too much and started learning from that culture at a very young age, giving him a colored language and several spankings from his father, a surly salary man who ended up leaving his wife and kid on Jason's sixth birthday. He currently lives with his mother and attends Westside High.

Elementary School

When growing up, Jason was timid. He did not develop the social cues that were otherwise necessary to make a lot of friends in elementary school. Fortunately for him, impressionable youth, good performance in individual and team sports as well as various Japanese stereotypes ended up helping him not get bullied as they were afraid he would flip out and kill them. Still, the isolation definitely went to his head.

He started hearing a faint voice in the back of his head but he paid it no mind, thinking it was merely the wind. It intensified later on.

Middle School

He discovered hip-hop and it's associated culture in middle school and fell in love with it's raw, honest (ha!) take on life in the streets and he consumed it all. He didn't care if it was bad, good, exaggerated, honest - If it had a beat and someone spitting over it, he listened to it. He even attended a juggalo meeting at one point, something we will no longer talk about after this line. This is when his mother noted that his personality changed. From a quiet little boy with no real direction, he became someone who's mouth talked more trash than a junkyard and his mother hated it. When it became known that he had bullied another kid into harming himself, it was time for her to do something. She tried grounding him, confiscating the few records he actually bought, tried keeping him away from the computer but there was no way of stopping him. When his mother asked "Why?", he answered : "To drown the voice in my head." A visit to the mental hospital later, they could not find anything beyond social awkwardness and a fear of being alone that manifested in his tendency to attack verbally those weaker than him.

In a moment of utter silence where everything was taken away, the voice finally reached him. It introduced itself as his ancestor, the founder of an ancient clan of ninjas in feudal Japan and that it was up to him to maintain the clan's traditions. Much like his father did, he wanted to run away from it and did, by jumping through the window. He ran and ran and ran, until he came to a small park where a transaction between an arms dealer and the New Purple Gang was occurring. Obviously, he would be a witness and thus rubbed out but something happened : a miraculous gust of wind blew leaves in his direction, hiding him under a pile of leaves. That was the power of his clan. That was his birthright.

He was a changed kid from then on - he dedicated himself after school to learning these abilities. A letter to his grandfather had him send a pair of ancestral swords to him through means we have yet to know (Ed - GET ON THAT! I want to know why goddamned katanas made it through customs and into the hands of a high school kid!) Even with the voice being recognized as friendly, he still listened to a lot of hip-hop - He still liked it, after all and tried to develop a skill for rhyming but his talents lie more in production and sampling.

Westside High

When he started at Westside high, he was a completely different person. His training gave him the confidence he sorely lacked as well as made him recognize when to talk and when to fight. His confidence, however, annoyed certain others who remembered him as either this quiet kid or the kid that talked a whole lot of smack and thus he always ended up into fights anyway. Typically, they were all the same - he would get beaten¹ and something suspicious would happen. He'd find dirt on the ground and toss it in his assailant's eyes, escaping or an equivalent distraction would make it so he got away with minimal bruises.

These days, he remains a hero called Street Shadow with poor showing at school and one who is almost universally reviled by the faculty.

Notes

¹ : We highly suspect that he faked it. Most of the students who tried beating him up are not in our files as potential heroes or any meta-human we know and while he is far from a master, he would know how to easily beat them even without his swords. Even the few who are would face difficulty in detecting his deception. He is truly obfuscating stupidity in this case, which is why we keep a file on him.

Description

Physical

Between the exercise necessary he gets from running rooftops and the time he spends in a little local gym, he tempers his muscular growth with endurance, allowing him to patrol for hours at a time without a break. Of course, this is hidden under very ample clothes when he's at school in order to not attract attention. While his inner showboating would rather have him showcase that he's pretty buff, it seems that he really wants to remain that dumb, unassuming hip-hop loving kid. Beyond that, the picture should help with the description as soon as we can put it up.

Psychological

We cannot write up a file on Street Shadow without noticing his ebonics-inspired speech pattern and swears. Typically, one would think that he does so because of a stunted intellect or a lack of vocabulary. In this case, it seems forced. He speaks like this because he genuinely believes this is how he should speak as someone who wants to get involved in the hip-hop community.

Surprisingly enough, he has a strange fear of ghosts. Even though he is technically haunted by one, anything incorporeal is treated warily. It could be remnants of when he was trying to actively chase out the ghost he has in his head with loud music.

Other than that, he seems willing to do good deeds for the majority and really help the community but his brash actions and overall lack of tact will often lead to conflict.

Powers

While he does not have any powers per se, he does have many techniques at his fingertips to conceal weaponry. Even if he is in a situation where he should not have access to any sort of weaponry whatsoever, any lengthy object will do. Even blunt objects have the potential to be quite destructive in his hands, replacing the sharpness of a blade with well placed blows that can cause internal bleeding.

He is trained to kill but does not do so unless absolutely necessary. However, not killing does not mean not hurting and he takes advantage of this, often sending villains to the infirmary rather than taking them in quietly.

Quotes

Dr. Destroyer might be your father but I'mma show you who's your daddy! - Street Shadow, at Madam Mayhem, causing extremely awkward silence.

Social Network

Here are what we have gathered on Street Shadow's social network. In order to keep his identity as secret as possible, he does not seem to interact with other heroes much but he does speak often on the communications channel. Of course, without tying a face to the voice, it is kind of hard for others to associate the voice in question.

Comments from other sources

Rumors

Network

• Has teamed up with a cadre of heroes (of those, the notable Thundrax) in order to stop a crime wave in both Millennium City and Vibora Bay. He may have made others uncomfortable while doing so. (On Alert 1 - August 08, 2012)

• Has joined up with the New Vigil, a group of superpowered teen heroes. (Joined during their recruitment event on November 28th, 2012)

OOC Things

Be warned that anything beyond this is either speculation about the character, potential RP hooks or anything having to do with potential plotlines involving him or several other characters. Please be mindful that these are, naturally, not to be used unless to plan something OOC.

In a nutshell

Teenage gangsta ninja being taught by the ghost of his long deceased ancestor. His dad is a hobo who controls a ghost ninja army.

RP Hangouts

• Westside Rooftops - As someone who goes to Westside High and wants to get more involved in the community, he can often be found there... well, if he wants to be found more like.

RP Hooks

• It's entirely possible that your character has heard of his actions if not seen him around West Side, running rooftops with unsheathed blades. Particularly if they style themselves protectors of the area.
• He goes to West Side High under his normal name, Jason Koga. It's possible you may know of him through this but not his activities as he keeps those as clandestine as possible.
• Naturally, everything on this page is true even though heavy skepticism is implied. People who feel ghosts will definitely feel the influence over him. Especially since his Nemesis is named "Ghostmaster".
• Lately, he's been making an online radio show. Anyone who could help him out with that would be very welcomed.
• In the same vein, he's been looking for someone with experience in dealing with ghosts.

Derpin' with TVTropes

Disappeared Dad - Well, not really since he's the Ghostmaster. He doesn't know that though.

McNinja - His "normal" outfit is a scarf, a backwards red cap, some loose pants with urban camo and red sneakers. This applies so much.

Ninja Brat - He has a disembodied voice that taught him all he knew and he's still a teen. He's got a long way to go and a mentality shift before he becomes someone worthy of an actual mission.

Pretty Fly For An Asian Guy - Can give off that impression. Actually is far more knowledgeable than he showcases and far more respectful of others.

Sir Swearsalot - While he rarely surrounds himself with people of extreme virtue, he has gotten called out for his potty mouth on several occasions, though he tries to keep it down on the comms because of these warnings. He does have a more extensive vocabulary. He just doesn't use it.

True Neutral - This is his true alignment. While he identifies as a hero, it has more to do with his capabilities being beyond a normal human's than actual heroism. He wouldn't be above selling infiltration/information services but not an assassination, for example.

Derpin' with Themes

Much more fitting... except for the intro