Nightwave
Contents
Profile
Outwardly, Maxine gives the impression of a no-nonsense business woman with a short temper. Those people who are a bit closer to her find she can be much more sociable and warm, going out of her way to make small talk and check up on acquaintances. Her friends may find themselves 'adopted' and defended in a matronly fashion. When she remembers they exist, of course. Maxine is also known to very socially liberal and vocally against conservative values.
While she seems to readily voice her opinions and presents herself as an open book, Maxine is actually a very secretive person. Her public and home life are only layers atop very different beliefs and motivations. She holds psychics, and to a lesser extent other metahumans, as innately superior to humans. While she makes allowances for exceptional people and close friends she is quietly prejudiced against mankind, seeing them as the 'old' model.
Physically, Maxine is a darker-skinned, Hispanic woman of average height with a stocky, muscular build. She possesses multiple marks and scars gathered over the years, with a vaguely star-shaped birthmark over her right eye. As a result of her bloodline, her irises are purple. While she has taken to more feminine clothing and accessories over the years, 'Max' is unmistakably butch and prefers conservative, masculine attire.
Abilities
Lineage Mutation
Arturo and Carletta Guzman, Maxine's grandparents, were both potent psychics in their own time. As a result, about a quarter of the family has some level of psionic awareness. All those blessed (or cursed) with such powers have had purple eyes and an odd facial marking. Some of the following abilities are common to all psychics in the family (albeit on a weaker scale), while others Nightwave has achieved through her own experimentation.
- Psychic Manipulation - Nightwave is among the most potent and skilled mentalists in the country, able to perform a startling range of powers. Using this form of reality manipulation, Nightwave can theoretically do just about anything within the limits of her imagination and physical endurance. In most cases her body has given out before she has reached her maximum potential. Recorded uses of her power have included creating psychic constructs such as barriers and weapons, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, faster than sound flight, energy projection, instant teleportation, astral projection, long range telepathy, mind control, superstrength, and invisibility. Many of her abilities have an obvious 'tell' before they take effect, ranging from subtle twitch of her face and hands or a sudden flash of light in her eyes, to a palpable aura of purple 'fire'.
- Psychic Discorporation - Although rumors persist that she may be unkillable, other psychics and educated individuals recognize this ability for what it is. Nightwave can separate her mind and 'soul' from her body, effectively existing without it. Having been born a physical being, however, she finds this to be an extremely uncomfortable and disturbing state of existence. On the occasions where she has been forced to use this power, she always seeks to reunite with her body as soon as possible.
- Mundane Abilities - Apart from her metahuman powers, Nightwave is also capable with a handgun and basic close-combat techniques. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian, as well as a small smattering of Mandarin and Russian.
History
Family Timeline
- 1949 - First appearance of the Purple Falcon and Ms Midnight.
- 1951 - Arturo and Carletta are married.
- 1970 - The Falcon and Ms Midnight informally retire.
- 1976 - Their oldest son becomes the Silver Falcon.
- 1978 - Their younger son (Louis) is married. Maria is born.
- 1982 - Miguel is born.
- 1983 - Maxine is born.
- 1992 - The Silver Falcon is killed in the Battle of Detroit.
- 1993 - The Guzman clan moves to MC.
- 1996 - 'Arty' is born to Maria.
- 1998 - Maxine and Miguel join the Purple Gang.
- 2000 - Maria and her husband join the MCPD.
- 2002 - Arty manifests powers and is targeted by PSI.
- 2004 - Maria is recruited by UNTIL.
- 2006 - Miguel fakes his death after his powers manifest.
- 2008 - Maxine leaves the gang after her powers manifest.
- 2009 - First appearance of Nightwave during the Qularr Invasion.
- 2010 - Nightwave becomes the partner of Mr Blank.
- 2011 - Arturo passes away at Mercy Hospital at age 85. Miguel and Arty clash over who inherits the Falcon title. Maxine adopts Faye Carrano and becomes engaged to Blue Hour.
- 2012 - The family is investigated by Grey Hawk, with subsequent conflicts and fallout. The Siren Squad is formed.
The Early Years
Maxine was born in 1983 in Toledo, Ohio to Louis and Nina Guzman. While her family was never well off, she had a relatively normal, simple childhood alongside her older brother and sister. This came to an end in 1992, when Maxine's uncle (secretly a masked hero) was killed in the destruction of Detroit. Her father chose to take in his sister-in-law and her children, eventually moving the family to Millennium City for job openings.
Though the Guzman clan began to adjust to their new life and worked to support each other, things never quite fell back into place. Maxine's older sister Maria became pregnant at 16 and chose to keep the child. Her mother's parents, now ailing, moved in to be close to the family. Maxine, now calling herself 'Max', began spending more and more time wandering the city with her brother, and less of it in school.
After a few short years, things took turn a turn for the worse. Louis discovered his only son and youngest daughter had joined a gang and were stealing to bring the family income. Around the same time, Max came out as a gay woman. Being a simple man, he was unable to reconcile with his now estranged children. After a particularly nasty argument, the two left home.
Gangster Style
In 1998, Kevin Poe founded the New Purple Gang, which Miguel and Max were quick to join. Due to their similar birth marks and odd eye color, the two became known within the gang as 'The Twins' and gained a moderate level of notoriety. As the fledgling gang grew, so did Max, both physically and mentally. She trained herself to stay on pare with her male peers and spent time altering her appearance and mannerisms to match theirs.
The Purple Gang's animosity with PSI became personal when Maxine's young nephew began showing signs of psionic ability. Mind Inc took an alarming interest in the Guzman household, eventually ending in a bloody clash with the siblings and their fellow gangsters. Unfortunately this did not bring the family any closer together and only solidified Max's image as a violent hoodlum.
While the twins were always known for being mean and effective, their criminal record was limited to assault, burglary, and larceny until early 2006. Miguel was believed to have been murdered by the Red Banner, resulting in a vicious gang conflict in which Max killed the man she thought was responsible. With her brother gone, Max's behavior became markedly more aggressive and reckless.
This shift in personality was only magnified as her powers began to slowly awaken. Objects in her apartment moved around or broke inexplicably, and unknown voices flooded her mind. Max believed she was going insane, or worse, had become possessed. Kevin Poe saw the occurrences for what they were. But instead of seeing the fledgling psion as an asset, he viewed her as a threat to his power and a possible agent of PSI.
Max was assigned to be a bodyguard and assistant to Waylon Talos, under the pretense of making her powers more stable. In reality, she became a test subject in creating a "bomb" that would brainwash the city. Upon discovering the true nature of the project, she quickly defected and fled into hiding.
Heroic Age
Despite taking pains to keep herself hidden, Max received a package addressed to her. Among the contents was an old costume belonging to Ms Midnight (actually her grandmother) and a letter explaining some of the basics of her abilities.
Though her powers were still somewhat erratic, Max was forced into action during the 2009 Qularr Invasion. Dressed in a mask and civilian clothes, she dubbed herself 'Nightwave' and rallied several of her former gang members into battle with the insects. Though only marginally effective, she further earned their loyalty and would eventually call on them to help fund her burgeoning hero career.
Finally deciding to use her powers for something constructive, Max set out to further investigate Mind Inc. Poe's hatred of the organization, and Mind Inc's unnerving interest in her family made them a natural target. While tracking several missing psychics, she first stumbled upon the detective Mr. Blank. Seeing potential in the young woman, Blank decided to assist her, the act eventually leading to their unlikely partnership.
Thus Maxine became the unofficial 'Ms. Blank', benefiting greatly from having an experienced hero to guide her. Through her connection to Blank she quickly gained greater exposure to the hero community, eventually developing some of her own renown and personal contacts.
Dark Earth Crisis - During the dimensional breach by the Dark Templars, Nightwave encountered and battled Azunai's evil counterpart alone. Although she was able to stand her ground, the strain of the battle and Atomo's power draining ability caused significant damage to her brain. For several weeks her psychic powers were nullified, forcig her to fallback on her old skills. Fortunetly, after facing her fear of doctors, she was able to have the injury mended and her powers restored.
During the recovery process, she met Blue Hour, a young metahuman who was a major fan of Max' alter ego, Nightwave.
(WIP notes) Blank's "death"/conflicts with Grissom and Steel (Cause I cant remember all this, so shush!)
Off the Record
Maxine's idea of the "straight and narrow" has always been somewhat different from the rest of society. She has never had any issue with claiming her "spoils of war" from conflicts with criminals and corporations, allowing her to acquire a sizeable amount of funds and miscellaneous assets in her time as a hero. Naturally she has played this close to the chest, with only her brother in-the-know.
After leaving Mr Blank to strike out on her own, the need for money became even more acute, especially in her personal life. In order to explain her cash flow despite having no job, she decided to go into a business endeavor with several of her former Purple Gang comrades. The group started up a money laundering ring, allowing them to slowly filter the wealth through legitimate fronts.
All was going well until Grey Hawk began investigating the Guzman family, soon uncovering the family scandal. While Hawk did not go to the authorities with the information, he did leak it to several contacts and eventially revealed it to Maxine's family.
Although Nightwave and her brother made repeated efforts to hide the evidence (including at one point altering memories of over a deozen people), the truth would not stay hidden. Fearing the considerable judical backlash and the possibility that Ellie might be punished due to association, Nightwave eventually turned over all evidence and funds to Arc Thunder, resulting in the arrest of many Purple Gang members and the siezure of much of her wealth.
Caped Avenger
The modern Nightwave gained national attention in 2011 when she was accepted into the Defenders of the Earth, placing her alongside other well known figures. It was during this time that she switched from her "dark hero" look and began wearing a cape and sporting the family falcon emblem.
With the backing of Mr. Indomitable and other heroes, Maxine and Ellie were able to officially adopt Faye Carrano, becoming one of the few well known "meta-gay" households.
(WIP notes) Add decline of the Defenders, Conflicts with Dio, Struggle with Grey Hawk (WIP)
Silver Falcon
Purple Falcon
Duo Prototype
Brightwave (Dark Earth)
Ms Blank
Gangster Max
Affiliations
Blue Hour - Maxine's lover and life partner, the two hit it off when Max first discovered Ellie was a huge fan of her costumed-self, Nightwave. Though Ellie is a younger hero, she has already proven her worth on a team and as an individual crime-fighter. The woman has also shown to be an excellent parent, perhaps even more so than Max herself. Ellie seems dedicated to staying by Max's side and has already weathered some of their worst trials.
Cosmic Glory - Maxine and Ellie's adopted daughter. Faye has been a major factor in Max's own maturity, and she tries her best to take on the role of parent and mentor to the young Carrano. Even more than with Blank, Maxine idolizes Cosmic Glory's virtues and believes Faye will grow up to be one of the greatest heroes of her generation. Unfortunately, it is these same moral virtues that have caused growing tension between Maxine and her daughter.
Mr. Blank – Both a mentor and a father figure, Nightwave has come to trust Blank more than any other hero. Max considers him a true friend and confident, though they have their (many) differences and disagreements. Since having struck out on her own, Max views Blank with an odd mix of respect and pity. She is one of the few people who knows how his many flaws and self-enforced isolation have crippled him as a person while making him succeed as a vigilante.
Defenders of the Earth - Nightwave was one of the frontline members of the U.N. endorsed super-team founded by Blue Bruiser. However, with half the team falling away to various ills, the Defenders seem to have no future as a group.
Siren Squad - Nightwave is the founder and current leader of the Siren Squad, a team of all female heroines acting as professional investigators. The team was brought together shortly after the resurrection of Lightwave and consists primarily of women Maxine trusts and has worked with in the past. The current roster also includes Arcane Arrow, Nightfang, Manhunt, Blue Hour, and most recently the Silver Squirrel.
Case File 1 - Birds of a Feather: Ravenheart - Case File 2 - Bats Flock Together: Nightfang - Case File 3 - Fletcher's Legacy: Fletcher
Public Opinions
What everyone else thinks about Night.
"Sadly, I don't know Max as well as I'd like. No, it's not 'cuz she's a woman. It's 'cuz from the little I've known of her, she's gone from a recovering gang member to a mother, a wife, an' a seriously legit super and detective." - Hunter
"Nightwave?...Niiiice." - Avro
"Maxine Guzman is one of the few people on the planet I'd call a friend. And most likely the only one who would call me one. Throughout the period of time in which I've known her, she's been a valuable asset, a dependable ally and...A good person. She'd have to be to put up with me." - Mr. Blank
"She is always very fun to talk to. I think that she can look intimidating, but she really is a very nice person. I think that even more people should get to know her." - Spirit/Winterstar
"Max is pretty cool, she helped me out with some...personal issues of mine a while back. She's psychic, so that's cool I guess...I dunno, I don't really trust psychics, but I definitely trust her. She has a whole lot more common sense than I do, so I guess that's cool too. Our super-names are too similar, though..." - Lightwave
"Nightwave is totawwy awesome! She's been very fwiendly and helpful with advice. I'm gwad to know her!" - Chocolate Chip Chelsea
"Spunky, disrespectful, confrontational. Good worker, but boy... does she ever phone it in on the laps." - The Blue Bruiser
"Capes are so out of style, Maxi!" - Nightfang
"I'm not sure about her. I just... I don't think she's what a hero should be. She's definitely not who I thought she was when I first met her." - Dobergirl
"Intense, driven, fierce woman. She's rough around the edges. Sometimes I get the feeling like she's trying to prove herself. Sometimes she gets a bit too intense." - Arcane Arrow
"My cousin's kind of a bitch. There's no getting around that - but no matter how much I hate some of the stuff she does, I can't really hate her. She's family." - Cardinal
Themes & Music - In Circles - Transistor OST - Steal - Maribou State - Drumming Song - Florence & The Machine - Moulin Rouge - One Day I'll Fly Away - Hella Good - No Doubt - Androgyny - Garbage
Threads & Stories - Adoption? - Nothing Personal - Dreams of a Prince - A light, extinguished. - Destruction at the Museum! - All in the Family - Rain Drops - Would X Beat Y? #3 - Nightwave vs Chivalry - Contest of Champions - I (probably) Hate Your Telepath
Trivia - Maxine is inspired by three DC characters; The current Question (Renee Montoya), Scandal Savage, and Huntress. She has inadvertently developed several parallels to Dick Grayson, as she is now the Nightwing to Mr Blank's Batman. Her costume and falcon theme are similar to both Grayson and Huntress. A live-action Maxine would have to be played by Michelle Rodriguez
