>>TRANSFORM: These Heroes can change their bodies into a thing, being, or "element".

BEAST: Cat
TRANSFORM: Shadow
BLAST: Void
MANIPULATE: Light

MANIPULATE

>>954224
if we can be more specific then I choose:

MANIPULATE: Butt

MANIPULATE

Manipulate!

Manipulate: You have the power to swap the current train of thought in someone's mind with something they previously considered in the past 24 hours (If someone simply THOUGHT about killing their boss this morning because they were grouchy, you can swap that thought with the current 'kill this @#$%ing superheroine' thought and they will believe they have chosen to literally kill their boss) - I mean, temporarily confuse people! Yes! Totally legal superpower after you get a license!

I am tempted to MANIPULATE something unusual. Like concrete or puppies!

@ Agency Control 2020/01/24(Fri)08:26 No. 954302 ID: 5221c2
File 157988316101.png - (1.56KB , 253x70 , singlepostUPDATE.png )

Alright, Manipulation.
...

I'm going to note here that a lot of Manipulator Heroes are either out of our reach - Clockstopper comes to mind, as does a few others, and here's the thing about Manipulator heroes: While other power bases can have multiple of the same Talented born, some unknown mechanism prevents exact multiples of Manipulators. There's only one Time manipulator, there's only one stone manipulator (though there are multitudes of "earth" ones - sand, dirt, mud, etc) and so please understand that not all elements will be available for hire.

I can't give you specifics, but a good guideline is to aim for interesting elements as opposed to broad and powerful ones - the latter would be likely nonexistant or already working elsewhere, being in high demand.

All that being said...

>Please further narrow search criteria: WHAT is the Manipulator empowered over?
>This is an open prompt.

>>954302
these probably fall under powerfull, but void, light, shadow, dark.
what about tin manipulation

Manipulate pH levels.

Butt.

>>954302
>art
what better hero to have than a hero who can manipulate art and possibly bring it to life in a text base adventure?

Height.

>>954311
GENIUS

>>954311
Okay, I'm actually building on top of this cause I had the same idea. Paint Manipulation.

- Need to make a platform? Apply through Cubism.
- Need some tougher skin or armor? Morph your body to the likes of HR Giger.
- fire paintballs and make your foes look like a Jackson Pollock painting.
- You can disguise or dress yourself but only through the styles of famous artists.

@ Agency Control 2020/01/25(Sat)08:17 No. 954412 ID: fa7476
File 157996903434.png - (573B , 123x71 , IMPORTANT.png )

Alright, I've found you a hero.

His real name is Frederick Walker, from the Pacific Northwest - specifically, he's from Seattle. A bit of a chilly and dry fellow. Power over paints, pigments, and dyes - wet ones, mind you, not stuff already applied or in powders. His hero gear is a sectioned tank and gauntlets with sprayers, but it's not absolutely necessary. He can harden paints and move them around with a good deal of precision, and his martial-arts skill isn't half bad! And besides that, he's even commissioned some smoke bombs out of paint and dye powders - in a pinch, he can toss that into some water, too. A resourceful guy.

But his parents left him with a black mark - looks like they were notorious criminals. Hardly 'villains', more cat burglars and safe-breakers. Because of that and some bad habits with authority, he's been saddled with his low-priority position.

Anyway, as to how you're going to be working with him, brass tacks: Heroes submit to us a daily report. Sometimes this will come with requests for assistance and fact-finding, which you'll use the database for. Someone else here at Control will also help you with some elements of interpretation - basically, if a Hero asks for traffic records, for example, your contact will help make sense of the data and point out patterns. I'm here to help with the process, but I've got other trainees after you. Don't feel too neglected when I pass you off~ <3

Hero reports will be delivered to the notification box - the one I'll ping now. See, with the red background and exclamation marks? Control will also use this ping if something important happens - if your Hero needs tactical advice, for example. Most of the time, you'll just be giving generic advice and answering questions within their report.

Before I let you kids go, we have a little time before Freddy - Paintbrush is the hero name - sends his first report and I pass you off to my coworker. Any questions?

>Do you have any questions for the Control trainer?
>This is an open prompt.

You will probably be gone by the time we realise what questions we should have asked here.

What are your three measurements?

Got it, we're playing oracle here.

So Since he's based out of Seattle what kind of problems can we expect in that city? Just gangs and petty criminals or do the thugs in the city have powers of their own more often than not?

>Any Questions?
How much do we have to pay in fines to [spoiler]execute someone[/b]?
Are there licenses to use Talents in prostitution?
What's the current version of standard police Mechs?
You did ban all direct economic advertising with superheroes...
And most importantly:
What's the pay rate for this job?

@ Agency Control 2020/01/26(Sun)10:25 No. 954493 ID: c04f98
File 158006310412.png - (1.29KB , 201x71 , Notice.png )

>>954415
Oh no, that's a secret~ <3

>>954438
Ah, well, he won't be operating there. He won't have to leave the state, but think closer to the mountains. A little nowhere town. Not a fun assignment, and certainly not exciting, I'm afraid.

Big cities attract big players. The Hero Seahawk operates in the general Seattle area, near the coast, with the power over saltwater. But not the salt itself, mind, so as he operates away from the coast the water desalinates and isn't affected by him anymore. On the beach he's pretty much invincible. Elsewhere he carries a tank with him, but... Despite his huge fandom, he's limited in operations. Inland, you're looking at people like Big Time, who can enlarge parts of their body, or Dropper, who can magnify gravity in an area.
There's a limited Villain presence regardless, but it's not organized. Even the big boys are still in disarray. There's some big names like Drag and Bullshit, but as far as I know, they're in hiding.

>>954451
You're making some assumptions here, so...
First of all, this isn't the east coast. We don't have access to Doctor Joy and her contraptions out here. Too far away and they stop working. The cops do have access to special Talent-suppressing munitions, though. They don't last, though, and the boys in blue don't have Hero Agency support, so they don't have nearly the defensive tech we have broad access to, except maybe SWAT. Thus, petty criminals are handled (mostly) by police, along with doing the heavy lifting for investigations. Sometimes your queries will involve them.

But if a man starts tossing cars around, well...

And my my, dear, prostitution is decriminalized, but we haven't even BEGUN to discuss the matters of Talent use in that sector. Talents in politics was bad enough!

Some heroes explicitly use their powers for advertisement and the like, but most of them have abilities that are mostly useless in combat or things that they don't want to use in combat. I recall one young fellow who can manipulate paper and uses it entirely for mass-spreading of flyers and the like.

Oh, as for pay... Heroes new in the field start with a stipend that is generally enough (from feedback I get from Heroes) to afford to feed themselves and find a place in town. Some of them elect to stay in their Agency branch and we have living spaces set aside, but they have to pay for utilities and internet, not to mention being on-tap for emergencies.

Once a Hero gets enough experience and is promoted from rookie status, they get an additional salary that's adjusted based on performance. Considerations are made based on the area and living expenses, and so on. Not something you'll have to worry about! You're getting standard Agency salary, which, in my opinion, is more than enough to live on.

As for lethal action in the field, they must request authorization. That's one of the reasons for tactical live support. It's part of your job to determine that with help of your support staff.

It goes without saying that being flippant in authorizing lethal action will result in... consequences. Keep that in mind. One last thing: This image here will be used between our scheduled postings for semi-urgent notices. Please keep it in mind!

There will be another update in a day or so. Right now, I still need a little time. Please be patient!

@ Agency Control 2020/01/30(Thu)12:43 No. 954976 ID: 45a5fc
File 158041700428.png - (52.97KB , 964x557 , report1.png )

You're new here, huh? Well, I can see that Isa did us another 'favor' and underprepped yet another. Look, I'll get the team fired up - you stay on support. We'll send you prompts to give the poor soul we're assisting advice. If you want to make further queries, just tag one of the notes we make and pass it upstream. You'll see what I mean soon.

>[1]
He's right. Harden is one of the lowest-population towns in the state. It's especially notable for not being on a main route to a mountain pass - not even truckers stop through here all that often.

>[2]
Newton is the Branch Chief for Harden. She's held the position for at least 5 years, and whoever put her there was not on great terms with her. She has the Talent to manipulate momentum, either perpetuating it or halting it, but she has to be touching the object to get it to work. She likes to use it on her car...

>[3]
...Meaning that Agency Bookkeeping has a note not to divert funds to this purpose. She's in the hole in other areas too. But we'll get to that. Let's just say that internally, financial has some issues with her and move along. Her record is otherwise spotless.
And not the suspicious sort of spotless. As in, actually, really spotless. She's never been fined and doesn't have a single fatality on her record. She does work a peaceful town, but even so, she's not an idiot. Except when it comes to her car.

>[4]
Gonna take this chance to make a note here that Newton is his immediate supervisor. If she relays a command to him, it's poor form for us to go behind her back.

>[5]
Harden has limited funding because it's not exactly a hotspot. The condition is worrisome, but the funding is landing as it should... Hm. Might want to investigate this.

>[6]
The other newbie is Braveheart, a young rookie who has a rare twin Talent - she can Transform her body to steel and turn off her flight/flight response at will. Unfortunately she also loses most of her empathy and the like when she does this. She's here as a result of various disciplinary actions.

So let's see here...
>You may mark one of the footnotes above to request further investigation.
Additionally, please prompt/advise your Hero:
>Beat the pavement and get used to the town.
>Make the Branch a little more livable, if you can. Repair and diagnose issues.
>Chat up your coworkers, get to know your crew.
>Something else...

>Create safehouse
You need a fallback plan in case the local supervillains decide they want to be current and smash your local headquarters for fun. Remember, this is a small-time company town, not Climax City; they will NOT be up-to-code with the latest security measures.

Find a dumb, out-of-the-way spot in the woods and use your powers to build a small bunker.

Liven up the place. A paint talent should make the cosmetic side of things go by quickly.

More info on [6]. What actions is she being disciplined for?

[5] lets see if we can get more specifics on what that money has been spent on here and see if that lines up with the current state of disrepair.

>notes:
would like a quick summary of Braveheart and what she did to end out here just to get an idea on what we should keep an eye out for.
Also investigate into where the funds for the town branch are going because while it shouldn't be the most advanced or entrenched building giving its location it shouldn't be so dilapidated either. If nothing is found on our front we could have our hero investigate and see if he can't turn something up in the field.

>Paintbrush:
Greetings paintbrush we will be agent for the foreseeable future. First question is would you prefer we call you by your hero name or something else? As for your first report, it was filled out rather well and found to be quite enlightening so you shouldn't worry there. As for your questions about Newton, while it isn't against any rules to request information on your fellow heroes it is frowned upon to request it for superiors without at least asking them first. Though I will say that while her powers don't relay on her car she often uses her car with her powers. If you want more info I would suggest asking her directly.
Speaking of which, as for what to do now that you're in the town I would suggest getting to know your co-workers better and try to head out on a patrol or two to get an idea on the layout of the town.

>>954982
>>954976
this guy makes a good point, we should get on this as soon as we have a chance

>>954976

@ Agency Control 2020/02/04(Tue)07:31 No. 955390 ID: dbb854
File 158083026879.png - (65.32KB , 987x702 , report2.png )

>>955260
>>954982
Unfortunately, this action is not feasable.

>>954984
>>954999
>Requests for information

Regarding Braveheart, she was disciplined repeatedly in her hometown for various altercations. Considering her Talent pair, she was capable of serious harm, and reports from the various establishments she was being taught at show a propensity for getting into fights. Several times these incidents counted less against her than they would have normally due to the circumstances involved - she seemed to have a bad habit of punishing bullies too much. Hospital stays were frequently involved.

As for the money...
It seems to have all landed properly. Money was allocated for maintenance and spent. Contractors were contacted. It even seems we have a previous set of investigations and complaints, likely from... Yes, from Braveheart's own little squad. And it all dead ends with an odd "Problem resolved" from Newton. Kickbacks are unlikely given her record. And she was quite adamant this not be looked into, either. Something is up here, but investigating further feels like it might be a worrisome idea. Something tells me that a local element has a boot on her neck. Don't want to push it down any harder. For now, it's my advisement we assist in ways unrelated to this and try not to trip this "element" into further action.

Stuff like this is always a pain. We've lost a good agent or two from being pushy.

>[1]
Paintbrush's gauntlets allow him a good amount of flexibility, but he's shown himself to lack much creativity beyond oil-slicks, punchy fists, and ropes. Don't hesitate to make suggestions if things get to that.

>[2]
Braveheart has admitted to a fear of electricity in some of her paperwork. She's never had to deal with it, so we've marked it down as a possible weakness. Instinct can be useful in this field, so we try not to dismiss it readily.

>[3]
Now this is interesting.
King here has no recorded Talent. He was born in the area in a time that would indicate his age, to a family of low-Talent farmers. Nothing special, but he inherited their land, married the daughter of another farmer, and when she passed, he managed to secure a sizable chunk of the town itself. UnTalented are rare but do exist, and are considered a protected minority.

>[4]
According to our end, the last few who were assigned out there were summarily dismissed due to incompetence by Newton, immediately preceding the slew of repair bills for the branch.

Alrighty, then...

>You may mark one of the footnotes above to request further investigation.

>Should Paintbrush go with King?
>Is there anything specific he should ask?

>Should Paintbrush go with King?
I'm going to lean towards no for now. Just say you're not trying to be rude just that you want to learn things at your own pace. Or something like that.

>Is there anything specific he should ask?
Ask what kind of problems usually happen around town? Seems pretty peaceful so I can't imagine more than a drunken brawl or 2 d every now and then. So just wondering what are some things that happened in the past?

>According to our end, the last few who were assigned out there were summarily dismissed due to incompetence by Newton, immediately preceding the slew of repair bills for the branch.
This seems like the probable consequences of pushing too hard too fast. So let's try to avoid that.
I say lets let him give us a tour, play naive.