Editing Masks: Halcyon Superheroics 101: Preston Digits (section)

=GM Questions=

'''So Alex is Worst Mentor Ever(tm)?'''

Yep. In Project Moon terms, he's basically a male version Valencina (a resentful and proud narcissist who treats everyone under him as a tool who needs to be beaten into shape the moment something goes wrong, and is often an angry drunk - capable of kindness, but utterly unwilling to show it when his fragile ego is hurt, and who uses thoughts of glory and getting known as a hero as a shaky pillar to avoid his depressed funks) crossed with John Constantine. With Zatanna's costume and showmanship.

'''So who is Alex hanging out with now? Maybe not the whole villain team, but name a couple of them.'''

He's part of a group of dark vigilantes who think of themselves as Hard Men Making Hard Decisions...everyone else sees them as fallen heroes who went way too far and ended up becoming criminals in the name of "justice", and mostly only liked by idiots who scream about the thin blue line, and not even all of them, especially given how they do lead racketeering efforts in the name of "protecting" their turf. They call themselves the '''Knight Shades'''; Nigel has extremely conflicted feelings about their scout and long-range specialist, '''Ghillie''' (Scottish for "Warden" - it also refers to a type of camouflage used by snipers), who while kind of a jerk, is also one of the few people who told him he needed to get out lest he end up a depressed shell, and '''Platinum Blonde''', their bruiser, spoiled him a lot...and clearly did so in the attempt to mold him in her image and seeing him more as a side piece for her hobbies rather than his own person.

'''What does your costume look like?'''

Imagine a more clean, crisp version of The Hat's from Superman vs. The Elite

'''What message is it trying to send?'''

Nigel is trying to show a combination of cool and being down to Earth. He's done with Alex's showiness and narcissism, so he wants to be something people they feel they can approach, though keeping a "bad boy" image of a working-class warlock type. The kind of man you can be, instead of lording himself over you as Preston Digits.

'''What is your home life like?'''

Nigel is the son of circus performers and entertainers, so he's used to not having much or needing much. He also is officially an emancipated minor...realistically, he's kind of the ambitious younger brother of his apartment block in on Dove Street, though he's fairly responsible about the chore turns. Often times, it resembles an extended family than it does a building that multiple people happen to live in, which makes sense, as it is something of a crashing place for other runaways and escapees from bad situations, even a few dimensional refugees living in a bizarre spatial fold in the basement. Really, it's a place everyone loves existing, but nobody wants to be stuck in forever.

'''Outside of school and home, where are you most likely to be found when not in hero mode?'''

Often, his job as a tutor - it has flexible hours, and thanks to him being quite good with math and history, students feel comfortable with him as a peer. He does hours as both in-person and online, he prefers in-person for being able to be warmer and more focused on issues. Yes, everyone knows he's a bit young for this, but it grounds him and helps pay bills.

'''Would you choose to spend time with your teammates outside of Team-related activities?'''

He'd be surprised if someone asks, but he'd be open. It's easy enough to fit into his schedule, and frankly, he knows he needs to relax and remember how to be a teen instead of a sidekick. A lot of his persona is him trying to reclaim his actual age.

'''Which Hero, other than your mentor, do you look up to?'''

'''Blue Eagle''', which shocks everyone, especially him, It really shouldn't, mind - as much of a boy scout as he is, Eagle is also a huge crusader for the rights of the ignored and people in the gray zones, and Dove Street exists partly as something he campaigned for. Eagle makes him feel seen, and is clearly doing his best while faced with constant frustrations. He's the opposite of the mentality the '''Knight Shades''' embody.

'''Which Villain do you dread encountering the most?'''

Speaking of...

'''Alex Azam''' is a living trauma button for Nigel, and trained him, knowing exactly how he fights - and bitter he jumped ship to the "soft" side. '''Platinum Blonde''' is a close second, due to how she flips from friendly big sister to grinning embodiment of violence, as well as smart enough to recognize when she's dealing with illusions and people trying to trick taking advantage of her weakness of being unable to control her momentum when charging and weight in her metal form. She's someone who is very good at making you think she's your friend until she realizes she can get something really nice by backstabbing. And good at making you think you want the same thing she does. All of them are walking embodiments of trauma (he's described them as the World's Most Toxic Polycule, and he's only not sure about the last word, and they were something resembling a foster family at the time...he really, really hopes nobody else has to suffer being a sidekick of theirs, even as he is paranoid about planning for it).