#8 “Greenbeard” Greg Beardsley

Universe/Storyline: The Band

Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to help other kids who are just getting powers/dealing with death. Eventually, when The Band realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.

Height: 6’ 6”

Body Type: Let’s put it this way—he doesn’t look like he works out, but he looks like he could probably still beat you to death.

Hair: Bald. He keeps his head shaved remarkably close. Has a beard that is just long enough that someone could pull on it. Yes, it’s green.

Eyes: Dark brown. Perpetually downcast.

Race: White

Age: 19

Attire: Greg dresses somewhat like a punk rocker. Chains hang from his baggy black pants and a few piercings hang from his ears. Somehow the look is more convincing on him. Instead of looking like a pitiful teenage rebel, he looks seriously dark. Maybe it’s the perpetual frown he wears. On his back, he always carries an army green canvas knapsack that he calls his ‘emergency kit’. Inside is a change of clothes, a flask full of vodka, and condoms. Greg got a lot of tail even before he got his powers.

Superpowers: Cogency (subconscious, primary)- Everything that Greg says is utterly convincing. If you were to hear him argue a case for being a vegetarian, you would have no choice but to become a vegetarian. Greg’s powers don’t work as persuasion unless he gives a reason. For example, just saying “Shut up” would not cause a person to stop talking. He would have to say, “Shut up, you’re annoying me.” The only way you can beat Greg’s power is if you know he has it. Once you know what Greg’s doing to your head, you can convince yourself that you’re only convinced of whatever he’s saying because of his power. Of course, you still have to make a choice about whether or not Greg’s logic really makes sense, to figure out whether or not you want to believe what he’s saying…

Personality: Greg is the type of person that frowns at you while he tells you a joke. If he wants you to laugh, he’ll just say, “That was a really funny joke, you should laugh.”

‘Inscrutable’ is something one of the more insightful members of The Band (Rin) might call him. Judging a book by its cover, you might see a psychotic anti-socialite who never smiles, but he really has only the best intentions. Greg’s power makes his relationships with other people confusing: either they know about his power and can’t trust him, or they don’t know about it and they follow him blindly. He never knows if people agree with him for real or if he’s just convinced them with his power.

Source of powers/backstory:

1. Greg gets his powers at The Band’s first concert, when a human disguised as a Future Cop (Crescent’s robotic police force) is killed by overenthusiastic heroes mistaking him for a robot.

Theme Song: Come As You Are- Nirvana

Category: 2011, Superhero