Overdraw
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-- Overdraw
Yeah, we'll circle back around to the quote. Ok? Huh, about myself. I was a scrawny guy for the longest time. Oh? Uh... yeah, literally. But after I first turned into Overdraw I realized that she was who I wanted to be. So right now I'm doing my best to pass. Growing out my hair, dressing as cute as I can, uh... wearing... more layers than I... uh... yeah, this is already too much information isn't it. But frankly I prefer to be the tall, powerful Overdraw. Long blonde hair, tall, a powerful but pretty body, badass magic plate mail, tall, a bow and magic arrows, purple glowing magic fire wings, tall. What? Oh, I said tall twice didn't I?
Table of Contents
BackstoryWhere do I begin. So I was born... uh... yeah, well... a boy. I was 'gifted' as a kid, went to special classes. Very good at tests, I did pretty well all things considered. Friends, bullies, rivals, lovers, all that growing up stuff in high school... some of which I would like to never think about again. I then got my dream job, programing for Sharkworks: You know... the Swords and Sorcery franchise. Yeah, they are the people that make the games. Well, most of the games that are popular stateside anyway. And I worked my ass off... It took me a long time to realize I was miserable. Due to a villain attack the offices were unexpectedly closed for a few days. And fate had plans for me those days.
So I had won free tickets to a museum out in Milwaukee. I hadn't planned on going, it;s a bit more than a hike, but with a few days off work I decided that I might as well take a vacation. There was a traveling exhibit of magic artifacts while I was there, and, because I couldn't stop working, I started taking notes for inspiration. That is when... I think his name was Max Magician. Small time super villain showed up with a magical portal hat, which was kinda cool, and a gun... which was substantially less cool. Given how most of the objects were cursed, he ordered us, his hostages, to load them into the portal hat. That's when I came into contact with the arrowhead. It was apparently owned by the witch Anui in the 1500s, but given she was also allegedly thousands of years old... who knows how old it is. Anyway, when I picked it up, I felt an urge to stab myself with it. Not like... normal self harm feeling. Like it was my only way out- ok that... that sounds bad now that I say it out loud. Anyway I followed my instinct and jammed it in my arm and.... ooooh boy did it hurt. Note, kids at home, do not put magic arrow heads into your body. I still have the scar. First time was the hardest but now whenever I power-up, I don't even feel it. So I emerged with this beast of a body. Max didn't stand a chance. I was able to pin him down til a hero response could arrive. Now, since the arrowhead is bound to me, the people at the... oh goodness... Their acronym spells 'Arcane'... the Arcane Ritual Contingency and Neutralization Agency... yeah... that's it. They told me to keep it. PersonalityOh, I mean, aside from oversharing, I... It's weird. I want to say that I'm a shy but sweet person, but I think that was just me before my transition. Ever since I became a magical badass hero the confidence boost has been REAL. I kinda run the gamut I guess... manic may be the word? My emotions basically swing wild. I just kinda... act. It takes a lot of self control to hold myself back. I think I was just so uncomfortable in my own skin I bottled up everything for a decade or so. It means I can no longer do that. I hit my limit. I am now genuinely me! I like to have a good time and pleasant conversation. I like quiet stargazing and loud karaoke. I guess I just want to have fun. I do take my work seriously though. I will save people in trouble, even if they aren't great people. I don't let my heart get in the way of my job. Sometimes that's not pleasant. I should... probably stop talking. |
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Abilities
Flight
Absolutely the favorite thing I can do is fly. That surprise you? Even though I'm named after my bow, nothing feels better than soaring, dipping, rolling, spiraling and just.... ripping through the air as fast as I can go. I don't know if I'm a natural or I inherited some kind of magic muscle memory from the witch that made the arrowhead. I have noticed that my wings respond in intuitive ways but its not always physically accurate. I can hover with them being stationary if I don't think about flapping them. They can propel me backwards, rocket me ahead with disproportional force, and more importantly, they are incorporeal. I could fly with both wings 'stuck in a wall.' That's not to say my flight defies all physics. It wouldn't be fun for anyone if I moved around like someone clicked and dragged me. I'm heavy, so managing momentum is critical, but so rewarding! I spend a lot of my days off just... zipping through the city streets 'practicing'. The only downside is the more I push my flight, the more magic I burn through.
Magical Archery
Alright, alright, I'll get to my 'brand'. I am an archer. I first found my knack for it in high school. I had always been interested in it but I was terrible at it every time I tried. Eventually Mr. Derreks, my gym teacher, realized during our archery unit that I was closing my right eye. Even though I'm right handed he tossed me a left handed bow and within 3 shots I got a bullseye. I was so happy I stuck with it for a while. Though I got a bit rusty I knocked off that rust once I figured out how to summon my bow.
I do have some of the memories of the Warrior Witch, but it takes a lot of effort to dig and sort through them. However I've uncovered a few spells. Actually casting them like... raw- I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but they don't work. However, I discovered I can summon an arrows enchanted with spells . All my summoned arrows have strange properties, even ones that I haven't enchanted. I call them Spirit Arrows, because they can't hurt your body. They are physical, able to interact with objects, but when they hit flesh they harmlessly pass through, like a ghost. Well, I say harmlessly, but apparently it hurts... a lot. It does mean I can shoot through people and pin them to walls or the floor using their shirt or shoes to hold them down.
As for the enchanted arrows, I have a few:
Burst arrows are a favorite of mine. They turn a lovely shade of blue, and on contact impart a tremendous kinetic force. Against a hard target it can launch, and against softer targets, they might as well be explosive. They are my go-to for armored opponents.
Volley arrows are ideal for crowd control. They glow bright white and turn into a rain of spirit arrows. Some times more is more. Any situation where I can spare the magic, aiming is difficult, or I need to put out a lot of damage over a wide area, they come in handy.
Seeker arrows are usually not worth the magic, but can be useful. They have a lovely green hue, and when launched they hunt down a target I have in mind. It can be vague like 'the closest person with a gun,' or specific, like 'Sylaburn.' It drains magic as long as it's flying, and if I run out of magic it stops existing, so as funny as it would be to pester a villain while on vacation, that's a no go.
Flame arrows are wild, but almost never worth it. The red arrows turn into blazing trails igniting anything they touch. They make me feel like a badass magical girl. Of course, when your job is to help save people, fire isn't that useful, so I often forget I can do it. It's for the best; almost every time I remember I can, I shouldn't have.
Banish arrows are... new. It's more of a 'theoretical thing I could do' but I haven't gotten them down. Sometimes it banishes something the size of an apple, sometimes it banishes an area the size of a bus. I still don't know how it works, or where it banishes things too, or how to un-banish things, and after being banished and stranded myself... I'm of two minds. This could be my greatest asset. This could also be my flame arrows all over again.
I also learned if I take two arrows and uh... do this... flick motion, they can merge. So I can have a volley of burst arrows, or a seeking flame arrow, or any other combination. It eats through my magic supply like crazy though.
Gear Summon and Storage
Also, it's more of a side thing, but it does come up. My armor and bow are summoned, meaning I can easily stow and retrieve them. Given they are made of magic... I think... at least the armor is, it does cost some magic to maintain. Dropping the armor leaves me more vulnerable, but lets my magic recharge faster and last longer, as well as letting me get truly gymnastic.
Peak Human Performance
On that note... does my body count as an ability? The job is very physical and this body has never let me down. I'm way stronger than most people, with spectacular stamina, agile, gymnastic skills... the long and short of it is I can probably outrun your track and field running sister, and out lift your gym bro brother, but I certainly couldn't keep up with anyone who has that kind of thing as a parahuman power.
Strange Intuition
Oh, I nearly forgot because it;s... not reliable but sometimes... I just get a vibe... Like I hear or see something I shouldn't be able to. I don't know if it's magic or my imagination, or maybe my brain putting together subconscious clues, but... Yeah, it's a thing that sometimes happens. It hasn't led me wrong yet... sort of.
Strengths
Yeah, let's see, I'm very flexible and downright explosive powerful. If the problem can be solved by shooting it with an arrow, its basically a free space. Mix that with Burst and Volley arrows at the cost of a little extra magic, and more situational options like Flame and Seeker arrows, and the ability to mix and match them, and I have like... ten arrow types. I'm also physically quite capable. More durable than your average witch, and even though my muscles are sleek, they are powerful. If I wanted to deck you in the face as hard as I could you'd probably be seeing stars for a week. No! That's not a threat. Just an example. Anyway, all of this is good on its own, but combine it with my ability to reposition with flight and to hover steadily in the air, gravity is almost always my friend in a fight. I've gotten very good at dodging by zipping about, muscling my way through sharp changes in direction at high speed. I need jet fighter kinds of reflexes when I fly at jet fighter kinds of speeds. Ok, not literally jet fighter fast, but I also don't have any instruments so it cancels out. Point remains, reaction time is good.
Weaknesses
Magic management is the shackle that really holds me back. I have to chose between firing standard spirit arrows and moving slowly for a long fight, or cranking out as much magical power as I can to devastate the area for a fast fight. It does not help that I am very bad at keeping track of how much I have left in the tank. I usually find out I'm running low when my wings wink out of existence. That's fine when I'm on the ground... but while airborne it has led to some very very tense situations. Every cool thing I can do drains my magic. It does restore itself over time, so I can do cool things with some regularity as long as I can find a safe place to catch my breath. However, this requires self control. I can admit I struggle with self control. I get caught up in the moment, or think I'm clever, or just get a little burst of overconfidence. Oh, and... yeah... running low means some magic starts turning off; bad but workable. But if I push myself further and use all the magic, the arrowhead that gives me my abilities is ejected. Overdraw is a perfectly capable combatant even without magic... Rebecca, on the other hand... yeah, I'm a sitting duck if I ever push it too far. The arrowhead needs to recharge before I can use it again. Luckily it charges quickly, but 'quickly' in the middle of a fight is usually just another word for too slow.
Gallery
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Author's Notes
Overdraw is a sweetheart that does not think things through. She would tell you that she's pretty dumb but she is perfectly capable mentally. However, when she gets excited she stops thinking in clear and rational terms, and starts thinking in 'cool action movie hero' terms. Also, she does not want to critically think about systems she benefits from. Namely, the kind of messed up system of sponsorships that makes her hero work happen, but also other systemic advantages she has. I encourage my opponents to give her a dose of humble pie.
The art was commissioned from Eris. You can check out his Deviant Art at SebastiansSire.
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