wordplayhero

Name: Hero Ann Madison

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Type: Dreamer

Appearance:

Hero has dark skin and dark almond-shaped eyes; her hair is dark, short, and curly and reflects her personality quite well. She's rarely seen without a wide grin or smile, and her grin usually hints at an inner-goof who is never too far from the surface. She isn't too tall, but of above average height (her hair can make her seem a bit taller, especially on a humid day). She'll certainly dress up for a party, especially a fancy one, or a date -- or sometimes she'll dress up 'just because'. But, more often than not, Hero is found in slacks or jeans.
 

Personality:

Initially Hero comes off as a silly, opinionated, and wisecrackin' goof who doesn't seem to fall into the trap of taking life or herself too seriously. In fact, while she can come off refreshingly open and honest, it almost seems as if she doesn't take life seriously at all. This impression is partly true: Hero really is a pretty happy person who loves her job and has a real joie de vivre and a good heart. And this is the facet of herself that she presents to the public... she just intentionally dials it up a good bit, nearly to the point of 'ditziness'. But that ditzy-like exterior is the Don Diego to her journalistic Zorro.

She isn't disguising her true self completely, just enough to throw off any idea that she's the hard-lined and serious journalist that she is, i.e. the kind whose publications bring the shady dealings of Eidolon City's prominent and elite to light. The kind of journalist whose writings have resulted in many a public downfall, and who has a good number of people really itching for revenge as a result.

In one-on-one and personal conversations, the less-ditzy side of Hero starts to break through. That inner goof still shines through as well, just also tampered with some wit and intelligence. But where her serious side really takes hold is in her work: Hero is a journalist at heart. She's been a journalist long before she even knew what a 'journalist' was. She's always been curious, well to the point of being invasive. That natural inquisative and invasive journalist within her means she can oftentimes become obnoxious and irritating, but overall she's still pretty good with people.

In her work she's a professional. Even if she won't really accept 'no comment' or evasiveness as an answer, she's a great interviewer and won't misquote people. She doesn't sensationalize a story for the sake of selling papers. Even in the society columns and human interest stories she pens officially under her own name, she still aims for truth and quality. But where her journalistic commitment really shines is in her 'unofficial' pieces, those penned under the name 'Matt Hatterson'. Because those are the Big Scoop pieces: the ones that focus on all levels of the city's corruption.
 

Sexuality:

Bisexual
 

City History:

Hero grew up in a not-rich but not-poor neighborhood to Anthony and Marie Madison. She's the second youngest child with three brothers; and her mantle of being the only girl spared her any 'middle child syndrome'. Her childhood was normal, loving, and happy -- there were no prominent ties to her family name but there were no corrupt ones either. She was always an extremely inquisitive child, and nobody was surprised when she decided to be a journalist at a young age. In school she made decent grades, somewhat above average but not top-of-the-class, but truly excelling in her English and composition classes and in her work with the school newspapers. She spent many summers and after-school hours doing whatever work she could with The Echo (even if it was only filing or delivering coffee), and when college-time came she went away to a school with a very prestigious journalism and communications programs.

At school she honed those natural journalist skills into something truly extraordinary. She wrote and interviewed all kinds, covering subjects both simple and tough: from pieces on the school's budget and club fundraisers, to eye-opening and un-biased pieces on taboo underground cultures and she even shocked her classmates by sitting down to interview a death-row inmate.

When she returned back to the city, complete with her shiny new degree, Hero went to work for the Echo. She was intent on continuing her hard-hitting reporting, especially with investigative reporting, with The Echo as well. Hero knew that undergoing such a track in a place such as Eidolon City was likely to get her killed, but her personal code wouldn't let her forego it. And so she started on that path, not hitting on anything particularly detrimental yet, but certainly popping up on some groups' radars. It wasn't until a co-worker at The Echo, knowing the girl would get herself killed if she stubbornly continued on as she was wont to do, made the suggestion of undertaking a pseudonym that Hero re-thought her course of action.

Once in college, some goofy antics on Hero's part inspired an ex of hers to use 'Madison Hatterson' as a petname. And so the 'M. Hatterson' pseudonym was born, with Hero changing the 'M' from Madison to Matt, just to further throw people off her trail. Meanwhile Hero Ann Madison, fledgling investigative journalist, officially made the career change to focus largely on society page columns and human interest pieces. These 'official' articles, as they became popular, have gotten her into many a fancy gala and have served her pretty decently, financially-speaking.
 

Special Skills and Abilities:

If anyone is damn well-suited for conducting investigative reporting through both the city's uppercrust and underbelly (i.e. schmoozing at galas and later tailing a subject to the docks), Hero is. She's got a natural intuition for sensing a story, knows enough phrases in enough languages (even if not truly fluent) to get her in the right direction when said story sends her into Chinatown or other immigrant neighborhoods, and she's got some sharp self-defense skills when her venturing after a story finds her trouble.
 

Weaknesses:

Curiosity - Hero is curious to the umpteenth degree to a point that borders on, and often surpasses, invasive. If she suspects something's fishy? Or that not all is what it seems? It gnaws at her, incessantly, and she can't just leave it alone. And this comes into play into all aspects of her life: personal, professional, and romantic.

Idealist - She lives for Truth. And Justice. Although Hero herself believes that once Truth is out, then Justice tends to get taken care of. So she mainly focuses on the Truth part. And the pursuit of it is something she will never ever compromise on. And, when it comes to unveiling the Greater Truth, Hero believes that the ends justify the means for the most part. She'll totally feed a lie or go undercover if means getting to the Truth (oh, irony). And she believes that the Greater Truth should always come out, even if it does more hurt than good.

Opinionated - she's a pretty good listener when need be, especially when it comes to interviews, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have opinions. She does. Oh, she really does. And she isn't shy about sharing them either: not. at. all. She does have her own sense of how things should be and how some things should be done; and for every conversation in which she's sat and listened patiently there's at least two where she harangued the other party with What's What. However, this doesn't mean she's unyielding in her opinions (other than her pursuit of Truth thing), only that she's very (and oftentimes irritatingly) vocal about them.

Ambitious - she wants to be the best in almost anything she does. And while this oftentimes leads her to being pretty damn good at what she does, it also leads to her being competitive, obnoxious, and can be a set-up for disappointment.

The Scoop - when her curiosity, ambition, and job combine, they result in a near-suicidal desire to get that big scoop. And while she enjoys getting any big or small story, Hero wants the Story; and she wants to be the first one to break it. And her mouth just positively waters when she thinks she's got a big one. So while Hero will cover small-scale stuff such as a local shop owner's fraud, that doesn't satisfy her. What she really goes after are the Big Fish: the mobs, crime rings, corrupt politicians, shady policemen... the kind of groups that could easily ruin a person or make them disappear.

Workaholic - when she's following up a story or feels she's on the cusp of one? She can become near-obsessive until the task is reached. It oftentimes means she'll work away the night, either typing or staring at her papers trying to determine what exactly it is that seems off in their contents, and looked down at 10pm and then look up and be utterly surprised that the sun's already up. And, oh crap, wasn't she supposed to meet a friend last night or something? Oops.

Blunt - the whole thing with honesty and truth? It makes her pretty blunt. Which can be an asset, because sometimes the non-sugarcoated truth is just what people need to hear, and some people are drawn to that level of honesty. But it's also found to be annoying and can piss people off.

Y'know, not everyone likes their dirty laundry aired... - especially not those Big Fish she's gunning for. They really don't. And Hero's published stories have caused some problems for many a politician, police officer, and mobster. Which means there are probably some people out there who would be all-too-happy to string her up in the offices of The Echo both for revenge and to serve as a warning for other too-nosy journalists. One thing that has helped her though is the pseudonym: all her serious investigative journalings are done under the name of 'M. Hatterson'. While some people at the Echo's officers are aware that 'M. Hatterson' is a pseudonym, only a select few are aware who 'he' is.

Two can keep a secret if... And being a journalist isn't a job that can be properly done in the shadows. There are the people you work with, and not all sources are willing to share information strictly over the phone or via letters. There are certainly sources who know who she is, or at least are aware she has some ties to Mr. Hatterson. Since most of those sources would be killed or worse if they revealed having given information to a journalist, it's not in their best interest to spill just who she is. But while only a select few are aware of who Matt Hatterson is, it only takes one person to spill that secret.

Paranoid - you know what having pissed off important people who'd like to 'teach you a lesson' does? It makes you look over your shoulder a bit more, and maybe sleep with a gun under the pillow. And maybe keep some concealed weapon on your person. Hero isn't at the point of barricading the doors to her apartment or drawing a gun on every stranger she meets. For the sake of living Life and serving the Greater Truth means some risks will have to be risked. But she does put up some fronts in public to throw would be harm-doers off. And, yes, she really does sleep with a gun under her pillow... or at least within an arm's reach in the nightstand.

Hold on, need a fix... Oh, she's a smoker. And she often goes back and forth between trying to quit and just saying 'eh, fuck it' and lighting one up. She picked it up because she realized that bumming a cigarette, or having fellow smokers come up to you for one, was a great way to break the ice and meet people. Hero's met many a friend, lover, and source over a smoke break. But what started as a tool for investigation and getting scoops has turned into a full-on addiction. And if Hero hasn't had a smoke in a couple hours? She gets twitchy. And if it's been a day? She gets irritable. Really fuckin' irritable.
 

Strengths:

Understanding - when you're a good listener, it's hard to see the world as strictly black and white. Hero's done a lot of interviews and talked to all kinds of people, and she's well aware that different people looking at the same thing can each see something completely different. And she accepts that (as others should accept she has opinions as well... see: 'Opinionated'). Hero says she isn't out to change the world, she's out to reveal it. Of course, one can argue that would result in the greatest changes of all.

Honesty - Honesty is big with Hero, she values it within others and within herself. And when she does lie -- because she does -- it's always for the purpose of getting to the Greater Truth. Otherwise she's as honest as could possibly be. To a fault.

Lock it up and throw away the key - while she's unrelenting in fishing them out, Hero can keep a secret. Really, really well. If you say it's off the record? Then it's off the record. Period. She won't publish it no matter how juicy and tempting it may be. She won't betray the confidence of friend, acquaintance, nor villain. And if you want a source out of her? Forget it. Hero will never reveal her sources. Ever. And no threats nor bribes will change that. Her resolve hasn't actually been tested against torture, but if the situation came up? She'd be able to hold out pretty damn long, and it's very much possible that death would come before she betrayed any information. But, of course, it is very important to tell her you don't want her to tell anybody, because if you don't? Don't be surprised to find the info splashed across The Echo.

Senses, tingling... Hero is pretty good at telling when something just seems off. It's not that she's psychic, because she isn't; and it isn't a skill that she's honed or anything, per se. It's just a natural intuition that's really good, about as good as a non-psychic human being can be.

Journalist Just about all her strengths, and all her faults, add up to one thing: Hero is a damn good journalist. Just about the best. Always has been, and pretty much always will be. Her education and experience has only served to hone her natural journalistic abilities. If anything, she has trouble shutting the journalist in her off.

Self Defense - She doesn't go looking for a fight. But sometimes, when one is snooping around where they shouldn't or just got out of meeting a source in a shady neighborhood, Trouble just shows up. And Trouble likes to show up violently. So Hero is reflexively quick to greet Trouble with a swift kick to the gut, or grab a discarded board and whack Trouble in the head a couple of times. While she's pretty strong for a woman, her real advantages in a fight are her quick reflexes and good aim. Weapons-wise, she handles a gun, blades, and discarded objects pretty well.
 

Family or Connections:

Family - Her parents have passed away within weeks of each other due sickness and old age (they had her later in life); she does have two older brothers and one younger one.

The Echo - Hero has co-workers at the Echo, although nearly all of them know her as doing only society pages and human interest pieces.

Sources - Hero has sources from all walks of life and with all kinds of connections. Some of them she's met in person, some she hasn't.

High Society - she's spent years writing articles for the section of the newspaper that deals with the wealthy and elite, which means she knows many of them by name. And, because the newspapers are the doorways to public opinion, many of those wealthy and elite make sure they know Hero by name as well. And that means she's on the invite list to just about every gala in town.
 

Residence:

She lives by herself in a two-bedroom apartment with one bedroom being her (strategically disorganized) office. She's pretty well off -- not living in a ritzy penthouse but her place is certainly far from the poverty line as well.
 

Career:

Journalist. As herself she does society pages and human interest stories. As 'M. Hatterson' she writes the hard-hitting stuff that focuses on unmasking the city's corruption.
 

PB: Jasika Nicole

Other Information:

Her odd name is actually a result of her mother's love of Shakespeare. After reading Much Ado About Nothing the name of Leonato's daughter, Hero, appealed to her even if the character didn't. So she named her daughter Hero Ann which, when spoken quickly together, sounds like 'heroine' (albeit in a southern accent). This little tidbit has given Hero an appreciation for word games, wordplays, and the such.

Handwriting: Jimmy Hand

Typewriter: Splendid 66