FM Stereo
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
FM Stereo was originally named FM Radio two years ago until starting a new account. Since the name was taken on the previous one, Stereo was the next choice. This toon is another addition to the Radio 'family' as well as the more hard-hitter of them all. Or suicidal, depending on your take of it; after all, blasters are blasters...
Contents |
Affiliations
- Xeno (XM Radio) has been his most important family member in his life, taking care of him since birth. Their (unusual) bond can never be severed no matter what comes at them. Maybe.
- He doesn't know much about Thag Zhug since he's Xeno's friend, but he respects the big guy.
- Kat Kisses has put a motherly effect on Vieux as well, it seems. He never would like to see her sad at all.
- JJ's (Justice Jon) impression on Vieux was awe inspiring on his wit. This was after he made fun of his hair-do, though.
- El (Scathe) is someone Vieux won't mess with. Respect and leave be.
- Kyo-Kun has felt more like another little brother to him, personally. He's been much of an influence to the guy, but V's a little weirded out by how much teen attention he's now getting.
- Kaz (Shiso) met him through a joint-mission and subsequently met his son, Kyo. He respects the man and feels free to talk to him on several subjects.
- Power Patron was V's drinking buddy for a month, picking up chicks and drinking heartily together. What has become of him now, we'll never know...
- Jon (Sentinel Omega) is another acquaintance through Xeno. Feelings are mutually positive, atleast.
- Sam (Taxibot Theta) is another mutual acquaintance through Xeno.
- Kyle (Mobius Knight) is a puzzle to Vieux, but he can't complain since he got an Air-Zooka from the guy. Though he has been threatened to be banished by Kyle, recently.
- Sharlisse is a purely platonic relationship he made a while ago in the D. Mutually positive, they usually can talk about comedic things in life.
- Possibly more...
Personality
Vieux can be many things; a great listener, a perfect ally, or your best friend! Depending on how many drinks you put in him, he can be your own private entertainer. Not exactly the opposite of his brother, he's more outgoing and charismatic of the two, ready to make a new friend when the possibility comes. Or a date. (Which has yet to happen) Not one to stick around when general drama approaches, he'll stay when you need it the most. Vieux will also fight against the odds if he has to; 'Come What May.' He loves to live in the moment and telling stories whether or not it's on topic. Typical lounge-lizard, he likes to flirt, but will settle for a platonic relationship if it's the best option.
Weakness and Limitations
Of course, pros have their cons after all. Vieux has trouble with his memory, being unable to remember bits and pieces to recent events. Sometimes it's on purpose, alcohol-induced, or 'mental probing.' ("It's those Carnies, I swear!") He shrugs it off as a joke or a minor problem most of the time.
Another limitation is his horrible ability at directions. Sometimes he's down-pat about where something is and other times...just dismal. You'll probably see him get lost most of the time if you're lucky. Or unlucky, if you're dependent on him.
Drinking? He's not a terrible alcoholic, but usually does outrageous things in his drunken stupor. Frequently likes setting things on fire or exaggerating stories to people in his vicinity. One or the two.
Easily takes offense on his clothing and hair style. And seems to attract the teen crowd...
Abilities
Under the dense layers of armor and circuitry lies within a very average man who has been through a lot of wear-and-tear in life. Taking the offensive in many skirmishes, Vieux has developed himself in a near-fit state of mind and body.
Natural Abilities
Being more athletic than Xeno, Vieux has played a variety of sports that allows him to maintain stamina as well as being healthy in or after battle. However, he has the nasty knack of sleeping too often and too long as well.
An ability to himself is pure focus on anything; once he gets hooked, whether it's a hobby or building, he will see to it that it is finished thoroughly and properly. This recently includes maintaining his new motorcycle and driving it around the city.
His other abilities include mastering the Vo Vinh Nam and Capoeira martial art styles as well as a degree in Communications and Advertisement.
Equipment
'Dragon's Voice'
Subtlety named due to the amount of bass made from the suit itself, Vieux has yet to have perfected it to the maximum level. Data and recording is housed in the helmet via the HUD while the suit itself houses connected amp speakers and electric lines.
The Helmet
Built on his own accord, the helmet has evolved ever slowly throughout his career. His Operating System, 'Rock Steady,' steadily creates a resonating pulse in order to map out his surrounding as well as control the current of electricity and power throughout the suit. Abnormalities are relayed back to his HUD for interpretation.
His early version of the helmet lacked a ventilator or some sort of mouth covering, making his face an easier target. Needless to say, he was quick to add it after a few bouts early in his career.
Currently, the helmet is layered differently than XM Radio's in that it's more dense and heavier in order to make up for the lack of 'shields' his brother has. The visor is made from a different translucent material in order to withstand pretty much anything. Though it appears as a simple motorcycle helmet, the visor also has a digital clock, a mapping system, built-in radio functions, a microphone, and automatic polarization of the visor. Mufflers for the ears are also included as well in order to reduce noise pollution and deafening (Whether from outside anomalies or from himself.)
The Suit
It was only recently in his return to Virtue-Earth that he has began attempting upgrading his suit to match the tougher challenges of today. The suit was originally adapted from PPD Guardian sentries decommissioned from villain skirmishes; the same suit was used for most of his career on Infinity-Earth until reaching his mid-security level. It was then his second suit was convened.
The emergence of new threats caused him to rethink his suit's potential to match their ferocity. One of the new ideas was installing flight capabilities via small boosters in his joints, hands, and feet. Mastering flight was sluggish, but simple after a few flight runs around Steel Canyon. It became the next mode of travel from then on.
The second idea was installing a compact generator in his suit in order to not only power his suit, but also another means for offensive moves. The suit was remade in order to protect the user as well as house the several generator nodes in his palms, knees, and upper torso-to-shoulders. The current made can reach up to taser levels as well as interrupting synapses in the mind. Manipulating electricity allowed arresting criminals much easier and swifter.
Mentioned earlier, his homecoming to Virtue-Earth met with the Second Rikti Invasion. He joined countless people in the Vanguard, being granted enough materials to build his third and present suit. Impervium surface layered with experimental alloys and gels, Vieux knows his life is in good hands should he fall unconscious. New developments also include charging ions in the metal to make it denser, reflecting projectiles much easier. Simultaneously, his suit emits an electric field, causing some irritation and damage (To those more susceptible to it) to surrounding foes.
Swifter and stronger, Vieux also has life-monitors in his suit with routines to maintain homeostasis and respond to abnormalities with ease.
The Radio
The FM Radio/Stereo has been modified far beyond commercial listening in order to fight crime. Embedded deep within his suit, speakers in the upper torso are connected to amps in between in order to boost the bass to sound output, thus increasing the damage capacity. Unlike his brother's suit, Vieux is incapable of manipulating direction of his projects; therefore, he must check his targets before 'shouting' to prevent friendly fire.
Though his connection to frequency waves is perfectly clear, it is possible for it to be severed, crippling his offensive ranged powers. That's where his electric abilities come in if not used already. The damage potential of his sound attacks include bruising, disorientation, coma inducing, or blunt trauma (Which is rare.)
Character History
Being the oldest sibling in his extended family weighed a lot of responsibilities on Vieux. His parents hoped for him to help their family financial crisis, but it would involve Vieux deviating from his hopes and dreams. In order honor his parents yet following his dream, he strengthened the bond between himself and Xeno, relaying the burden on him. Although they were less proud of Vieux in his career path, his brother supported him full-heartedly. Fate had it both of them would be in Paragon together.
Early Transmissions
Saying Vieux lived his life to the fullest was accurate enough; anything that caught his eye he would see to it properly finished. Lego's jump-started his interest in building things out of jumbled pieces. He applied this socially, melding distant strangers into would-be friends for time to come. Though aimed for a medical career, he abandoned the thought of such a life. It was during a break from tuning his car radio that he would soon build something beyond imagination.
Music and dance was his passion. A musical? He sang it. A battle? He danced it. Right sounds melded people together, right rhythms raised the soul. It wasn't a surprise he was tuning his car radio to have a clearer signal as well as a bigger bass. Taking a break, the thought of a 'suit' donned on him. Rushing outside, he gutted the FM Stereo and made rudimentary plans for a 'Sonic' suit. He wanted to make a difference after all.
Connected
Of course, the hard part was manipulating sound frequencies physically to be controlled. Diligent in searching the Web ('researching') yielded many theories and easy make-it-yourself guides. A little help from a fellow mentor allowed him to successfully make the helmet to 'shoot' sound at villainy!
The suit took a bit more time to create as materials were scarce to gain in Florida. Eventually, toward the end of his Freshman year of college, a working combat suit was made to expectations. He moved to Paragon City later in order to (hopefully) attain some help to upgrade his suit efficiently as well as fight crime. He later returned home in order to defend against the First Rikti Invasion.
Vieux didn't stand a chance against their weaponry and it was mere luck he survived; however, he did give them a run for their money with hit-and-run tactics with several other meta-human heroes. After the invasion ended, he returned to Paragon in order to rebuild his suit.
Lost Signal
Most of the materials suggested by other suit-makers required a large amount of funds. Around this time, DJ Zero opened the Pocket D and had a large amount of openings especially in Sound Tech. Hired on the spot, he worked the first night with a great degree of success and self-esteem. Clocking out of the club for the first time, he would not know from stepping out that he was far away from home!
Vieux wouldn't realize that until trying to contact home. The number did not simply exist nor did his family at all. Also, access to the Pocket D yielded an eerily empty room. Panicking, he searched for a reason why until he noticed something particular. The hero population exceeded the villain count; before, it was on equal terms, but now crime was relatively nonexistent. He talked to several experts who pointed him to Portal Corp. They would explain (After convincing them he wasn't crazy) that he was on Infinity-Earth and originally from Virtue-Earth, one of several dimensional oddities that are essentially copies of each other.
Portal helped Vieux reach home with relative ease, only to discover his home has changed so very much.
Presently
He had to deal with the fact his brother followed his path as XM Radio as well as discovering the Second Rikti Invasion was underway. Xeno was (after a brief reunion) able to help Vieux upgrade his suit to full capacity. Defending the city once again from the alien race, he stood a fairer chance than before. It took little time to once again acclimate himself in Paragon City, finding a house, but not a particular purpose.
The Pocket D held most of his interest, trying re-establish a social network to the best of his ability. He moved on to more physical fancies such as buying a motorcycle and entering an underground contest involving mechs. His life looked up as he finally attained a job in advertisement which steadily has become his main focus. Maybe you'll see him one day; either way, he has stories to tell!
Trivia
- References to Infinity Earth are true. He used (Or still) to be from the Infinity server when first created. His look has changed, though.
- A mild adaptation of the player's older brother.
- He usually listens to music through a Zune player. Will make references to the song he's listening to.
- Since he's from the same account, seeing FM Stereo and XM Radio together is not possible.
- Openly speaks his mind, usually politely.
- Themesong: Daft Punk - Technologic.