The Shadow Gang, etc.

[AmbushCat]

THIS POST IS RESERVED FOR THE PROTAGONISTS OF HOWLING CHALLENGERS, MINUS SAILOR ARIEL. This is a work in progress and will be updated as the story continues.

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"I'm the go-to girl for words of wit, wisdom, and... uh... Wally. Yeah!"

Name: Callista Metallium, alias Sailor Ganymede

Age: 15

History/General Description: Calli's family's history is rather... checkered. Her mother is a motorcycle enthusiast and ex-biker queen who was heavily into drugs from the 1970s on; at some point in the 90s she ended up getting raped by the man who would later become her husband after she beat him in an arm wrestling match (though she immediately broke his arm in retaliation after the deed was done). Calli ended up being conceived out of wedlock as a result, and it's implied that the drugs her mother was on at the time are responsible for the hit to her brainpower that so infuriates her friend Annabella. When her mother discovered one day at the hospital that something was wrong with her unborn child she finally took the measures needed to quit, but by then it was far too late.

Calli herself is nothing like her parents. Where her parents are rough, tough and capable of intimidating anyone they look at, she's friendly, sweet and has an aversion to causing physical pain. To put it bluntly, though, she's also very simplistic and airheaded; forgetting not to transform in public is a common thing with her, and at times she gives the impression that she's completely oblivious to all the faults of herself and her parents.

Special Abilities: As Sailor Ganymede, her weapon of choice is a magic flute capable of causing localized blizzards or firing beams that can flash-freeze targets, depending on the type of melody played. She is surprisingly agile in both forms, something which she chalks up to basketball practice that she went through in junior high.

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"Time to rock this city."

Name: Dierdre Harley, alias Sailor Phobos

Age: 16

History/General Description: Dierdre's parents could not have been any more different. Her father grew up in a religious household, whereas her mother moonlighted as a "dancer" at nightclubs. When Dierdre was still very young her parents got into an argument concerning her mother's way of life, which led to the latter storming out and heading out to work regardless of the father's concerns. This would lead to the mother's death at the hands of her own employers when the police, discovering that the nightclub she worked at was part of a drug operation, launched a sting operation that very night. When Dierdre later learned the truth of what happened (both from a friendly officer and her father), this resulted in both a hatred of her mother's way of life and a desire not to sink to her level, the latter manifesting itself in paranoia regarding her personal modesty.

At the time she was recruited as a Senshi, she was the ace athlete at a local high school. As a star basketball player, she was fully intent on turning pro and playing in the WNBA after she graduated from college. She's a bit on the insensitive side, however, and at times says things she doesn't really mean. Her boastfulness and pride are also negative points, with the only point in her favor being that she has the means to back up what she says. It's obvious to her fellow Senshi that outside of her father, they're the only real friends she has.

Special Abilities: As Sailor Phobos, her abilities revolve around her physical strength and athleticism. She can punch the air hard enough to launch spheres of compressed wind and propel enemies away via air displacement. She's the only member of the team that lacks a magic artifact of her own, but on the whole she doesn't need one.

[AmbushCat]

THIS CHARACTER APPEARS ONLY IN "TAKING OUT THE TRASH". AND THANK GOODNESS FOR THAT.

Name: Marc Maddhouse

Theme: "I Want You", by Savage Garden
Battle Theme: "Spiral", by Jeff Williams, Red Vs Blue OST

Species: Human

Age: 45 years (actual), 30 years (physical)

General Description: Is a well-built human male with his facial features heavily marred by scars and burns that haven't healed, and he's proud of them. Approximately 6'2 and 190 pounds. Rarely ever seen without a pinstripe suit. Is the co-head of Aryu-Madd Technologies, a corporation that has been hidden in Muffinville's background since the world first appeared in the limelight. Has access to multiple types of technologies, and constantly strives to defy the laws of physics. Has somehow managed to escape being transformed even once. Thoroughly hates the TF-happy environment that permeates Muffinville. His goals are unknown, though some have guessed that it involves turning all of the Muffin Continent into a Mega-Corp bearing his name.

Morally speaking, he's bankrupt. He's essentially "Evil Tony Stark", and according to his enemies, his very existence is NSFW. There's nothing he won't do to get his way, no one he won't manipulate, and no lines he won't cross. Claire de Loon and Callista hate him for his treatment of women and his continued success in luring them to his side (metaphorically and literally); Viridi because he's the perfect example of everything that is wrong with humanity; Ellen Harrison and Aldonza because he's a terrible boss; Missy for the extent of his business empire; Zapana for his willingness to experiment on others; and Ambush Cat for his ugliness... suffice to say the only ones who don't think he's up to no good are the majority of his own employees, though only because he's skilled enough at manipulation that they won't listen to what anyone outside the company tells them.

Was hit with a reverse-aging curse when he was 30: every five years, it returns his physical health to that point and reverses any signs of aging. This has only encouraged him to continue living his life of decadence.

Abilities: Has top-notch mechanical expertise, and has an IQ squarely in the 200 range. As stated above, he is excellent at manipulating people. Is able to process information far faster than most, and has the reflexes to match. Is able to teleport, though his range is limited and requires 20 minutes to recharge after each use. Is an excellent gunman.

Weaknesses: Is racist towards dragon-girls for reasons unknown, something that Acutus finds amusing. Is incredibly perverted, though he's good at hiding it. Isn't very good at countering unexpected or unpredictable wrenches in his plans due to his belief that he's prepared for anything.

History: An interdimensional businessman from an AU Earth, Marc arrived on the Muffin Continent in 2004. With Muffinville being what it was and the Brotherhood gaining a tangible presence not long after, he was smart enough to stay behind the scenes and not draw any attention to himself lest he get subjected to the very stuff he hated. The few times his business holdings were dealt blows due to the site's bizarre happenings, he was quick to take action and allow his corporation to recover in short order.

When the Brotherhood's presence and resources were at their weakest, and those who would be in a position to stop him occupied with other things, Marc began making a serious power grab. His ultimate goal, as discovered by outside sources, was to erase the Muffinverse's penchant for change and transformations and render it sterile. This in turn would allow him to effectively control Muffinville without assuming office himself. He was partway through his plan---having reached the point where he could overcome the then-recovering Brotherhood---when in 2020 he decided to add to his personal harem by controlling the sorceress Circe, intending to absorb everything she owned into his corporation and making her his in every sense of the word.

In trying to do so, he made several critical errors. First: he allowed one of Circe's employees to convince him to have a proper wedding, triggering a snowball effect that resulted in Callista's discovery of the event and an unexpected alliance between the Infinite Defense, the Brotherhood and the Forces of Nature. Second: he underestimated just how influential Circe's friends really were and the lengths they would go to free her from his control, letting Muffinville see that for all of their clownish behavior, they could mean business when they really wanted to. Third: like so many others he underestimated Callista and her array of mental issues, leaving him powerless to do anything when it really mattered. And fourth: being more heavily involved with technology than magic, he had no way of knowing that Circe had begun implanting failsafes into her products for exactly this sort of situation.

When the situation went south, Marc tried to flee in order to restore his crumbling corporation. He didn't get too far before Ambush Cat caught him. What happened next was immediately deemed "TMI" by everyone who knew the fuzzball. Marc woke up as "Marcella" three days later at St. Dogbert's Hospital, Greenified, rendered mute and injured, and a warning message from Ambush permanently impressed upon her. Marcella's corporation collapsed entirely, both within and without, and even those who were allied with Aryu-Madd Tech decided to just move on and become decent businesses in their own right. No one knows what she is up to now, and no one cares enough to find out.

ALLEVIATION ARMOR

Continuing his "Evil Tony Stark" theme, his Alleviation Armor is basically a "dark-toned Hulkbuster ripoff" with some added upgrades. Aside from the usual assortment of missiles, repulsor blasters, EMPs, et cetera, it comes equipped with a weapon called the Neutron Shatter. This specialized cannon targets and kills a person's cells directly instead of just the person as a whole, triggering all of the pain sensors in a given area simultaneously and overwhelming the target with said sensation; this in turn leaves him/her wide open for a final strike.

The armor is fast enough to keep pace with an Emerged Callista, powerful enough to trade blows with Zapana, and agile enough to catch Aldonza off guard. However, like many other things in existence, it has no answer to abilities that can transcend time and space: Callista's Quantum Cutters, amplified by a 2nd-stage Emergence, reduced it to vapor by carving through each individual atom.