Usher

<infobox> <title source="name"><default>Usher</default></title>

<image source="Image"></image> <image source="image"></image> <group><header>Basic Information</header> <label>Civilian Name</label> <label>Aliases</label> <label>Gender</label><default>Unknown</default> <label>Death</label> <label>Age</label><default>Unknown</default> <label>Post-timeskip</label> <label>Ward start</label> <label>Relations</label> <label>Family</label></group> <group><header>Professional Status</header> <label>Occupation</label> <label>Classification</label> <label>Unique Features</label> <label>Alignment</label>

<label>Status</label><format>

{{{status}}}

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<label>Location</label> <label>Teams</label> <label>Previous Team(s)</label> <label>Base of Operations</label></group> <group><header>First Appearance</header> <label>Worm Debut</label> <label>Ward Debut</label></group> </infobox>

Usher is a member of the Los Angeles Protectorate.<ref name="23.2e5">“Counting coup?” Leister asked. He was the sole subordinate that Vantage had brought along. Rime, by contrast, had brought Usher and Arbiter from her team. Prefab from San Diego had shown up as well. -

Excerpt from Drone 23.2</ref>

Abilities and Powers

Usher has the ability to grant "unreliable" defenses, capable of countering Behemoths 'death aura',<ref name="I24">Behemoth swiped at him, but he was already shifting the balance of his armor, moving to block the blow with the flat of the blade. The sound of the impact was deafening, and it wasn’t something Usher’s power protected against. But Usher’s power was finnicky at best. Unreliable.

At the very least, it was holding up here. - Excerpt from Interlude 24</ref> as well as many other powers. Usher's power was ranged, and only required him to concentrate on the person he was protecting, he could not protect more then one individual.<ref name="R1">Usher - trump effect (one parahuman?), focused to the point of applying to one person, (threat to one individual), ranged application (blaster-esque situation?), protective (harm involved?). The trump effect blocks powers, implying that the relationship to the power at the time of the trigger is direct and negative. I'm picturing Usher being lifted by TK and dragged toward some threat (building's edge? churning machinery?) with the telekinetic further back, advancing. It fulfills the trend for gaining powers to have ironic consequences if he inadvertently cancels the other parahuman's powers while being threatened and held over a large drop, and that the resulting power reshapes his life to fling him again and again into confrontations vs. parahumans like the one that nearly killed him. -Usher's Trigger event</ref><ref name="List"/><ref name="23.2"/> The targets of his power glowed<ref name="23.2e1">“Usher?” Rime asked. “Hit me.”

Usher didn’t respond, still struggling a bit with his precarious position, holding on to Vantage’s hand. He did close his eyes, and Rime began to glow, a sheen radiating over her hair, skin and costume. -

Excerpt from Drone 23.2</ref> and felt an "energy"<ref>Chevalier could feel a sensation crawling through his body, an energy.  It didn’t invigorate, not on its own, but he could feel a kind of relief.

Usher was alive, and Usher’s power coursed through him. - 24.x (Interlude)</ref> or "ripple"<ref name="23.2e3">Usher focused his power on me.  I felt it ripple through me, felt something, but it didn’t break the spell.  I still couldn’t turn the slightest amount of aggression towards the kid.

“No,” I said.

Usher focused his power on Vantage instead, and Vantage flared with light.

Starlet’s power hit him, and it didn’t do a thing.  He punched her in the gut, then caught her as she went limp. - /Excerpt from Drone 23.2</ref> coursing through them.

His defenses didn't protect against being pushed or thrown around allowing those with enhanced physical abilities to still effective fight against 'protected' opponents.<ref name="23.2e2">“Ricochets,” Rime stressed. “I- shit!”

I found her with my bugs, setting them on her costume. “She’s okay, just fleeing from Bambina and Starlet. The shooter doesn’t seem to be targeting the kids.”

“My power makes her immune to Bambina,” Usher said.

“Maybe to the explosions,” I said, “But the impact? Or something else?”

He frowned. -

Excerpt from Drone 23.2</ref><ref name="I24"/> Essentially while he was able to grant 'single-target power immunity' to others he could not 'protect' against the laws of physics.<ref name="List">Usher	Provided single-target power immunity to others.	Protectorate -									Parahuman List, bolded edit by Wildbow.</ref> 

Target	Effectiveness
August Prince	No effect.
Bambina	Protected from her explosions, but seemingly not her kicks.
Behemoth	Negated his kill aura, although he was able to melt armor. Protected Chevalier from the damaging effects of shockwaves, but not from being pushed backward by them. Didn't protect against Behemoth's blows. Didn't make it easier to breathe. May or may not have protected against radiation.
Starlet	Totally negated her attacks.

History

Likley triggered while under the power of a cape, joined the Protectorate afterward and routinely found himself in the same type of situations.<ref name="R1"/>

Post-Echidna

Was working in Los Angeles with Alexandria prior to her death.<ref name="23.2"/>

Post-Timeskip

Usher was a member of the team sent to arrest Pretender.<ref name="23.2"/> His power was somewhat effective against the villains involved.

Chevalier made use of his power to fight Behemoth in melee.<ref name="I24"/>

Trivia

• Usher has numerous meanings but the most likely meaning here is 'Conduct' or 'Escort'. Fitting for a man who's power allows safe passage through danger for himself and others.
• There are rumors of Usher shares his name with a musician from Earth Alph. These rumors are unconfirmed.

References

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