Advance Guard
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<infobox>
<title source="name"> <default>Advance Guard</default> </title>
<image source="Image"></image> <image source="image"></image> <header>Information</header> <label>Alignment</label> <label>Leader(s)</label> <label>Leader(s)</label> <label>Allies</label> <label>Allies</label> <label>Status</label> <label>Location</label> <label>First Appearance</label> <header>First Appearance</header> <label>Worm Debut</label> <label>Ward Debut</label> </infobox> Advance Guard is a hero team active after Gold Morning.
Modus operandi
Advance Guard were known as an "icon" group, meaning that they were one of the hero teams that also pushed an agenda in the civilian sphere.<ref name="II1.8e1"> Some capes were taking on roles as icons and iconoclasts for the various movements in the civilian sectors. Four hero teams led the ‘icon’ groups. Advance Guard, Foresight, the Shepherds and the Attendant.
The first two were aimed at pushing forward. New approaches, doing things right this time. The opinions on what that way forward looked like it differed, feeding into the division between the two groups. - excerpt from Daybreak 1.8</ref>
Specifically, Advance Guard's ideology focused on moving forward and new approaches, leaving behind the mistakes of the old world.<ref name="II1.8e1"/><ref name="II1.1e1"/> Their views on what this new world should look like differed from the other notable "progressive" icon team, Foresight.<ref name="II1.8e1"/>
Advance Guard cooperated with police, sometimes using mover powers to increase their response times.<ref>I watched him glance over the small crowd, looking for the person who had spoken. He kept looking out for the speaker as he told us, “There’s some police on their way. With all the reconstruction and the lower priority, they’re trying to get through the traffic right now.” - excerpt from Daybreak 1.1</ref> This tied into their larger strategy of fast strikes against an enemy to overwhelm them.<ref name="5.2 e3">“They’re money hungry, with fancy costumes and nice facilities. I’ve had pretty mixed reactions dealing with them, too.”
Tristan frowned. “Okay. I’m bothered they’re just marching in here. Assuming it’s not a trap, what’s even their plan?
[...]
They’re good,” Tristan said. “And there’s a lot of them.”
“But they’re aggressive. Their usual M.O. is to blitz a target,” I pointed out.
“Not out of the question here,” Tristan said. - Excerpt from Shadow 5.2</ref>
Symbol
Advance Guard members generally wore the team's symbol worked into the sleeve or breast of their costumes; a stylized person wielding a shield shaped like a ">" symbol.<ref name="II1.1e1">I caught a glimpse of the emblem on his sleeve. A badge, not a personal symbol or icon, but part of the team he belonged to. Advance Guard. They were a team with an agenda to push. The world had ended, and they were pushing hard for a better and different tomorrow.
I could respect that.
I could also cringe inwardly at the fact that our superhero here was implicitly sporting a ‘move forward’ ideology when that was the last thing this old man probably wanted to hear with a freshly reopened emotional wound. Time and place. Unfortunately, because of the team emblem the cape had on his breast- a stylized figure holding a shield shaped like a greater-than symbol, the guy represented that ideology every time, in every place. - excerpt from Daybreak 1.1</ref><ref name="WoG1">Therealtahu: Advance Guard emblem. I'm having a hard time imagining the "shield" thing.
Wildbow: I could draw it
[...]
Wildbow: [Image deleted at WB's request.]
[...]
Wildbow: Picture the chevron/greater than symbol being worked into the border of the sleeve/breast/whatever - Discord conversation with Wildbow, Archived on Spacebattles</ref>
Structure
Advance Guard appears to be a hero team with a structure similar to the old Protectorate model of multiple members under sub-leaders; the team that attempted to interfere in Cedar Point was led by ReSound. Mayday was apparently involved with planning their excursions and talking to people.<ref name="5.5">Shadow 5.5</ref> They are an affiliated team with support from The Wardens, and are presumably working with the larger hero organization to deal with a long term problem.
They have an overarching design aesthetic, tending toward bold contrasting colors with angular armor and designs accompanied by full face masks.<ref name="5.2">The costumes were distinct enough for me to recognize them before any icon came into view. Bold contrasts of light and dark, angles, armor panels, and bright colors. Masks tended to be full-face. All of it looked like they had one very tired designer working on their costumes. Cohesion to the max.
The camera caught the icon, and it popped up in a window, blur-corrected. A figure running to the side, drawn out as a collection of triangles and irregular shapes. Their arm was out and holding an arrow-shaped shield. Others had slight variants on the same icon, to play into costume textures and other minor details. - Excerpt from Shadow 5.2</ref> Each costume is, as previously stated, individualized for the member.
History
Background
They became active following Gold Morning, but the specific circumstances of the team's formation are unknown.
Early Ward
Victoria Dallon encountered one of their members, Shortcut, when he was responding to a car crash that had damaged a memorial. The crowd were hostile toward him; Victoria tried to ease the situation and complimented him on his response time.<ref name="II1.1">Daybreak 1.1</ref> Shortcut took that interaction the wrong way.
Victoria later applied to join the team, but was rejected without a reason being given. She speculated it was because she had a two year "gap" in her records.<ref>There weren’t any openings. I was pretty sure Advance Guard had turned me down because of my background, the two year gap prior to Gold Morning. Others had their reasons for rejecting me. As it was, the field was fairly cluttered. - Excerpt from Flare 2.2</ref> According to Shortcut, however, it happened because he personally nixed her joining.<ref name="II2.3">“Reaching out and talking,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure there’s no hard feelings.”
“About you not getting into Advance Guard.”
I’d emailed, they’d sent a reply a couple of hours later saying no.
“I didn’t devote a lot of thought to it,” I said. “Sucks, but you guys have to do what you have to do. And so does everyone else, apparently. I’ll figure something out.”
“They didn’t tell you it was me?”
“No,” I said. I frowned.
“I told them to tell you no and to tell you it was me, and why.”
“Alright,” I said. “They just told me no.”
“Well fuck that. I thought you needed to know, what you did back there, it was shitty.”
“Beg pardon?”
“I realized after your face came up on some of the events about the Norfair community center incident. You went up against Lord of Loss?”
“I don’t see what the issue is,” I said.
“You happen to beat me to the scene, and then you use your secret identity, condescension and anti-parahuman shit to take me down a notch? And then you want a place on Advance Guard?”
“I happened to be there. I’m sorry, it was not my intention to come across that way.” I tried to help you out some. - Excerpt from Flare 2.3</ref>
A team of Advance Guard members led by ReSound arrived to interfere in Cedar Point, despite not having communicated with the team whose jurisdiction the area fell under. After Victoria and Sveta confronted their member Spright, they agreed to call off their attack and retreat.<ref>Shadow 5.4</ref> Mayday attributes their presence in the area to tip-offs from local civilians, but Victoria remained suspicious about who had called them in.<ref name="5.5" />
During the Mathers Compound Assault The Wardens delegated the team to containment efforts. They mainly dealt with the Crowleys' combatants and were beaten by them. At the end of the fight it is revealed that two members of Advance Guard were undercover Fallen – Scapegoat, who was captured, and another who died during the fighting.<ref name="WP6.5">Pitch 6.5</ref>
Post-Fallen fall
Reel from the suffered damage, and vacated their position in the leading trio of The City teams.<ref>"Advance Guard’s having trouble bouncing back. They got hurt badly by the injuries and loss of infrastructure.” - Excerpt from Torch 7.6</ref>
Members
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| ReSound | Sonic manipulating Blaster.<ref>“Avant!” ReSound called out, and the sound was magnified, loud, echoing far faster than a normal echo could or should. The camera’s sound died, dissolving into crackles. Several of the Hollow Point villains covered their ears. - Shadow 5.2</ref> Possible group leader or sub-group leader. |
| Shortcut | A mover who uses a polearm to draw circles around himself and teleport. Curmudgeonly and assumes the worst in people, generally combative. |
| Spright | Took an uncommon shine to Victoria. A trump who can copy others' mover powers. |
| Mayday | Former Protectorate stationed in Baltimore.<ref>Mayday, Siren, ReSound, Gong… “Mayday,” Kenzie said. “He was Baltimore.” - Shadow 5.2</ref> Possibly a backup leader,as he took over when Resound was incapacitated. |
| Siren | |
| Gong | |
| Signal Fire | Former Protectorate trained in San Diego with Optics.<ref>
|
| Flapper | Flying lady, no reference to 1920s here |
| Prong | |
| Tandem | apparent Case 70 |
| Mapwright | Thinker. |
| Rescue | Teleporter |
| Scapegoat | Revealed to be a Fallen convert. |
Fanart Gallery
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Alternate Advance Guard logo by lonsheep on Discord
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Alternate Advance Guard logo by Mugasofer on DeviantArt
References
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