Barbara Hart

Funk Mafia

In the moment, you found Barbara to be sweet, kind, and supportive. So why do you feel so unsettled as you walk away from the interaction? It's all part of the plan. If Barbara wants you to suffer, she will become your very best friend in order for that to happen. She keeps her venom tucked neatly close to her breast even as she lights up a room with her charm and coaxes people to her side. She's had a lot of practice being the good little sister and she's very very good at masking, so you will never realize that she daydreams about your grisly demise on the reg. But things keep bubbling to the surface, and those closest to her know how her temper scalds. She is truly mercurial in that way, oscillating between ancient cursed demon barely contained in the skin of a teenage dancing queen, and the greatest goddamn showman.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing : Hidden Depths : Sugary Malice : Stepford Smiler

The Hart's have always preferred funk, jazz and disco, and her style certainly reflects these roots, but ballroom and tap are her jam whether she likes it or not.

She will dance with a partner for appearances and/or boosts, but if she gets carried away with a stepper unaccustomed to her Vibe's effects, it could end up being a major deterrent to prospective partners and frankly could spoil the good image she has built. She makes a few concessions with her controlling Vibe for this reason, having developed a gentler partnered style.

There may be something off about her nature in passing, but boy can she turn it on when she dances. Typical of any lifelong showbiz kid, her skills as a dancer have been honed to a sharp edge. Over time, Barbara has embraced a more expressive and aggressive idiom, shaking things up when the choreography becomes stale.

A Playlist

She's got moves and now you do, too!

Heads Will Roll
(AOE)
Passive Vibe effect. When Barb enters a new room or area, all targets within range will feel compelled to snap their heads in her direction. The easily distracted or those with relatively weak impulse control are more vulnerable to this effect. This attribute can be suppressed unless her Vibe's charge is spilling over.

Quick Study
(Self)
Non-Vibe special. If she observes a dance style, she can match it on at least a basic level, while demonstrating mastery of all FM-approved styles. It is impossible to throw her off with a song choice.

Body Talk
(Target)
She senses all muscles of her target. She can determine if those muscles are well-developed, damaged, tense, weak or atrophied. This move isn’t normally felt and deals no damage, so she will often use it as a form of lie detection. She’ll search for recent, old, or particularly tender injuries to use to her advantage in battle.

Sore-y Not Sore-y
(Target)
She causes generalized pain and discomfort to large areas of the body and the target aches like they’ve been working out for days on end. She can lift this condition when she chooses and lay it back on, with the intention of weakening and confusing the target.

Rockin' and Rollin' (Rockin' and Reelin')
(Target)
She slides the target’s entire body across the floor, or rapidly tosses them around. It’s a quick maneuver on her part, meant to either create distance between her and her targets or bring them right to her. Damage is dealt as they’re slammed into the floor, walls, or other objects and people. She can prevent targets from moving for a couple beats, and resisting her at this point is quite uncomfortable.

Muscle Memory
(Target)
The target is made to repeat their last move exactly, even if they are drained or exhausted. Although Barbara cannot replicate Vibes, a target thinking on their feet could build up enough charge to pull off a move on the next round. This is mainly used as support, but if against an enemy target, she uses MM to exacerbate their injuries and reopen wounds.

Chained To My Rhythm
(Target)
Barbara connects completely with her target and takes control of their body to varying degrees, from utilizing specific muscle groups to full physical possession. Because of her intense understanding of human anatomy and physiology, targets appear to move just as if they were in charge of their own bodies. She can match choreography to hers, make them dance to different moves entirely, or inflict unspeakable pain upon them from the inside out. At full control she can bend and break the target’s body with extreme contortions of the skeletal muscles. Presumedly, there is a chance of fatality at this level (untested).

Local Motion With Me
(Partnered)
Partnered style. She takes control of herself and one other while holding physical contact, allowing her to push and tweak both bodies to pull off perfect form while dancing. She uses this to help partners focus on their Vibe moves while she handles the steps. She cannot deal significant damage to herself or her partner while dancing this way, however both dancers will really feel it the next day if Barbara pushes them too far.

The limit DOES exist! Targets must be (mostly) human with muscles developed enough to move on their own. Prosthetic limbs, damaged or destroyed nerves, and unconventional body parts all give her trouble.

Targets are still able to speak, sing, and think freely, and use their Vibe, even under full control.

She can manipulate up to 3 targets at a time, but she must choose one target at a time to manipulate to the point of wounding.