Legion of Lawndale Heroes

Legion of Lawndale Heroes is a shared world series created by Roentgen, in which the major characters of Daria acquire super-powers and are convinced or manipulated into forming a "Legion" of such young people by Russell Stark, a mysterious software magnate. The term also refers to the band of Daria-derived superheroes that is the focus of attention in this AU Dariaverse.

Started in 2005, the series was limited to readers of the Sh33p's Fluff Message Board, but has recently migrated to the Paperpusher's Message Board. It is over 100,000 words long, approaching the length of such series as The Look-Alike Series, The Driven Wild Universe, Falling Into College, Bed and Breakfast Man, and the works of Steven Galloway.

In late July of 2007, Brother Grimace made an announcement on PPMB that he would be writing the next eight episodes of LLH (up to the completion of Chapter Eighteen), in order to complete "Year Two." (Year Two was concluded with the LLH Mini 'Election Day'; "Volume Two" concluded as of LLH 13:9.) He mentioned that he would not attempt to seriously change the tone of the fic, and that he would attempt to talk Roentgen into coming back to the title. Other writers have contributed their own stories since then.

Year One won "Favorite Crossover" story and the series won "Favorite Ongoing Series" in the 4th Daria Fanworks Awards. The series also tied for Favorite Ongoing Series in the 5th Daria Fanworks Awards. It was nominated for Favorite Ongoing Series again in the 2009 Daria Fanworks Awards.

Timeline
Initially, the series was divided into "chapters" which are divided into "parts". A completed chapter consisted of between eight and eleven parts.

The first eight chapters make up "Year One" of the Legion, with Jane Lane being named Leader of the Legion and Sandi Griffin being named Deputy Leader. Both positions are elected positions.

After the completion of the first eight chapters, Roentgen made the decision to move the stories more quickly by assigning only four parts to a completed story as opposed to eight. Furthermore, the beginning of the ninth chapter started "Year Two" of the Legion's history, with Quinn Morgendorffer winning the post of Leader, with Sandi Griffin serving as Deputy Leader for the second year in a row.

Previously, these chapters were only titled "LLH x.y" where x is the chapter number and y is the part. As parts of the story were posted on fanfiction.net and elsewhere, those chapters were retitled. Chapters 1:1 through 3:8 received names when each section was posted on fanfiction.net for the first time. When the story was posted at the PPMB for the first time, posts looked exactly as they did on SFMB with no retitling.

However, an upgrade to the PPMB destroyed the formatting of the story which resulted in Roentgen going back and reformatting the series. This allowed for some minor corrections of names for consistency as well as allowing for a chance to give titles to sections that had not been titled. Chapters between 4:1 and 8:8 received their titles for the first time during this process of code correction. Segments posted after 8:8 were given titles before the parts were posted to PPMB.

In LLH, Volume Two, Brother Grimace (finally) decided to continue the continuity established by Roentgen, and renumber the chapters he's written in the appropriate fashion. The majority of his chapters also happen to be the name of a song (ex. 'Brain Damage', 'Don't Let Me Get Me', etc.).

Titles
Main article: List of Legion of Lawndale Heroes stories

Links to Titles
Main article: Legion of Lawndale Heroes Links

"Minis"
Brother Grimace introduced the idea of "Mini-Episodes", which served to (as he put it) "...fill in the blanks about some storylines, or just touch on little things and ideas that were overlooked or bypassed out of necessity in the main fic." These mini-stories will be titled and the LLH chapter which they followed will be noted.

As Minis do not fall into chronological order, they will be designated "Mxx", with xx being replaced with the order of publication. Minis planned but not completed will keep their xx designation.


 * M1 "Sparring Session" (12:4)
 * M2 "Fraternity Brothers" (12:5)
 * M3 "Legionnaires 101" (12:5)
 * M4 "Dinner" (between 12:1 and 12:5; roughly the same time as MS1)
 * M5 "For The Boys At Camp Victory" (between 12:1 and 12:5)
 * M6 "A Special Day For The Colonel" (between 13:7 and 14:1)
 * M7 "A Quintessential Attitude" (13:1)
 * M8 "Meta Yo Mama" (between 13:8 and 14:1)
 * M9 "Waif Fu" (between 13:7 and 14:1)
 * M10 "A Day at the Races" (after 13:7)
 * M11 "The Little Drummer Girl" (during 13:6)
 * M12 "Eclipse" (between 13:7 and 14:1)
 * M13 "Falling Into Unusual Circumstances" (during 'A Legion Halloween')
 * M14 "Network Connections" (between 13:8 and 14:1)
 * M15 "Bull Session" (between 13:7 and 13:8)
 * M16 "Part Of The Solution" (between 13:8 and 14:1)

Other mini writers include smk. Minis written by smk will be designated "MSxx".


 * MS1 "On Physical Attractiveness in Metahumans" (between 12:1 and 12:5)

Minis written by Gouka Ryuu will be designated "MGxx".


 * MG1 "The Devil Deals The Cards" (after 12:6)
 * MG2 "Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum" (during 13:2)

Minis written by Roentgen will be designated "MRxx"


 * MR1 "Benefactor and Inventor" (12:6)
 * MR2 "Goodbye, Tiffany" (13:1)
 * MR3 "...But Determined to Try" (during 13:2)
 * MR4 "The Artist as a Young Woman" (after 13:2)
 * MR5 "How to Talk to Your Teen (during 4:5)
 * MR6 "Gaydar" (after 13:7)
 * MR7 "The Merry Old Land of Oz" (during 13:4)
 * MR8 "Election Day" (between 13:9 and 'A Legion Halloween')

Minis written by legendeld will be designated "MLxx"


 * ML1 "Package (between 13.5 and 14.1)

Legion of Lawndale Heroes Alternate Future
PPMB Poster Psychotol wrote four stories about a future version of the Legion of Lawndale Heroes under the title Legion of Lawndale Heroes Alternate Future. This non-canon version of the Legion centers around Tiffany Blum-Deckler who has become a Navy SEAL, yet still remains a Legionnaire.

Four such stories have been written. It is unknown if a fifth will be forthcoming.

'Legionnaires on the Air'
Begun as an 'Iron Chef' challenge, this series of LLH fics chronicles the appearances of various Legionnaires as they appear on different television programs (predominantly talk and variety programs).

The Legionnaires appearing on television, and the programs they have appeared on, are listed below.


 * 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' (Daria)
 * 'Saturday Night Live' (Charles/'Upchuck')
 * 'Saturday Night Live' (Tom)
 * 'Sesame Street' (Fran)

The Legion Roster (current)
Daria Morgendorffer/'M'  – possesses telepathic and mind-control powers. Can locate the life-emissions of others, project her 'astral form' (which she can also use to enter the dreams of others), and can converse fluently in the languages of anyone she is in close proximity of. (In LLH 13:9, it was shown that she can also use this power in concert with her telepathy to communicate with animals; she must actively attempt to use this facet of her power, and it can also activate if she encounters an animal with mental abilities.) She can also use the metahuman powers of any superhuman (but only when both are wearing items composed of Salazarium), and allow those persons to use her powers. Based on Saturn Girl.

Daria can use her mind-control powers to transmit even extremely specific commands to a vast number of people within a specific area. Her power allows her to be extremely selective as to whom she affects, to affect individuals that she does not have in sight, and to override/control the autonomic nervous system. Daria's mind-control power can also force individuals to perform actions that they would not normally consider, that they would find repugnant or against their beliefs (such as harm others). Daria's power is properly defined as 'Mind Control/Puppetry'; her targets cannot control their bodies but retain awareness of their predicament. (Unless Daria specifically disallows it, her targets also still retain the capacity for speech.)

Daria can project intense psionic energy for offensive purposes. She can control the size and intensity of this energy, and project it as single bolts or beams. She may use these blasts to stun living beings or temporarily scramble the mechanisms of electronic devices (such as the operating systems of robots or A.I. systems); these bolts can also affect targets with intense heat/energy damage, in the manner of a laser. These bolts emanate from Daria's forehead (although it is possible that, with experience, she could project them from any part of her body). Daria's eyes always emit an electric-blue glow just before she is about to fire her energy bolts/blasts.

Daria had recently discovered that she possesses the power of psychometry; this allows her (by touch) to see the past of a person/object, or if touching an 'attuned object' that is relevant to that person/object, to view that person/object in real time. Daria also possesses the power of telelocation (the same as Julia Carlyle; she can also, by concentrating, track a specific person even within crowds of immense size or even through cities. The range of her psychometric and telelocation powers are unknown at this time; she can precisely locate a person up to ten miles away, or their general location up to twenty-five miles away.

(Note: Daria's irises always emit an electric-blue glow whenever she uses any of her powers at high levels. At very high power levels, the glow comes from the entirety of her eyes.)

Jane Lane/'Polaris'  - Possesses the ability to generate and manipulate intense magnetic energies. Able to use her powers to fly (and carry great amounts of weight), and generate magnetic defensive fields that can resist even the force of a tactical nuclear warhead (her fields also protect her from sensory overload; she can also generate a viable environment inside her shields, allowing her to survive in even the most extreme environments). Has recently discovered that she can generate a potent electrostatic charge in her body (in the LLH Mini 'Bull Session', she showed this could be used for sticking to and walking along surfaces as if she had the 'wall-crawling' ability); she can also momentarily 'slice' the Earth's magnetic fields to accelerate herself or others at hyper-speed (resembling teleportation). Based on Cosmic Boy.

Recently, Jane has demonstrated the ability to set up self-sustaining magnetic fields in objects and living persons for a number of effects. With the help of Maryann Lyter, she is also learning how to generate multiple magnetic shields, and to 'rotate' those energy flows in order to keep attackers from breaching the fields.

Jane has also demonstrated a surprising affinity to Sandi Griffin's sub-ability to triplicate objects, as Sandi can create two doppelganger-selves of Jane. All three versions of Jane are identical, equally powerful, act as Sandi's own doppelgangers do without ill effect, and can remain independent for an unspecified amount of time. To date, Jane is the only person that Sandi's power can generate doppelgangers of.

Quinn Morgendorffer/'Lightning Lass'  – Has the ability to generate, project and manipulate massive amounts of electricity (even in hostile environments such as underwater), and is invulnerable to the effects of electricity from other sources. She has learned how to create semisolid objects and constructs (cages, globes, cubes, etc.) made out of electricity. Based on Lightning Lad.

Due to the powers of another metahuman, Quinn's power level has been effectively doubled (both in actual and potential output). She also is invulnerable to any form of negative interactions with her powers (including superconductivity), which are now no longer affected adversely by intense heat; intense cold, however, does amplify her powers (but she can control the higher levels). In addition to an unprecedented amount of control over her powers, Quinn has also demonstrated:


 * the ability to transform into an electrical-based matter/energy form that allows her to channel and/or generate greater electrical energies,


 * the ability to modulate her electrical powers to also generate intense heat as a by-product, doing heat-related and electrical damage to the target.


 * the ability to levitate when using her recently enhanced powers,


 * the ability to create electrically-based force fields that can shield her from very powerful explosions.


 * the ability to set off a chain-reaction of massive detonations by firing an incredibly powerful electrical blast in the form of a hyper-compressed monofilament beam towards a distant target; the beam begins to sever the electrons from atoms on elements in the air in a straight line towards the target. The blasts become more powerful as they move closer towards the target, reaching nuclear levels of destructive force, and the effect Quinn creates seems possible only in atmosphere (as the effect ceased once it reached solid material). The only time Quinn has demonstrated this ability (to date), thirty-eight detonations occurred, ranging in destructive force from over 500 tons of TNT (the calculated power of the first blast) to the equivalent of a 0.8 megaton nuclear blast (the last explosion). It is possible that more powerful detonations could have occurred, had Quinn been in an area with more space for the effect to develop further.


 * the ability to absorb the entire electrical potential of Earth's magnetic field, and then fire it in a single burst. This shot's full destructive capacity is currently undisclosed, as it annihilated a person with above Kryptonian invulnerability. (As this happened in 'virtual reality', the actual chance of her power defeating that invulnerability in real life must be debated.)


 * In LLH 13:9, Quinn demonstrated the ability to detect and track other beings with similar electrical powers.

(It has been theorized - and shown in the out-of-continuity fic Upon the Torches of the Stars - that Quinn's unusually fine control of her powers is a result of her powers having a psionic/telekinetic focus to them. Quinn has found that she can use her powers in a telekinetic-like fashion to manipulate objects and accomplish feats of strength.) Alexandra (Sandi) Griffin/'Triad'  – Can create two identical duplicates; has recently learned that she can harness the total power of all her duplicates (in effect, she has the combined physical and mental abilities of nine persons to draw upon). Can triplicate small objects (even complex ones with functions or properties she does not understand) that she can hold in her hands, and living beings up to three times her current weight. Based upon Triplicate Girl/Triad.

In Hank Stewart's book Chapter Number One, it is mentioned that Sandi (with the help of a Psychon Mark 30 psionic augmenter) performs an ability called 'hyper-fission/fusion', in which she creates a vast multitude of doppelgangers and simultaneously reabsorbs them, the duplicates also performing the same ability. In doing so, Sandi absorbs the totality of their abilities, becoming - temporarily - a being on the order of Captain Comet. It was said that she only performed this once.

Tiffany Blum-Deckler/'Phantom'  – Has the ability to make herself immaterial and phase through solid materials (even through materials of highly dense/stable molecular structures), gases and energy attacks. Based on Phantom Girl. During her training at USAES, Tiffany had discovered that she can channel her powers through other other objects; she is gaining proficiency in the use of the Manriki-gusari, and can channel her powers through the weapon to ensnare targets and pull them through solid objects such as car doors, walls and floors/ceilings).

Charles Ruttheimer III (Upchuck)/'Chameleon'  – has the power to transform his physical form into anything that he can imagine, with the actual properties of that substance, or into a perfect duplicate of anyone or anything he can think of. When changing into a person with metahuman abilities, he can duplicate those special abilities (some abilities, such as functional wings or gills, can be duplicated because Charles power in and of itself can be used in that fashion); he risks physical damage or death by assuming the powered form/abilities of another metahuman or paranormal creature for an extended period. Based on Chameleon Boy.

Anastasia (Stacy) Rowe/'Wildcat'  – Possesses feral mutations that allow her enhanced senses, strength and endurance, the ability to track by scent, and the ability to extend her incisors, finger- and toenails and use them as edged weapons. Also possesses superhuman speed, an enhanced healing ability, the ability to acclimate her body for survival in any environment, and the ability to leap great distances. Can fly at supersonic speeds, and create 'energy claws' which can be projected away at targets, or used to slash through the molecular bonds of most solid materials and moderately-powerful energy fields. Can assume a feline-humanoid hybrid form with increased healing abilities and physical characteristics; takes on a predatory mindset when in this form. Based on Timber Wolf.

Brittany Taylor/'Cover Girl'  – Possesses the ability to become invisible to any form of detection, including scent, thermal, audio and ultrasonic/vibration; can extend her invisibility to anything that she is in physical contact with, and over vast amounts of material/distances. Can use her power through energy fields or powers that simulate or resist physical contact; can also use her powers to render only specific parts of an object invisible. Can also make invisible objects visible. Based on Invisible Kid.

Thomas Lyman (Tom) Sloane/'Ultra'  – Possesses Kryptonian-level abilities (strength, speed, invulnerability, flight, 'heat vision', etc.), but can only use one of his abilities at a time, but can instantly shift between them. Possesses ‘shape-vision’ (he can see through solid objects, including lead, and make out incredibly fine-detailed outlines of the objects he is looking at (he can see the letters on a printed page inside a suitcase), heat vision, and microscopic/telescopic vision. Based on Ultra Boy.

{As per the events of the LLH Mini 'Fraternity Brothers', Tom has access to all of his abilities, and is now at the same power level as a Kryptonian. The mental controls in his mind have also been broken; the mental block sealing off his powers, however, still appears intact. Also, due to the efforts of David Allen Farrington, Tom will be able to identify anyone who tries to activate the implanted mental controls in his mind.

Michael (Mack) Mackenzie/'Inferno'  - possesses the ability to generate and project immense amounts of heat, light, flame and various gases, as well as the ability to control his powers to an amazing degree. (He can, however, temporarily exhaust his powers after a vast expenditure.) Can absorb massive amounts of EM radiation from active sources, irradiated objects/areas (in the latter case, rendering them safe to handle or enter) and persons/entities that use/generate energies in that manner; can heal from all forms of damage by being subjected to radiation or regular sunlight. Can actually 'see' all forms of energy and radiation through the EM spectrum, and use his powers to fly. Based on Sun Boy.

As a result of studies performed at the United States Academy of Extranormal Studies, Mack has discovered several new facets of his powers. These include:


 * the ability to generate oxygen and sustain his powers while in space or underwater. A side-effect of this power allows Mack to generate a 'life-support field' around his body that protects him while in hostile conditions.


 * The ability to drain the energies of metahuman beings whose powers are either based on/dependent upon energies found within the electromagnetic spectrum, or are flame/heat-based. He can do this by touch or at a short distance. The process is quite painful for the victim, leaving them barely conscious and unable to move for a period of time.

Julia Carlyle/'Archangel'  - possesses functional wings that allow her to fly at Kryptonian velocities; possesses the ability to generate ultra-powerful sonic energies which can pass even through a vacuum or underwater (she can also duplicate other voices and sounds, and possesses 'super-ventriloquism'); has the power of telelocation; possesses an ultra-powerful healing ability that is also present in her body fluids for use by others. Also can extend her finger/toenails into talons. Based on Dawnstar.

Fran Lawrence/'Micron'  - possesses the ability to control the molecular structure of her body, allowing her to shrink to sub-atomic sizes (as well as shrink other brings/objects, return them to normal sizes), and control the mass of her body and other objects/beings (allowing her to retain her full-size physical attributes, and attain superhuman resilience to damage when in smaller sizes). Also possesses a pair of artificial 'wings' that reduce in size as she does, and which allow her to fly.

Jodie Landon/'Brainiac'  - possesses a radically-enhanced hyper-intellect which allows her to master and demonstrate knowledge of any subject, retain that knowledge indefinitely, extrapolate upon that knowledge and use it to easily succeed in any intellectual challenge. Her intellect also allows her to examine any materials or technologies on-hand, and repair them or devise new devices or technologies based upon her studies. She has been shown to develop and build incredibly advanced devices in unusually short periods of time (in LLH 13:9, Jodie revealed that she had built a ultra-powerful, miniaturized supercomputer - one capable of completely subjugating an artificial intelligence-run primary mainframe for a research laboratory in less than thirty seconds - in less than six hours.)

Legion Colors


The Legionnaires wear colored uniforms, and references to these colors are made throughout the series. Each Legionnaire chooses two colors, one for the square-cut, short sleeved tunic and another color for the shirt color that is worn underneath the tunic. The pants match the color of the tunic, giving each Legionnaire a "two-toned" appearance -- one color for the body and one color for the shirt underneath.

The rule is that only solid colors will be chosen and that no Legionnaire should have a uniform that exactly matches any other Legionnaire. The only exceptions to the rules above are for Sandi Griffin, whose undershirt is white on one side and violet on the other, and for Brittany Taylor whose "primary" color is camouflage. Brittany is the only Legionnaire wearing a non monochrome pattern for the tunic and is capable of choosing which type of camo -- forest, urban, desert, etc. -- she will wear.

In LLH 12.3, the entire Legion was presented with copies of their uniforms made out of unstable molecules, which allow them to use their powers without harm to the uniforms, and also allows the uniforms to conform to those powers (for example, Brittany's uniform goes invisible as she does, etc.). Several Legionnaires have made 'under-the-table' deals (not illegal, just done in an expedient manner to skirt time-consuming paperwork) with a number of USAES cadets for reciprocating goods and services; a deal to fabricate standard items of clothing for Legionnaires (including fashionable outfits and footwear) was one such deal made.



At some point after LLH 13.2, new uniforms were created for the Legionnaires. These uniforms were designed to be much more durable and provide more protection than the unarmored tunics.

All of the new uniforms had the same basic black background color. The two colors chosen by the Legionnaires initially are still represented. The tunic (primary) color is now represented as a geometric design in the form of stripes, circles, lines and solid areas at various places on the uniform. The shirt (secondary) color is now represented in the undershirt, gloves, and colored wrist cuffs of the jacket.

Brittany's camouflage can still be seen on the solid areas of the uniform. Sandi's original two-tone undershirt is represented in different ways (violet undershirt with distinct white collar trim, violet gloves with white cuff area). Legionnare boots are usually black with a shoestring the color of the primary color, but there are exceptions - Sandi's violet shoestrings, Tiffany's white colored boots, etc.

The only Legionnaires never to have worn the older uniforms are Julia, Fran, Jodie, and Trent - the newer generation of Legionnaires. Tiffany did not wear the newer generation of uniforms until 13.7, being absent from the Legion during the changeover in uniforms. Jodie wore a facsimile of the newer uniform when she revealed her abilities to Daria for the first time.

Trent Lane has not yet chosen his Legion colors.

Legion Logo


The standard Legion logo is the "red ribbon" logo. It is a standard white circle with a red outer border and a red lower-case L shaped ribbon in the middle. It is the "official" Legion logo and is used on stationary and advertising. A larger version of this logo is affixed to the side of Legion Tower.

Legionnaires wear this logo over the right breast pocket regardless of color scheme. Only two Legionnaires are permitted to wear alternate logos. Tiffany Blum-Deckler's logo replaces red with white and white with black in order for the logo to show up against her white tunic. Mack Mackenzie's logo replaces red with yellow and has eight large compass points at the circumference of the border, giving the logo the appearance of a miniature sun.

When newer uniforms were created for the Legionnaires after LLH 13.2, the logo was moved to a connecting flap which partially fastens the jacket. The logo is smaller than the right-breast logo from the tunics.

Due to the fact that the flap in the second generation of uniforms is black, Tiffany no longer wears the black-background white-ribbon version of the logo and wears the standard logo with the newer generation of uniform. Mack continues to wear the sun-and-compass logo, of a smaller size to fit the flap. Mack is the only person wearing an alternate logo with the newer generation of uniforms.

With the events of LLH 13.8, the logo was changed from being a strictly ornamental uniform decoration to a microthin video recorder. It is implied (but not stated) that the logo is the camera, and the camera is maintained by removing the logo from the uniform and reattaching it as necessary.

Original Characters

 * William Abbey
 * The Alliance
 * 'Betty'
 * Black
 * Black Majesty
 * Leda Calavicci
 * Langston Chambers
 * Lou Cypher
 * The "Dark Legion"
 * John Dynell
 * "The Elite"
 * Carolyn Field
 * Cecilia Foley
 * Dawn Hall
 * Martin Harriman
 * Jala Javarti
 * Alimah Kaur
 * Maryann Lyter
 * Paul Martinez
 * Sarasota Meyers
 * Red
 * Nicho Silvestre
 * Russell Stark
 * Hank Stewart
 * Team Leader
 * Bai Zheng
 * Emily DeMartino

Fanon Characters

 * Renee Andrews
 * Kyle Armalin
 * William Appleton
 * Odell Jones
 * Fran Lawrence
 * Martin Peters
 * Danielle Todds

Crossover Characters

 * Lex Luthor
 * Lionel Luthor

Links

 * Legion of Lawndale Heroes at PPMB
 * Legion of Lawndale Heroes at fanfiction.net