"Illusory superiority.. it is the cognitive bias that causes man to think far too highly of his positive qualities, and far too little of his negative ones"
Le Fantôme
Real Name: Lucifer LeBeau
Aliases: Le Fantôme, The Shadow, The Masquerade, LeBeau Morningstar
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 192 lbs
Age: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Species: Unknown (Claims 'Posthuman')
Gender: Male
Alignment: Morally Ambiguous
Orientation: Heterosexual
Birthplace: Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France
Relationship Status: Single
Family: Charlemagne LeBeau (Relation Unknown)
Affiliation: Himself, Satar (On Occasion)
The Solution - Psychological Profile
-"In man's head, he is greater than he truly is"-
Primarily, Lucifer's goal is host to a desire to target every high-profile family in the world; the Knightfalls, Liafadors, Huntingtons, Savages, Aurelius', and even other LeBeaus. And his reasoning for doing so is owed to an incorruptible belief that all of these families have been poisoned by 'Illusory Superiority'. Illusory Superiority being the cognitive bias that causes man to think far too highly of his positive qualities and far too little of his negative qualities. A cognitive bias he feels that those belonging to these high-profile families harbor a surplus of, that it is the root of their belief that they are greater than they actually are. Illusory superiority, Lucifer explains, is why the Knightfalls and company feel themselves greater than everyone else, or at least Lucifer himself believes that they do. The perception that one is greater than they actually and fundamentally are, is something Le Fantôme finds to be poisonous, an affliction.
Despite his focus on the world's premier superhuman families, Le Fantôme also targets the rest of the world, asserting that humanity has historically proved their suffering from 'chronic illusory superiority'. To justify his viewpoint, Lucifer points to humanity's historical record of painting themselves as moral animals above other living things by emphasizing how every religious text, which he asserts is written by man, refers to humanity as the center of creation. This he believes, has caused mankind to lose its way, to lose sight of what mankind truly is; an animal. Through violence, manipulation, what have you, Lucifer intends to remind the world of what (he feels) mankind truly is. 'We all break every once in a while. And once that which holds our souls together is destroyed, we revert to our truest, purest form'. Le Fantôme points to a concept called 'The Shadow'. The Shadow is the part of a person's psyche they refuse to acknowledge.
A Twisted Vision'It is the part of you that wishes you could have an affair and feel no remorse for wounding your spouse. It is the part of you that wishes you could assault pedestrians on the streets and steals their wallets. It is the part of you that wishes you could rob a bank and gun down all who try to stop you. It is the part of you that yearns to abandon rules, morals and personal codes. It is the most negative part of you. The most vile bit of your mind and heart. It is where your most awful fantasies and darkest desires are born', Lucifer asserts. Le Fantôme points out that a healthy (mentally) person recognizes this part of themselves, and acknowledges these awful thoughts from the worst part of them. We acknowledge this darkness but we never identify with it. Lucifer however, claims that humanity does not acknowledge this darkness, and that because it does not even acknowledge it, humanity is not mentally healthy or sane.
He suggests that historically, man has exerted the greatest effort in trying not to acknowledge this darkness. That humanity refuses to even believe that there is an inherent darkness in the mind and heart. As a result, he feels as though everyone is trying to refuse one of the most fundamental aspects of their mind. He points to his evidence being how many claim that we are born inherently good and innocent and pure, but asserts that we still have to teach babies to share, be polite and not hurt others. From this, he states that morality is not an inborn trait of ours, that it is instead a social construct we teach ourselves to try (unsuccessfully) and hide our true darkness. Lucifer claims that humanity refuses to acknowledge the Shadow, and because of that, humanity has historically been unable to maintain mental health. In his mind, the world is crazy, and he remains its only sane occupant.
Its only sane occupant, and (in his mind) the only capable enough to, through violence or whatever means he feels most beneficial, bring the world down to a primal state. Powered by a warped, existential view of the world, cold psychopathy and a messiah complex, Lucifer's mission is to destroy civilized society's sense of illusory superiority and to humble it by bringing it back down to its savage roots, by bringing man back to his purest state wherein the Shadow isn't simply acknowledged, but embraced. His end-game is to break man's facade of the 'moral animal' and expose man's truest, purest self, the animal, the savage. And in order to realize this twisted vision, Lucifer adopts the face of an ideal (through a mask), and claims that he too will revert into 'man' once the rest of the world has.
The Shadow - Mental Torture & Martial Arts Mastery
Mind Games: Psychological Predation
Of his brand of psychological predation, Lucifer defines two aspects that comprise what is essentially the same entity. Firstly, he refers to 'non-physical' methods, and secondly, he refers to 'physical' methods of torture which include things like flogging, mock executions or applying an electric current to the victim's body, whereas 'non-physical' torture does not cause physical harm to the body, but instead directly touches the mind itself. Both methods however, seek to psychologically break the victim. An example of The Shadow's forms of non-physical torture is his most obvious and omnipresent, his mask, one that features an exaggerated smile, red cheeks, a wide mustache upturned at both ends, and a thin vertical pointed beard. Why the mask? Because with it, Lucifer exploits the fact that the power of the human gaze is one of existential affirmation.
The Psychology of Fear'To stare into the face of another and not only recognize them as a person, but see them recognize you in return, is a necessary interchange in the development of one's sense of individuality and self', The Shadow points out. It is for this reason that he wears a mask, because though it features a visage of its own, a mask essentially renders whatever expression his actual face may have.. blank. 'To find no recognition of separateness or humanity, to find no face but a mask is to have one's identity shaken and sense of control stripped away', Lucifer asserts. With his mask he conjures an unsettling terror in the mind of his victims. This is because of the ambiguity of it all. The mask's expression features a smile, typically an expression that communicates friendliness. However, because it is mask, it does not necessarily communicate the expression of Lucifer's face behind it. So while the mask may be smiling, his own face may hold an expression whose intentions are far more sinister. The victim's inability to read his facial expression while being presented with a superficial one from the mask is Lucifer's weapon.
If his facial expression cannot be read, then his intentions cannot be known. This creates ambiguity. To the victim, Lucifer's intentions have an equal probability of being well-meaning or harmful. It leaves the victim's brain not knowing how to respond. Some parts of the brain will respond with fear, while other parts don't, and the brain doesn't know why. Instead of achieving a typical fear response, The Shadow's mask instills a feeling of uneasiness, of terror. 'Between the mountains of safety and danger, there is a valley of creepiness, where the limits of trust and knowledge and security are not quite clear', Lucifer claims. In order to psychologically break his victims, which he believes will strip them of civilized society's poison, and bring them down to their barest point, Lucifer makes use of a host of different methods such as sleep deprivation, total sensory deprivation, forcing his victim to witness the torture of others etc. To aid in his psychological torture of others, Lucifer often makes use of psychological chemical agents and hallucinogenics.
It is established that all of the sentient world is ruled by what is known as the 'pain and pleasure principle'. Every living thing seeks that which gives it pleasure, and avoids that which inflicts pain. It is a fundamental law which life (as we know it) cannot escape. Lucifer understands this law, and understands that the root of fear is that which the mind reasons intends to cause one harm. He understands that fear is an evolutionary response to the things that are harmful to us. An evolutionary response he has learned to manipulate and exploit.
Mixed Martial Arts System: Muay Thai & Defensive Grappling
Few can withstand the dauntless pressure The Shadow uses to flatten foe after foe after foe. The master of a mixed martial arts system that relies on punches, elbows, kicks and knees from an aggressive brand of Muay Thai and a form of defensive grappling to neutralize any grappling e.g. takedowns from the opponent, Lucifer is preternaturally gifted in the art of using his defensive grappling to not only facilitate his striking but to expose his foes to it. His greatest work however, is done on the counter, and in open space, with his adversary willingly engaging. Fashioned into a cerebral and thoughtful fighter, Lucifer's talent for adapting to even the most difficult of situation is without par. But perhaps his greatest assets are his picture-perfect footwork and penchant for setting traps for his foes.
What footwork truly means is often misunderstood. Many hold the opinion that footwork is light-footed movement used to cleverly outmaneuver the opponent. While true, at its core, footwork is actually a means of improving one's position using the feet. For Lucifer, this could mean a variety of things. It could mean stepping to one side or the other, or pivoting around the opponent, or hopping off his front-foot and onto his back-foot to angle out. Footwork however, does not have to be evasive. Given the space to work, Lucifer excels at measuring distance and stepping into his adversaries, not so much that he smothers himself, but just enough to land with deceptive power. According to the demands of his style, Shadow may set his opponent up with a quick jab, and even should it be parried, the danger of the jab is left to burn in his opponent's mind. Taking advantage of this, Lucifer may choose to retreat, dropping his hands slightly, inviting an attack from his foe by subtly exposing the gap left by his dropped hands. Should the opponent attempt to spring in to attack, Lucifer flashes a quick jab feint towards his foe's face to force from them, a counter.
And more importantly, the counter of choice for a jab, a looping right hand that requires some winding up. And as the opponent winds up their right hand counter, the The Shadow counters the counter by stepping right up to his foe and blasting their liver with a vicious left hook. Though aggressive and capable of seizing the initiative, Lucifer is at his most dangerous as a counter-striker and counter-grappler. The previously mentioned left hook, while methodical, is nearly invisible to the naked eye because of the speed with which Lucifer counter-strikes, and cerebral because he stepped toward his opponent. By offering his foe a feint at long range, Lucifer can draw a long range attack, one that is quickly negated by him closing the gap. And even the left hook itself is a well selected counter to the right hand. Why? Because with the opponent's arm extended, the ribs over their liver are extended and exposed to strikes.
--In-And-Out Angles--
Owing to his rigorous training, Le Fantôme is no stranger to side steps and pivots. In fact, his primary method of defense is his footwork, with which he uses short, choppy steps to seize quick angles on his adversaries mid-exchange, often combining his steps with punches. For example, he may bait and measure his foe with the jab before stepping back and inviting his opponent's lead hand. Should his foe oblige, Lucifer steps to his left with his left foot, a step that gives him a weak outside angle, allowing him to land a short right uppercut to his opponent's jaw while moving his head from the path of a potential counter-left hand. This however, leaves him momentarily vulnerable, prompting Lucifer to get his left hand up to block a possible right hand or clinch attempt, all prior to swinging his right foot around, pivoting to regain a clean and dominant angle. From here, Le Fantôme leads, often throwing a distracting slap with his left hand before stepping off-line toward the outside angle.
This is a movement followed by yet another short right uppercut, one thrown safely the inside the arc of his foe's winging left hook should they execute one. And once again, Lucifer completes his movement with a pivot. Sometimes however, his foe may reach out to grab a clinch. But because of Lucifer's pivot, the opponent is without the comfortable angle needed to land a knee strike, enabling The Shadow to free himself with no more than a simple shove. Still however, Lucifer storms forward, aggressively marching right into a knee of his own. His footwork is effective, not artistic or beautiful. With short steps forward and to the sides, he can simultaneously close off the distance between himself and the opponent, outmaneuvering or smothering his foe's punches, and landing clean strikes of his own. It is a brand of footwork made all the more confusing by Lucifer's never ending shifts between leads and counter. Though he is willing to wait for an opening but also content to force one into existence, it is his combination of those two principles that render his movements very difficult to track.
--Defensive Grappling--
A fighter whose bread and butter is aggressive Muay Thai, in a world of fighters who boast the most diverse skill-sets, it is fundamental that Lucifer know not only how to defend takedowns, but all manner of grappling. With an impregnable takedown defense and defensive grappling abilities shocking for one with a kickboxing background, The Shadow is notoriously difficult for opponents to get to the ground, and even more difficult for them to keep him there. And to the surprise of no one, the most integral ingredient to his sound takedown defense is footwork. For example, should an opponent shoot in for a takedown, or more specifically, a takedown on his left leg, The Shadow is quick in sprawling, using his flawless footwork to circle to his right, all while keeping his right leg beyond the foe's grasp, denying them the double leg takedown finish. And during the sprawl as the foe spins, Lucifer is offered the chance to sprawl in the opposite direction as his opponent reaches for his right knee, overextending themselves and leaving them vulnerable to being broken down all the way with but a simple shove.
Lucifer's takedown defense is, in addition to the excellent use of angles, comprised of a flawless sprawl, phenomenal head positioning, and a profound understanding of grips. Whether with a tight whizzer or a deep underhook, he is notoriously difficult to take down. His takedown defense's greatest asset however, is the use of angles. An angle is angle. Whether grappling or striking, an angle is always an advantageous position.
The LeBeau Morningstar - Powers & Abilities
-Osteokinesis & Oxykinesis-
Two of Lucifer's principal powers are osteokinesis (bone manipulation) and oxykinesis (acid manipulation). Regarding his osteokinesis, Lucifer employs the power through his manipulation of calcium, an earthen elements essential for living organisms and in particular, for cell physiology where the movement of the calcium ion Ca2+ into and out of the cytoplasm acts as a signal for a number of cellular processes. As a major material required in the mineralization of bone, teeth and shells, calcium is the most abundant metal by mass in many living creatures, allowing The Shadow to manipulate it as he sees fit. With his expertise he can manipulate the calcium deposit in an adversary's bones, nails and teeth, allowing him to decrease bone density and weaken his opponent's bone structure.
Furthermore, he can breakdown the calcium inside enzymes to cause the death of the cells in a target's body, use calcium to control muscle contractions, and even use calcium metal's hazardous reactions with water and acids in the body to generate heat and calcium hydroxide to saponify (turn into soap) the fats and liquefy the proteins in the mouth, esophagus and stomach. Most peculiar however, is Lucifer's oxykinesis which even more strangely, only allows him to manipulate fluoroantimonic acid, the strongest known superacid, or in other words, the strongest corrosive agent in the world. An acid is defined as a substance with the ability to donate a proton to another molecule nearby it. And a proton is a hydrogen atom that has lost its electron. The entire process is referred to as 'protonation'.
The strength of an acid is measured by how willing it is to donate that proton. Weak acids for example 'drag' the proton, while strong acids 'hurl' the proton. To put fluoroantimonic acid's strength into perspective, it is 10,000,000,000,000,000 times stronger than sulfuric acid. In essence, this molecule looks for any excuse to fly apart. Once it has lost its hydrogen atoms, the remaining atoms of fluorine and another element, antimony, tear through everything else around them, ripping electrons off nearby molecules and leaving behind only organic goo as remnants. And because fluorine enjoys bonding with calcium, once the acid tears through the fatty organic tissue of the skin and muscles, the fluorine will burn through his opponent's bones.
This acid, which Lucifer tends to manipulate in liquid form similarly to aquakinesis, is occasionally used in solid form and shaped into constructs such as blades etc. which The Shadow conjures by first manipulating the density in the molecules of the acid to turn it solid. Unfortunately, Lucifer does not boast immunity to his own powers, though he does possess a strong resistance to them.
-Posthuman Physiology-
A marvel of superhuman efficiency, Lucifer's body is a hub of genetic boons. One of which are his muscle synergies. A combination of movements stemming from the kinematic and kinetic parameters that initiate physical actions which are achieved when interrelated components of the same movement (or movement of several body parts) are coupled in a precisely timed, smooth manner to reach an intended goal, muscle synergies are fundamental to The Shadow's athleticism. By combining the positional necessities and movement of his musculoskeletal system, Lucifer's body has developed a superb form of motor coordination, control, balance, and equilibrium. When combined with his attributes of strength, speed etc. this form of motor coordination creates the conditions for a degree of agility and explosiveness that is rare, even among superhumans.
Also rare is The Shadow's mutation which is the reason behind his superhuman strength. In the body there are two proteins, myostatin and activin A, that are responsible for the suppression of an organ's excessive growth. They are generally found in the muscles and their usual task is to maintain the size and number of the body's muscle cells, and thus keeping an individual's overall strength within a specified range. Because these factors work to negatively impact muscle cell growth, the removal of these factors would logically permit muscle cells to grow in both size and number. And the removal of such is what Lucifer's genes are instructed (by his DNA) to accomplish. And though both myostatin and activin A are the 'guards' so to speak, there is a tertiary biological components, the guard that guards the guards; follistatin. The implication is that in most individuals, there is a genetic switch that controls muscle growth and by extension, strength. It is a switch however, that Lucifer's genes have turned off. How? By using follistatin to block the action of myostatin, allowing his muscle cells to develop without restriction, granting him an impressive degree of superhuman strength, enough to lift a maximum of 25 tons. His genes have also rewritten what would have otherwise been an ordinary muscle protein structure into one that facilitates his remarkable strength.
And as a result, his body produces more of the contractile proteins of muscles. And because speed is directly related to the strength of a muscle, Lucifer is also capable of sprinting well into the territory of superhuman speed. In order to accomplish all of this however, lifting several tons etc., his bones must be adapted to the tremendous forces he subjects them to when for example, moving tremendous amounts of weight. Because of this, his bones contain a greater percentage of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, Vitamin D, and other minerals, rendering them stronger and structurally superior to ordinary bones. Coupled with his resilient tissues, he is additionally granted superhuman durability, enough to absorb a great deal of shock, withstand high-caliber gunshots, and harsh temperatures. And while enough high-caliber rounds can penetrate his tissue, they cannot dent his bones. Additionally, his stamina is also a thing of the extraordinary.
Because of a mutation in his body's erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) gene, The Shadow has primary familial and congenital polycthemia (PFCP) which causes an exponential increase in his red blood cell mass and hemoglobin, dramatically augmenting the oxygen carrying capacity of his blood and ultimately granting him remarkable endurance and stamina. And finally, unlike many of the world's living creatures, the telomerase enzymes at the end of his DNA strands do not unravel during cell division, rendering him immune to the effects of aging after his prime.
-Posthuman Regeneration & Immune System-
Responsible for his unique regenerative abilities are neoblast stem cells. Cells at the location of any wound on his body proliferate to form a blastema (a mass of cells with the ability to grow and regenerate into organs etc.) that differentiates into new tissues and regenerates the damaged tissue. A principle of his regeneration is that so long as a molecule remains, he will eventually regenerate. New tissue growth takes because of pluripotent stem cells (neoblast stem cells) that possess the ability to create all of the various cell types. These cells make up a large portion of the cells in Lucifer's body and as a result, injury is of no concern to him. Missing limbs, damaged organs, so long as one cell remains, he will regenerate, eventually. It may take days, weeks, months, even years, but he will regenerate. In addition to this regeneration, Le Fantôme's body holds an incredibly powerful immune system.
One that renders him immune to virtually all diseases, toxins and poisons. While there is an obvious diversification in how toxins etc. affect their victims, affects ranging from the erosion of organic matter to the termination of important cellular functions, Lucifer's immune system accounts for all of this. For the most part, Le Fantôme's immune system incorporates hyper-mitosis, rapidly multiplying his cells until the antigen is consumed by the counteraction, and once the antigen has vanished, his immune system's activity level diminishes. However, when faced with antigens that block cellular functions, his immune system responds differently. In order to work properly, the body needs the correct protein to unlock a necessary mechanism. Similar to how one needs a certain key to open a specific lock. And if the lock is jammed with a false key (in this case, the blocking antigen), then the body will no longer work properly. This kind of antigen does not destroy replaceable cellular structures, but instead blocks them. The Shadow's body responds to this scenario by developing antibodies that can degrade and destroy these blockers.
A clear illustration is if one were to attempt to block Lucifer's mouth with a cloth. An instinctive response could be to tear at the cloth until it is sufficiently destroyed. Similar to that, his immune system uses a fast-acting counter-agent for every kind of harmful antigen in existence. And because his immune system is incredibly fast-acting while also possessing an extremely efficient capacity for cell reproduction, as well as being capable of circulating antibodies through his body abnormally fast, he is left immune to all diseases etc.
Chemical Agents & Subtances
The following are the various chemical substances etc. that Lucifer uses when torturing his victims:
-Psychoactive Substances-
- 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate
- Phencyclidine
- Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
- 5-MeO-DMT
- Atropa belladonna
- Datura stramonium
- Hyoscyamus muticus
- Mescaline
- Ergine
- Muscimol
-Vomiting Agents-
- Adamsite
- Diphenylchloroarsine
- Diphenylcyanoarsine
-Malodorants-
-Blister Agents-
- Sulfur Mustards
- Nitrogen Mustards
- Utricants (Phosgene Oxime)
- Arsenicals
-Blood Agents-
- Cyanogen chloride
- Hydrogen cyanide
- Arsine
-Choking Agents-
- Chlorine
- Chloropicrin
- Diphosgene
- Phosgene
-Nerve Agents-
- Tabun
- Sarin
- Soman
- Cyclosarin
- GV
- VE
- VG
- VX
- VM
- Saxitoxin
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