Ahoy There!!
This historic bar occupies the basement of a small three story office block that stands in the shadow of the Heirophant Holdings Pyramid in downtown Manhattan. The stairs leading down to the door are heavily reinforced metal grating and nearly twice as wide as normal stairs, both in width and length of the step, as if making room for truly huge feet. The eight steps lead down to a rolling metal door nearly ten feet wide, like one would see on a garage, that rolls up at a touch.
The room is roughly twice as deep as it is wide, with surprisingly tall fifteen foot high ceilings. The walls are covered with stamped metal sheeting to the height of the tables, and old wooden ship timbers the rest of the way up. The ceiling is covered in detailed stamped tin. The chairs and tables are obviously well constructed, built with an eye towards sturdiness and resiliance over beauty, although every bit of exposed wood or metal has been polished to a high-gloss shine. Seven thick pillars, aluminum cladding wrapped around a core of magically reinforced steel beams, are scattered around in a pattern that seems random at first glance, but a tactical eye would noticed that they are specifically arranged to break up lines of sight between various areas of the room. A tall bar dominates the left wall of the room, with very sturdy barstools running half of it's length. Lights are recessed into the ceiling, but evenly spaced to created good lighting throughout the room. Several fans hang from the ceiling between the lights, their blades decorated with mystical markings that help disperse aggression and stress and are rumored to have other effects when needed.
The walls are decorated with memorabilia and artfully displayed newscreeds detail the successes of Yeong-ung Bohotim and Shipshape in particular. Care has been taken to ensure that all of the tables and bar area is well-lit. The only entertainment on hand is the interesting company and skilled staff, but it usually isn't too difficult to get someone to start talking about the good old days.
At the very back of the room are two doors. The one closest to the bar is labeled "Galley" by an attached sign and the other bears a sign that reads "Head". The head is an interspecies restroom facility usable by the majority of the sapients of the world, while the Galley is a surprisingly small and simplistic kitchen space compared to the large barroom. Two doors lead out of the kitchen. One opens into a pantry and storage area with a large chest freezer, while the other reveals a former janitorial supply room converted into an office space.
Who we are
The staff of the Shipshapes' Shoreleave are all former licensed heroes, although name recognition for them is usually low as most of the staff work here because they either couldn't cut it as a licensed costume or found the pro hero life unlivable. One exception to this is, of course, the owner and head bartender, Shipshape, also known as Josh Howlee. Shipshape is a well-reknown hero all along the coastlines of the world, and his abilities to craft and deploy a wide array of aquatic drones are as recognizable as his trademark "Cutter" jawline.
Other staff include Bowry Brown (Bartender), Scarletter (Bartender), Heave Ho (Security), Amber Peregrine (Cook), Corsaire (Waitstaff), Rebuff (Waitstaff), Jen Z (Waitstaff).
What we offer
Shipshapes' Shoreleave has fourteen beers on tap, including Paragon IPA, and more than 50 liquors at the ready. Our skilled and talented bar staff has developed half-a-dozen house cocktails, and are happy to craft almost any drink you can think of. Our chef, the fabulous Amber Peregrine, offers a select weekly menu of vibrant and flavorful appetizers and hearty entrees for hungry patrons.
Where we come from
Shipshape retired from the Yeong-ung Bohotim from Hitobito no tate, a Yasuda-Mitsu partner, in 2012 after having served as the tactical lead of the team for four years. While many rumors have circulated about why, Shipshape will tell you that it was due to a "personal medical reason". Whatever that reason may be, it does not appear to have impacted his Neohuman abilities.
With his medical retirement money, Shipshape purchased the building that now houses the bar, and called in favors with his old teammate Dìzhèn to safely adjust the foundation of the building to allow for a space that could be welcoming to even the most extreme biomorphism found among Neohumans as well as fully dressed Power Suit pilots. He also worked out an arrangement with Mystic Manheim to reinforce the building and general atmosphere magically. Furniture and decorations were purchased from Craton Superfurnishings.
Business at Shipshapes' Shoreleave is regular, but seldom crowded. Many professional heroes can often be found here during their off-hours, and while the occasional selfie or autograph request may be permitted, obnoxious fans will be removed from the premises. There has been enough interest that Shipshape has been in recent talks to franchise Shoreleave, with new locations opening in Chicago and Seattle soon.
I've seen a bunch of 'retired adventurer starts tavern' (and written one myself XD), but not a retired superhero one yet! Now I've realised superheroes are basically a special kind of adventurers. Hm...... Anyway, neat origin, and it's low-key hilarious that they gave the mixed drinks these superhero-related names!
Too low they build who build beneath the stars - Edward Young
Thanks, I had a lot of fun writing it up.