mail-mi Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 He'd probably be most likely to ally with Epics who agree to help him destroy other cities, which probably means he'd tend toward Epics who don't rule their own cities. At least, that's how I'm reading the situation. Oh dear Timeport is going to be happy to work with obliteration. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted April 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Oh dear Timeport is going to be happy to work with obliteration. Terror-upvote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Oh dear Timeport is going to be happy to work with obliteration. Though I personally believe that Obliteration is well-versed in his Bible enough to know that everything Timeport says is utter bollocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mail-mi Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Though I personally believe that Obliteration is well-versed in his Bible enough to know that everything Timeport says is utter bollocks. I think the major difference is Timeport thinks Calamity is God. He doesn't believe in anything the bible says: god didn't appear in the sky and start giving people super powers after all. Actually, now that I think about it...on the surface they'd love to work together, but deeper down (obliteration's MO vs. Timeport's mission) they'd be absolutely working against each other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted April 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 I think the major difference is Timeport thinks Calamity is God. He doesn't believe in anything the bible says: god didn't appear in the sky and start giving people super powers after all. Actually, now that I think about it...on the surface they'd love to work together, but deeper down (obliteration's MO vs. Timeport's mission) they'd be absolutely working against each other Obliteration would probably daydream about the day he could finally obliterate Timeport, while Timeport would….well, Timeport. It's a new verb meaning "do slontzey things in slontzey ways for slontzey reasons." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mail-mi Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Obliteration would probably daydream about the day he could finally obliterate Timeport, while Timeport would….well, Timeport. It's a new verb meaning "do slontzey things in slontzey ways for slontzey reasons." I approve. Nighthound went timeporting downtown. It so works. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted April 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 I approve. Nighthound went timeporting downtown. It so works. Of course, Timeport could also decide to Nighthound while Nighthound is Timeporting. In that case, may God have mercy on us all. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mail-mi Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Of course, Timeport could also decide to Nighthound while Nighthound is Timeporting. In that case, may God have mercy on us all. Timeport's God? Because, I don't think you want to experience his mercy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 So what you two are saying is... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted April 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Timeport's God? Because, I don't think you want to experience his mercy. No, no, no. Not that one. Never that one. Maybe Funtimes' god? Unless, of course, the Great Noodly One and Calamity really are one and the same. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackhoof Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 What an exciting prospect, having Obliteration in our RP! (just putting it out there, I don't really want to write as him. Too scared haha ) I think we could have Obliteration destroy some smaller places- after all, David only listed San Diego, Houston and Albaquerque, and they are all large cities (respective populations of 1.7mil, 2.7mil and 0.5mil), and to my knowledge, only portland beats that, making it the only noteworthy atrocity he could commit in Oregon. Since Portland is going to be destroyed by the time he shows up, he can't destroy it, meaning that if he blows up say, Corvallis, David might not have considered it noteworthy. I don't think we should have him destroy the whole state though- THAT is far more noteworthy than three cities. David definitely would have mentioned that. Also, I think size is definitely a part of Obliteration's logic in choosing targets- Albuquerque and Houston are the most populous cities in New Mexico and Texas respectively, and San Diego is the second most populous in California (maybe something happened to Los Angeles?). Not just size, but size relative to other cities in the state. Then he wanted Babilar, certainly the biggest in New York. I think he is mainly interested in destroying capitals, or similarly large cities in a region. But he must also be wandering around doing other things- he melted Endless Dreams, for one, so perhaps he is interested in hunting High Epics? or he just blows thing up randomly, like in Babilar when he first appears? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 (edited) Do we know when exactly he started destroying Houston? That might help us figure out how often he destroys cities. But he must also be wandering around doing other things- he melted Endless Dreams, for one, so perhaps he is interested in hunting High Epics? Do you actually have acces to the info in that profile? Maybe it could help us figure out more about his MO. Edited April 13, 2015 by Edgedancer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackhoof Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Indeedy I do, just not on me at the moment, I'm afraid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) So here are a few facts about Obliteration that I got from a hasty re-read. Most people already know these things, but a review never hurts. Firefight spoilers follow, just so you know. He looks like Jim Butcher. I could see him easily now, striding among the flames, trench coat flapping behind him.He had a narrow face with long, straight black hair, spectacles, and a goatee. Not much to say about this, though if any of our characters are fantasy geeks it'd be pretty funny to lampshade the resemblance. His teleportations are ceramic, somehow. He teleported in a burst of light--as if he'd become ceramic and then exploded, shards of his figure spraying outward like a broken vase and scattering along the ground. I'm still not sure how literal the word "ceramic" is here, and whether or not he actually leaves shards of broken material on the ground after he teleports. I'm going to guess that this line is purely figurative. He's very hot. Uh, let me clarify that statement. "Be careful, David," Tia said in my ear. "If he gathers heat and pops up right next to you, that aura could overcome your Reckoner shield and fry you before you get a chance to shoot." So he can turn you into a frozen mummy with a touch, or burn you like casserole that you forgot to set a time for in the oven just by being in the same room with you. What a guy. He has superhuman strength. I raised my rifle one-handed, but Obliteration slapped it aside and grabbed me by the throat. He lifted me off the ground by my neck. Sparks! He had enhanced strength. None of my profiles mentioned that either. He is thus capable of easily lifting a grown man off the ground with one hand, potentially putting him at near Steelheart's level of strength. He doesn't appear to use this power often, however, as neither David nor the Lorists know about it. It could be argued, however, that nobody knows about it because anybody close enough for Obliteration to manhandle them isn't going to live long enough to tell the tale. He alternately refers to other Epics as both gods and angels. "You fear the depths, do you?" Obliterated asked. "The home of leviathan himself? Well, each man must face his fears, killer of gods. I would not send you to the undiscovered country unprepared. Thank you for slaying Steelheart. Surely your reward will be great." "Do you deny," Obliteration whispered, "that this is the end of the world, slayer of angels?" This could potentially put us in a confusing position, as those two contradicting quotes make it difficult to ascertain what exactly Obliteration thinks Epics are. Fortunately, he comes right out and explains his worldview to us in another quote: "I read John the Evangelist's account a dozen times before destroying Houston," he said to me. ... "I wondered which of his horsemen I was, but the answer was more subtle than that. I read the account too literally. There are not four horsemen; it is a metaphor." He met my gaze. "We have been released, the ones who destroy, the swords of heaven itself. We are the end." Uh, OK. Epics are the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Thanks for the clarification, Obliteration. We appreciate your forthrightness. He's the kind of guy who keeps a ball of iron and manacles on hand "just in case." A ball and chain, like from the old days--the type prisoners would wear. Sparks! What kind of person had one of those handy ready to go grab? You took the words right out of my mouth, David. I would like to hypothesize myself that Obliteration has an enormous warehouse somewhere where he stores vast troves of unusual and ominously poetic objects. He has a sense of humor. "Do you deny," Obliteration whispered, "that this is the end of the world, slayer of angels?" "I don't know what is is," I said, "but I figure that if God really wanted to end the world, he'd be a little more efficient about it than all of this." Obliteration actually smiled, as if he appreciated the humor. * laugh track * * sitcom theme music * He gets really ticked off when you mess with his glasses. ..."While Obliteration was standing over him gloating, Jon healed himself, leaped up, and snatched off the man's glasses. The tip about Obliteration being nearsighted? Turns out it was a good one." "Nice," I said. "Jon said that scared the wits out of the creature," Tia whispered. "Obliteration ported away and didn't return. I let go but grabbed his glasses, ripping them free as I fell backward. Obliteration cursed, his normally calm demeanor breaking down in his outrage at being tricked. Could this be... Obliteration's weakness? Or maybe he just doesn't appreciate the violation of his personal space. Either way, he has to fight Sightline now. On that note: we still have not the foggiest clue what his weakness is. "And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream," Obliteration whispered. "And I said, Here am I.... So that is the answer." He threw his head back and laughed. That's him talking about his nightmares, in what is probably the least straightforward sentence ever uttered in a story, and I'm including bad fanfictions. Brandon Sanderson is in violation of the RP's rules for not PMing Obliteration's weakness to Twi, by the way. Just thought I should bring that up. This line isn't really relevant. I just think it's the most terrifyingly badchull line in the novel. "You can't kill me," I called, glancing down the hallway at him. "There's no reason to try." He smiled and frost crept forward down the darkened hallway, reaching like fingers toward me, freezing fruit that hung from a vine like a single lightbulb above. "Oh," Obliteration continued, "I think that you'll find a man can do many things thought impossible, if he tries hard enough." I'll be on the lookout for more details we might be forgetting. Anyone have anything to add? Edited April 14, 2015 by Kobold King 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Fact number one: Obliteration is terrifying. Fact number two: No matter how terrifying you think he is, on a reread or recap, you learn he's so much worse. I wonder if his enhanced strength was something he had all along and rarely used, or something Regalia gave him, or enhanced even further. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Fact number one: Obliteration is terrifying. Fact number two: No matter how terrifying you think he is, on a reread or recap, you learn he's so much worse. I wonder if his enhanced strength was something he had all along and rarely used, or something Regalia gave him, or enhanced even further. It was both a pleasure and a nightmare to search out all of his scenes and read them back-to-back. That's a good question. Steelheart and Regalia both have more than two powers, and a lot of Epics apparently keep a power secret as an ace in the hole, so I'm inclined to think that he always had enhanced strength. Mainly because I think that super-strength goes well with a melee weapon like a sword. Any thoughts on his glasses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) He looks like Jim Butcher. True, Brandon actually did that on purpose. I still wonder if we could Obliteration's weakness from him. He's very hot. A side note on this, he never tries to kill people by leaching heat from them. He always uses fire to destroy. Could be some belief in God's cleansing fire. He has superhuman strength. As I pointed out before, could be a result of Regalia's work. Uh, OK. Epics are the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Thanks for the clarification, Obliteration. We appreciate your forthrightness. I know that I've said this a couple times before but no one ever reacted. Do you guys think Voidgaze would make a good White horse(wo)man of the apocolypse in his eyes? More on topic, he thinks all Epics have the same cause as him, yet he goes around killing Epics, even High Epics? Does anyone know if there was a story to killing Endless Dreams? He's the kind of guy who keeps a ball of iron and manacles on hand "just in case." Don't forget his sword. He has a sense of humor. One of the reasons I think he isn't that bad a guy under all his murderous insanity. He gets really ticked off when you mess with his glasses. Most likely not his weakness, otherwise he wouldn't teleport right after they got removed. This line isn't really relevant. I just think it's the most terrifyingly badchull line in the novel. It is and he's absolutely right. Something I though about is that even if we write Obliteration in here, I don't think he should be the actual viewpoint character. Edited April 14, 2015 by Edgedancer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) It was both a pleasure and a nightmare to search out all of his scenes and read them back-to-back. That's a good question. Steelheart and Regalia both have more than two powers, and a lot of Epics apparently keep a power secret as an ace in the hole, so I'm inclined to think that he always had enhanced strength. Mainly because I think that super-strength goes well with a melee weapon like a sword. Any thoughts on his glasses? And it would help him keep a ball and chain on hand "for emergencies." As someone who wears glasses, the moments when Obliteration had his stolen were the moments I sympathized with him the most. Especially since there's a good chance David and Prof manhandled the lenses and got their stupid fingerprints all over, and do you know how hard it is to find a good lens cleaner in the apocalypse? He can't just wipe them on his shirt, because then they'll still be all oily and streaky... .... Where was I again? Um, yeah....I think the glasses are important to Obliteration. For one reason or another. Edited April 14, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 A side note on this, he never tries to kill people by leaching heat from them. He always uses fire to destroy. Could be some belief in God's cleansing fire. True. Though we don't know whether this is because of a moral conviction or mere practicality. The fact that David notes mentally several times that he can drain heat from people implies to me that at some point he has. I know that I've said this a couple times before but no one ever reacted. Do you guys think Voidgaze would make a good White horse(wo)man of the apocolypse in his eyes? More on topic, he thinks all Epics have the same cause as him, yet he goes around killing Epics, even High Epics? Does anyone know if there was a story to killing Endless Dreams? I'm not sure. It's definitely a valid connection, especially as he already believes Epics to be the Horsemen. We should be careful about having Obliteration liken individual characters to individuals from Revelations, though. Having him spot the Antichrist or the seven-headed dragon or the Whore of Babylon in every other scene could be fun, but also convoluted. Blackhoof? Any info on Endless Dreams? And it would help him keep a ball and chain on hand "for emergencies." As someone who wears glasses, the momens when Obliteration had his stolen were he moments I sympathized with him the most. Especially since there's a good chance David and Prof manhandled the lenses and got their stupid fingerprints all over, and do you know how hard it is to find a good lens cleaner in the apocalypse? He can't just wipe them on his shirt, because then they'll still be all oily and streaky... .... Where was I again? Um, yeah....I think the glasses are important to Obliteration. For one reason or another. Note to self: if TwiLyght ever starts thinking she's a Horseman of the Apocalypse and tries to light me on fire, snatch her glasses. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voidus Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Just a thought, I don't think it's particularly likely but it's an idea:What if Obliterations weakness is being blind? He's not completely blind without his glasses but it's enough to lower his abilities somewhat, perhaps reducing his danger sense or reduce his teleporting abilities to what they were pre-upgrade.I thought briefly that it might have actually been how he got his powers increased, Calamity just told him to get a better prescription and that increased his powers to what they were supposed to be. Not particularly likely but, still more likely than my elbow-eating Epic 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 I'm not sure. It's definitely a valid connection, especially as he already believes Epics to be the Horsemen. We should be careful about having Obliteration liken individual characters to individuals from Revelations, though. Having him spot the Antichrist or the seven-headed dragon or the Whore of Babylon in every other scene could be fun, but also convoluted. Note to self: if TwiLyght ever starts thinking she's a Horseman of the Apocalypse and tries to light me on fire, snatch her glasses. But what if he ever saw her pony? Sure, go and make her angy. Do you want to mess with my glasses as well, huh buddy? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 But what if he ever saw her pony? Sure, go and make her angy. Do you want to mess with my glasses as well, huh buddy? YOU get it. Don't mess with our glasses. It's just. Not. Cool. As far as likening characters to prophecies from Revelation goes, I'm not sure how much of that would fit in with what we know of his worldview. He tells David he believes all Epics are metaphorical Horsemen, yet as has been pointed out, he kills Epics. Maybe this has something to do with the end of Revelation, where John says there was a "new Heaven and a new Earth"? Maybe he kills the Epics he thinks will hinder that part of the prophecy? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Something I though about is that even if we write Obliteration in here, I don't think he should be the actual viewpoint character. Forgot to reply to this. Yes, I agree. That should help us preserve the enigma and sheer level of jawdropping terror that he conveys in the novel. Sure, go and make her angy. Do you want to mess with my glasses as well, huh buddy? Only if you start calling yourself "the cleansing fire" and try to destroy the tiny Texas town I live in. As far as likening characters to prophecies from Revelation goes, I'm not sure how much of that would fit in with what we know of his worldview. He tells David he believes all Epics are metaphorical Horsemen, yet as has been pointed out, he kills Epics. Maybe this has something to do with the end of Revelation, where John says there was a "new Heaven and a new Earth"? Maybe he kills the Epics he thinks will hinder that part of the prophecy? So he'd go after Epics that try to hang on to their territories and kingdoms, like Steelheart and Regalia, but might be content to ignore Epics who simply wander around killing and destroying, like Nighthound or Timeport? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 So he'd go after Epics that try to hang on to their territories and kingdoms, like Steelheart and Regalia, but might be content to ignore Epics who simply wander around killing and destroying, like Nighthound or Timeport? Could be. It could also be that he kills Epics he doesn't think will belong in the new world, gets them out of the way early. He might also go after those like Regalia, who both enjoy being wicked and rule territories. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Could be. It could also be that he kills Epics he doesn't think will belong in the new world, gets them out of the way early. He might also go after those like Regalia, who both enjoy being wicked and rule territories. That could be, but that would make it A LOT more difficult for us to predict how he'd react to fanon characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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