Question 4

[Kobold King]

Would YOU want to see Lightwards followed by his zombified parents? O.o

Figured as much. Promise me they won't appear?

 

"You realize that I was always right in every argument we ever had, don't you Dad?"

 

The man absently nodded his head in a slow, rhythmic manner.

 

"You realize all the mistakes you made in my upbringing, don't you?"

 

Another slow nod.

 

"You realize that if you had just supported me when I wanted to take up ballet, none of this would be happening--don't you?"

 

Edward Cardinal nodded helplessly, vacantly.

 

Sam raised an eyebrow at the spectacle. "Uh..." she began with a hint of disgust. "This can't possibly be fulfilling for you."

 

"Perhaps," Lightwards replied, having his father stand on foot and begin hopping up and down. "Perhaps I'm simply trying to fill a void in my heart caused by his not hugging me enough as a little boy."

 

Responding to a mental order, Edward Cardinal began banging his head with a frying pan.

 

"Oh, who am I kidding? This is great."

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

It would add a whole new level of creepyness to him... so yeah that might actually have been interesting. Then again Lightwards could always dig out his paretns skeletons, because he doesn´t feel loved anymore.

I never made any plans for them to appear anyway, in fact I don´t even have an idea for their hometown location wise, which means I could promise you... but what about the pantsing?

If he's going to become CorpseMaker 2.0, I vote he does this. It would be quite disturbing, and perfect in its own creepy way.

First Commandment of Free-form RPing: Thou shalt abandon all outlines. Thou shalt embrace the practice known as pantsing and be content with the idea that thou wilt not know what wilt happen until it is written.

[Kobold King]

If he's going to become CorpseMaker 2.0, I vote he does this. It would be quite disturbing, and perfect in its own creepy way.

First Commandment of Free-form RPing: Thou shalt abandon all outlines. Thou shalt embrace the practice known as pantsing and be content with the idea that thou wilt not know what wilt happen until it is written.

 

Lightwards: the No. 1 reason for having your remains cremated and thrown into the ocean.

 

This would definitely fit Lightwards' MO and personality. The only problem I can see is that they'd have been buried in his hometown of Sacramento instead of in Oregon.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Lightwards: the No. 1 reason for having your remains cremated and thrown into the ocean.

This would definitely fit Lightwards' MO and personality. The only problem I can see is that they'd have been buried in his hometown of Sacramento instead of in Oregon.

Hmm. That does pose a problem. Maybe he could convince Nighthound to retrieve them? Or send some of his toy Warriors to Sacramento?

[Kobold King]

Hmm. That does pose a problem. Maybe he could convince Nighthound to retrieve them? Or send some of his toy Warriors to Sacramento?

 

Unless Funtimes decides to take up grave robbing, those would be his best options.

 

If this happens, it would probably be something he does after a few more deaths push him further along the road to Crazyville.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Unless Funtimes decides to take up grave robbing, those would be his best options.

If this happens, it would probably be something he does after a few more deaths push him further along the road to Crazyville.

That is most certainly not her idea of a fun time. Especially if it's a favor for Lightwards.

It's unnerving, thinking that this isn't the worst we'll see from him

Edited November 9, 2014 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Kobold King]

That is most certainly not her idea of a fun time. Especially if it's a favor for Lightwards.

It's unnerving, thinking that this isn't the worst we'll see from him

 

Probably for the best, since graverobber!Funtimes is not something I think any of us want to see.

 

"Skeletons are so boring! I'm turning every corpse in Oregon into peanut brittle!"

Some things are best left to the imagination... or better yet, forgotten altogether.

 

Lightwards already has one of the highest on-screen atrocity counts of any Portland Epic. Sometimes he can be quite ridiculous, at other times he's almost sympathetic... but at other times, he crosses the line into Complete Monster territory. Complete Monster moments are only growing to become more common from him in the future, especially once his final Moral Event Horizon takes place.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Probably for the best, since graverobber!Funtimes is not something I think any of us want to see.

"Skeletons are so boring! I'm turning every corpse in Oregon into peanut brittle!"

Some things are best left to the imagination... or better yet, forgotten altogether.

Lightwards already has one of the highest on-screen atrocity counts of any Portland Epic. Sometimes he can be quite ridiculous, at other times he's almost sympathetic... but at other times, he crosses the line into Complete Monster territory. Complete Monster moments are only growing to become more common from him in the future, especially once his final Moral Event Horizon takes place.

O.o

That...is unsettlingly like something graverobber!Funtimes would say. That version of Funtimes will stay in the Question thread. Period.

I've almost sympathized with him a few times, but it's like he's determined to push any semblance of humanity so far down he forgets it's there. His MEH should subject us to quite a few more disturbing atrocities, I'm sure. It will definitely make sense that he chose to ally with Nighthound, who he considers more of a "proper Epic."

[Edgedancer]

Lightwards already has one of the highest on-screen atrocity counts of any Portland Epic. Sometimes he can be quite ridiculous, at other times he's almost sympathetic... but at other times, he crosses the line into Complete Monster territory. Complete Monster moments are only growing to become more common from him in the future, especially once his final Moral Event Horizon takes place.

He does make a pretty good team with Nighthound, doesn´t he? Both have crossed the moral event horizon for a long while.

A pretty good point to show his mood swings is how his opinion of Voidgaze shiften from "an exceptionally clever young woman" to "There really wasn't anything in her head, was there?" in about a day. (Granted, thinking mean things about Voidgaze isn´t his biggest atrocity by far but you get the point.)

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

He does make a pretty good team with Nighthound, doesn´t he? Both have crossed the moral event horizon for a long while.

A pretty good point to show his mood swings is how his opinion of Voidgaze shiften from "an exceptionally clever young woman" to "There really wasn't anything in her head, was there?" in about a day. (Granted, thinking mean things about Voidgaze isn´t his biggest atrocity by far but you get the point.)

 

It makes for a convenient moral gauge. Nighthound, who is so far beyond the Moral Event Horizon he seems to have forgotten crossing it in the first place, brutally murders her. Lightwards, who crossed the Moral Event Horizon in his first on-screen appearance but had a handful of sympathetic moments, went from initially liking her to thinking of her as empty-headed for being friendly. CorpseMaker, our current Disk One Final Boss, barely hesitated before killing her. 

Edited November 9, 2014 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Kobold King]

He does make a pretty good team with Nighthound, doesn´t he? Both have crossed the moral event horizon for a long while.

A pretty good point to show his mood swings is how his opinion of Voidgaze shiften from "an exceptionally clever young woman" to "There really wasn't anything in her head, was there?" in about a day. (Granted, thinking mean things about Voidgaze isn´t his biggest atrocity by far but you get the point.)

 

I concieve of Lightwards as having chronic depression, a mild bipolar disorder, and a raging case of PTSD all tainted and twisted by Calamity. The result is... well, not pretty.

 

The sad thing is that Thomas Cardinal could have done so much more if it hadn't been for Calamity. He's a very intelligent, strategically minded individual, adept at creating subtle plans for assassinating more powerful Epics.

 

If it hadn't been for Calamity, Professor Cardinal could have been the head of a Reckoners cell.

[Edgedancer]

It makes for a convenient moral gauge. Nighthound, who is so far beyond the Moral Event Horizon he seems to have forgotten crossing it in the first place, brutally murders her. Lightwards, who crossed the Moral Event Horizon in his first on-screen appearance but had a handful of sympathetic moments, went from initially liking her to thinking of her as empty-headed for being friendly. CorpseMaker, our current Disk One Final Boss, barely hesitated before killing her. 

Is liking Voidgaze now the offical benchmarck for a character´s goodness?

 

I concieve of Lightwards as having chronic depression, a mild bipolar disorder, and a raging case of PTSD all tainted and twisted by Calamity. The result is... well, not pretty.

 

The sad thing is that Thomas Cardinal could have done so much more if it hadn't been for Calamity. He's a very intelligent, strategically minded individual, adept at creating subtle plans for assassinating more powerful Epics.

 

If it hadn't been for Calamity, Professor Cardinal could have been the head of a Reckoners cell.

Looking at our cast, Calamity seems to have quite the knack at getting rid of his "opposition" by forcefully recruiting them.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

I concieve of Lightwards as having chronic depression, a mild bipolar disorder, and a raging case of PTSD all tainted and twisted by Calamity. The result is... well, not pretty.

 

The sad thing is that Thomas Cardinal could have done so much more if it hadn't been for Calamity. He's a very intelligent, strategically minded individual, adept at creating subtle plans for assassinating more powerful Epics.

 

If it hadn't been for Calamity, Professor Cardinal could have been the head of a Reckoners cell.

 

I can certainly see non-powered Thomas Cardinal taking on a Prof-like role, though I imagine he'd be more like Tia in how he carries out hits. He clearly loves knowledge, and loves learning, so I can see him taking on an almost childlike joy as he talks his newest recruit through their plans to assassinate CorpseMaker, who has quite the powerful invincibility, plus a remarkably effective basilisk stare—you do know what a basilisk is? Well, the ancient Europeans believed in a King of the Serpents, whose stare could kill and was only vulnerable to the crow of a rooster—though I doubt that's CorpseMaker's weakness, but you get the idea….

 

 

 

Now I want to see what could have been. 

[Kobold King]

Is liking Voidgaze now the offical benchmarck for a character´s goodness?

 

Looking at our cast, Calamity seems to have quite the knack at getting rid of his "opposition" by forcefully recruiting them.

 

Yes. Yes it is.

 

Fun thought experiment: imagine every Epic character in the RP as a vanilla and vice versa.

 

 

I can certainly see non-powered Thomas Cardinal taking on a Prof-like role, though I imagine he'd be more like Tia in how he carries out hits. He clearly loves knowledge, and loves learning, so I can see him taking on an almost childlike joy as he talks his newest recruit through their plans to assassinate CorpseMaker, who has quite the powerful invincibility, plus a remarkably effective basilisk stare—you do know what a basilisk is? Well, the ancient Europeans believed in a King of the Serpents, whose stare could kill and was only vulnerable to the crow of a rooster—though I doubt that's CorpseMaker's weakness, but you get the idea….

 

 

Now I want to see what could have been. 

 

Wow. I can totally see that--especially since lonely, depressed ol' Thomas Cardinal would have dearly benefited from being part of a close-knit family unit like a Reckoners cell.

 

 

I almost want to write it as an AU fanfiction.

Edited November 9, 2014 by Kobold King

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Yes. Yes it is.

 

Fun thought experiment: imagine every Epic character in the RP as a vanilla and vice versa.

 

A sharp knock at his door jolted Nathan awake. Slipping free of Funtimes' arm, he crept to the door, still blinking away sleep. 

 

Sam, on the other hand, was wide awake. "Hey. Nathan." 

 

"What's going on?" 

 

She grinned. "Revolution and I just came up with the best idea ever. Want to hear it?" 

 

She sounded like Funtimes. Fully awake, and more than a bit wary, he nodded. 

 

"Tell Lightwards that Remington's an Epic." 

 

------------------

 

Remington watched Lightwards with curiosity—and more than a hint of disgust. "Please tell me he didn't really pee himself." 

 

"Oh, he totally did. And watch this." Cupping her hands around her mouth, Sam shouted at the necromancer. "Hey! Lightwards! Epic Remington's going on a trip to Northern California!" 

 

Lightwards, who was already curled on his side, whimpered and began to suck his thumb. 

 

"What's with Northern California?" 

 

"Dunno. It just makes him cry, for some reason."

[Edgedancer]

I can certainly see non-powered Thomas Cardinal taking on a Prof-like role, though I imagine he'd be more like Tia in how he carries out hits. He clearly loves knowledge, and loves learning, so I can see him taking on an almost childlike joy as he talks his newest recruit through their plans to assassinate CorpseMaker, who has quite the powerful invincibility, plus a remarkably effective basilisk stare—you do know what a basilisk is? Well, the ancient Europeans believed in a King of the Serpents, whose stare could kill and was only vulnerable to the crow of a rooster—though I doubt that's CorpseMaker's weakness, but you get the idea….

 

 

Now I want to see what could have been. 

Fun fact, with some of the original basilisk myth they couldn´t use their death stare, if you saw them first or if glass blocked their sight. Naturally, they also had poison breath strong enough to kill all plants in their vicinity, so that isn´t as usefull as one might think.

 

Yes. Yes it is.

 

Fun thought experiment: imagine every Epic character in the RP as a vanilla and vice versa.

 

 

 

Wow. I can totally see that--especially since lonely, depressed ol' Thomas Cardinal would have dearly benefited from being part of a close-knit family unit like a Reckoners cell.

 

 

I almost want to write it as an AU fanfiction.

Awesome.

 

mmhhh, Michael would either have been killed or made it to being a Reckoner to be honest.

 

I could actually see the empire as an AU Reckoner cell, fancy that from nightmare to heroes.

[mail-mi]

This would've totally happened if the pandas had attacked the area the church was in.

EDIT: I'll write up a post when I get home. Kobold, would it be plausible that the soldiers would come in and get Reader and take him to a sort of "safety bunker," as he doesn't have any offensive or defensive powers to speak of to help against the invasion?

I bring this up again, as I'm writing my next Reader post.

[Kobold King]

Fun fact, with some of the original basilisk myth they couldn´t use their death stare, if you saw them first or if glass blocked their sight. Naturally, they also had poison breath strong enough to kill all plants in their vicinity, so that isn´t as usefull as one might think.

 

Awesome.

 

mmhhh, Michael would either have been killed or made it to being a Reckoner to be honest.

 

I could actually see the empire as an AU Reckoner cell, fancy that from nightmare to heroes.

 

Epic!Sam would know enough about Calamity to know not to use her powers, and would try to live as a vanilla. Unfortunately, she has trouble keeping control of herself under violent pressure--notice how frayed her nerves were during the Lucentia battle. While she'd try her best to suppress her powers, she'd find it difficult not to use them if she or her family came into danger. Ultimately, I think she'd either end up killing herself out of fear for what she'd become, or succumbing to Calamity's corruption.

 

Revolution, I'm sad to say, would succumb almost right away. Even if she did notice a change in her temperament coming with her powers, she has a vain streak that would lead her to believe she could control herself. She'd likely end up enslaving her home commune to "protect" it, and would then launch a misguided attempt to conquer the whole of Oregon. She'd probably be a High Epic who could only be killed by a strict pacifist, making her very hard to ultimately defeat.

 

 

For some reason I really like hypothetical situations like this.

 

 

I bring this up again, as I'm writing my next Reader post.

 

Sorry! Didn't notice the edit earlier. :/

 

That's certainly plausible. He's a very valuable asset, and the consequences of him falling into enemy hands could be disastrous.

 

So disastrous, in fact, that it occurs to me that there's probably a standing order to have Reader terminated if there's a high risk of him being captured. This may be a problem, as Vondra couldn't even conceive of such a plan without Reader knowing about it next time they meet in person.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Epic!Sam would know enough about Calamity to know not to use her powers, and would try to live as a vanilla. Unfortunately, she has trouble keeping control of herself under violent pressure--notice how frayed her nerves were during the Lucentia battle. While she'd try her best to suppress her powers, she'd find it difficult not to use them if she or her family came into danger. Ultimately, I think she'd either end up killing herself out of fear for what she'd become, or succumbing to Calamity's corruption.

 

Revolution, I'm sad to say, would succumb almost right away. Even if she did notice a change in her temperament coming with her powers, she has a vain streak that would lead her to believe she could control herself. She'd likely end up enslaving her home commune to "protect" it, and would then launch a misguided attempt to conquer the whole of Oregon. She'd probably be a High Epic who could only be killed by a strict pacifist, making her very hard to ultimately defeat.

 

 

For some reason I really like hypothetical situations like this.

 

 

 

Sorry! Didn't notice the edit earlier. :/

 

That's certainly plausible. He's a very valuable asset, and the consequences of him falling into enemy hands could be disastrous.

 

So disastrous, in fact, that it occurs to me that there's probably a standing order to have Reader terminated if there's a high risk of him being captured. This may be a problem, as Vondra couldn't even conceive of such a plan without Reader knowing about it next time they meet in person.

 

Oddly enough, the vanilla I have the hardest time picturing as an Epic is Nathan. So much of his personality comes from how he's responded to the Epics he served that all I can say is that what he was like as an Epic would depend on when he turned. If it happened toward the beginning of the Calamity era, I'm sorry to say he would have been corrupted. His brothers and parents were killed shortly after Annexation Day which, in this scenario, would have left him with no moral leash to keep him from succumbing to Calamity. 

 

However, if he turned sometime during this RP, or shortly before this RP began, he would have experienced enough oppression and abuse at the hands of Newcago Epics to become frightened at the changes Calamity brought to his personality. Eventually, he might make the connection between power use and corruption, at which point he would vow to avoid using them from that point forward. He's more inclined to avoid violent situations, or to try and defuse them, than he is to jump right in and stop them that way, so he might succeed. If he never made the connection, he might go somewhat insane, creating a dizzying array of personal rules and regulations to keep from hurting people ("Don't wear red, it's an angry color and might make you angry too; don't talk to anyone wearing a cape; do not do not do NOT go anywhere near that food truck because he always charges too much and that'll just make you mad" and so on). 

 

Remington would definitely be more like Sightline. He would use his powers to assassinate any High Epics he deemed a threat to the people of Oregon. Corruption would set in, but his faith in God—even shattered as it was by Koschei—would remind him that what he felt was wrong and lead him to find a way to keep from becoming the very monsters he hunted. 

[Kobold King]

Oddly enough, the vanilla I have the hardest time picturing as an Epic is Nathan. So much of his personality comes from how he's responded to the Epics he served that all I can say is that what he was like as an Epic would depend on when he turned. If it happened toward the beginning of the Calamity era, I'm sorry to say he would have been corrupted. His brothers and parents were killed shortly after Annexation Day which, in this scenario, would have left him with no moral leash to keep him from succumbing to Calamity. 

 

However, if he turned sometime during this RP, or shortly before this RP began, he would have experienced enough oppression and abuse at the hands of Newcago Epics to become frightened at the changes Calamity brought to his personality. Eventually, he might make the connection between power use and corruption, at which point he would vow to avoid using them from that point forward. He's more inclined to avoid violent situations, or to try and defuse them, than he is to jump right in and stop them that way, so he might succeed. If he never made the connection, he might go somewhat insane, creating a dizzying array of personal rules and regulations to keep from hurting people ("Don't wear red, it's an angry color and might make you angry too; don't talk to anyone wearing a cape; do not do not do NOT go anywhere near that food truck because he always charges too much and that'll just make you mad" and so on). 

 

Remington would definitely be more like Sightline. He would use his powers to assassinate any High Epics he deemed a threat to the people of Oregon. Corruption would set in, but his faith in God—even shattered as it was by Koschei—would remind him that what he felt was wrong and lead him to find a way to keep from becoming the very monsters he hunted. 

 

That sounds a lot like Nathan. Even if it is odd to imagine Oregon's everyman as a manic suppressed Epic following any random rule that comes to mind.

 

Depending on how strong his powers were, I'd imagine him being either killed fairly quickly by another Epic, or being "that wackjob who mutters to himself and will vaporize you if you tick him off."

 

Let us all take a moment to consider how badchull it would be if Epic!Remington teamed up with Sightline to rid Oregon of its worst Epics. Or for that matter, if vanilla Remington teamed up with Sightline to rid Oregon of its worst Epics...

 

 

For my Epics as vanillas... there's not a lot to say. Aldo Acquarone would almost certainly have gotten himself killed, unless he managed to scrape out a living as an Epic's personal magician/attendant.

 

Steve Lawrence would probably manage to stay alive simply by virtue of staying out of sight and acting as a nervous sycophant to any Epic who noticed him. 

 

Only Thomas Cardinal would have the chance to make something to himself, if he managed to join the Reckoners. He'd probably gain a more mellow, friendly personality with them. I imagine he'd probably stay at their HQ during actual missions, perhaps coordinating assaults through mobiles. He'd be all too aware of his high likelihood of dying while assassinating Epics like Quickslide.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

That sounds a lot like Nathan. Even if it is odd to imagine Oregon's everyman as a manic suppressed Epic following any random rule that comes to mind.

 

Depending on how strong his powers were, I'd imagine him being either killed fairly quickly by another Epic, or being "that wackjob who mutters to himself and will vaporize you if you tick him off."

 

Let us all take a moment to consider how badchull it would be if Epic!Remington teamed up with Sightline to rid Oregon of its worst Epics. Or for that matter, if vanilla Remington teamed up with Sightline to rid Oregon of its worst Epics...

 

 

For my Epics as vanillas... there's not a lot to say. Aldo Acquarone would almost certainly have gotten himself killed, unless he managed to scrape out a living as an Epic's personal magician/attendant.

 

Steve Lawrence would probably manage to stay alive simply by virtue of staying out of sight and acting as a nervous sycophant to any Epic who noticed him. 

 

Only Thomas Cardinal would have the chance to make something to himself, if he managed to join the Reckoners. He'd probably gain a more mellow, friendly personality with them. I imagine he'd probably stay at their HQ during actual missions, perhaps coordinating assaults through mobiles. He'd be all too aware of his high likelihood of dying while assassinating Epics like Quickslide.

 

And if he couldn't just "get better" from bullets, Mr. Cardinal would have a very good reason to stay away. 

 

Epic!Sam would be downright tragic. 

 

Epic!Revolution (yet another awesome name) is terrifyingly easy to see. It's not that difficult to picture her returning to her commune, displaying her powers and informing the residents, calmly and with a smile on her face, that she was taking control, and—still smiling—informing whoever protested that she was doing it to save them from Epics who were far worse than she. 

 

Vanilla!Aldo is not easy to picture. He seems like one of those Epics who was just….always an Epic, even before Calamity. Like Calamity just gave him permission to indulge his dark side, so his personality didn't change all that much. (Pre-Calamity Koschei was much the same way.) 

 

I can see Nathan going for either option. Though I couldn't even say what his powers might be, he's that un-Epic-like. 

 

Remington's powers would definitely involve guns. Lots of guns. Maybe his powers would bear a striking resemblance to the Army's rules of gunfighting: "Don't bring a knife to a gunfight. Bring guns. Bring lots of guns. Bring your friends who have guns. Bring their friends who have guns." Maybe he'd be able to summon anyone who owned a firearm to his aid? 

 

A Remington/Sightline team-up can never happen. The entire internet would explode from the force of pure awesomeness, and a thousand eyeballs would fry in the glorious light of their team-up. It's simply too dangerous to actually execute. (By which I mean that this needs to happen as soon as possible. As. Soon. As. Possible.) 

 

Argh. This would be the perfect chance to tell you all what Funtimes would be like as a vanilla, but her Emotionally Scarring Backstory™ shows it, so….

 

[mail-mi]

Epic!Sam would know enough about Calamity to know not to use her powers, and would try to live as a vanilla. Unfortunately, she has trouble keeping control of herself under violent pressure--notice how frayed her nerves were during the Lucentia battle. While she'd try her best to suppress her powers, she'd find it difficult not to use them if she or her family came into danger. Ultimately, I think she'd either end up killing herself out of fear for what she'd become, or succumbing to Calamity's corruption.

Revolution, I'm sad to say, would succumb almost right away. Even if she did notice a change in her temperament coming with her powers, she has a vain streak that would lead her to believe she could control herself. She'd likely end up enslaving her home commune to "protect" it, and would then launch a misguided attempt to conquer the whole of Oregon. She'd probably be a High Epic who could only be killed by a strict pacifist, making her very hard to ultimately defeat.

For some reason I really like hypothetical situations like this.

Sorry! Didn't notice the edit earlier. :/

That's certainly plausible. He's a very valuable asset, and the consequences of him falling into enemy hands could be disastrous.

So disastrous, in fact, that it occurs to me that there's probably a standing order to have Reader terminated if there's a high risk of him being captured. This may be a problem, as Vondra couldn't even conceive of such a plan without Reader knowing about it next time they meet in person.

Gotcha. And, if that is the case, then Reader knows about said plan, knows that he can do nothing to stop it, and knows that whatever happens, during times of disaster, he absolutely must do everything the soldiers tell him.

[Fatebreaker]

New Quicksilver post up. He would pay money to see Vondra's face when he learns of his attackers.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

New Quicksilver post up. He would pay money to see Vondra's face when he learns of his attackers.

 

Are you kidding? I would pay money to see Vondra's face when he hears that! 

[the winter system]

Are you kidding? I would pay money to see Vondra's face when he hears that! 

Me too.