Voidus Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 It could be that he's targeting Epics who rule over other Epics. 1
Kobold King he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 It wasn't already difficult? Oh, it's difficult alright. It's just more difficult when we can't develop a hard-and-fast rule for his behavior. I'm trying to prepare myself for the task of writing him by imagining how he'd react to various characters. For instance, I get the feeling that if Backtrack were to break down crying in front of him, he'd start a soft lecture that would probably start with "Do not weep for the end of the world, little one." And then he'd murder him, or if he knew about his powers, would use him like a bloodhound to track down Epic's weaknesses. 1
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 Oh, it's difficult alright. It's just more difficult when we can't develop a hard-and-fast rule for his behavior. I'm trying to prepare myself for the task of writing him by imagining how he'd react to various characters. For instance, I get the feeling that if Backtrack were to break down crying in front of him, he'd start a soft lecture that would probably start with "Do not weep for the end of the world, little one." And then he'd murder him, or if he knew about his powers, would use him like a bloodhound to track down Epic's weaknesses. I'm thinking I'll just keep him as far away from Funtimes as possible. Would he kill her outright, would he urge her to "confess her sins," or would he stare in confusion as she crab-walked from the room? Best to leave these questions unanswered. 1
Edgedancer he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) 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. I don't think Obliteration thinks he got the right to decide over life and death like that himself, as it it God's domain. Also the whole deal with the Revalations is to destroy the world, so everyone can be judged an pass on to the new world. The thing that doesn't quite sit with Kobold's theory is that Obliteration never tried to kill Regalia specifically but worked with her and if I remember right he was planning on taking care of Steelheart later, although by that MO he should be first. Edited April 14, 2015 by Edgedancer
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 I don't think Obliteration thinks he got the right to decide over life and death like that himself, as it it God's domain. Also the whole deal with the Revalations is to destroy the world, so everyone can be judged an pass on to the new world. The thing that doesn't quite sit with Kobold's theory is that Obliteration never tried to kill Regalia specifically but worked with her and if I remember right he was planning on taking care of Steelheart later, although by that MO he should be first. Didn't he say killing Regalia was part of their arrangement, though? I know that's not a sacrifice on her part since she was dying anyway, but I seem to recall him saying that he'd destroy the whole city, Regalia included.
Kobold King he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I don't think Obliteration thinks he got the right to decide over life and death like that himself, as it it God's domain. Also the whole deal with the Revalations is to destroy the world, so everyone can be judged an pass on to the new world. The thing that doesn't quite sit with Kobold's theory is that Obliteration never tried to kill Regalia specifically but worked with her and if I remember right he was planning on taking care of Steelheart later, although by that MO he should be first. He said multiple times that he planned to kill Regalia. To her face, even.
Edgedancer he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Didn't he say killing Regalia was part of their arrangement, though? I know that's not a sacrifice on her part since she was dying anyway, but I seem to recall him saying that he'd destroy the whole city, Regalia included. He said multiple times that he planned to kill Regalia. To her face, even. Kill her, yes but not because he had a reason to kill her in person but because he was going to kill everyone in town.
Kobold King he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Kill her, yes but not because he had a reason to kill her in person but because he was going to kill everyone in town. Which, I suppose, is the reason why it doesn't make sense for him to spare anyone: he wants to kill everyone. Every. Single. Person. On. The. Planet. He makes it abundantly clear that anyone he isn't killing now, he will be killing at some indeterminate future date.
Voidus Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) I have a feeling that he'd want to kill Lightwards. What do you guys think? "I don't just want to kill Lightwards, I want to kill everyone." "What do you mean everyone?" Edited April 14, 2015 by Voidus 3
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 Which, I suppose, is the reason why it doesn't make sense for him to spare anyone: he wants to kill everyone. Every. Single. Person. On. The. Planet. He makes it abundantly clear that anyone he isn't killing now, he will be killing at some indeterminate future date. There has to be a pattern to who he spares in the short term, though. He attacks the bystanders on the roof in his first scene, and tries to kill David. When David survives, he doesn't fly into a murderous rage. He doesn't make every meeting with him an attempt on his life. He even pauses to talk with him, for crying out loud. What is the pattern here?
Edgedancer he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) "I don't just want to kill Lightwards, I want to kill everyone." "What do you mean everyone?" "You mean like Nighthound, Timeport, Electro, Quota, Lucentia and-" "Yes, I will kill all of them." "Awesome you're a hero." "I will also kill you, Funtimes, Voidgaze, everyone in the Dalles and everyone." Really, the question is how he figures out when it's worth his time to kill someone and when he's willing to cooperate. Thinking about it, said cooperation would probably only work under the condition that he gets to destroy a city or something. Maybe there is no pattern to insanity? Edited April 14, 2015 by Edgedancer 4
Kobold King he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I have a feeling that he'd want to kill Lightwards. What do you guys think? An interesting question. They have goals that almost mesh, but not quite. Obliteration wants to kill everyone on the planet to complete the prophecies of Revelations; Lightwards thinks that the Bible is a load of hooey, and his reasons for wanting to kill everyone on the planet boils down to his desire to run a secular empire by uniting humanity under the rule of a single mind (his own.) I'm sure Obliteration would try to kill him, though. He'd probably succeed at doing so on many different occasions. There has to be a pattern to who he spares in the short term, though. He attacks the bystanders on the roof in his first scene, and tries to kill David. When David survives, he doesn't fly into a murderous rage. He doesn't make every meeting with him an attempt on his life. He even pauses to talk with him, for crying out loud. What is the pattern here? Obliteration just doesn't seem like the type to hold a grudge. He's almost amiable to the people he kills; he harbors no animosity toward them. He simply does his job calmly, methodically, and without a bad attitude. He'd be commended for his work ethic in any other line of work. 3
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) "You mean like Nighthound, Timeport, Electro, Quota, Lucentia and-" "Yes, I will kill all of them." "Awesome you're a hero." "I will also kill you, Funtimes, Voidgaze, everyone in the Dalles and everyone." Really, the question is how he figures out when it's worth his time to kill someone and when he's willing to cooperate. Thinking about it, said cooperation would probably only work under the condition that he gets to destroy a city or something. Maybe there is no pattern to insanity? "Why? Why are you so determined to be the bad guy?" Maybe? Maybe David amused him somehow? Or maybe he wanted to see how Steelslayer became a "slayer of angels"? Obliteration isn't erratic, which implies a pattern, but he is unpredictable. Maybe, like your fitting graphic implies, he's like Heath Ledger's Joker: He wants to watch the world burn, but he has a plan for which parts will burn first. Kind of like how when you start a campfire, you arrange the wood in a certain way and start with kindling so every piece catches fire. How is Obliteration setting up his campfire? Edited April 14, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles 1
Comatose he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Brandon also said that at this point in time, Obliteration was traveling around a lot. We should keep in mind that his motives seem to change and develop over time. He started by ruling Houston, then he destroyed it, then he jumped around a bunch, and now he seems to be more focused than ever on ending the world. So a good question to ask might be why was he moving around during this period, and what brings him to Oregon? Maybe there was a time when, viewing epics as the Horseman of the Apocalypse, he sought to get an army of them together to cleanse the land. Then, places like Oregon taught him that you cannot depend on other Epics, and that he must carry out his mission mostly alone. The chances of Brandon sharing a weakness is pretty low, especially given the high probability Obliteration will show up again in Calamity. I agree that slipping Obliteration in as an NPC is in everyone's best interests, given the gaps in our knowledge. 1
Kobold King he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 "You mean like Nighthound, Timeport, Electro, Quota, Lucentia and-" "Yes, I will kill all of them." "Awesome you're a hero." "I will also kill you, Funtimes, Voidgaze, everyone in the Dalles and everyone." This is only vaguely relevant. Maybe? Maybe David amused him somehow? Or maybe he wanted to see how Steelslayer became a "slayer of angels"? Obliteration isn't erratic, which implies a pattern, but he is unpredictable. Maybe, like your fitting graphic implies, he's like Heath Ledger's Joker: He wants to watch the world burn, but he has a plan for which parts will burn first. Kind of like how when you start a campfire, you arrange the wood in a certain way and start with kindling so every piece catches fire. How is Obliteration setting up his campfire? Obliteration did try to kill David. Throughout the entire novel. Every time the two of them cross paths, except for at the very last scene that has him in it, they're trying to kill each other. So trying to figure out why Obliteration "spared" him doesn't really make sense. He's never "spared" anyone; at best, he'll put off their deaths till later. 6
Comatose he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Obliteration did try to kill David. Throughout the entire novel. Every time the two of them cross paths, except for at the very last scene that has him in it, they're trying to kill each other. So trying to figure out why Obliteration "spared" him doesn't really make sense. He's never "spared" anyone; at best, he'll put off their deaths till later. Love the comic That last time is significant though. David gave him information, information he seems to have been searching for. It's possible this 'revelation' might be enough to change Obliteration's MO slightly. After all, while his overall mission seems to be pretty inflexible and uncompromising at this point, Obliteration has shown himself to be adaptive, meaning his methods can be subject to change.
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 This is only vaguely relevant. Obliteration did try to kill David. Throughout the entire novel. Every time the two of them cross paths, except for at the very last scene that has him in it, they're trying to kill each other. So trying to figure out why Obliteration "spared" him doesn't really make sense. He's never "spared" anyone; at best, he'll put off their deaths till later. He's even more evil than I'd imagined. Might be time for a reread. Maybe a better question would be why he puts off some deaths and why he makes others immediate. Like Comatose said, it seems his motives change and develop over time, so what would his motives have been in coming to Oregon? 1
Edgedancer he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) This is only vaguely relevant. Obliteration did try to kill David. Throughout the entire novel. Every time the two of them cross paths, except for at the very last scene that has him in it, they're trying to kill each other. So trying to figure out why Obliteration "spared" him doesn't really make sense. He's never "spared" anyone; at best, he'll put off their deaths till later. The site doesn't let me upvote this. Edit:it counted anyway don't worry. But this was so good. We need to collect all our Obliteration comics. I think I still have him leading the campaing against our job stealing Epics. Love the comic That last time is significant though. David gave him information, information he seems to have been searching for. It's possible this 'revelation' might be enough to change Obliteration's MO slightly. After all, while his overall mission seems to be pretty inflexible and uncompromising at this point, Obliteration has shown himself to be adaptive, meaning his methods can be subject to change. Well, figuring out why Davids revalation made Obliteration spare him is unlikely to come into play for our RP but you brought up a good point with his MO changing. Maybe he was on a kind of pilgrimage? Edited April 14, 2015 by Edgedancer
Kobold King he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 He's even more evil than I'd imagined. Might be time for a reread. Maybe a better question would be why he puts off some deaths and why he makes others immediate. Like Comatose said, it seems his motives change and develop over time, so what would his motives have been in coming to Oregon? Making that comic taught me that your OC pony is very cute with sad eyes. Expect to see her more often. It never hurts to reread such an awesome book. Though I'm not sure what his Oregon motives might have been, if indeed he had any other MO than to simply waltz into the state and start burning everything.
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 The site doesn't let me upvote this. Edit:it counted anyway don't worry. But this was so good. We need to collect all our Obliteration comics. I think I still have him leading the campaing against our job stealing Epics. Well, figuring out why Davids revalation made Obliteration spare him is unlikely to come into play for our RP but you brought up a good point with his MO changing. Maybe he was on a kind of pilgrimage? I can see the pilgrimage thing, if he was in search of what his purpose was after destroying those cities. I'm not sure what would bring him to Oregon, though. Making that comic taught me that your OC pony is very cute with sad eyes. Expect to see her more often. It never hurts to reread such an awesome book. Though I'm not sure what his Oregon motives might have been, if indeed he had any other MO than to simply waltz into the state and start burning everything. How about with angry eyes? Stupid school, sucking up memories of awesome books. I'll reread Obliteration's scenes at the very least. 3
Voidus Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 This is only vaguely relevant. Obliteration did try to kill David. Throughout the entire novel. Every time the two of them cross paths, except for at the very last scene that has him in it, they're trying to kill each other. So trying to figure out why Obliteration "spared" him doesn't really make sense. He's never "spared" anyone; at best, he'll put off their deaths till later. I am both amused and terrified. Protect the pugs!
Kobold King he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I can see the pilgrimage thing, if he was in search of what his purpose was after destroying those cities. I'm not sure what would bring him to Oregon, though. How about with angry eyes? Stupid school, sucking up memories of awesome books. I'll reread Obliteration's scenes at the very least. The search for like-minded copatriots, perhaps? If he heard that Epics up north were destroying cities? Angry!TwiLyght is practically asking for this. 4
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 The search for like-minded copatriots, perhaps? If he heard that Epics up north were destroying cities? Angry!TwiLyght is practically asking for this. I can definitely see that. Justice is served. 2
Edgedancer he/him Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I can see the pilgrimage thing, if he was in search of what his purpose was after destroying those cities. I'm not sure what would bring him to Oregon, though. How about with angry eyes? Stupid school, sucking up memories of awesome books. I'll reread Obliteration's scenes at the very least. You just want to tell us that your OC pony looks cute, don't you. ...You monster, Obliteration doesn't deserve that. The search for like-minded copatriots, perhaps? If he heard that Epics up north were destroying cities? Angry!TwiLyght is practically asking for this. Or just reflecting the state the world is in. Obliteration in all honesty, things will work better if you pretend to be a good date and by that I do indeed also mean the murder part. Trust me. 3
Voidus Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 We may need to start a dedicated pony/comic thread someday to keep track of all these, they're so hillarious but it takes so long to find them all going back through the 1000 or so pages of Questions.
Recommended Posts