Edgedancer he/him Posted August 20, 2015 Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) I think its more likely that weapons dealers would just refuse to visit Portland. Possibly, it's hard to tell just how spread the weapons treade still is. Anyway, Given he's the one most dependant on their merchandise Altermind would still be shooting himself in the foot. The weapons dealers don't have the resources to launch a full-scale investigation, and even if they did, Altermind could simply supply their oh-so-easily duped senses with whatever information he wants. As for the weapons, it shouldn't be too hard to stage a scenario in which he "captures" the weapons back from CorpseMaker. Heck, he could easily make a profit by selling them back to the dealers, or prove himself to be trustworthy by giving back "all the ones he recovered" for free. Sure, some shrewd dealers might suspect they're being played, but they'd never find any proof, and they have no reason to trust Altermind over CorpseMaker anyway. It's not a matter of investigation, it's a matter of word of mouth and pride, someone poaching on weapons dealers in a war zone is a big deal, so even if Altermind manages to supress all the rumors, best case would be Voidus' scenario of no weapon dealers at all. (Not to mention that from what we know, weapon dealers are just about the richest people in the FSA given that their trade is still blooming.) You are also putting a lot of footwork on Altermind, who already has a faction in a war to lead on his hands. Edited August 20, 2015 by Edgedancer
Kobold King he/him Posted August 20, 2015 Posted August 20, 2015 It's not a matter of investigation, it's a matter of word of mouth and pride, someone poaching on weapons dealers in a war zone is a big deal, so even if Altermind manages to supress all the rumors, best case would be Voidus' scenario of no weapon dealers at all. (Not to mention that from what we know, weapon dealers are just about the richest people in the FSA given that their trade is still blooming.) You are also putting a lot of footwork on Altermind, who already has a faction in a war to lead on his hands. I don't think the weapons dealers are in nearly as secure a position as you think they are. Remember Diamond from Steelheart, when Nightwielder came into his shop? Diamond was terrified. A man in a position of power or security wouldn't have shown the terror that Diamond did. Nightwielder could have killed him at any time, and it would only have caused a minor inconvenience while he waited for another greedy arms dealer to take his place. The dealers are involved in a very dangerous profession, and I suspect their mortality/loss rate is very high. Personally, I would be very surprised if Diamond hadn't seen quite a few of his employees and predecessors killed while on the job. If mass murder and looting became commonplace in Portland, I have no doubt dealers would start to avoid the city. However, even the richest dealers are in a dangerous line of work, and they know it. I don't believe a single incident would get Portland blacklisted. And even with Altermind being as busy as he is, he is still more than capable of a cover-up on this level. If he's thorough--and we've seen that Altermind is a very thorough man--then there won't even be any rumors besides the ones he's started himself.
Edgedancer he/him Posted August 20, 2015 Posted August 20, 2015 I don't think the weapons dealers are in nearly as secure a position as you think they are. Remember Diamond from Steelheart, when Nightwielder came into his shop? Diamond was terrified. A man in a position of power or security wouldn't have shown the terror that Diamond did. Nightwielder could have killed him at any time, and it would only have caused a minor inconvenience while he waited for another greedy arms dealer to take his place. The dealers are involved in a very dangerous profession, and I suspect their mortality/loss rate is very high. Personally, I would be very surprised if Diamond hadn't seen quite a few of his employees and predecessors killed while on the job. If mass murder and looting became commonplace in Portland, I have no doubt dealers would start to avoid the city. However, even the richest dealers are in a dangerous line of work, and they know it. I don't believe a single incident would get Portland blacklisted. And even with Altermind being as busy as he is, he is still more than capable of a cover-up on this level. If he's thorough--and we've seen that Altermind is a very thorough man--then there won't even be any rumors besides the ones he's started himself. He was terrified of being found with the Reckoners, aka high profile terrorist! The sitation has absolutely nothing to do with normal business. Furthermore, comparing the power position of Steelheart's government and what he can get away with to that of Toughttown is not accurate at all.
Voidus Posted August 20, 2015 Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) Even Steelheart knows not to harm a good weapons dealer. Kill or torture a man like Diamond, and future merchants won’t come here. Steelheart’s army will never have good technology compared to the neighbors. -Abraham from Steelheart. I think Edge has the right of it, if even Steelheart didn't kill weapons dealers they've obviously got some pretty good reasons behind it. Edited August 20, 2015 by Voidus
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted August 20, 2015 Author Posted August 20, 2015 I don't think the weapons dealers are in nearly as secure a position as you think they are. Remember Diamond from Steelheart, when Nightwielder came into his shop? Diamond was terrified. A man in a position of power or security wouldn't have shown the terror that Diamond did. Nightwielder could have killed him at any time, and it would only have caused a minor inconvenience while he waited for another greedy arms dealer to take his place. The dealers are involved in a very dangerous profession, and I suspect their mortality/loss rate is very high. Personally, I would be very surprised if Diamond hadn't seen quite a few of his employees and predecessors killed while on the job. If mass murder and looting became commonplace in Portland, I have no doubt dealers would start to avoid the city. However, even the richest dealers are in a dangerous line of work, and they know it. I don't believe a single incident would get Portland blacklisted. And even with Altermind being as busy as he is, he is still more than capable of a cover-up on this level. If he's thorough--and we've seen that Altermind is a very thorough man--then there won't even be any rumors besides the ones he's started himself. Portland is a much more dangerous city than Newcago ever was, though. Gunz is already taking a risk by setting up shop in a city where the only existing infrastructure is a single suburban neighborhood ruled by an Epic who excludes a sizable percentage of the population. Gunz' success hints at an unspoken agreement between the Epics in Portland: Let him stay neutral, and hope we get the biggest, baddest weaponry before anyone else does. Gunz' death would violate that unspoken agreement in a massive way. Altermind could start rumors, yes, but the Epics in Portland aren't all loyal to one super-powerful Epic like Steelheart; they're all suspicious of one another and ready to start a fight over just about anything.
Edgedancer he/him Posted August 20, 2015 Posted August 20, 2015 Does anyone have a good idea for a random fun story about Thoughttown big Al could tell? Otherwise I'll go with him winning a "whose food tastes better" contest.
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted August 20, 2015 Author Posted August 20, 2015 Does anyone have a good idea for a random fun story about Thoughttown big Al could tell? Otherwise I'll go with him winning a "whose food tastes better" contest. I'd say the day he walked in on Altermind singing "I'm Too Sexy" in front of the mirror, but Altermind probably would've shot him for that. 4
Edgedancer he/him Posted August 20, 2015 Posted August 20, 2015 I'd say the day he walked in on Altermind singing "I'm Too Sexy" in front of the mirror, but Altermind probably would've shot him for that. "I'm too sexy for my mind too sexy for my mind Mind's going to leave me" 3
Mailliw73 he/him Posted August 20, 2015 Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) Sounds more reasonable, although it would probably make most sense to shift around the flamethrower, so it does need an energy source just not actual fuel, so that it becomes less valuable to someone without an electric Epic like Flashpoint, to dumpr the prize. (Although that would mean it would only really be without a need for fuel in Flashpoint's hands.) Except from no other dealer ever making buisness with him and instead selling exclusively to Corpsemaker and potentially Lightwards after their alliance breaks. Robbing arms dealers while in a turf war hasn't become any smarter in the last couple of pages. I'll change that then. Well, Flashpoint can charge a battery which could be used to power the flamethrower. In fact, now that I think about it, he probably spends some nights sleeping with his hand on a large battery, charging it. No, but Gunz is quite an idiot, and he's been around for some time and Portland is probably one of his biggest moneymakers, and Altermknd isn't stealing hints, just giving himself a discount. If Gunz lost Portland's revenue, he'd probably be in quite a bit of trouble. Altermind just mildly threatens him if he puts up too much resistance. Altermind could burn that shop to the ground, leaving only a single survivor whose head is stuffed with the delusion that CorpseMaker's gang caused the destruction. An illusionist of AM's skill could get away with basically anything. He could, and while that is a lot of work, it might be possible for him to consider, but he would typically just avoid aggravating the man, just paying him less than regular vanillas would have to. But I do think Altermind could pull it off if he had to, but only as a last resort. Does anyone have a good idea for a random fun story about Thoughttown big Al could tell? Otherwise I'll go with him winning a "whose food tastes better" contest.You can make up whatever you want. Edit: and my Portland post has been edited to change the weaponry like we decided. Edited August 20, 2015 by Mailliw73 1
Edgedancer he/him Posted August 20, 2015 Posted August 20, 2015 Just a random thought but wouldn't it turn out funny if Numnums was actually a female dinosaur? 3
Kobold King he/him Posted August 20, 2015 Posted August 20, 2015 Just a random thought but wouldn't it turn out funny if Numnums was actually a female dinosaur? If so, would Shiny start flirting with her?
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted August 20, 2015 Author Posted August 20, 2015 If so, would Shiny start flirting with her? "Uh, Jack? Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" "I see Shiny Sparkle flirting with a literal dinosaur." "Wonder if this is because things with me didn't work out." "You may have dodged a bullet there." 3
Comatose he/him Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 All of you seem to be forgetting something in the Converter debate. She is a High Epic that can resurrect, while no doubt painful enough to not be her first resort, dying of hypotermia is not a problem for her, it's her easiest way out. (Although, out of character, getting her to resurrect in Corvallis again would need some justification.) I would agree with this assessment. With her powerset, it would be pretty easy to kill herself. I actually looked into this when Comatose and I were discussing the bubble's size. It's ridiculously high. Depending on what source you look at, it's either near the top of the troposphere, or near the bottom-middle of the stratosphere. Interesting... Trying to decide what this all effects. As for Converter getting in, I don't think that would be a problem. The key would be her having heard enough about Rainmaker to know she was in Corvallis. So far what the sequence of events from Converter's POV is as follows: (A) Is killed by servants, ( Reincarnates inside Corvallis, © Starts attacking people, (D) is attacked by Rainmaker and eventually contained. I'm not sure if Rainmaker ever mentions Corvallis explicitly, or where Converter was before popping in, but if she's unfamiliar with the area, doesn't know to look out for the bubble, and reincarnates somewhere else, it could be difficult to even find her way back. Of course, if she knows anything about prominent Oregon Epics, she could probably figure out where she was (though she didn't seem to recognize Rainmaker by reputation, so there's that).
Blackhoof Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 Heck it was never specified where she started. She could be from England. Or Australia. Or anywhere English is a common language.
Comatose he/him Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 I believe her reincarnation is to the closest explosion, and it does have a somewhat limited range. Didn't Silver mention it somewhere? A quick reread of the thread itself says no, but does confirm that Rainmaker identifies both herself and the city by name, meaning Converter could probably just find her way back. She'd have to do it with only her powers for resources, but with her kind of power, it shouldn't be hard to get a mode of transportation and the tools she needs to get there.
Blackhoof Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 (edited) She could jump there? Like absorb energy and then give herself a burst of kinetic energy and then when she lands, absorb the energy from the landing and reapply it upwards again? Sort of like Newton. EDIt: it is also not the closest explosion. Just AN explosion. Edited August 21, 2015 by Blackhoof
Mailliw73 he/him Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 Alex's wrap up is in. I don't plan on him becoming a main character, but if anyone else in Salem wants to use him for a fight or something, let me know. And, about that last line, it was in a book I just read for my first college class. It's about river rafting and described a stunt a rafter had done as "requiring...a hellacious set of balls." I thought it was a great line and wanted to use it. Hopefully it doesn't bother anyone too much, I know we're pretty tame in language here, though with Nighthound in Oregon, this is nothing. 1
Blackhoof Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 I love "sic semper tyrannis" btw! Latin is my favourite
Kobold King he/him Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 I love "sic semper tyrannis" btw! Latin is my favourite Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.
Mailliw73 he/him Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 I love "sic semper tyrannis" btw! Latin is my favourite Thanks! The climax of the battle scene was written all by Mek, he left a spot for Alexio's dialogue and I was trying to think of sown thing he'd say, when that popped into my head. I realized it fit perfectly with his opinions of Epics, his Roman Gladiatorness, and his personality.
18th Shard he/him Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur. verus est. Blackhoof, phoenix is at crystal lake apatments in corvallis. 1
Blackhoof Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 excellent, Iconoclast will visit when he is done in the fields
Mckeedee123 he/him Posted August 21, 2015 Posted August 21, 2015 (edited) Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur. Translate solebas, nonne? Nam id dolore magna! Id nos Latine scripto! Tunc posset esse "profunditas" subforum pro "insanus" subforum. Suus 'sunt foolproof! Et ... wow. Translated quod male Translation: You used Google Translate, didn't you? Actually, that's a great idea! We should translate everything into Latin. Then we could be the "profound" subforum instead of the "insane" subforum. It's foolproof! And wow. That translated badly. I'd better include the English version below in a spoiler tag Edited August 21, 2015 by Mckeedee123
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted August 21, 2015 Author Posted August 21, 2015 Translate solebas, nonne? Nam id dolore magna! Id nos Latine scripto! Tunc posset esse "profunditas" subforum pro "insanus" subforum. Suus 'sunt foolproof! Et ... wow. Translated quod male Translation: You used Google Translate, didn't you? Actually, that's a great idea! We should translate everything into Latin. Then we could be the "profound" subforum instead of the "insane" subforum. It's foolproof! And wow. That translated badly. I'd better include the English version below in a spoiler tag You want to be the "profound" sub forum? Well, if you insist…. I was browsing the excellent Twitter feed for Kim Kierkegaardashian, which combines Kim Kardashian's tweets with the philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard, and I realized our dialogue—while well-written, witty, thought-provoking, and sometimes hilarious—is sorely lacking in existential philosophy. So I took the liberty of walking in the footsteps of this anonymous tweeter. Doctor Game: Come with me, Backtrack, listen to the cry of a woman in labor at the hour of giving birth, look at the dying man's struggle in his last extremity, and tell me whether something that begins and ends thus could be intended for enjoyment. Orange Crush: Man, I love trouble, the common denominator of living. It is the great equalizer. Deathwish: "Yes sir," Deathwish said, giving a one-fingered salute. "I stick my finger into existence and it smells of nothing." 4
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