Question 19

[The Swan Dragon he/him]

@Comatose: Also, I was wondering if I could possibly introduce Nijo (a vanilla I created a little bit ago, bio is here) into Corvallis. I could have him be ThunderSpear's guide (will make sense once the post is up) and then a flashback to him joining Rainmaker. He would probably be part of whatever peacekeeping force Rainmaker has set up (if any, I'm not sure how long it has been game time) since Euphoria disappeared. What do you think? Next ThunderSpear post is on hold for a bit so I can figure out what to do for that. If it wouldn't work, I can just make an NPC vanilla for that role, and find somewhere for Nijo later.

[Chandrian]

Now that things are starting to clear up for me, I'd be interested in throwing Lifebringer into the fray of things? Any groups looking for a new Epic. (I decided he probably isn't well suited for Corvallis. Sorry)

[Edgedancer he/him]

Not a complete list yet but a couple more Epics for the adoption list, Twi. (Also, aren't both Leech and Collaborate alligned with Corpsemaker?)

Dalles:

Ozymandias: Capable of extreme speeds, including an accelerated perception, dissolving objects by increasing their entropy and regenerating. Tecnically unaligned but tending towards the city guard.

 

Hydron: Hydrokinetic that can accelerate his healing by submerging himself under water. Allignment: City guard

 

Florist: Can accelerate the growth of plants and control their movement. Also possesses a life sense. Allignment: City Guard

 

Event Horizon: Gravity manipulator that can create points of strong gravitational pull, while also altering how gravity affects him. Allignment: Slivers (Quicksilver)

 

Astoria:

Timelock: A time manipulator that can alter the flow of time for himself, other objects or within areas.

 

(Blackhoof, do you want to put up the Destructors for possible adoption or would you prefer to keep control of them yourself?)

[Comatose he/him]

Alright. That should be pretty simple.

 

Good to know. He probably won't want to go through the trouble involved in annoying Rainmaker again, so he probably wouldn't explode stuff, but that's good to know for stealing.

 

That...could be really fun. I'd need to know a lot more about what happened for that (such as who controls Iconoclast). I've read the first page or two of Corvallis, and I've kept up with the last few, but I don't really know much about the meat of the story. He would definitely bite.

 

Iconoclast is played by Blackhoof, and he's the one who is causing all the vanillas to go feral.  He's basically trying to cause chaos in Corvallis by whatever means possible, but thus far has avoided being apprehended by Rainmaker's forces.  

 

@Comatose: Also, I was wondering if I could possibly introduce Nijo (a vanilla I created a little bit ago, bio is here) into Corvallis. I could have him be ThunderSpear's guide (will make sense once the post is up) and then a flashback to him joining Rainmaker. He would probably be part of whatever peacekeeping force Rainmaker has set up (if any, I'm not sure how long it has been game time) since Euphoria disappeared. What do you think? Next ThunderSpear post is on hold for a bit so I can figure out what to do for that. If it wouldn't work, I can just make an NPC vanilla for that role, and find somewhere for Nijo later.

 

Buttercup would be in charge of security.   Once concern about Nijo is his use of traditional weaponary.  Can he use firearms at all?  Because that would be an expectation on Buttercup's security force, even if he mostly uses his knives for sneaky assassination type missions.  Rainmaker hasn't set up anything new, and would just be using the existing peace keeping force since Euphoria left, so Nijo could just be a part of that.  

 

I am a little worried about how Nijo, who seems mostly like a traditional ninja in skill set, fits into a modern setting like the Reckonersverse, but I'm willing to give him a chance.  What do other people think?

[breakingamber he/him]

I have received the curse of temmie.

 

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA

 

I can stay on the site! I got a phone, so now I can make abbreviation posts! (Sorry Twy)

 

I may or may not have gotten it from Santa Clause. BTW, what exactly happened in that WHOOC?

 

Blackhoof will still make my posts (I hope )​ but I will still try to contribute. YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

That was kind of... incomprehensible. Would you mind clarifying? And I think it's kind of messed up to expect Blackhoof to write for your characters while you're still on the site...

There's also Blackwave and his crew, as well as the numerous abandoned Epics in Salem (Substance, Fabricator, See-Saw, Morpheus, maybe Inhuman/Countdown/Epic bounty hunters). I still think that just hiding the posts of the one-post Epics who never got involved is an option, but that's up to Twi.

If it's OK with you guys, I'd prefer for Florist not to be up for adoption. I've grown affectionate of the character and had great fun writing for him, so despite my initial proclamation, I think I might like to hold onto him. Does that sound acceptable?

I think a good compromise would be to put the one-post wonders up for adoption; then, if no one adopts them after a while, hiding their posts will be the next step. Thoughts?

Awesome! I liked what you did with the character. Were you going to keep Mundivore too, or just Florist?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Just Florist. I find Mundivore to be rather... well, boring. The little characterization he got painted him as an extremely typical Epic, and I find nothing particularly interesting about his situation either, so... nah. Thanks for asking, though!

And I think your proposal is an excellent idea.

Good to know. Out of purely selfish curiosity, were you still planning on a scene with Tank?

[breakingamber he/him]

That was kind of... incomprehensible. Would you mind clarifying? And I think it's kind of messed up to expect Blackhoof to write for your characters while you're still on the site...[\quote]

When I say that, I mean that due to the fact that I'm on a mobile, it's really hard for me to type long posts like the ones I'd normally do. Hopefully, Blackhoof will write what I want while I provide the ideas.

Is that ok with you Blackhoof? If not, then I can always fully take back Abaddon and Marco.

Also Twy, please put Kathy/Flamethrower up for adoption. I'm finding it really hard to write from her perspective.

(Temmie is sort of a joke from Debate.org. Ask a user named SolonKR. He'll tell you. Or not)

[Chandrian]

Once my last weeks of school conclude and I can work through the gargantuan story of Portland, I'd like to adopt Murphy. If someone else laid claim first, please let me know. (Twilyght said he was open, so I don't think anyone has)

[The Swan Dragon he/him]

Iconoclast is played by Blackhoof, and he's the one who is causing all the vanillas to go feral.  He's basically trying to cause chaos in Corvallis by whatever means possible, but thus far has avoided being apprehended by Rainmaker's forces.  

 

 

Buttercup would be in charge of security.   Once concern about Nijo is his use of traditional weaponary.  Can he use firearms at all?  Because that would be an expectation on Buttercup's security force, even if he mostly uses his knives for sneaky assassination type missions.  Rainmaker hasn't set up anything new, and would just be using the existing peace keeping force since Euphoria left, so Nijo could just be a part of that.  

 

I am a little worried about how Nijo, who seems mostly like a traditional ninja in skill set, fits into a modern setting like the Reckonersverse, but I'm willing to give him a chance.  What do other people think?

Alright. @Blackhoof, any ideas for that sort of action? I could put in scenes of ThunderSpear sleuthing around, but I would need to know what he would find.

 

Re: Nijo. I suppose he could use firearms. Most likely a silenced pistol, if that would work, or I guess he could take either point on raids or sniper cover. Part of why I would love to put him in here is if I do, he would be ThunderSpear's guide (as stated, will be in his next post as soon as I'm back on my laptop, where I have it saved), they would talk a bit, and after Rainmaker suggests finding Iconoclast, he would accidentally let it slip in a conversation with Nijo.

 

I really should have put more into his bio. When he isn't on missions/roaming, he crashes in his hideout (or dorm, if he's in Corvallis Po-Po) with his iPod/preferred music player. I guess you could also call him the David of Karate/MA, which extends way beyond just the TOTALLY EPIC art of Ninjutsu. I don't know a lot about the structure of the Corvallis security force, so I don't know what he'd be doing there. Who has Buttercup?

 

This feels weird, and I know that you guys usually have a slower time-table, but I just hate leaving a conversation unfinished for more than a day or two. Don't feel like I'm rushing you with Nijo.

 

But yeah, what do other people think of him?

[TheRamblingInsomniac he/him]

So basically, I'm a terrible example of what a forum member should be like, BUUTTT I was informed thay spring cleaning was being done on WHiO, and I wanted to inform you Vesania will still be an active character, with a new update coming soon, not soon enough, but soon.

Edited May 20, 2016 by TheRamblingInsomniac

[Comatose he/him]

All right, I cleared things with Mailliw, so here are my promised RP samples for Ian the Lorist, and for Upgrade

 

Ian Buhler RP Sample:

 Ian stopped to make camp a few hours after sunset, only then deciding that he had put enough distance between himself and Corvallis to feel comfortable again.  After setting up a make-shift shelter using some rope and a sheet of poly from his back-pack, Ian lay down with a flashlight and his journal, hoping to find some much needed clarity.  

 

I am going to meet Euphoria tomorrow.  

 

The words, written with such arrogance and unabashed curiosity, now sent a slight shiver down his spine.  Surely he was smarter than that, wasn't he?  After weeks of evading Euphoria's power, he had walked right up to her.  What had he been thinking?  

 

His journal held the answer, written in a private code to avoid discovery by prying eyes:

 

I've decided I must meet her directly if I am to learn anything about her powers.  The effects of her abilities are widespread: you can see her nefarious influence in everyone, from the wide lazy grins of her frequent customers, to the slight skip in the steps of people who should be down-trodden slaves.  And yet, nobody can tell me anything about how her powers work.  The feelings of happiness just come to them, they say.  Others claim they are just always happy, or that they have been ever since arriving in the city.  I've uncovered vague mentions of 'Euphoria's Agents': men and women who stalk the streets bestowing her powers on their peers.  While this indicates that Euphoria likely has the ability to gift her powers, it answers few of my other questions.  These 'agents' have been nearly impossible to find or track, proving to be nearly elusive as Euphoria herself.  Her name is on the lips of every human and epic  in Corvallis and the surrounding area, and yet no one can provide me with even most mundane of personal details.  Her false joy rains down on the city like Rainmaker's unnatural sunlight, but unlike the sun there is no trace of the source . . . 

 

Realizing that this bit went on a while--apparently he had been feeling particularly eloquent that day--Ian skipped over a few pages of metaphor to the part where he began discussing his plans.  

 

And so, out of desperation, I have come up with a plan.  Every human citizen of Corvallis must attend scheduled "Emotional Temperature Checks" with Euphoria on a bi-weekly or tri-weekly basis, depending on the rank of their epic masters.  Apparently there are safeguards in place to protect her identity, but everyone I've spoken with indicates they are certain Euphoria is physically present at these appointments.  I will know if their certainty is correct or just a symptom of their altered state of mind tomorrow, when I attend one of these check-up on my own.  

 

Wish me luck.

 

Ian shook his head in disbelief.  The journal entry had been written almost a year ago.  He could remember writing it clearly.  He remembered that he had enjoyed writing it immensely, just as he remembered enjoying every single thing he had done since arriving in Corvallis.  

 

Flipping back through the journal, Ian searched through previous entries, but no matter what was being discussed, the only emotional state he could remember being in was one of blissful content.  At one point, he wrote about his computer malfunctioning, something that would usually send him into a grumpy fugue like no other.  The prose was purple and dark, and yet as he recalled writing the words on the page, he almost imagined himself laughing with glee as he put the words on the page.  

 

There were other entries later, after he had attended the check-up, of course.  As he flipped through future pages, we could see a clear progression in his writing.  After the appointment, he had quickly grown lax about avoiding being dosed by Euphoria's power, and within a month he had been seeking it out like the rest of the population.  A stay meant to only last a few weeks or months at most had extended to just under a year.   The only reason he was out of the bubble and on the road again was because of Euphoria's mysterious disappearance.  All at once, his feelings of happiness had been yanked away, and while in a state of melancholy associated with a happiness hangover, Ian had started paging through his journal, and had begun to notice the discrepancy.  

 

At the appointment, Euphoria hadn't just made him happier, as he was expecting.  As he reviewed his journal and reflected on the last year, he was becoming more and more certain that she had altered his memories to make him think he was happy in the past.  The ramifications of this power were startling, especially when paired with the ability to bestow present happiness on subjects.  While part him desperately yearned to return to the city to continue to study Euphoria and her abilities, Ian knew he needed to get out while he could.  He could return to Corvallis eventually perhaps, after giving himself a year or two to clear his head and begin feeling like himself again.  Suddenly exhausted, Ian set his journal aside and lay back in his sleeping bag.  He would figure out his next steps in the morning.  

 

 

Upgrade Profile:

Original Name: ? for now.

Epic Name: Upgrade

Age: 45

Hobbies: Long distance running, juggling, experimental baking.  

 

Powers: He can enhance the properties of any object, and remove limitations.  This works on inanimate objects like bullets and knives, and extends to animate beings, including epics.  When his powers are used on epics, the epic's powers are amplified, and limitations are either removed entirely or severely lessened.  Upgrade requires physical touch to use his power, and any power boost ceases the moment contact is lost.  However, things created by Epics while Upgraded will remain, even if they would not be able to create similar objects without Upgrade.  .

 

Physical Description:  Upgrade is a small man with sharp features.  He has fairly regular brown hair and eyes, and a tan complexion that lets him blend into the crowd.  His passion for fitness and for nutrition has helped him to stay fairly fit in his middle age, but even still his muscles lack the definition of some more impressive epics, and his lack of size makes it difficult for him to be perceived as a threat to anyone.  His voice is mid-range, but gets higher when he is frustrated.  

 

Personality:  A silent snarker.  While he has learned to be fairly cavalier about practically being traded from one 'master' to the next, being forced to use his powers often brings out his grumpy side, making him easily annoyed by epics who do not hold authority over him.  He treats his superiors with all due respect, but usually directs a mental dig their way.  Telepaths are his worst nightmare.  

 

MO: Unlike other minor epics, Upgrade doesn't truly fear epics with more power than he has (which is pretty much everyone).  He knows that one of the only things epics have in common, no matter how powerful they are, is a desire for more power, and thus he knows that, as long as he able to spit out his power profile before being offed, he will be taken in and protected like a prized possession.  He's a decent knife fighter and shot, so he gets by okay defending himself against attacks by Vanillas, but he spends most of his time moving from place to place being used by one epic despot or the next.  

 

History: .... working on it.  

 

RP Sample:  

 

"Upgrade!  My name's Electro and I'm here to offer you a job."  An unknown epic at the door shouting one's name might have unnerved some people, but Upgrade was, unfortunately, used to it.  Sighing, Upgrade got to open the door, pausing to pick up his twin daggers and giving them a quick upgrade before doing so.  While he was fairly certain he had nothing to fear, it never hurt to be careful.  He had hoped that coming to Portland, a city governed by warring factions, would provide him with some measure of anonymity and a break from a long chain of 'jobs' like the one this 'Electro' was no-doubt describing.  

 

"Yes?  And what is that?"  Upgrade blinked, staring into Electro's eyes, and not bothering to take in whatever costume he was wearing.  If news of his abilities had spread, then one of the leaders of Portland's factions would know about it.  Since he was not a leader himself, Electro would have to be a trusted lackey to one of the big three, making him only as important as his message.  

 

"Corpsemaker, maybe you've heard of him."  Of course I've heard of Corpsemaker.  Do I look like an idiot?  "Big Medusa type of epic, kills with a look, he wants to hire you."  Of course he does.  Who doesn't?  Upgrade almost shuddered at the thought of what Corpsemaker might be capable of with his assistance.  "He'll give you whatever you want.  See this robot?"  Electro paused his voracious efforts to state the obvious by pointing to a nearby robot that looked like something out of an action movie.  "You can have stuff like this too.  I've also been promised cities.  He's willing to give you whatever as long as you help him."

 

No threats, just promises.  That's sort of nice.  "Cities are good," he said, not sure if he was making a joke at Electro's expense or not.  "I'm interested.  Bring me to this guy and we'll talk."  Upgrade resisted the urge to tap his foot impatiently.  If he was going to be uprooted once again, he wanted to get it over with so he could start settling into his new role.  At least he wasn't being recruited by Altermind, the thought of failing one of those tests terrified him.  

 

"Good."  Why was Electro still talking?  "Grab anything you want and let's go."

 

Upgrade shrugged.  With his life, you got used to packing light, and letting go of possessions.  If Corpsemaker was as powerful as he seemed, Upgrade was pretty sure he wouldn't be in need of much.  "I have everything I need, and what I don't, this Corpsemaker should be able to provide."

 

*****

 

Despite his nonchalance with Electro, Upgrade found himself almost cowering under Corpsemaker's gaze.  How could not, when standing in front of a man who could kill with the same look he was using to scrutinize Upgrade at that very moment?  

 

"So Upgrade, what's your power?"

 

The question, phrased so casually, still sounded like it was coming from a god rather than a man.  Upgrade licked his lips nervously and launched into his usual speech.  "I enhance.  I make knives sharper, bullets faster, epics stronger.  While my hand is on you, all your limitations are gone.  Completely."  Upgrade shrugged, and shifted on his feet nervously.  Corpsemaker would have to be an idiot not to make use of his abilities, of course, but no matter what logic he used, something about that gaze made him feel closer to death than he'd felt in a long time.  

 

I wanted to do the scene with Timeport as well, but I think I went on long enough.  What do you guys think?  Also, I think the next plotline has Upgrade working with Quota, so Twi do you want to start a scene?  Let me know!

[The Swan Dragon he/him]

I like him! Initially I was worried that the ninjutsu thing would be forced and would take precedence over the character itself, but with what Jve seen of your writing skills and drive to make a good character, I have trust in both the concept and your execution. Have fun writing!

Thank you so much! Making characters has always been fun for me, and with the RP forums I've found over the past few months, I've really been able to learn many new tricks for writing.

[Voidus]

Sorry for being absent a bit lately, new job, new baby and we're moving too so new house. Been a bit busy lately
Should calm down starting next week and give me more time for the Shard again.

The Dominion has a few though, iirc.

Upgrade, who can increase the powers of another Epic while in contact.

Mundivore, who is.... invulnerable, maybe? I forget. Cogni did one post with him recently.

Steetwise can see anything occurring on or near a street.

Leech can drain attributes from his "people", like health or strength, and he keeps them near him to do so. They follow willingly.

Collaborate becomes stronger and tougher the more people "follow" him.

Murphy might be someone's, I think, but he basically has a field of probability warping that breaks things and causes him to avoid death perfectly.

 

Most of these basically became NPCs after their creator left.

I've temporarily adopted Streetwise and Murphy and I do have some plans with Murphy, Streetwise I'm very happy for someone else to take over for though.

 

I can understand the itch, so scratch away. There just isn't much of a point to actually introduce them in an Oregon location.

 

Yeah, there's a good chance that Shiny will move on to Portland after the current interactions, so that most likely won't work out.

 

Murphy, I think actually went to Voidus but he hasn't done anything with him yet, so asking him if you could have him might be worth it (no promises of course) something similair with Soulswitch, who pretty much works for the empire by extension of the PPP, A character that's definetly free in the Empire is Parity, who can absorb color out of objects to create orbs that either have healing or destructive powers.

In Thoughttown there are several NPCs that you could ask Mailliw for, if you're already PMing him anyway.

 

Again, has anyone heard from Mashadar Mistborn recently?

Soulswitch I have considered putting up for adoption for a while, I don't really know what to do with him any more but he does have established connections to a few people in Portland so if anyone wants a Portland Epic feel free to take him!

 

Not a complete list yet but a couple more Epics for the adoption list, Twi. (Also, aren't both Leech and Collaborate alligned with Corpsemaker?)

Dalles:

Ozymandias: Capable of extreme speeds, including an accelerated perception, dissolving objects by increasing their entropy and regenerating. Tecnically unaligned but tending towards the city guard.

 

Hydron: Hydrokinetic that can accelerate his healing by submerging himself under water. Allignment: City guard

 

Florist: Can accelerate the growth of plants and control their movement. Also possesses a life sense. Allignment: City Guard

 

Event Horizon: Gravity manipulator that can create points of strong gravitational pull, while also altering how gravity affects him. Allignment: Slivers (Quicksilver)

 

Astoria:

Timelock: A time manipulator that can alter the flow of time for himself, other objects or within areas.

 

(Blackhoof, do you want to put up the Destructors for possible adoption or would you prefer to keep control of them yourself?)

On the note of Astoria I'm happy for someone to take Lockvault for now, writing scenes with myself can be a bit depressing if I write Lockvault and the Adventurer

 

Once my last weeks of school conclude and I can work through the gargantuan story of Portland, I'd like to adopt Murphy. If someone else laid claim first, please let me know. (Twilyght said he was open, so I don't think anyone has)

As mentioned I have at least temporarily adopted him and I do have some plans for him, but I'm not opposed to someone else writing him either so maybe PM me so we can talk about it if you're still interested in him?

[Blackhoof]

Not a complete list yet but a couple more Epics for the adoption list, Twi. (Also, aren't both Leech and Collaborate alligned with Corpsemaker?)

 

(Blackhoof, do you want to put up the Destructors for possible adoption or would you prefer to keep control of them yourself?)

 

yeah they are both Corpsemaker's at the moment

 

Hmm... nah I will keep them I think 

 

Is that ok with you Blackhoof? If not, then I can always fully take back Abaddon and Marco.

 

 

hmmm.... do you mind if you have them? I think I would rather you had them, if you are willing

 

 

Alright. @Blackhoof, any ideas for that sort of action? I could put in scenes of ThunderSpear sleuthing around, but I would need to know what he would find.

 

 

Weirdperson:

Cool, that would be an interesting fight. 

 

Well, one thing that is important for Iconoclast's hiding is that he frequently changes his appearance- usually he keeps his gender, but within a day he could chance half a dozen times. 

It shouldn't be too hard to find the sites of his massacres- Corvallis Security will have secured them all by now, and can direct him to them. He attacked a street and several houses, then the fields, and then found Slaughterine's house and sent her dozen servants out to make attacks of their own. So there are about a dozen sites scattered around northern Corvallis where ghouls ran rampant, but they have all been killed now.

If he goes to Slaughterine's house, which the Security would have tracked her servants to, then he will see his message on the wall, and know his name: "ICONOCLAST SAYS HELLO". Slaughterine's "body" will be in the living room, face and body ripped apart.

 

Beyond that, he probably won't find much sign of him. He can ask residents of nearby houses if he saw anyone leave the house, and they will say that they saw people leaving the house intermittently, dressed in plain servants clothes. They scattered in all directions, looking frightened (although this is common in these troubled times). For the purposes of interesting storytelling though, perhaps he finds one witness the police missed, who described a pair of servants leave not long ago- a man and a woman he didn't recognise (odd, since he knew all of Slaughterine's servants) but the woman looked strangely like Slaughterine, although it was hard to tell, and impossible anyway, since Slaughterine is "dead"

Thunderspear wouldn't reveal this info to the cops. If he continues trying to track down the couple in the direction they went, he can perhaps interview enough servants along the way that spotted the couple (well even 1 in 20 who remembered them would be enough to track them I should think) and slowly piece together their location.

It would take him a number of hours though, I think. But if he is willing to do that, then he can find their hideout late at night perhaps? Then he can attack in the morning, or later in the night?

 

Edited May 20, 2016 by Blackhoof

[The Swan Dragon he/him]

Weirdperson:

Cool, that would be an interesting fight. 

 

Well, one thing that is important for Iconoclast's hiding is that he frequently changes his appearance- usually he keeps his gender, but within a day he could chance half a dozen times. 

It shouldn't be too hard to find the sites of his massacres- Corvallis Security will have secured them all by now, and can direct him to them. He attacked a street and several houses, then the fields, and then found Slaughterine's house and sent her dozen servants out to make attacks of their own. So there are about a dozen sites scattered around northern Corvallis where ghouls ran rampant, but they have all been killed now.

If he goes to Slaughterine's house, which the Security would have tracked her servants to, then he will see his message on the wall, and know his name: "ICONOCLAST SAYS HELLO". Slaughterine's "body" will be in the living room, face and body ripped apart.

 

Beyond that, he probably won't find much sign of him. He can ask residents of nearby houses if he saw anyone leave the house, and they will say that they saw people leaving the house intermittently, dressed in plain servants clothes. They scattered in all directions, looking frightened (although this is common in these troubled times). For the purposes of interesting storytelling though, perhaps he finds one witness the police missed, who described a pair of servants leave not long ago- a man and a woman he didn't recognise (odd, since he knew all of Slaughterine's servants) but the woman looked strangely like Slaughterine, although it was hard to tell, and impossible anyway, since Slaughterine is "dead"

Thunderspear wouldn't reveal this info to the cops. If he continues trying to track down the couple in the direction they went, he can perhaps interview enough servants along the way that spotted the couple (well even 1 in 20 who remembered them would be enough to track them I should think) and slowly piece together their location.

It would take him a number of hours though, I think. But if he is willing to do that, then he can find their hideout late at night perhaps? Then he can attack in the morning, or later in the night?

 

Yay!

 

Good to know.

 

I'll probably have him check out one or two then go to Slaughterine's house.

 

Alright. Maybe someone who lived next door who had only recently gotten back from some duty?

 

Sounds good. Could you give me a brief description of the exterior of their hideout? And what time is it now? For ThunderSpear, probably mid-afternoon, I don't know where everyone else is. He'd probably search around a bit this afternoon, then continue to trace them in the morning after a good rest.

 

Finally, @Comatose, what do you think of a Nijo flashback to him joining up with Buttercup's security? What would I put in that? Also @Blaze1616, I think you have Buttercup. Any feedback for that?

[Mestiv he/him]

It was some time since the last time we saw pugs here, so here:

 

[Blackhoof]

Yay!

 

Good to know.

 

I'll probably have him check out one or two then go to Slaughterine's house.

 

Alright. Maybe someone who lived next door who had only recently gotten back from some duty?

 

Sounds good. Could you give me a brief description of the exterior of their hideout? And what time is it now? For ThunderSpear, probably mid-afternoon, I don't know where everyone else is. He'd probably search around a bit this afternoon, then continue to trace them in the morning after a good rest.

 

yeah someone like that should work

 

 

well, their hideout is just some random, normal house, abandoned and unused. The garden would still be tended though, for aesthetics sake, by vanillas. 

Well for most people i think it is around noon, but I'm not sure, people are all over the place. Theoretically it could be mid-afternoon or late-afternoon as well.

There are no on-going interactions I believe that lock us into place, so it could be anytime of day at all.

 

 

EDIT: and Corpsemaker reminds everyone that wanton shooting at him, despite his invulnerability, is unacceptable

Edited May 20, 2016 by Blackhoof

[Edgedancer he/him]

@Winter: I can understand wanting to jump right in again with the writing but the last Red post doesn't really work as written, simply by how Nighthound would still have been running and moved away before she could even say something. It doesn't help that Lucentia would most likely wnat to keep her close to keep track of Timeport and Electro. I'm sure we can work something out for Red to do right now, though.

 

All right, I cleared things with Mailliw, so here are my promised RP samples for Ian the Lorist, and for Upgrade

 

Ian Buhler RP Sample:

 Ian stopped to make camp a few hours after sunset, only then deciding that he had put enough distance between himself and Corvallis to feel comfortable again.  After setting up a make-shift shelter using some rope and a sheet of poly from his back-pack, Ian lay down with a flashlight and his journal, hoping to find some much needed clarity.  

 

I am going to meet Euphoria tomorrow.  

 

The words, written with such arrogance and unabashed curiosity, now sent a slight shiver down his spine.  Surely he was smarter than that, wasn't he?  After weeks of evading Euphoria's power, he had walked right up to her.  What had he been thinking?  

 

His journal held the answer, written in a private code to avoid discovery by prying eyes:

 

I've decided I must meet her directly if I am to learn anything about her powers.  The effects of her abilities are widespread: you can see her nefarious influence in everyone, from the wide lazy grins of her frequent customers, to the slight skip in the steps of people who should be down-trodden slaves.  And yet, nobody can tell me anything about how her powers work.  The feelings of happiness just come to them, they say.  Others claim they are just always happy, or that they have been ever since arriving in the city.  I've uncovered vague mentions of 'Euphoria's Agents': men and women who stalk the streets bestowing her powers on their peers.  While this indicates that Euphoria likely has the ability to gift her powers, it answers few of my other questions.  These 'agents' have been nearly impossible to find or track, proving to be nearly elusive as Euphoria herself.  Her name is on the lips of every human and epic  in Corvallis and the surrounding area, and yet no one can provide me with even most mundane of personal details.  Her false joy rains down on the city like Rainmaker's unnatural sunlight, but unlike the sun there is no trace of the source . . . 

 

Realizing that this bit went on a while--apparently he had been feeling particularly eloquent that day--Ian skipped over a few pages of metaphor to the part where he began discussing his plans.  

 

And so, out of desperation, I have come up with a plan.  Every human citizen of Corvallis must attend scheduled "Emotional Temperature Checks" with Euphoria on a bi-weekly or tri-weekly basis, depending on the rank of their epic masters.  Apparently there are safeguards in place to protect her identity, but everyone I've spoken with indicates they are certain Euphoria is physically present at these appointments.  I will know if their certainty is correct or just a symptom of their altered state of mind tomorrow, when I attend one of these check-up on my own.  

 

Wish me luck.

 

Ian shook his head in disbelief.  The journal entry had been written almost a year ago.  He could remember writing it clearly.  He remembered that he had enjoyed writing it immensely, just as he remembered enjoying every single thing he had done since arriving in Corvallis.  

 

Flipping back through the journal, Ian searched through previous entries, but no matter what was being discussed, the only emotional state he could remember being in was one of blissful content.  At one point, he wrote about his computer malfunctioning, something that would usually send him into a grumpy fugue like no other.  The prose was purple and dark, and yet as he recalled writing the words on the page, he almost imagined himself laughing with glee as he put the words on the page.  

 

There were other entries later, after he had attended the check-up, of course.  As he flipped through future pages, we could see a clear progression in his writing.  After the appointment, he had quickly grown lax about avoiding being dosed by Euphoria's power, and within a month he had been seeking it out like the rest of the population.  A stay meant to only last a few weeks or months at most had extended to just under a year.   The only reason he was out of the bubble and on the road again was because of Euphoria's mysterious disappearance.  All at once, his feelings of happiness had been yanked away, and while in a state of melancholy associated with a happiness hangover, Ian had started paging through his journal, and had begun to notice the discrepancy.  

 

At the appointment, Euphoria hadn't just made him happier, as he was expecting.  As he reviewed his journal and reflected on the last year, he was becoming more and more certain that she had altered his memories to make him think he was happy in the past.  The ramifications of this power were startling, especially when paired with the ability to bestow present happiness on subjects.  While part him desperately yearned to return to the city to continue to study Euphoria and her abilities, Ian knew he needed to get out while he could.  He could return to Corvallis eventually perhaps, after giving himself a year or two to clear his head and begin feeling like himself again.  Suddenly exhausted, Ian set his journal aside and lay back in his sleeping bag.  He would figure out his next steps in the morning.  

 

 

Upgrade Profile:

Original Name: ? for now.

Epic Name: Upgrade

Age: 45

Hobbies: Long distance running, juggling, experimental baking.  

 

Powers: He can enhance the properties of any object, and remove limitations.  This works on inanimate objects like bullets and knives, and extends to animate beings, including epics.  When his powers are used on epics, the epic's powers are amplified, and limitations are either removed entirely or severely lessened.  Upgrade requires physical touch to use his power, and any power boost ceases the moment contact is lost.  However, things created by Epics while Upgraded will remain, even if they would not be able to create similar objects without Upgrade.  .

 

Physical Description:  Upgrade is a small man with sharp features.  He has fairly regular brown hair and eyes, and a tan complexion that lets him blend into the crowd.  His passion for fitness and for nutrition has helped him to stay fairly fit in his middle age, but even still his muscles lack the definition of some more impressive epics, and his lack of size makes it difficult for him to be perceived as a threat to anyone.  His voice is mid-range, but gets higher when he is frustrated.  

 

Personality:  A silent snarker.  While he has learned to be fairly cavalier about practically being traded from one 'master' to the next, being forced to use his powers often brings out his grumpy side, making him easily annoyed by epics who do not hold authority over him.  He treats his superiors with all due respect, but usually directs a mental dig their way.  Telepaths are his worst nightmare.  

 

MO: Unlike other minor epics, Upgrade doesn't truly fear epics with more power than he has (which is pretty much everyone).  He knows that one of the only things epics have in common, no matter how powerful they are, is a desire for more power, and thus he knows that, as long as he able to spit out his power profile before being offed, he will be taken in and protected like a prized possession.  He's a decent knife fighter and shot, so he gets by okay defending himself against attacks by Vanillas, but he spends most of his time moving from place to place being used by one epic despot or the next.  

 

History: .... working on it.  

 

RP Sample:  

 

"Upgrade!  My name's Electro and I'm here to offer you a job."  An unknown epic at the door shouting one's name might have unnerved some people, but Upgrade was, unfortunately, used to it.  Sighing, Upgrade got to open the door, pausing to pick up his twin daggers and giving them a quick upgrade before doing so.  While he was fairly certain he had nothing to fear, it never hurt to be careful.  He had hoped that coming to Portland, a city governed by warring factions, would provide him with some measure of anonymity and a break from a long chain of 'jobs' like the one this 'Electro' was no-doubt describing.  

 

"Yes?  And what is that?"  Upgrade blinked, staring into Electro's eyes, and not bothering to take in whatever costume he was wearing.  If news of his abilities had spread, then one of the leaders of Portland's factions would know about it.  Since he was not a leader himself, Electro would have to be a trusted lackey to one of the big three, making him only as important as his message.  

 

"Corpsemaker, maybe you've heard of him."  Of course I've heard of Corpsemaker.  Do I look like an idiot?  "Big Medusa type of epic, kills with a look, he wants to hire you."  Of course he does.  Who doesn't?  Upgrade almost shuddered at the thought of what Corpsemaker might be capable of with his assistance.  "He'll give you whatever you want.  See this robot?"  Electro paused his voracious efforts to state the obvious by pointing to a nearby robot that looked like something out of an action movie.  "You can have stuff like this too.  I've also been promised cities.  He's willing to give you whatever as long as you help him."

 

No threats, just promises.  That's sort of nice.  "Cities are good," he said, not sure if he was making a joke at Electro's expense or not.  "I'm interested.  Bring me to this guy and we'll talk."  Upgrade resisted the urge to tap his foot impatiently.  If he was going to be uprooted once again, he wanted to get it over with so he could start settling into his new role.  At least he wasn't being recruited by Altermind, the thought of failing one of those tests terrified him.  

 

"Good."  Why was Electro still talking?  "Grab anything you want and let's go."

 

Upgrade shrugged.  With his life, you got used to packing light, and letting go of possessions.  If Corpsemaker was as powerful as he seemed, Upgrade was pretty sure he wouldn't be in need of much.  "I have everything I need, and what I don't, this Corpsemaker should be able to provide."

 

*****

 

Despite his nonchalance with Electro, Upgrade found himself almost cowering under Corpsemaker's gaze.  How could not, when standing in front of a man who could kill with the same look he was using to scrutinize Upgrade at that very moment?  

 

"So Upgrade, what's your power?"

 

The question, phrased so casually, still sounded like it was coming from a god rather than a man.  Upgrade licked his lips nervously and launched into his usual speech.  "I enhance.  I make knives sharper, bullets faster, epics stronger.  While my hand is on you, all your limitations are gone.  Completely."  Upgrade shrugged, and shifted on his feet nervously.  Corpsemaker would have to be an idiot not to make use of his abilities, of course, but no matter what logic he used, something about that gaze made him feel closer to death than he'd felt in a long time.  

 

I wanted to do the scene with Timeport as well, but I think I went on long enough.  What do you guys think?  Also, I think the next plotline has Upgrade working with Quota, so Twi do you want to start a scene?  Let me know!

Those two RP bits certainly didn't disapoint.

 

On the note of Astoria I'm happy for someone to take Lockvault for now, writing scenes with myself can be a bit depressing if I write Lockvault and the Adventurer

We'll put him on the list then. I maybe could help if you need someone to bounce the character off until then.

 

yeah they are both Corpsemaker's at the moment

 

Hmm... nah I will keep them I think 

Sounds good to me, they are in very capable hands after all.

 

It was some time since the last time we saw pugs here, so here:

 

Yes, pugs! Just the thing.

 

EDIT: and Corpsemaker reminds everyone that wanton shooting at him, despite his invulnerability, is unacceptable

I'm just appreciate seeing them try... and not only becuase it caused the tank fire.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Edgedancer

[Blackhoof]

 

Sounds good to me, they are in very capable hands after all.

 

I'm just appreciate seeing them try... and not only becuase it caused the tank fire.

 

aww shucks :3

 

mwa ha ha ha!

[Blackhoof]

 

Sounds good to me, they are in very capable hands after all.

 

I'm just appreciate seeing them try... and not only becuase it caused the tank fire.

 

aww shucks :3

 

mwa ha ha ha!

[Blaze1616 he/him]

 Also @Blaze1616, I think you have Buttercup. Any feedback for that?

 

In terms of time of day, Buttercup, Kenshin, and Argon are locked right around 1 pm right now, maybe a little later than that.

 

As for tracking Iconoclast, keep in mind that I haven't read any of the new posts in the the thread. Buttercup will be very upset that Rainmaker is assigning someone else to track him down, because 1) she wasn't consulted, and 2) Buttercup takes pride in her security force and their effectiveness (this confidence can be a false confidence, however, since there's never been too many issues in Corvallis).

 

But yeah, it's up to you guys. This is a cooperative role play, after all. Personally, I don't think the security would miss any witnesses, but then again it's a possibility, so yeah. Also remember that eye witnesses are more often than not unreliable when retelling info. If your trail of bread crumbs are witness after witness, you're compounding that unreliability with each new witness you speak with. Just something to keep in mind.

[Comatose he/him]

Thanks for the feedback Edge .  I had a lot of fun writing those.  

 

Finally, @Comatose, what do you think of a Nijo flashback to him joining up with Buttercup's security? What would I put in that? Also @Blaze1616, I think you have Buttercup. Any feedback for that?

 

I don't think you necessarily need a flashback of him joining; you could just start with him having already been a member of Security, and then let more come up over time.  

 

In terms of time of day, Buttercup, Kenshin, and Argon are locked right around 1 pm right now, maybe a little later than that.

 

As for tracking Iconoclast, keep in mind that I haven't read any of the new posts in the the thread. Buttercup will be very upset that Rainmaker is assigning someone else to track him down, because 1) she wasn't consulted, and 2) Buttercup takes pride in her security force and their effectiveness (this confidence can be a false confidence, however, since there's never been too many issues in Corvallis).

 

But yeah, it's up to you guys. This is a cooperative role play, after all. Personally, I don't think the security would miss any witnesses, but then again it's a possibility, so yeah. Also remember that eye witnesses are more often than not unreliable when retelling info. If your trail of bread crumbs are witness after witness, you're compounding that unreliability with each new witness you speak with. Just something to keep in mind.

 

And we all know how considerate Rainmaker is of Buttercup's feelings .  

 

I think Rainmaker would see it as covering her bases: the more people looking for Iconoclast the better.  She would also see it as a way of keeping Thunderspear occupied.  Blaze, maybe during the Queen's meeting later in the day, we could have Buttercup confront Rainmaker about this (and possibly the Iron Ogress thing as well)?  I think that could be fun.  What do you think?

[the winter system]

Chase could do something. She is kinda laying low, but I do need something to get her back into action. 

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

All right, I cleared things with Mailliw, so here are my promised RP samples for Ian the Lorist, and for Upgrade

 

Ian Buhler RP Sample:

 Ian stopped to make camp a few hours after sunset, only then deciding that he had put enough distance between himself and Corvallis to feel comfortable again.  After setting up a make-shift shelter using some rope and a sheet of poly from his back-pack, Ian lay down with a flashlight and his journal, hoping to find some much needed clarity.  

 

I am going to meet Euphoria tomorrow.  

 

The words, written with such arrogance and unabashed curiosity, now sent a slight shiver down his spine.  Surely he was smarter than that, wasn't he?  After weeks of evading Euphoria's power, he had walked right up to her.  What had he been thinking?  

 

His journal held the answer, written in a private code to avoid discovery by prying eyes:

 

I've decided I must meet her directly if I am to learn anything about her powers.  The effects of her abilities are widespread: you can see her nefarious influence in everyone, from the wide lazy grins of her frequent customers, to the slight skip in the steps of people who should be down-trodden slaves.  And yet, nobody can tell me anything about how her powers work.  The feelings of happiness just come to them, they say.  Others claim they are just always happy, or that they have been ever since arriving in the city.  I've uncovered vague mentions of 'Euphoria's Agents': men and women who stalk the streets bestowing her powers on their peers.  While this indicates that Euphoria likely has the ability to gift her powers, it answers few of my other questions.  These 'agents' have been nearly impossible to find or track, proving to be nearly elusive as Euphoria herself.  Her name is on the lips of every human and epic  in Corvallis and the surrounding area, and yet no one can provide me with even most mundane of personal details.  Her false joy rains down on the city like Rainmaker's unnatural sunlight, but unlike the sun there is no trace of the source . . . 

 

Realizing that this bit went on a while--apparently he had been feeling particularly eloquent that day--Ian skipped over a few pages of metaphor to the part where he began discussing his plans.  

 

And so, out of desperation, I have come up with a plan.  Every human citizen of Corvallis must attend scheduled "Emotional Temperature Checks" with Euphoria on a bi-weekly or tri-weekly basis, depending on the rank of their epic masters.  Apparently there are safeguards in place to protect her identity, but everyone I've spoken with indicates they are certain Euphoria is physically present at these appointments.  I will know if their certainty is correct or just a symptom of their altered state of mind tomorrow, when I attend one of these check-up on my own.  

 

Wish me luck.

 

Ian shook his head in disbelief.  The journal entry had been written almost a year ago.  He could remember writing it clearly.  He remembered that he had enjoyed writing it immensely, just as he remembered enjoying every single thing he had done since arriving in Corvallis.  

 

Flipping back through the journal, Ian searched through previous entries, but no matter what was being discussed, the only emotional state he could remember being in was one of blissful content.  At one point, he wrote about his computer malfunctioning, something that would usually send him into a grumpy fugue like no other.  The prose was purple and dark, and yet as he recalled writing the words on the page, he almost imagined himself laughing with glee as he put the words on the page.  

 

There were other entries later, after he had attended the check-up, of course.  As he flipped through future pages, we could see a clear progression in his writing.  After the appointment, he had quickly grown lax about avoiding being dosed by Euphoria's power, and within a month he had been seeking it out like the rest of the population.  A stay meant to only last a few weeks or months at most had extended to just under a year.   The only reason he was out of the bubble and on the road again was because of Euphoria's mysterious disappearance.  All at once, his feelings of happiness had been yanked away, and while in a state of melancholy associated with a happiness hangover, Ian had started paging through his journal, and had begun to notice the discrepancy.  

 

At the appointment, Euphoria hadn't just made him happier, as he was expecting.  As he reviewed his journal and reflected on the last year, he was becoming more and more certain that she had altered his memories to make him think he was happy in the past.  The ramifications of this power were startling, especially when paired with the ability to bestow present happiness on subjects.  While part him desperately yearned to return to the city to continue to study Euphoria and her abilities, Ian knew he needed to get out while he could.  He could return to Corvallis eventually perhaps, after giving himself a year or two to clear his head and begin feeling like himself again.  Suddenly exhausted, Ian set his journal aside and lay back in his sleeping bag.  He would figure out his next steps in the morning.  

 

 

Upgrade Profile:

Original Name: ? for now.

Epic Name: Upgrade

Age: 45

Hobbies: Long distance running, juggling, experimental baking.  

 

Powers: He can enhance the properties of any object, and remove limitations.  This works on inanimate objects like bullets and knives, and extends to animate beings, including epics.  When his powers are used on epics, the epic's powers are amplified, and limitations are either removed entirely or severely lessened.  Upgrade requires physical touch to use his power, and any power boost ceases the moment contact is lost.  However, things created by Epics while Upgraded will remain, even if they would not be able to create similar objects without Upgrade.  .

 

Physical Description:  Upgrade is a small man with sharp features.  He has fairly regular brown hair and eyes, and a tan complexion that lets him blend into the crowd.  His passion for fitness and for nutrition has helped him to stay fairly fit in his middle age, but even still his muscles lack the definition of some more impressive epics, and his lack of size makes it difficult for him to be perceived as a threat to anyone.  His voice is mid-range, but gets higher when he is frustrated.  

 

Personality:  A silent snarker.  While he has learned to be fairly cavalier about practically being traded from one 'master' to the next, being forced to use his powers often brings out his grumpy side, making him easily annoyed by epics who do not hold authority over him.  He treats his superiors with all due respect, but usually directs a mental dig their way.  Telepaths are his worst nightmare.  

 

MO: Unlike other minor epics, Upgrade doesn't truly fear epics with more power than he has (which is pretty much everyone).  He knows that one of the only things epics have in common, no matter how powerful they are, is a desire for more power, and thus he knows that, as long as he able to spit out his power profile before being offed, he will be taken in and protected like a prized possession.  He's a decent knife fighter and shot, so he gets by okay defending himself against attacks by Vanillas, but he spends most of his time moving from place to place being used by one epic despot or the next.  

 

History: .... working on it.  

 

RP Sample:  

 

"Upgrade!  My name's Electro and I'm here to offer you a job."  An unknown epic at the door shouting one's name might have unnerved some people, but Upgrade was, unfortunately, used to it.  Sighing, Upgrade got to open the door, pausing to pick up his twin daggers and giving them a quick upgrade before doing so.  While he was fairly certain he had nothing to fear, it never hurt to be careful.  He had hoped that coming to Portland, a city governed by warring factions, would provide him with some measure of anonymity and a break from a long chain of 'jobs' like the one this 'Electro' was no-doubt describing.  

 

"Yes?  And what is that?"  Upgrade blinked, staring into Electro's eyes, and not bothering to take in whatever costume he was wearing.  If news of his abilities had spread, then one of the leaders of Portland's factions would know about it.  Since he was not a leader himself, Electro would have to be a trusted lackey to one of the big three, making him only as important as his message.  

 

"Corpsemaker, maybe you've heard of him."  Of course I've heard of Corpsemaker.  Do I look like an idiot?  "Big Medusa type of epic, kills with a look, he wants to hire you."  Of course he does.  Who doesn't?  Upgrade almost shuddered at the thought of what Corpsemaker might be capable of with his assistance.  "He'll give you whatever you want.  See this robot?"  Electro paused his voracious efforts to state the obvious by pointing to a nearby robot that looked like something out of an action movie.  "You can have stuff like this too.  I've also been promised cities.  He's willing to give you whatever as long as you help him."

 

No threats, just promises.  That's sort of nice.  "Cities are good," he said, not sure if he was making a joke at Electro's expense or not.  "I'm interested.  Bring me to this guy and we'll talk."  Upgrade resisted the urge to tap his foot impatiently.  If he was going to be uprooted once again, he wanted to get it over with so he could start settling into his new role.  At least he wasn't being recruited by Altermind, the thought of failing one of those tests terrified him.  

 

"Good."  Why was Electro still talking?  "Grab anything you want and let's go."

 

Upgrade shrugged.  With his life, you got used to packing light, and letting go of possessions.  If Corpsemaker was as powerful as he seemed, Upgrade was pretty sure he wouldn't be in need of much.  "I have everything I need, and what I don't, this Corpsemaker should be able to provide."

 

*****

 

Despite his nonchalance with Electro, Upgrade found himself almost cowering under Corpsemaker's gaze.  How could not, when standing in front of a man who could kill with the same look he was using to scrutinize Upgrade at that very moment?  

 

"So Upgrade, what's your power?"

 

The question, phrased so casually, still sounded like it was coming from a god rather than a man.  Upgrade licked his lips nervously and launched into his usual speech.  "I enhance.  I make knives sharper, bullets faster, epics stronger.  While my hand is on you, all your limitations are gone.  Completely."  Upgrade shrugged, and shifted on his feet nervously.  Corpsemaker would have to be an idiot not to make use of his abilities, of course, but no matter what logic he used, something about that gaze made him feel closer to death than he'd felt in a long time.  

 

I wanted to do the scene with Timeport as well, but I think I went on long enough.  What do you guys think?  Also, I think the next plotline has Upgrade working with Quota, so Twi do you want to start a scene?  Let me know!

 

I'm good with a scene if you are.