Kobold King

All I ask is that the posts on the "What Happened in Oregon" RP be left out of this--a lot of work goes into them, and I try to keep up with the reactions from other players. This post, of course, is just begging to be set on fire with your red arrows.

I'm going to guess it's not as simple as a banana muffin? Out of curiosity, would Funtimes trigger Steelheart's weakness?

Of course. Photoshopped pictures of Grumpy Cat smiling are his weakness. You do have the advantage over the rest of RPers in knowing exactly what I'm hinting at.

I say we introduce a new Epic called Quota to Oregon. His power is creating a field around himself in which all positive feelings are suppressed. I changed Revolution's icon, and gave her a lame little rhyme that I made up off the top of my head. It's there mainly to hint that she has a bit of an interesting backstory that will be explored later on.

"However, you won´t get me to be any more charming then I already am." Well, sparks, Lightwards thought irritably. Nighthound continued his little speech, concluding with a hand gesture towards Ray which earned another deathglare. But the ultimate point was clear. Nighthound was not a tame Epic, but for now at least he was on the Empire's side. And apparently the dinosaurs were a major motivation towards keeping it that way. Lightwards slowly pushed Nighthound' arms off his shoulders and smiled. "Very well then. Nice to know that we're in this together. Good night." He tipped his hat to Nighthound and Ray in quick succession. "We will carry on tomorrow." It took a few minutes of searching, but soon he found a small bunker-like structure situated in the middle of the jungle. It appeared to have been left behind when the rest of the museum was transformed--its walls were tiled, and the door had a post-it note that read "Quickslide's room" in sloppy handwriting. They were in charge of this place for years and they never bothered with anything more classy than a post-it note? Lightwards shook his head and entered. Quickslide's room was a mess, with a cot and a shelf full of comic books crammed into a small space. Lightwards didn't bother to clean it up, though he did peel a pin-up girl poster off the wall and crumpled it into a ball. He kicked off his shoes, left his coat hanging on the doorknob, and let himself drift to sleep. The day had been far from perfect. But for the first time since Calamity appeared in the sky, Lightwards felt a sense of empowerment. It won't be long now. Portland is at my fingertips. Sam found herself still laughing as Lightwards stormed away from the clearing. She almost expected to see a literal storm cloud hovering above his head as he grumpily marched into the jungle. She was still watching him with amusement when she felt arms wrap around her. Before she could protest, Doctor Funtimes had her in an embrace and was holding her close. "I like you, Samantha." Revolution was next, and Remington seemed to have already gotten his hug. The Unicyclist appeared with a very heavy duty tire on his cycle, and he was given a hug as well. Quickly Funtimes skipped about the clearing, looking increasingly excited. "Let's go home let's go home! You all get to see where we live and it's going to be so amazing!" Hands were linked--Sam found herself holding onto Remington and Revolution, the latter of whom gave her a smooth smile. For the second time in the day, Sam blinked and found herself in a strange place. Correction: the strangest place she'd ever been to. The Museum of Natural Awesomeness had been a strange destination, but its halls of living dinosaurs seemed tame in relation to this. Every wall was painted in a different garish color, and the furniture looked less like a living room and more like a psychedelic petting zoo. Funtimes was still excitedly blabbering as she bounced across the room, explaining sleeping arrangements. Ultimately she bounced over to Revolution and beamed into the hippie's face, still jumping up and down. "You're here! You're all so here and it's amazing!" Even knowing that Funtimes was an Epic, and therefore a homicidal slontze, Sam couldn't help but crack a small and very un-gothlike smile at the woman's enthusiasm. "We'd best get some sleep, dear," Traveler said, his hands in his pockets. He still looked amused at Revolution's leprechaun quip. "Who knows what we've got tomorrow." He too was a strange one. Sam knew from firsthand experience that a new Epic ought to be one of the most sadistic maniacs on the planet, but his man seemed... just like a normal guy. She told herself not to let her guard down, but it was hard when she was surrounded by warm smiles. This experience might not be as hellish as she'd anticipated. The house was dark and quiet. The beds were beautifully colored even in this dim lighting, and the cloth was some of the softest Revolution had ever felt. She slept by the window, while Samantha had chosen the slightly smaller though still luxurious bed on the far side of the room. Revolution listened for a moment as her roommate's breathing grew softer, signaling she'd drifted to sleep. What she was about to do was an unnecessary risk, but Revolution decided to do it anyway. She knelt in bed and looked out the window, where a red star sat conspicuously in the center of the sky. Calamity. Revolution took a deep breath and began. "A rose below its warm red light, A beacon for souls lost to the night. Empires of man may smolder to ash, But the care of Roses alone shall last." It was a child's rhyme, but it sufficed. She'd recited it every night for years, and she wasn't about to stop now. It wasn't precisely a prayer, but it was a reminder. A reminder of what she'd been taught since she was still in her teens. A reminder that whatever happened in Oregon, hope would last in the world. With that, Revolution settled her head to her exceptionally soft pillow and allowed herself to sleep.

This upvote quota, So taxing, so restraining. I swear to return.

I'll be heading to Walmart for supplies (read: chips and smoothie materials.) Upon my return, I will write up a post for Sam and Revolution. (Still getting used to doing multiple characters in different places at the same time.)

I'll get to it eventually. Getting Nighthound to write an apology? Obviously a lost cause. I'm going to bribe him into loyalty and see if I get better results.

It was growing increasingly clear that Nighthound was the most despicable Epic Lightwards had ever met. He bit his lip as Nighthound shied back in mock offense, covering his pet Epic's ears. "Lightwards, please, bringing up old flings in front of her is not cool at all. What would you thing if I talked about something like that in front of… your bird? Do you even--" The young woman, Ray, suddenly blasted her tormentor with a pair of glowing energy lances, knocking him a few steps backward. She then leaped away herself and hid behind the bulky body of a dinosaur. "Hands off," she snapped, her voice outraged and her face cautious. Nighthound chuckled as if a puppy had just chewed on his shoe. “Isn´t she just adorable? Anyway, Voidgaze was it, a bit too cold for my taste. I smashed her head in, twice, and she ripped my arm out, you know the usual stuff. I don´t exactly see why I would need to apologize for that, no harm done after all.” He'd smashed her head in... suddenly Voidgaze's cold fury made perfect sense to Lightwards. She must be a resurrection Epic, and he knew from firsthand experience the resentment a resurrecter could feel towards their previous assailants. He briefly imagined how he'd feel being sent a written apology from Möbius, and concluded that Voidgaze wouldn't feel comforted at all until she had personally destroyed her murderer. He sighed as Nighthound and Ray continued to bicker back and forth. “Right, I forgot that," Nighthound was finishing. "Her fault not mine. Still not a reason to lie to the poor girl Lightwards.” The professor only continued to stare at Nighthound, feeling frustrated. He told Voidgaze that Nighthound was under control. That had been a lie. For Calamity's sake, he had a better argument for being in control of Remington than he did claiming that Nighthound was subservient to the Empire. Brutal times were ahead. If he was to defeat CorpseMaker and eventually Altermind, he needed his resources to be secured. So he took a step forward, ignoring the part of him that screamed in protest, and leaned in closer to Nighthound. "Nighthound," he said softly, glaring at Ray. "I applaud your free spirit. But this affair with Voidgaze underscores an issue which may become more important in days to come." Kicking himself for using the words "affair" and "Voidgaze," Lightwards continued in a harsher voice. "I will not go so far as to say the Empire of Light needs you for continued success. That would be obviously untrue. However, your loyalty is a commodity which I am willing to buy at an extravagant cost. What would you ask in return for being the loyal general of this Empire's armies?" Funtimes was insane and self-absorbed. Traveler was her puppet. Phoenix and Protector were too unpredictable to be trusted. But maybe, just maybe, Nighthound could be bought.

OH THE HUMANITY. I MEAN, THE PONY-TY! I guess I'll hold off making Revolution and Sam ponies until later when your quota refills...

Lightwards is already having one of his dinosaurs made into a coat, if you recall. But good idea in general--he'll start lugging a lot of dead things around with him from now on.

OK, so I'm not much better at threats than Lightwards is. Roger that. Good luck on your general business, and we look forward to seeing the scene.

Right now, he's ambivalent towards her. If she ever uttered the word "leprechaun" in association with him, he would fetch Nighthound a rolled-up newspaper drenched in acid.

It actually comes as a surprise that Funtimes didn't turn his fedora into that. So, on a more serious note, all present agree the Fortuity pony is usable? I'm putting something together right now that has him in it, so if anyone has more suggestions for him now would be a great time to make them known.

Lightwards moved further along the dark jungle path, quietly stewing. He knew that his parting remark to the girls was lackluster, and that only infuriated him more. Call me a leprechaun, he thought darkly. We'll see how long Funtimes' attention span can protect you, little girl. Because the moment she loses interest in you, I will slice you to bits and have you serving my tea. His brooding was interrupted by a heavy tap to the back of his head. He swore and turned around, his hand on his pistol. Nighthound was standing there with an enormous smile stretched on his face. "Nighthound," the professor growled. "Am I going to have to educate all of you? Don't sneak up on--" The grinning Epic spoke over him. “Guess who managed to get up here even after you abandoned him on the ground!" Lightwards sighed. "Well, I guess that would be--" Once again, Nighthound ignored him to continue speaking. "Honestly, you should be happy that I´m such a… hard worker. In fact I even got us a new recruit, although I´m gonna keep her for myself. Say hello, Ray.” A surly-looking woman with orange hair approached the two of them. There was murder in her eyes and a dog collar around her neck. "I see you're determined to violate the civil rights of every woman in Oregon," Lightwards said, eyeing the collar distastefully. Though as long as she didn't call him a leprechaun, he decided he didn't care what Nighthound did with her. "If I might draw your attention to another woman you've traumatized," he continued, fixing Nighthound with a stare. "I met with Altermind and several of his Thoughttown allies today. In particular, there was a girl named Voidgaze who seemed particularly unhappy about your name being mentioned. I told her you would write her a formal apology for whatever it is you did to her."

I tried the coloration on the snout to emphasize the nose--his hawk-like nose is one of the few clear descriptors of his appearance in the novel. But here's a Fortuity Mark II, open for criticism. Any further Fortuity ponies will have to be made blind, for I have gouged my eyeballs out after reading that story. Tally-ho.

I'll get to it. Hmm, not exactly the mortal terror an Epic like Fortuity ought to inspire... back to the drawing board, I suppose.

Alright-y, I'll go write up a reaction in a moment. Until then, here's my attempt at making a Fortuity pony: Whaddya think? Does he look ready to kidnap Berry Sperry and then get mauled by his own fedora?

Having Nighthound jump out and surprise him on a dark jungle path would fit the theme of Lightwards' night so far.

The Lighthound ship sails again! And sure, Lightwards could be introduced to Ray before he goes to bed. It might also be a good time for him to mention Voidgaze and see how he reacts. And concerning your last paragraph, all I have to say is as follows: 0.0

I wonder what would happen if Sam and Revolution started launching barbs at Nighthound. Sure, they're under Funtimes' protection--but it's been pretty much established by this point that Nighthound has no fear of Funtimes.

Oh dear. One quip from Revolution seems to have destroyed every last shred of Lightwards' villain credibility. In defense of Lightwards' parting threat, I wasn't trying to come up with something menacing there. The idea is, Thomas Cardinal was a depressive little man in his teens and young adulthood, and ridiculing laughter is one of many things he despises--alongside kissing, loud music, kissing, and incorrect depictions of dinosaurs. Having his allies and his allies' servants laughing at him injected him with a big shot of social awkwardness. Don't worry. He'll be back to massacring innocent bystanders by tomorrow.

Ooh, me likey. So how about this for Sam?: I'll try to find something for Aldo tomorrow.

So here are some pictures I'm currently considering as character icons. From left to right: Lightwards, Alice, Revolution, Sam, Cricket, Aldo. Thoughts? I'm not 100% happy with Sam and Aldo, but decently sized alternatives are hard to come by.