MacThorstenson

Aww, she thinks she's being bold. Clearly she's never visited the DA Budgeting meetings. "Before we continue," He started "I would like to say that you aren't being bold. You are just asking a question, those are always good to ask. It's also a good idea, as you have done, to occasionally present your own ideas. It makes the conversation infinitely more useful for the both of us, as well as interesting." He took a breath then continued. "Now onto your point. It certainly is easier to say this after the fact, when I have forgotten the things that held me back. When the memory of powerlessness is far of in the distance. But what never leaves you are the regrets. The choices that you wish you didn't make. The things you wish you never changed. The prices you wish you never paid. You say you know the feeling of limits, but you only see them as the things that have been placed on you. The limitations of others. Those storming suck, they are terrible. No one should have to listen to the limits placed on them by others." Mac breathed for a moment refocusing himself. "What I am referring to is the limitations you give yourself. The prices you aren't willing to pay. Those give you more power and control than anything else in the Universe. To answer your question, it's not terrible to wish to push the boundaries. To wish for control. But it is terrible to wish for those things without realizing the costs you pay. To give up what you loved most, without even realizing it's gone. Limits keep you from doing that. They keep you from giving up what you never want to lose. You need to stop yourself before you pay the price because oftentimes you never want to go back after you paid it. You regret your choices and want to go back to the way things are, but either you can't or won't. Because the price to return can be higher than the price you paid to get there." Mac paused, considering if he wanted to share his story. "When I died the second time, I tried to figure out how I ended up there. I was the strongest being in the multiverse, I had the power of over 9000 adonalsiums, yet I ended up killing myself. I realized it was because I gave up what I loved most. My control. I started plots and plans that I couldn't free myself from. Before that I literally gave up my sanity, destroying a large portion of the city in a fit of rage. I took a break for 20 years, and when I returned I swore that I would never lose my control again." Mac reached up to wipe the corner of his eye. Regret was a strong emotion, one that he never fully mastered. "But when living amongst gods, you can forget what your limits are, or why you set them in the first place. They become distant memories, so you need to remember them. Remember what you were before you were a god, so that you can remember your limit, and thus retain that which you hold most dear." Mac refocused his attention on Lita. "So I ask you again, why did I help that lady? It wasn't to retain control. She never had a chance of making me do that. Nor was it to keep myself from going beyond my limits." @ZincAboutIt

"Very close Lita, very close," Mac paused again to gather his thoughts. Usually he despised this method of learning, the teacher teasing the student along with tidbits until they said exactly what the teacher wanted them to, but in this case it was very important that she arrive at this conclusion herself without Mac stating it right out. Something about that method of discovery made people more accepting. "The limits are a large part of it. But it's not so much the limits themselves, but what the limits help us be. Or depending on one's perspective, it's what the limits force us to be." Mac paused again, hoping this was enough, then heard Lita whisper the Strangers Favorite catchphrase. "Anything is attainable..." "Just because you can do it, doesn't mean that you should." He smiled sadly at the thought of the Stranger. He had given up everything for science. Even things that weren't possible to lose he had taken from himself to gain more power.

Mac watched as Lita considered his question, tried to figure out the best way to respond, then said "You want the people of this city to see the Dark Alley as more than a den of horrors and villains? You don't just want to rule these people, do you sir? You want to lead them." "Not quite," He replied smoothly "the first part is certainly true, bad PR is never a good thing, but it's not my primary purpose behind doing this. And before you guess again, it's also not related to my philosophy about the Eternal Nature of the Soul from earlier. It ties into what makes me different from the other leaders of the Dark Alleys." He frowned as he thought of the other leaders. They had changed themselves and each other so much that none of them could be considered human anymore, not only in terms of DNA or Spiritwebs, but in terms of motivation. They took their focus on pushing the bounds of science and blew it up till it consumed them. What had started as a healthy desire to learn more grew and grew until there was nothing left but science and the push for progress. To their credit they had done amazing things, and the knowledge that they had gained is invaluable, but sometimes the price was too high to make it worth it. @ZincAboutIt

Mac watched Lita as she located the child, noticing her brief hesitation and filing it away for the future. "There's hope for you yet," He muttered, fully aware to the degree that she was burning tin. "Thank you." Carefully, he made his way over to her and looked at her in the eye, "Hey," He said in a cheerful tone, "Do you need to find your mother?" The girl quickly nodded, petrified with fear and confusion. "Well, I think she's over there," He pointed down the street, "Can you hear her?" Soundlessly, she shook her head. Of course, no tin. "Well, I think I can help with that. take this coin, and tap it? No, you don't know what that means? OK." He placed the coin carefully on the ground, and stepped back to allow her to pick it up. Hesitantly, she reached forward and grasped it. "Now, try to listen for your mom, very carefully." Mac watched her face rise as she instinctively tapped the coin and heard her mother. "Let's go find her," He said, holding out his hand, she reached up to grab it and he pulled her carefully out from underneath the tenement. Then they walked down the street, trying to find the mom. You need to love them, when you can love them, you aren't spying or a scientist observing, you are one of them. You are them. And that is all the more valuable. Mac stopped her, and pointed down the side alley to the mom who had stopped screaming and was now kneeling down, sobbing. "Is that her?" He asked. Instead of responding, the little girl ran toward her and hugged her. Mac stood, then backed away, knowing that the inscription on the back of the coin would be enough of a reminder. There is always hope. People need that. Otherwise they lose what makes them special. He made his way back to where Lita was watching the entire exchange. Probably with extreme confusion. When he reached her he looked her in the eye and said: "Now it's time for the lesson. Why did I do that?" @ZincAboutIt

Mac stopped for a moment, then started to talk slowly. "Respectfully, I would disagree. I think that no one wants the rust, but thats all they know." He hesitated, deciding if he should share more, then continued. "They are all on a path you see, and their time here is but a small piece of their journey. Carefully built by someone to prepare them for greater and greater things." He started to walk toward the edge of the alley, motioning for Lita to follow. "Everyone you meet has pieces of eternity in them. And those bits can't wait to reach the shine. Its what causes them to strive for more and more, to make and build greater and greater things." His face fell as he stopped at the edge of the alley. "Everyone wants the shine, but right now, all they know is the Rust. So willingly or not, everything that they make rusts away to nothing. I can only wait, learn what I can, and rejoice when someone comes along who seems to remember their determination to reach the shine and keep it. Who does the best to help others and try to give them a hope of what is to come." He listened to someone scream for their child. "So in a way, you are right. You don't deserve paradise, because you can't keep it. But one day, one day you will be able to keep paradise, and then you will deserve it." He took a deep breath, then tried to find the women who was looking for her child. "Sorry for waxing philosophical, the seemingly impending doom does that to me." He lowered his voice and muttered something about hearing him when he was losing at Uno. "In the meantime, it seems that someone has lost their child. While we are waiting for the other agents to arrive, it might be good to try and help them find it. Remind them that there is hope in the world." @ZincAboutIt

”Are you alright, sir?” Lita asked, as she stepped forward with a handkerchief. Mac waved it away and pressed a spike into his throat and started tapping a little Cadmium. "Yeah," He wheezed, "This apocalypse is disgusting. Bad for the city." He looked around the city sadly. "It used to be so beautiful. A Utopia by some standards. Now look at it, falling apart once a decade." He shook his head. "It'll be fixed one day, and peoples lives will get better. But as to the tunnels, I don't know their entrance, but if you can find civilians, the TUBAers are evacuating them. Once we find them, we can let them know whats happening." Mac looked around again. Sadly watching the destruction as a captain watches a sinking ship, wondering where it went wrong. @ZincAboutIt

Mac sat in the Command room, watching screens showing scenes from all around the city, receiving reports from dozens of spies, and feeling through the alleys, watching all the chaos. There's still hope. He thought. We might be able to save it again. He checked back in on Lita, she was an amazing agent, but still a rookie. It wouldn't do for her to be broken on the first city destruction of her career. She was by some old building or wait, no that was her old flat. Ok. She should still be looking for the TUBA fellows. "Maq, Mack, and Makc, do we know where the TUBA's are?" Maq and Makc straightened up at his voice, Mack continued checking his phone until he was nudged by Makc. "Uhh Do you mean the TUBAists?" Maq offered. "Last oral report was that they were have some kind of nut themed party? I couldn't tell they were speaking too quickly." Internally Mac groaned, why were his chief aides deaf dumb and blind? "I refuse to call them TUBAists, it's a ridiculous term. Can you poke Mack? He's been reading the reports." Mac sat down as he waited for them to sort out the information. Eventually he would need to get around to making internal communication more efficient. Eventually, Maq spoke up. "Ok, so what I think has happened is that TUBA has evacuated into their tunnels. Do you want us to let the field Agents know?" "No," Mac said. "I can do it. I'll go in person, get a view of things on the ground. Sudiov's out of commission for the moment, so I should be alright. Besides, all our operations are on the DL Right now." Mac walked to the back of the room and warped to the back of the Alley Lita was in. As soon as he started breathing the air in the city, he started coughing. There goes subtlety. Forgot how dirty this place was. He walked up to Lita, "Lita . . . *Cough* Sorry I'm late to the Party. Uh, you might want to check underground, the TUBA members have these tunnels that they are evacuating people into." Mac bent over coughing. "Storms its dirty here." @ZincAboutIt

Only mods can give a final say and officially rank weaknesses. But anyone can rank powers.

Mac thought for a moment. "That sounds good," he said. "I want to try and make sure that we are covert though. That means no samples, captives, interrogations unless specifically approved. I don't want to have plasma core know that we are coming after them until it's too late." Mac sat back again. Lost in thought.

Because we want to try and be nice and civil to each other and while sometimes stuff like that is clearly a joke, other times the fact that it’s a joke isn’t conveyed well through text and it can be misinterpreted and offensive.

Mac's eyes flickered to Voidus as he questioned Laurelai more. That was unusual. He thought, I wonder what that was about? It's not like him to take an interest in people giving reports. "Oh, uh... I'm a Forger, I mean I know that Mac already knew." Laurelai stammered. Mac nodded, that he knew, but how would that hel- OOOH. Mac grinned. He liked her "I don't suppose anyone has a Regrowth Fabrial handy? I can avoid any of the ones where I'm dead at least but I'll probably be pretty badly injured in a number of these possibilities." "Very smart, very smart." He muttered, "I don't have a Regrowth Fabrial nearby, but I do have this." He patted the pockets of his suit as if he were looking for something, then reached behind his ear and pulled out a gold coin with aluminum designs. "This should work as a Gold Metalmind, just tap what you need when you forge yourself." Mac warped a chair beneath him as he sat down, depending on how many opportunities for information gathering she had, this could take a while.

Welcome! Have you read the pinned threads at the top of the alleyverse sub forum? They can provide a lot of help. Once you've read them, you can submit a character in the character thread where me or one of the other mods will approve it. You can always PM the mods or post on a thread with questions, you have but after you make a character you can just jump right in RPing!

Mac saw Voidus' face soften, "Sorry about that" he muttered. "It's alright," He replied, "That strain was partially failed anyway, That reminds me, Mr. Stranger, if possible could we discuss a research project I have been working on these last couple of years? It involves permanently anchoring the sDNA from the spike into the spirit web of the participant." "That's about it." Voidus continued. "My own fault ultimately, should have just blasted that damnation barrier apart years before and just recaptured the Guardian." Mac confused replies "I seem to be the whole affair being my fault as I didn't release you ASAP." He flashed back to those moments when Voidus first got out and he realized his mistake. He stumbled, and used his cane to support himself. That failure, that specific moment was the one thing that would haunt him. He still gets weak from thinking about it. "Yes, though the thought has occured to me that maybe launching a single overwhelming attack is not the best plan. If we destroy them then we lose the trail." He looked uncomfortable. "I think this actually the first time I have advised caution instead of immediate overwhelming force and utter destruction. But what I fear is a full attack and then the parent organization still knows how to do this, but we have no idea who they are or what their purpose is. I would suggest high level infiltration, but they are really paranoid about spies. The security there is insane. I can actually call up Lita and have her describe the situation if you guys want?" @Fatebreaker @Voidus