Comatose

Euphoria awoke from one nightmare and returned to the one she was currently living in. Gingerly, she manouvered herself into a seated position, taking care not to aggravate the dozens of cuts and bruises Insight had afflicted her with the previous night. "I don't want to kill you, Euphoria." Insight had said, "I want to hurt you. I want to hurt you really bad." Euphoria shivered, more at the memory of the sound of his voice than at any of the pain he had afflicted her with. The physical pain had been intense, but fleeting. Her waking up alive meant that Insight wasn't done with her yet, and that thought was far more damaging than any physical hurt he could inflict on her. As she groggily blinked the sleep from her eyes, Euphoria finally began to assess her surroundings. Someone, either Insight or an underlying, had replaced her tattered blazer with a large hooded sweatshirt. The hood was pulled tight, leaving only Euphoria's eyes, nose, and mouth exposed, and she could feel the strings tied behind her neck. The overly long sleeves of the garment were tied in knots, trapping her hands within. Her wrists, she found, were tied behind her back, while her feet, stuffed into overly large wool socks, were also tied together with good quality rope. Insight's assault on her, both verbal and physical, and lasted for what seemed like hours before he allowed her to fall unconscious. Euphoria wasn't sure how much time had passed, but in that time he had obviously moved her. Wherever she was was pitch black, but the floor beneath her felt like dirt. Was she underground? It was difficult to tell. She had managed to sit up without too much trouble, but that seemed to be the extent of her range before her movement was halted by some other restraints. Insight, it would seem, was not taking any chances. A shuffling sound came from nearby, and Euphoria fell over as she recoiled. A light flickered on, temporarily blinding Euphoria, and then revealing an elderly Asian woman, staring at her with large frightened eyes. "Where am I?" It appeared they were in some sort of rounded cave. The chamber was vaguely egg shaped, and no matter how she turned Euphoria could not spot any entrances. A small cot and an assortment of personal possessions, including a portable camping lamp, lay clustered on the far side of the chamber, behind the old woman. "Who are you?" The woman's eyes widened slightly, and she began speaking rapidly in what sounded like Chinese. After a few failed attempts to communicate, Euphoria fell silent. Insight, it seemed, was too paranoid to sleep in her vicinity or to leave her unattended, but was taking no chances that she might turn his servants against him. Euphoria was reasonably certain the woman must be an Epic of some sort, and confirmed it when her powers had no effect on her. What were her powers, and were there reasons besides the obvious language barrier that Insight had chosen her to guard Euphoria? Once Euphoria quieted down, the woman seemed content to ignore her, though she did not go back to sleep. Instead, she sat down on the cot and began to read a book by the light of the camping lamp. How long had Insight kept this woman down here while he prepared this prison? In the dim light, Euphoria could just barely make out a small shelf containing what looked like bathroom supplies next to a hole in the ground in the centre of the room, and a camping cooler and a large jug of water closer to the woman's sleeping area. The floor of the room was not flat, but sloped, curving downwards to where the latrine was. Euphoria was restrained to her side of the room by two ropes, one attached to the restraints around her hands, the other at her feet, which were fastened to tenting pegs in the ground. Euphoria tried in vain to gain some leverage, but she could not maneuver enough to pull either peg out. Why even bother? It seemed obvious that the cave, or whatever it was, was only accessible to an epic like Insight with the power to become intangible. Even if she could escape her restraints, she would still be trapped, and even if she could somehow use her powers on the old woman, who knees if she could do anything to help. For all Euphoria knew, the woman was as much a prisoner as she was. A prisoner who obviously had instructions to keep an eye on her while pretending to ignore her if she caused any trouble. Euphoria breathed slowly in and out, trying to stop herself from panicking. A tightness in her abdomen told her she would need to use the washroom soon. She tried to inform her guard of the request, but the woman merely shouted something in her language and turned back to her book. The latrine, it seemed, had not been dug for Euphoria to use. Euphoria shook her head, trying not to think about what that would mean for her continued stay in her prison. I can't give up. If she did nothing to help herself, that would just be letting Insight win. There had to be a way out of this mess, she just needed to find it. Hadn't she spent the last few years of her life imagining every possible thing that could go wrong for her? While this specific scenario had never crossed her mind, she had thought about what she would do if kidnapped before. She could use those pieces of plans--that preparation--to her advantage. Insight currently had all the power. He knew what his plan was and Euphoria didn't, he could move freely while Euphoria was restrained, and he had the power to keep Euphoria restrained or to set her free. What she needed was an angle or some sort of leverage she could use to change her position and create an opportunity to escape from Insight. He's scared of me. The precautions he had put in place revealed that, no matter how in control of the situation he seemed, he was very paranoid that Euphoria would still find a way to get the better of him. He also had a bigger plan for her, though she did not know if it had to do with his continued revenge or if he had something else in mind. If she could figure out more about his motivations, perhaps she could find a way to manipulate him. Unfortunately, that also meant that she would have to wait for Insight to show up before she could acquire the information she needed to make more definitive plans. At the same time, Euphoria could not help but feel a rising fear within her at the thought of her captor's return.

Public Action: Action 3: Gaining Favour with Skaa (Public) Who: Lady Ellen Elariel What: Upgrading skaa tenements. Where: Luthadel and elsewhere. When: Gen 7, Turn 1, Action 3 Why: To increase Skaa opinion of the house.

Well, right now Rainmaker isn't aware of ThunderSpear, so she's not really at the point of offering him a job, and if he keeps breaking the rules, she's more likely to throw him out of Corvallis.

Starlight Glimmer would be perfect epic material, actually. Perhaps she could show up in a future Nightmare Moon Reckoners cross I think the issue is how Converter is able to breathe when the air around her isn't moving, and that taking the kinetic energy from the air would work differently from taking but from a stone? #doesntknowphysics

GENERATION 6 TURN 4 - Kenneth Elariel Public Actions:

I don't recall, but now that you mention it I do remember discussing this. Looking forward, do you think that the re-absorbtion of energy will work, or should Converter be shivering in there. In terms of plot points it won't change much since she dies no matter what, so this is just more for the sake of maintaining some semblance of reality.

I might be the least physics-literate person here, but my understanding is that Converter is absorbing the kinetic energy in the air immediately around her, to prevent her own body heat from escaping, which, based on my understanding, would mean that while the air immediately around her would be close to absolute zero, she herself would stay warm? Wait, I see what you are saying. Nevermind that above. The breathing problem and change in air state does seem to be an issue. Might a better solution be for Converter just to re-absorb her body heat as it escapes? That seems like it would be within her capabilities and have the desired effect.

One problem: Rainmaker made the area within the prison as cold as she possibly could. Insulation doesn't do much if it's cold inside, in fact, they would keep heat out (like a fridge). Igloos and Quinzees work because your body heats the air, and then the snow insulation keeps that heat from escaping. However, since Rainmaker is distorting the actual temperature within the prison, any body heat (or other energy) Converter disperses would warm the area slightly for a second, but then it would go back to the temperature Rainmaker set it at. The action of the post is basically good. I'd say just remove the mentions of the warmth and taking heat from the chains. Assuming Converter can recapture her own body heat at a pretty good rate, she probably wouldn't be freezing too badly, but she might be chilly (up to you to decide how well her powers handle that).

I share Edge's concerns about Pillowfight, but if you think it's worth waiting for Silver, then I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't become a pattern, since we already have a number of epics sitting doing nothing. Vandal looks like fun! For his vandalism power, it works on any substance including living things (going off the mustache comment). When used on people is it basically a tattoo? How does that power interact with liquids and gas, or does it only work on solids? Those are mostly just me being curious; otherwise I think his powerset seems reasonable.

I'm fine with the bus getting away, but as you said, I've already reacted to the post, so maybe you should get a second opinion?

I think that's where I thought it was at too. Nice summaries!

Windrunner: 8 Skybreaker:8 Dustbringer: 10 Edgedancer: 8 Lightweaver: 11 Elsecaller: 11 Truthwatcher: 10 Bondsmith: 9 Willshaper: 8 Stoneward: 10

Seeing as how motivation to write GOOD has been eluding me, I'll say that it's probably best to give her as much to react to as possible, if that's okay with you. RE: Badchull Vanillas - My personal policy in fanon RPs is that the characters from the books should generally, with a few key exceptions, be the most Badchull, especially in cases like David's. Based on the reactions of others, David's ability to take down epics was incredible, and that incredible-ness is undermined if we go and create a bunch of characters that are not only equal but better than David. David's record of seven or eight epic kills, including some high epics, was impressive, even in the context of him having a team of Reckoners at his disposal. If we are creating epic-killing Vanilla's, David should be closer to the 10/10 on the spectrum, and our characters should be somewhere below that. If we suddenly have a bunch of Vanillas superior to David, then we run into the problem of "why didn't our characters solve the epic problem before David came along?" Plus, even though his actions are incredible, for the most part David is a regular guy in fantastic circumstances, and I think we should do the same by making 'regular' people and epics who, due to the incredible circumstances they find themselves in, do interesting stuff. Characters should be unique of course, but personality differences in my experience tend to be far more compelling than incredible abilities. Anyways Warrior Mark, or Deus Ex, or whatever your name is now , in my opinion you might owe Twi an apology. I get that you were just joking around, but those jokes could come off as pretty insensitive. From what I've seen, Twi has worked really hard to make the Reckoners RP a place to develop compelling stories about interesting characters that (at least mostly) coincide with the canon of the books. Speaking from my experience with MBI, that is no easy task. I know you were probably just playing devil's advocate, but you were also making Twi take time out of her day to defend a point she has already made dozens of times that is, in my view anyways, correct. The fact of the matter is this is an RP with a certain set of rules. Though those rules are generous and allow for a lot of creativity, they are there for a reason. As moderator, Twi's job is to enforce those rules. This job can be annoying if the restrictions you've placed on the RP from the beginning (such as 'this world is the same or similar to canon') are being repeatedly ignored an argued against. Twi (and the other GMs) doing their jobs means we get to participate in this fun RP. In the interest of continuing to participate, I at least would like to make their jobs as fun as possible. What this means for me is not provoking people just for the sake of an argument when they've already had to repeat themselves a lot. It's fine to question and critique things of course, but there's a big difference between asking "Why is my character's backstory a problem?" or "Why do you require character's backstories to be plausible?" and stating "I think you are wrong and that my character should be able to enter the story that you and others who have been here for a long time have created and are letting me participate in as is." [This point might be better directed to Chasmfiend, but I think I've gone on long enough]. Sorry for the mini-rant, I just want to make sure that hard work is being respected and that this remains a fun place to write for everyone. If the story the writers here are telling does not match with the story someone wants to tell, they are more than welcome to start their own RP or write a fan-fiction. In collaborative fiction, consensus or agreement between writers is important, which is why I think the Reckoners model of group critique for new players is so awesome. I hope that all makes sense. Warriormark, I know you were likely just trying to make a point for argument's sake, and Chasmfiend, I know you were just really excited about your character, and both of those motivations are understandable, but sound motivations do not justify disrespectful behavour. EDIT: I'll add in a disclaimer to say that I did not consult Twi about this, and maybe the exchange did not bother her at all. If that's the case, I'm probably just projecting some of my own frustrations on to others, and apologize for being presumptive.

I'm game for a collab. I have to head to work now but have time this evening when I'm off. Should we start a Google doc?

I'm a little concerned about the back story, but I can't find anything specifically wrong with it. I think its just because its hard to know how Calamity effects such a young person, or what an epic like that's rending would be like. Normal epics are usually compelled to kill those closest to them during the rending, so would the mom survive? Then again, if he's only five, then his risk assessment would be very different than an adult, and he would likely respond to the fear from Calamity in a different way. Prankster is quite young too, if I recall correctly. I think my concerns lie more with how he will be RP'd, and the difficulty with combining a child's POV with Calamity's corruption than the plausibility, but if you think you are up to writing him, I'd personally not have any objections.

Sorry, I was not trying to imply that there was anything wrong with two (though I do feel one is more reasonable). I just wanted to draw attention to how difficult it is to kill high epics in the books even as a well organized well supplied team (with a gifter supplying them), and that in order to do the same as a lone individual is pretty incredible. Whether you do one or two high epics, you'll need to think about Cog's question - how were those high epics killed? What did your character discover their weakness? What resources was he able to draw on to supply himself during the mission, and how was he able to acquire the information he needed to carry out the plan successfully?

That sounds good to me! For simplicity's sake, could we say that Lifebringer has been in Corvallis for a while? We've already had a lot of "new immigrant" scenes, and since we already have a role in mind perhaps it would be best to say he's been around for a while, and then he can start RPing with Cornucopia right away, instead of waiting to go through the immigration process. It's also important to keep in mind that he's just one guy. The Reckoners, who David sees as the best (and only) force capable of taking on epics and winning, does things as a team. Even as the best of the best when it comes to epic-killing, the Reckoners usually choose low level high epics like Fortuity, and never go for power houses like Steelheart. Even though Fortuity's power set was extremely limited, and the Reckoners knew (or at least partially knew) his weakness, they still dedicated an entire team to his assassination. Considering the best epic fighting force in the country committed an entire team to the assassination of a single High Epic whose only offensive powers were enhanced reflexes, I think it's safe to say that having one person killing even two high epics on his own is pretty fantastic.

Karima Foster studied her tray of appetizers with a critical eye. Did that cucumber sandwich have an uneven edge? Did that cube of glazed avocado have a bad spot? Once she ascertained that the assorted delicacies were properly groomed and arranged, Karima removed her apron and untied her hair, running her fingers through the long dark waves until they were arranged to her liking. Once her hair was in place, she took the bejeweled headdress from it's spot on the counter and placed it delicately on her head, completing the ensemble. The ornate headdress matched her outfit, a sequined ensemble with a pristine white cape that would create shimmering rainbows when her skin glowed. Karmia smiled at her reflection, trying to ignore the slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and around her mouth that were peeking out from behind her concealer. Her husband and his guest did not look up as she swept into the sitting room, despite her glimmering skin and impressive outfit. Karima set her tray on the coffee table and sat down next to her husband, back straight and legs crossed primly at the ankles. Her husband's guest, Karima's father, was wearing one of the expensive suits he chose when visiting his American business associates, instead of the more traditional garb he wore when dining with Saudi Arabian princes and politicians. Karima watched with rapt attention as her father reached towards her tray. His speech did not waver, but Karima did not hear his words, her thoughts consumed by the hand that hovered over the tray. After what seemed like an eternity, his fingers darted down to pick corner off of one of her perfect cucumber sandwiches. He grimaced slightly as the tiny morsel touched his tongue, but did not stop talking until he paused to take a sip from his glass of bourbon. "Your wife is very beautiful, Congressman Foster. I hope that her appearance compensates for her ineptitude as a hostess." Karima's husband frowned, and then turned to stare at her. "What are you wearing?" Karima fidgeted, the tight ostentatious costume suddenly growing uncomfortable. "It's for my speech later, to impress the newcomers." Her voice came out as little more than a whisper. Her husband's bright blue eyes twinkled with callous amusement and he let out a cold bark of laughter. On the other side of the room, her father remained silent, but Karima could feel his cool, calculating gaze assessing her worth with unfeeling precision. "Now I've gone and upset you, haven't I?" The voice that had been so cruel moments before bloomed with sudden warmth and affection. "Darling, you know I didn't mean anything by it. Let's not be cross with each other." Karima relaxed slightly as her husband gave her knee a familiar squeeze. Her moment of gratification quickly turned to terror as her husband's hand melted. "Come now darling, let's kiss and make up, shall we?" As he spoke, Karima watched with horror as his face began to melt as well. His bright eyes and gleaming white teeth were quickly lost as his entire body blackened and liquefied. Karima sat there, frozen, as her outfit and the sofa were stained black with oil. Then, the sofa too began to dissolve, and with it, the entire room. Karima thrashed in place, desperately trying to escape, or at least to keep her head above the rising tide of oil. Her father, standing on what seemed to be an island within the sea of oil, clucked his tongue. "Such a waste," he said with a heavy sigh. He seemed to be glowing slightly, lit from within by a fiery red light. "But, sacrifices must be made." Karima opened her mouth to scream, but oil filled it instead. Brilliant lightning flashed across the dismal grey sky, accompanied by a powerful rumble of thunder as Rainmaker sat upright in bed. She was panting and covered with a cold sweat. It was just a dream. You have nothing to fear. He cannot hurt you any more. Once she had composed herself, Rainmaker rang the bell next to her bed, summoning a servant to her chambers. The servant arrived, a concerned expression marring her normally placid smiling face. No doubt Rainmaker had been screaming in her sleep, but her servants knew not to disturb her until they were summoned. She could not help what they heard while she was sleeping, but at least she could avoid letting her slaves see their ruler shaking in terror. "Shall we start dressing you, Shining One? Or would you like reports from your staff first?" Rainmaker shook her head, answering the slave's question in the negative while clearing the last of the mist from her mind. "Neither. Send for my masseuse. I'll need a massage and a good long bath before I can even begin to deal with how incompetent everyone is being today."

As Voidus and Twi already mentioned, you have a "Lightwards conflict/there really shouldn't be necromancers" problem for the first epic, and a [Calamity Spoilers] problem with the second. [Calamity Spoilers] Throughout the books, motivator tech (aside from a few exceptions) are treated as exceedingly rare, so I think it would be more fun to save them as fun plot twists involving many existing characters than wasting the few we can justify having as power replacements for single characters. Very interesting powerset. I'm curious to see how that gets used in combination. I could see a fight/extended conflict between him and Cornucopia as being interesting. Personally, I liked it, but I would give Twi the final say just to be certain. EDIT: Apparently the thread was busy while I was posting (or I didn't see page 66 for some reason?) I was going to post with Taylor, but then realized she doesn't have much to react to, since all she's seen is Frostfire whispering to Emma and Deathwish oggling her/saying they should help. I was hoping to have the "are they going to help her or not" thing resolved before posting, just to save myself some trouble. I can post with Taylor before Deathwish or Emma, but all she'll be doing is watching the whispering and waiting for a conclusive response.

And luckily we are working with a world with canon alternate realities, so it's not hard to twist things at all and still be kind of canon.

Sounds good to me!

Well, I finally finished Calamity. Once I got going I breezed through it in one day, just had to find the time to get started. If it's okay, I thoguht I'd throw my few cents in. RE: Twins: They aren't my characters, but personally I think the "seen as identical but not actually genetically identical" thing works best. My understanding is that true identical twins are actually quite rare, but a number of same gender fraternal twins are mistaken for identical, so that should work fine. Also, I don't know if anyone else learned about Twin Studies in first year Psychology, but I love that those would still be a thing when it comes to epics. RE: Assumers - When Larcener's powers came up I became very scared for Legacy and Peregrine, but I think they still work. With Peregrine's dowsing powers I might have to revisit the range of his powers, but I think Legacy's temporary copying of powers without stealing them still works. RE: Motivators - I loved this part of the book, and Knighthawk was amazing. Rainmaker might have something special kicking around just for her personal use, but I haven't decided yet. It would probably be either something frivulous, or something really devious that she is saving for someone who really ticks her off. It would be interesting to see if Euphoria's powers could be used to make some form of super potent drug. Looking at how mobiles work with a central hub, I bet you could produce a substance somehow linked to a 'hub' made with her DNA, and then project the effects of her powers through to the drug users, or something. Not a plot point I'm considering following at this point, but an interesting one nonetheless. RE: Alternate Reality - I actually really like the idea, but my personal preference would be for our alternate reality to still stick as close to canon as possible. RE: Epics and Weaknesses - So, when I wrote that monster Euphoria post a while back, there was some debate about whether or not Epics instinctually knew their weaknesses. After reading Calamity, I am more convinced that Epics do know their weaknesses instinctively because of their nightmares. We also find out that the only reason Edmund thought he did not know his weakness is because he accidentally redeemed himself. Before that, he was sure it was dogs.

Sorry about the lack of RP, and for missing last turn everyone! There will be more next week! KENNETH ELARIAL - GEN 6 - TURN 3: Action 2: Purchasing A Gem Mine (Public): Who: Lord Kenneth Elariel What: Purchasing a gem mine to supply gems for my jewelery store. Where: Luthadel. When: Gen 6, Turn 3, Action 2. Why: To provide luxury items for the house.

So, I stopped reading when the Calamity spoilers started, just in case something accidental slipped (my copy is in the mail ), but I am super excited to catch up on all the observations. I'll reply to what I've seen so far, and will chime in later with my Calamity thoughts when I get to it. Is anyone waiting on my characters specifically? I know I haven't been posting, but I was under the impression that no one was waiting on me at this point. Let me know if you need specific posts from me! There's a post mentioning Slaughterine? I'm so excited you decided to go that route, haha. *Goes over to read Corvallis and hopes Calamity is not spoiled there.