Comatose

T-Swift post up Let me know if there are any problems with it. Also, I apologize in advance to anyone who might be offended by Brandon's negative characterization of same-sex attracted women. Hopefully he will learn not to believe in stereotypes in the future.

Taylor switched seats with Brandon as they came into the sightline of The Dalles. When they greeted their welcoming party, Taylor did her best to keep her anger under control, reminding herself that the only reason the guards were failing to react to her stunning appearance was because at present she appeared to be a slob-ish middle-aged man. After being used to looking perfect for every paparazzi photo, even when leaving the gym, it gauled her to allow even her false appearance to be so slovenly, but if she was going to fool anyone she had no choice. She faked her way through her description of the attack, saying that she'd rather save most of the details for command. On the whole, things were going mostly according to plan, until they tried to take Brandon away from her. "There's no time for you to deal with him," the officer was saying, "Arsenal wants your report immediately. We'll take him to Reader to get him checked out, and make sure he isn't hiding any powers." Taylor gritted her teeth, but held her tongue. It was all right. She could deal with this. She didn't know who this Reader person was, but she assumed he was an Epic with some sort of ability to detect danger. If he had any sort of telepathic powers, she would have to be careful around him, but even with a potential telepath in the mix, she was confident she could keep Brandon from danger. "Very well then, I'll be off. Where is Aresneal currently located?" As two other guards hauled Brandon off, she did her best to meet his eyes briefly. Don't worry Baby. I'll come and save you. The other guard was already answering her question. "I'll be taking you to him. Follow me." Inwardly, Taylor groaned. It would be inconvenient for her to ditch the stiff, especially if she wanted to back track in time to track Brandon down. On the bright side, she didn't have to risk blowing her cover by not knowing exactly where whoever this Arsenal person (likely another Epic) was located. "Can we take a quick detour?" She asked once they were out of sight and earshot of the other guard. "I totally have to use the mensroom. I guess I forgot in all the excitement, you know? I'd hate to report to... Arsenal with a full bladder." Taylors companion looked at her for a moment. Likely something she had said seemed off. Perhaps the guard she was impersonating wasn't the 'totally' type, or maybe he was known for swearing. She hadn't gotten much time to study his speech patterns before she killed him. After what seemed like an eternity, the guard nodded his agreement. "There's a washroom at that diner up ahead, right?" Taylor nodded her agreement and proceeded forward, taking not of the twists and turns of the streets. "So," she said as they entered the diner in question, "When this is all over I'd like to question the kid myself. Where do you think they'll take him once he's done with Reader?" The guard shrugged. "You know the drill. It all depends what Mr. High-and-Mighty Reader decides. If he's not an epic and isn't part of some plot to destroy the city, who knows where they'll put him. The city's been getting full with refugees lately, but as grisly as it sounds, perhaps this attack will have opened up some spaces. You know how it is. If there's anything suspicious I'm sure you'll be notified." The guard followed Taylor into the men's room, likely intending to relieve himself as well. Thankfully. Taylor approached a urinal, and did her best to ignore the smell of urine until the only other patron exited the room. Honestly, did men not know how to aim? Why did every men's bathroom have to smell like urine? As soon as they were alone, Taylor shifted into action. Her arm stretched out, backhanding the unsuspecting guard across the face and knocking him to the floor. Before he could respond, her hands grew claws that sunk into his throat. Then, it shifted back into what would be her signature tentacles, if red lip stick, dark eyeliner, and her mysterious belly button were not already her signature look. She gripped the man, how was quickly bleeding to death, by the throat, and lifted him gently by the throat and placed him in a stall. Taylor was not certain how long she had before the man was discovered, so she hurried out of the rest room, appearing once again as a regular human captain of the city guard, and not an Epic who could grow tentacles at a moment's notice. As soon as she was on a side street and out of sight of the diner, Taylor switched faces and body types. She continued to switch forms every time no one was around to see her, growing less interesting with each consecutive shift. Thankfully, likely due to the recent Panda attack, the streets were empty, and by the time Taylor took her ninth turn since leaving the diner, she was reasonably certain she was suitably anonymous. The next time she was in the clear, she made subtle modifications to her already obscenely large (by her standards) nose, to improve her sense of smell in the unlikely chance of of catching Brandon's familiar scent. She made similar modifications to her ears. Taking care to keep her step suitably hurried but not frantic, she began to make her way back to where she had last seen Brandon, hoping she was not too late to track him down. They've got the cages, they've got the boxes. They are the hunters, we are the foxes. Brandon Hennessy Brandon's captors refused to answer any of his questions, pausing only in their quest to take him to 'Reader,' whoever that was, to threaten him with termination if he did not behave. Doing his best not to panic, Brandon tried to reassure himself that Taylor would come for him. She had gotten over the whole issue of him having a relationship with a man, hadn't she? On the drive in it had certainly seemed like she had forgiven him. But what if she hadn't? What if she was abandoning him to whatever terrifying epics the citizens of The Dalles were somehow using to keep their enemies at bay? What if she was punishing him? He'd like to think that if Taylor were breaking things off with him that she'd be hurt enough to personally end his life, but perhaps she felt he was not worth her attention, and that abandoning him again was a more cruel fate. The guards led him through a door to what looked like a medical clinic, sat him down in a corner, and went over to a red-headed woman who was speaking into a radio. The red-head was being cuddled by another woman so sparkly she could only be an epic. It would appear his fate was in the hands of a pair of lesbians, one of whom was definitely an epic. Brandon found himself wishing once again that Taylor would hurry up and come to his rescue. [OOC DISCLAIMER: Brandon's views on lesbians, and his interpretation of Autumn and Shiny Sparkle's relationship in no way reflects the truth or the views of the author accurately.]

I'm interested to see what his interaction is with Taylor, if they ever meet up.

I will fully acknowledge the faultiness of her plan. Your analysis matches what I kind of expect to happen. I think its less of a matter if Taylor gets discovered, and more a matter of when and how. EDIT: Just read Arsenals post. Will the guards be escorting "the Captain" to Arsenal, or just be sending 'him' there? Basically I'm wondering what level of supervision and scrutiny Taylor will be under until she reaches Arsenal. Also, what happens with Brandon? Would he be taken to Arsenal as well, or sent off somewhere else? It might be amusing if he and Taylor were to get separated

Soooo pumped! Elantris was the book that got me hooked, so I can think of no better way to celebrate my tenth anniversary of reading Brandon's books . Also, the fact that I have been reading his books for ten years kind of freaks me out. I haven't done anything for ten years.

So, this pony generator thing is too much fun. Here's an updated T-Swift pony. I used Twi's model, but made a few slight alterations to make her a little more Taylor-ish. Mainly, I made her lankier, and maneuvered her into a super-awkward pose, since Taylor Swift is really lanky and awkward. I also tilted her head back because of this: Anyways, here's the pony and codes

I just realize that after posting in the list thread, that I forgot to post here to have my name added to the map. Anyways, this is Comatose, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. EDIT: Actually, it looks like Mary isn't around any more, so if we want to update the map someone will have to make a new one. Sorry for the thread necro! I'm closing this topic for now. If someone wants it re-opened for some reason, just PM me or another staff member.

Well, according to Google Maps, I think Taylor and Brandon would be coming in from the east? I know that the world has changed since epics took over, and I'm note entirely sure they'd be coming straight from Vancouver, but it seems like the eastern entrance comes from more places.

I thought as much. *Grabs popcorn and waits to see what happens next

Epics of Portland (Yay!) Epics of The Dalles Epics of Corvallis Epics of Edmonton Pony Codes (So I Stop Losing Them)

Post up! Whoever is in charge of The Dalles administration can decide whether or not Taylor's ploy is believed. I'll just react to what happens next

Luckily enough, it would seem that their arrival in The Dalles coincided with the departure of the Panda Army (if that's what they really were). "It's too bad," Taylor said to Brandon as several panda stragglers lumbered past, "Those Pandas would have made great extras for a music video." She wondered idly if whatever epic who was controlling or creating them could make them dance. As the jeep sped across the last few miles towards The Dalles, Taylor lay back in her seat and put her feet up on the dash board. One benefit of being mostly invincible was that seat-belts and car safety weren't really necessary. Her music continued to blare over the car's sound system. "'Cause there we are again on that little town street. You almost ran the red 'cause you were looking over at me. Wind in my hair, I was there, I remember it all too well.". "All Too Well" had always been one of her favourites. Brandon, right on cue as always, stopped humming under his breath and looked over at her with a smile at just the right moment. He certainly seems perfect. Maybe he really is the guy for me. Who cares if he dated a guy or whatever. He's with me now, and he makes me happy. As she resolved the last remnants of her inner conflict, Taylor returned Brandon's smile, and leaned back to close her eyes. All that mattered now was that she was happy. If things changed, she could always kill him and then write a song about it. Taylor was woken from a pleasant day dream by a rough gravelly voice being projected through a loud speaker. "By the authority of The Dalles City Guard, pull over and step out of the vehicle with your hands up. If you attempt to use your Epic powers, you will be terminated immediately." Taylor looked up to see an armoured van pulled sideways across the road, blocking their path to The Dalles. Men and women in standard military costumes holding guns peaked our from either side. A few quick modifications to her eyes and ears allowed Taylor to pick out even the most minute details. Judging by the rustling of cloth, the shadows, and the feet she could just barely see on the other side of the van, there were at least eight soldiers, including the ones standing in plain view. One of those was in the cab of the van, one hand holding a hand gun, the other holding the mic from the loud speaker. Brandon pulled the jeep to a halt. "What do we do?" The frightened look on his face reminded Taylor of Olivia Benson. Brandon was always cutest when he was terrified. "Don't worry babe. Just crouch down in the car. I'll handle this." "I repeat, step out of the vehicle with your hands up. Failure to comply, or use of any Epic powers will result in termination. "No problem officer," Taylor said with a radiant smile. She stepped out of the car and put her hands above her head as instructed, waiting for any flicker of recognition from the guards, noting every movement with her enhanced vision and hearing . "My boyfriend is just grabbing our identification documents." Instead of responding to her, the officer turned his attention to Brandon. "Step out of the car, sir. Again, failure to comply will result in termination." Taylor kept her face bright and cheerful. Years of maintaining her show face when tired and depressed over her latest break-up kept any hint of her inner disdain or fury from showing. How dare they ignore her. How dare they threaten Brandon. Did they not hear her say that he was her boyfriend? Could they not see that they were standing in the presence of a radiant goddess? And, most importantly, could none of those eight simpletons recognize a pop icon and country legend when they saw one? "She looks familiar." Taylor's ears perked up at the sound of a whispered voice. "Isn't that..." Taking the whispering guard-person's recognition as her cue, Taylor burst into action before the others decided to start shooting Brandon and the jeep full of bullets. Her raised arms suddenly surged forward, growing in size and length as they split into ten tentacles, each ending in a vicious looking barb. She caught two of the closest guards in the throat before they could get any shots off. Another tentacle pounded against the pullet proof glass of the van, the barb at the end of the tentacle turning into sharpened diamond. Taylor ignored the shots that were fired, trusting her transformative abilities to keep her safe. Several bullets passed right through her as her body shifted around them, while others were reflected as bits and pieces of her body changed into metal, rock, or diamond. She broke the necks of two more soldiers as the third strike against the van window finally broke through. "Send back-up! I repeat, send back-up! Looks like a class A shape..." his words cut out as Taylor's tentacle stabbed into his neck. The few remaining soldiers hiding behind the van turned to flee. Using her tentacles, Taylor clambered over the van and chased after them, running on four of her tentacles while she used the others to finish of her foes. Once they were all dead, Taylor shifted back into her own form, and walked back over to where Brandon was cowering in the jeep. "Looks like we have a slight change in plans. Get in the van and start driving." As she hopped into the passenger seat, Taylor pushed the dead soldier out of the driver's side door. "Captain? Captain do you read me? Back-up is on its way, I repeat, back up is on it's way." Taylor picked up the radio. When she spoke, her voice was a perfect imitation of the Captain's. "Cancel back-up. We have the situation under control. We were attacked by one of the stragglers from the Panda attack. It was two of them, in a jeep of all things. They managed to take out the rest of the team, but I manged to finish them off from inside the van. They had a civilian with them, some sort of hostage. At present he does not seem to have any powers, and has agreed to come quietly. We are on our way back into town. I'll send word once I get more information out of the hostage, and make sure its safe to send a retrieval team for the bodies."

YES! Haha, This is totally the sort of thing she'd want people to think her weakness is . I'm working on a post, should be done soon. Anyone else is free to jump in .

The prime invincibility question will take more thought for me. I think it would be one that can be used for more than just invincibility. RP question: What would a contingent of the Dallas's finest look like/ be wearing/ be equipped with? Right now I'm picturing Spartan armor from Halo.

I assume they'll be stopped by the Dalles guard like Team Backtrack were?? If I'm free to RP guard interactions (and kill some extras) I'm sure I could get her there.

And Comatose FINALLY catches up in this thread. You guys sure move fast! Do, now that the pandas are leaving, who should T-Swizzle meet up with first??

Sorry I wasn't around much today! Loved the Swift pony . I'll try to get a post up tomorrow. Gooood night!

After reading all of the Dalles thread, I've come to the conclusion that, correct me if I'm wrong, the "sight" of Taylor Swift and Brandon walking in to a room together would be like Christmas to Reader, haha. In my mind, Radiance ruled over Vancouver soon after Calamity, and she lasted a little over a year? Feel free to edit that though to make it make sense

I was meaning Vancouver BC, erroneously thinking I wouldn't be overlapping with anyone if I wrote in Canada. If you are okay with Radiance briefly ruling Vancouver, then I am fine with her being name dropped Also, I can't upvote on my tablet, but the cross-dressing comic and the Mulan and Dr. Horrible quotes all would have gotten some had I been able to

Brandon Hennessy Brandon pressed his foot down on the gas, accelerating as he sped down the broken highway. The jeep he was driving seemed to be holding up okay, but if he continued at this speed, it was only a matter of time before some stray hunk of rock sent him flying off the road. At the moment, however, that did not seem to matter. After all, what was a car accident compared to being attacked by whichever epic happened upon him next? Brandon couldn't afford to drive carefully at the moment. What he needed to do was find his protection again. Once he found her, he'd hopefully be safe from whatever epics happened upon him. Brandon wasn't an epic, and he didn't have any of the special skills that allowed different rebel groups to resist epic rule. He was an all right athlete and of decent intelligence. He had a decent grasp of how to use technology, and he was getting to be all right at driving off road. On the other hand, he had never had a real job, had never gone to a real college, and had absolutely zero combat skills. In short, he was pretty sparking normal, and being sparking normal had become a death sentence since Calamity arrived. And yet, by some twist of fate, Brandon had survived. Of course, he knew why he had survived. He was gorgeous. The fates had chosen to bless some with brains or talent, others with superpowers, and Brandon with a handsome jawline, killer bone structure, great hair, and a super-model physique. He had been seventeen when Calamity came, just entering his first year of drama school in Vancouver. His parents had always told him that his dream of becoming a movie star would never work out. They probably wouldn't have guessed that the reason why his career was doomed was because people would start gaining super powers and turn crazy. The first epic to claim Vancouver called herself Radiance, and had the power to create intelligent illusions capable of fooling every human sense at an incredible range. For years, Radiance's illusory soldiers had policed the city, keeping it under her tight control. Anyone who resisted would be brought to Radiance, who would proceed to torture them with illusions of pain until they fell back into line. Thinking of herself as some sort of goddess, Radiance had assembled a court of the most beautiful people her illusions could track down, to wait on her hand and foot. Brandon had been lucky enough to become one of her chosen few, and had entered her protection. Of course, there was a reason Brandon was now speeding down a broken highway towards the Dalles instead of waiting on a madwoman hand and foot while wearing a speedo. Radiance's powers had been all too effective against mere mortals, and even against minor epics, but it hadn't taken long for other, more powerful epics, to realize that her legions of soldiers and fantastical creatures weren't real. All it had taken was a few Epics with strong physical powers, and one epic with the ability to see through illusions to guide them to bring Radiance down. Brandon had escaped in the chaos. He likely would have died in it, and would have, had the epic he was now tracking down not decided she might kind of sort of like him. A signal appeared on his GPS system. She's using one of the iPods, good! Judging by location of the signal, she was heading towards the Dalles, just like they had planned. Brandon let himself sigh with relief. If she had chosen to head if a different direction... he would have been dead, plain and simple, left to the mercies of whichever epic happened to come across him next. His life was in Taylor Swift's hands now. Only she could save him. Taylor pulled her ear buds out of her ears and turned at the sound of a car horn. More low-lives who don't know who I am likely. Taylor tucked her iPod and earbuds away and crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for an excuse to murder the fortunate soul who was about to enter her radiant presence. "Oh," she said, when she saw who was driving. "It's you." Taylor huffed angrily to herself and turned to continue on her path, pointedly ignoring stupid Brandon and his stupid jeep. "Taylor!" Brandon drove the jeep up next to Taylor, and slowed the vehicle to a crawl, keeping pace with her. "Taylor, darling, wait, please? What was that all about? You scared me half to death running off like that." Part of Taylor thrilled at the sound of Brandon calling her darling. She used a cool and dismissive glance over her shoulder as an excuse to check him out. Sparks, he was handsome! Taylor frowned and angrily turned forward and continued walking. She couldn't afford to waste any more time with Brandon. After dating a string of the most powerful epics in the country, continuing the trend she had started with celebrities in her old life, Taylor had thought that dating a nice, normal guy would solve her problems. Other epics just didn't know how to respect her properly. They all treated her as one of their equals, only valuing her powers, and not acknowledging that she had been a bigger deal than the lot of them put together before she had received her powers. At first, Brandon had been a dream come true. He was handsome, considerate, attentive. He had even known many of her songs by heart! Things had been working out swimmingly until... Taylor's eyes briefly teared up before she shifted to remove her tear ducts. She couldn't let Brandon see her cry, after all. "Taylor, can't we just talk about this?" Of course he wants to talk. Ruefully, Taylor wished her transformation into an epic had not stolen her song writing ability. Her recent string of exes could have filled an album or two. Brandon himself probably had a song or two to contribute. She could have called one, "Normal Hearts," or something like that. "Taylor!" "No Brandon!" she said, spinning. "Don't you 'Taylor' me! How do you think it feels to find out our entire relationship was a lie, hmm? You're lucky I don't kill you here and now." Taylor could feel herself starting to grow in size, and she didn't stop herself. "Come on Taylor, we can work things out. Get in the car. We can pump some of your tracks while we charge your iPods. You should get off your feet. Just get in the care and we can be in the Dalles in no time! Just talk to me and..." "And what, Brandon?" Taylor reformed her tear ducts and started to cry perfect crystalline tears for effect. One of the benefits of her powers was that she could have full lashes without risking her mascara running when she cried. "You're GAY!" Brandon winced. "Taylor, I don't know.." "Don't bother denying it, Brandon. I checked your phone. I thought it was funny, you carrying it around when there's no service. I didn't know it was to help you remember your little boyfriend." Taylor rolled her eyes. "I don't know why I waste my time with you. Even killing you would be a waste of my valuable time and attention. Get lost!" "You know how affectionate I am Taylor. He was just a friend." "Oh really? Did you tell all your friends that you couldn't wait to kiss them again? That you were terrified to meet their parents? You're unbelievable!" In her rage, Taylor, now nearing nine feet in height, began to divide her arms into tentacles with jagged barbs on the end of each one. "Taylor..." Brandon sat back in the car and sighed. "Look, fine. Okay, you caught me. I dated a guy before Calamity. What Lewis and I had was special. When he died... it was really hard for me, okay?" Brandon turned off the car and got out. It was obvious he was uncomfortable with her changed appearance, but he didn't let his fear stop him. "Look, you know that's all in the past now, right? There's a reason I don't cry myself to sleep anymore, and that reason is you! You saved me Taylor, you complete me. You're my everything. I want you, for worse or for better." Slowly Taylor began to shrink and shift back to normal as she responded to his words. "I would wait forever and ever." He was reciting "How to Get the Girl." One of her favourites. "And if you break my heart?" she said, "Would you put it back together." Brandon looked deep into her eyes. "I told you. I would wait forever and ever. I love you, Taylor Swift." He leaned in to kiss her in the confident way only really attractive people who aren't used to being rejected could manage, and Taylor found herself meeting him in the middle, kissing him back. Subconciously, she made herself smaller so she fit better into his arms. When she was with Brandon, she liked feeling small. "Fine," she said, when the kiss was finally done. "I guess writing a hit break-up song about you would be a little premature. I'll forgive you for lying like a stupid scum-bag. Let's go to the Dalles." As they began driving away, Brandon glanced over with an unreadable expression on his face. "Would you really write a song about me?" Taylor shrugged. "Maybe, if I felt like it. Would you mind?" Brandon smiled, "Of course not. After all, we only have good things for you to sing about, right?" He reached out the hand that wasn't on the wheel and held it out for Taylor to hold. Brandon Hennessy Brandon did his best not to shiver as Taylor took his hand. Don't think about it he told himself, referring both to Lewis, and to the monster Taylor had been preparing to transform into only moments before. You're her white knight from those love songs. You're nuts about her! Despite the fact that he was currently holding hands with an invincible killing machine, Brandon couldn't help but smile to himself. If his parents had known how many times those acting classes would have saved his life, maybe he wouldn't have had to sneak out of the house to take them. His moment of enjoyment vanished as the Dalles came into view. Gunshots echoed through the air, and it looked like the city was being attacked by an army of... pandas? Brandon shivered. So much for safety. OOC: So, I was three quarters of the way through this post when I realized that every single person on this site knows of another person named Brandon . It goes without saying that Brandon H is purely a work of fiction, and any remote similarities he bears to anyone in real life (like oh, say, a famous award winning author) is purely coincidental .

Almost caught up with the back story in The Dalles. I would just like to say that I LOVE Autumn Glass. She's phenomenal.

I feel like Taylor Swift should have a history of dating powerful epics. Too bad Steelheart is such a paranoid loner haha. Let me know if you have any suggestions for me to add to her past

I think it depends on how you feel about the pandas, haha. "Out of the Woods" is the one that pops out to me, but if you really like Pandas, maybe "The Best Day"???

Good clarification! I would think though that Oblivions power is preemptive but to the impact of the bullet rather than the firing of the gun. Taylor's power, at least works this way, so it would respond equally to a gunshot or to an instantaneous power like Deathpoints, reacting to the receipt rather than the creation of the attack. As a side note I'm not sure of the limits of Deathpoints powers, but Taylor could potentially be defenceless. If an epic had the power to destroy or disintegrate anything, Taylor would be destroyed no matter what she turned into. Her body could still automatically shift to avoid the attack (forming a hole for a beam to pass through), but that only works if an attack is dodgeable. On the topic of integration into the thread, I think I'm getting a feel for what is all going on, but am unsure about relative locations. If Taylor walks into the Dalles (direction is negotiable) who / what is she likely to run into / see first??