[X] Fuck it. Track down Skitter. She stands at the edge of your sensory range, but the combination of ACCELERANDO and GEOMANCY will see Casey there in no time. He'll talk to her, maybe make an offer of cooperation. Start to build a team, maybe
[X][POWER] Utilize PSYCHOPOMP to create, modify, or break apart powers.
-[X] Make a new power with the KEYWORDS THINKER/SKILL
-[X] Make a new power with the KEYWORDS STRANGER/SENSE/SCRAMBLE
-[X] Put enough motes to level up ThinkerSkill one time. Then share the rest between GEOMANCY and ScrambleSense. Level up one, then the other. Repeat until you can't 100% level up another time.
[X] Fuck it. Track down Skitter. She stands at the edge of your sensory range, but the combination of ACCELERANDO and GEOMANCY will see Casey there in no time. He'll talk to her, maybe make an offer of cooperation. Start to build a team, maybe.
[X][POWER] Utilize PSYCHOPOMP to create, modify, or break apart powers.
-[X] Make a new power with the KEYWORDS THINKER/SKILL
-[X] Make a new power with the KEYWORDS STRANGER/SENSE/SCRAMBLE
-[X] Put enough motes to level up ThinkerSkill one time. Then share the rest between GEOMANCY and ScrambleSense. Level up one, then the other. Repeat until you can't 100% level up another time.
Scheduled vote count started by paebel on Jun 10, 2024 at 2:29 AM, finished with 19 posts and 6 votes.
[X] Fuck it. Track down Skitter. She stands at the edge of your sensory range, but the combination of ACCELERANDO and GEOMANCY will see Casey there in no time. He'll talk to her, maybe make an offer of cooperation. Start to build a team, maybe.
[X][POWER] Utilize PSYCHOPOMP to create, modify, or break apart powers.
-[X] Make a new power with the KEYWORDS THINKER/SKILL
-[X] Make a new power with the KEYWORDS STRANGER/SENSE/SCRAMBLE
-[X] Put enough motes to level up ThinkerSkill one time. Then share the rest between GEOMANCY and ScrambleSense. Level up one, then the other. Repeat until you can't 100% level up another time.
[X][POWER] Utilize PSYCHOPOMP to create, modify, or break apart powers.
-[X] Dump four motes into a power made with the words THINKER SKILL
-[X] Be ready to dump the rest of the motes into Accelerando if things go pear shaped with Skitter and we need to run.
[X] Go home. Sleep. Figure out what to do tomorrow. They're in no position to be making any decisions now, though it does mean having to track down Skitter again, assuming they feel like pursuing the lead.
From context they appear to be an androgynous male who presents as female when in their cape identity. The narration appears to switch pronouns based on which they are trying to appear as.
Note for later: Oni Lee's cloning/teleport power is line of sight-dependent. If used just after he drops his grenades, "scramble senses" can cause an instant win by "accidental" suicide bombing.
Oh. OH. This is big tbh. We can kill him pretty easily that way.
I'm thinking of the Travelers, now. Trickster can be beat in the same way, too. Maybe he's even more vulnerable to this than Lee, because he needs to select two targets. Sundancer is probably too chickenshit to use her power without sight, too.
I wonder if they are already in the city? They arrived post-Leviathan in canon.
Fuck it. I'm already here, might as well handle this too.
This decision made, Protean politely declined the PRT offer to transport her to a place of her choosing. The officer in charge nodded his head in understanding, saying something about how they "keep any personal information entirely confidential." Protean rejected the second request and the PRT officer left it at that.
Vista simply waved goodbye. The girl mentioned something about maybe contacting her later but Protean wasn't paying attention at this point. She was tired and preoccupied with her spoils. Even as the ambulance left, and then Vista alongside the PRT troopers, Protean considered what to create. She had received a significant sum this time, more than killing Skidmark had granted, and she desperately wanted to use it.
She fed two of words together. Now that she had gained a bit more familiarity with her power, she had some understanding of what each had been. One felt generic, for lack of a better word, but in its genericness it had importance. It provided form and direction to the second word. THINKER and SKILL combined together into a single whole.
PRODIGY was a remarkable power. It granted her immense ability at any single skill, and the skills were broad. They could be stealth, parkour, fighting, just about anything she could think of, though she could only choose one at a time. Switching from her chosen skill to another would take a few minutes.
With a smile on her face, she chose parkour as her skillset.
Already her movements were more swift and sure. She fed several motes into her Shaker power and began propelling herself through the city. She didn't create as many showy walls, simple hand and footholds so she could continue to accelerate. She went faster and faster, approaching the cape she felt in the distance. At some point, Skitter had become aware of her, and was now moving rapidly away.
But Skitter wasn't moving more quickly than Protean. And...
She made one final power. A Stranger power this time. She could feel them latching onto her. People's eyes tracking her as she propelled her way through the city. She fed more motes into it, making it stronger and stronger, and she felt more senses come under her sway. Sight and sound, now, and soon smell. She didn't really think the last would be that useful, except against certain types of Thinkers, but it did cause her to wonder. If this power grew strong enough, could it be used to disrupt other people's Thinker powers or other power-senses?
Skitter had clearly known Protean had found her. If this Stranger power had been strong enough, could she have interfered with whatever means Skitter used?
It didn't really matter now. Skitter had stopped running after a certain point and Protean had nearly reached the young supervillain. She had chosen a nearby alleyway for the meeting. The lighting and footing was poor and she had no doubt the villain had hidden many of the bugs she liked to deploy. She had a baton out and seemed tense.
"What do you want?" Skitter demanded.
Protean feels a tinge of unease but quickly squashes it.
Just be an ambitious hero. Put on the act, you're good at that.
"I wanted to talk, hear what's up from your own mouth. My friends back there wouldn't be happy I'm doing this. But I think it's important. According to PHO you've given up the villain game, had some sort of falling out with the Undersiders."
Skitter remains tenses for a moment. Protean thinks the villain might be gathering more insects but, after a few seconds, Skitter relaxes and lowers her baton.
"I'm a hero. Always have been, or wanted to be," her voice has a plaintive quality to it. "But... I made some bad decisions, I guess. Looking back on it now, I can see that, but at the time it seemed smart."
"So a hero, that ran with villains. What's up with that? Just kind of fall into it or something?"
Protean is honestly curious on this point. She had fallen in with the heroes pretty easily. It had been natural, easy, but she supposed she had triggered in a fairly non-deniable way. The PRT and Protectorate had been inclined to treat her well, especially in the aftermath of Leviathan, but what about before?
"I wanted to go undercover, figure them out, arrest them. Only the things I learned... it's terrible. Not them, necessarily, but their boss."
Now this is juicy information.
"Boss? So the Undersiders aren't as independent as they claim?"
Skitter took a long minute, as if considering.
"If I tell you this, there's no going back on it. Frankly, it's safer for both of us if I don't, but I can't do nothing. I just can't. And I guess... I guess I have a hard time trusting the PRT anymore. But you aren't necessarily any better. I know what you've been doing. You killed Skidmark, and Victor just now. You saved Miss Militia, it's true, but you were already preparing that attack. You'd planned on killing him from the start. So what about you? Are you some kind of psycho that just wants to go around killing villains? Somthing like Gavel?"
"I have no idea who Gavel is. But no, that's not the case at all. I woke up in Skidmark's basement, captured after Leviathan, handcuffed with two other women. So I did what I had to do."
The lie comes easy. She didn't have to do anything. But she could. But the core of it is true. Protean isn't just some psycho looking to kill villains. She can tell Skitter has something she wants to share, but she isn't sure that she safely can. The PRT is out for some reason and Protean's cavalier attitude about killing plainly upsetted her.
So how could she recruit this (former) supervillain? Did she even want to bother?
[] Protean chose to lean on her powers. Keep the discussion going a few minutes, switch PRODIGY from parkour to... charisma? Talking? Negotiation? Something like it. Hopefully she can be swayed with words alone.
[] Protean offers to unmask to her. If she shows Skitter her face, surely some trust can be reciprocated?
[] ...Protean discussed her ultimate goals and powers with Skitter. If they work together, it'll have to come out eventually, right? And a fellow survivor of Leviathan might appreciate trying to actually kill one of them. At least if Skitter doesn't consider her insane, or refuses to work with a cape-killer. But something about Skitter told Protean that she would appreciate an honest appeal to the greater good.
[] Perhaps no grand gesture and no bullshit. Just lay the groundwork to work with Skitter in the future. Maybe something minor, a hit on a Merchant cape, or going after a Chosen?
[][POWER] Utilize PSYCHOPOMP to create, modify, or break apart powers.
-[] Add a KEYWORD to [existing power]
-[] Add motes to [existing power]
-[] Break apart [existing power] and reclaim all motes and keywords (requires at least eight hours of rest).
-[] Do nothing for now.
POWER PANEL
CURRENT MOTES 0
THIEF
PSYCHOPOMP (Rank 12)(Trump): Harvest KEYWORDS and motes from dying capes. Use them to create powers. Gain a minor Thinker power to identify capes.
PHOENIX(Rank 5)(Trump/Brute/Changer)(BRUTE, TRUMP, CHANGER, FLESH, REGEN, FIRE, CONTROL) Burn to ash and rise again, stronger than before. Casey regenerates damage taken, the more damage taken the more rapidly they regenerate. As they regenerate, they shade "feathers" of flame, which they have moderate control over. They grow stronger the more times they regenerate, generating virtual "motes" which may improve PHOENIX by up to three ranks. (10 motes)
ACCELERANDO (Rank 4)(Mover)(MOVER, ACCELERATION, INTERTIA) Casey increases in speed the longer he is in constant movement. It seemingly has no limit, but takes time to spool up. Once he reaches a speed, he can maintain it, and needs some space to slow down. Casey may reach out and touch a single item no more than ten grams in mass. This item gains an iridescent sheen and is propelled at ever increasing speeds, in whichever direction Casey chooses. It will not slow until it strikes something, unless Casey wills it. (4 motes)
GEOMANCY (Rank 4)(Shaker)(SHAKER, CRAFT, FIELD) Casey may shape the world around him. At low motes, he is limited to the most readily available materials and has a range only slightly beyond his body. He is also limited to a single extremely basic creation (pillars, walls, holes, etc). At higher motes, Casey may utilize more exotic materials, expand his range, and expand the number of creations. Complexity of creations may increase as well. (5 motes)
PRODIGY (Rank 1)(Thinker)(THINKER, SKILL) Casey may choose a single skill to have superhuman skill in, and may change this skill with a few minutes of preparation. The number of skills and speed of skill change increases as rank increases. (1 mote)
STATIC (Rank 4)(STRANGER, SCRAMBLE, SENSE) Casey may cloud the perceptions of anyone that perceives him. As rank increases, his ability to cloud perceptions grows. He may not interface with non-biological senses, such as cameras, but he can effect people that see him through the camera. (5 motes)
[X] Protean chose to lean on her powers. Keep the discussion going a few minutes, switch PRODIGY from parkour to... charisma? Talking? Negotiation? Something like it. Hopefully she can be swayed with words alone.
-[X] "How many times have Empire capes broken out? It's obvious the PRT aren't actually interested in keeping them behind bars. I guarantee he would have been broken out in a week, either by his fellow Nazis or a sympathetic Officer. There is even rumors that the PRT will accept villains into their ranks in exchange for not putting them behind bars. They claim they're sending him off, but along the way they change course and soon there is a new Protectorate Hero in some other city. To them it's just a game, but try telling that to Victor's victims. His power was to steal peoples skills, permanently. How many surgeons has he taken a living from? Which psychologists or therapists did he steal the skills of to manage the Empires PR? If we're lucky, they'll finally get their skills back now. If not, that's a decade of schooling they have to pay for with skills they no longer have. How many people have lost limbs to Hookwolf? I don't know how many, but given he's escaped from a birdcage transport twice, I would guess close to triple digits. Now imagine if someone had just taken care of him after the first sentencing. Or even the tenth murder? And don't even get me started on the ABB's 'Farms'. Eventually, someone has to draw a line. It has to be somewhere."
Feel free to ping me if you think up a better way to word my point.
@thewhiteraven22
I wouldn't use Assault's past as an argument. It's likely that the secret is paper-thin, but I believe he's well-liked by the general public, and might actually be used as a counter-argument that villains can be redeemed.
Plus, don't forget that we are talking to Skitter, who is currently branded a villain... Better highlight the fact that we are currently talking to her instead of attacking, to show that we are not just a deranged cape-killer.
I can write something more detailed later, but playing on the fact that we only go after villains with a kill count and a habit of playing the system to remain free, would be my game plan. Getting rid of the truly irredeemable few to protect the many...
[X] ...Protean discussed her ultimate goals and powers with Skitter. If they work together, it'll have to come out eventually, right? And a fellow survivor of Leviathan might appreciate trying to actually kill one of them. At least if Skitter doesn't consider her insane, or refuses to work with a cape-killer. But something about Skitter told Protean that she would appreciate an honest appeal to the greater good.
Our approach here depends entirely on what we want from Taylor, tbh.
We could lie to/mislead her, but that just delays the inevitable bomb that is PSYCHOPOMP and the fact that we have to (and, i assume, WANT TO) kill people. I, for one, don't want to justify myself to Taylor everytime we want/need to murder a cape. This only works if we're using and discarding her.
We could also be 100% open, but honestly that's silly. Taylor is judgy AF, so unless Paebel uses dice in social interactions (and we roll a 20) there's no way she accepts us killing people "for the greatee good"/to kill an EB. I also doubt that she will buy the whole "woe is me, i MUST kill capes! I'm totally not a psycho!" spiel from a cape she just met. This approach is, i feel, destined to fail.
So let's start with something a bit less drastic (comparatively), we try to Diplomacy her, give her some (kind of useless, because there ain't no way she can use it against us effectively and Casey's family is trash anyways so it's not like they matter in this equation) leverage and unmask to her. Tell her our name is Casey, and we are one of the minorities the Empire hunts down. Give an excuse (or one of the reasons) about why we wanted to kill Victor. Then we either reel her in with friendship or whataver, or discard her if we can't.
[X] Protean chose to lean on her powers. Keep the discussion going a few minutes, switch PRODIGY from parkour to... charisma? Talking? Negotiation? Something like it. Hopefully she can be swayed with words alone.
-[X] So, let's take this by parts. Mention to her that you are a cape - in Brockton Bay no less -and a person who is inclined to action. The moment you got your powers - your agency - in this graveyard of a city was the moment you stopped being safe. "But if i want some trust i should extend some of it in kind, right?". Unmask. Tell your name. Explain to her you're the type of people the Empire would lynch if they got the chance. That Victor would squish you like a bug with glee, for being who you are. He's not a "villain", he's a monster, sure, an human one, but not less terrible because of it. If she asks about Skidmark ("was he a monster too?" comes to mind), ask her what exactly does she think he wanted with you, to shackle you in his basement? What was on his mind, when he decided on kidnapping you just after you passed out in the middle of an Endbringer attack? If Casey knows about the Truce, mention it. If not, just mention how utterly wrong it is, to do that after an EB - the literal, actual enemies of mankind, more or less - attacks your city. Tailor your approach with PRODIGY's help.
-[X] Regardless, try to set up a meeting with her, to talk cape stuff or just attack a villain/gang. Give her your phone. pho handle, a date/place to meet or whataver works. If it doesn't work, just politely leave.
Thoughts? Any insights on Taylor's personality so we can tailor (hah!) our approach to her?
[X] ...Protean discussed her ultimate goals and powers with Skitter. If they work together, it'll have to come out eventually, right? And a fellow survivor of Leviathan might appreciate trying to actually kill one of them. At least if Skitter doesn't consider her insane, or refuses to work with a cape-killer. But something about Skitter told Protean that she would appreciate an honest appeal to the greater good.
and shift our skill to communication? Less emphasis on persuading and more on fostering understanding.
[X] ...Protean discussed her ultimate goals and powers with Skitter. If they work together, it'll have to come out eventually, right? And a fellow survivor of Leviathan might appreciate trying to actually kill one of them. At least if Skitter doesn't consider her insane, or refuses to work with a cape-killer. But something about Skitter told Protean that she would appreciate an honest appeal to the greater good.
and shift our skill to communication? Less emphasis on persuading and more on fostering understanding.
Considering his men grabbed people off the street and forcibly addicted them to stuff that would eventually kill them and ruin their lives and their familys' in the process, I'd say he qualifies, hands down.
With the first option being more manipulative and the last more honest, then? Works for me.
Well, Skitter laid her cards on the table, including some damaging stuff, and she's of a somewhat heroic bent. We might get through her with honesty and playing the anti-hero card. On the other hand, full disclosure to someone who just admitted that her master plan was to be a mole for the PRT is a bit of a gamble if she hasn't burned her bridges as thoroughly as she says. And the only things we have to gain from it, from our character's perspective, is a possible ally, admittedly with a very useful information-gathering power, and some unqualified information about the shadowy backer of a relatively small-time gang...
Anything I'm not seeing, here? And anyone against extending the voting deadline a bit to pool and polish our arguments ?
An immense shadow in the distance, three eyes with an ominous green glow, a wave of water approaching in the distance. Others, like him, not able to reach a shelter in time. In that moment he saw. And then he forgot, like all the rest, except he remembers that he forgot. Forgot what? He didn't know.
And the only things we have to gain from it, from our character's perspective, is a possible ally, admittedly with a very useful information-gathering power, and some unqualified information about the shadowy backer of a relatively small-time gang...
We also gain a guinea pig to test some of our powers. How would we test the effectiveness of stranger/trump stuff, like Static? Unless we already know everything about a power's nuances when we make it. OOC, we gain another character to bounce Casey off. Though, i don't particularly mind if it isn't Taylor.
I would definitely appreciate just a little more time for the vote.
[X] ...Protean discussed her ultimate goals and powers with Skitter. If they work together, it'll have to come out eventually, right? And a fellow survivor of Leviathan might appreciate trying to actually kill one of them. At least if Skitter doesn't consider her insane, or refuses to work with a cape-killer. But something about Skitter told Protean that she would appreciate an honest appeal to the greater good.
-[X] Shift your prodigy skill to communication, to help understand eachother.
[X] ...Protean discussed her ultimate goals and powers with Skitter. If they work together, it'll have to come out eventually, right? And a fellow survivor of Leviathan might appreciate trying to actually kill one of them. At least if Skitter doesn't consider her insane, or refuses to work with a cape-killer. But something about Skitter told Protean that she would appreciate an honest appeal to the greater good.
-[X] Shift your prodigy skill to communication, to help understand eachother.
[X] Protean chose to lean on her powers. Keep the discussion going a few minutes, switch PRODIGY from parkour to... charisma? Talking? Negotiation? Something like it. Hopefully she can be swayed with words alone.
-[X] "I sought out a villain to talk and get her point of view. Not exactly great "Grrr, psycho villain killer" material, now am I? I only kill monsters."
-[X] "Skidmark? I passed out in the middle of an Endbringer attack. Next thing I know, I woke up in his basement. Shackled. With two other girls. Need I say more? I did what I had to do to save myself."
-[X] "Victor? His power was to steal peoples skills, permanently. How many surgeons has he taken a living from? Hello, how many people have died because Victor thought he needed their surgeons' skilks more than they did? Which psychologists or therapists did he steal the skills of to manage the Empires PR? If we're lucky, they'll finally get their skills back now. If not, that's a decade of schooling they have to pay for with skills they no longer have."
-[X] "Think about it. How many times have Empire capes broken out? It's obvious the PRT aren't actually interested in keeping them behind bars. I guarantee he would have been broken out in a week, either by his fellow Nazis or a sympathetic Officer. There is even rumors that the PRT will accept villains into their ranks in exchange for not putting them behind bars. They claim they're sending him off, but along the way they change course and soon there is a new Protectorate Hero in some other city. To them it's just a game, but try telling that to their victims. How many people have lost limbs to Hookwolf? I don't know how many, but given he's escaped from a birdcage transport twice, I would guess close to triple digits. Now imagine if someone had just taken care of him after the first sentencing. Or even the tenth murder? And don't even get me started on the ABB's 'Farms'. Eventually, someone has to draw a line. It has to be somewhere."
-[X] Lay the groundwork to work with Skitter in the future. Maybe something minor, a hit on a Merchant cape, or going after a Chosen?
