A PHO thread for The World is my Layout

@Void cowboy
I wonder if dispatcher is cute and how hard would It to ask her out on a date?
And thanks for taking out the trash called the merchants.
Ms. Martial, do you how old our new train girl is anyway?

(Trying to somewhat annoying like our fav void. Not as much as he would later be, he is still learning to become the great asshole everyone loves.)
 
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MIss Militia (Verified Cape) (ENE Protectorate)
Replied On August 31, 2008:
@Void_Cowboy

I'm not going to speculate on the matter Void, or provide you with any private details about her, though I don't believe she would be interested in a random invitation from the internet. You're welcome on the Merchants though. i was just doing my job, though it was a pleasure to do it.


Brocktonite03 (Original Poster)
Replied On August 31, 2008:

There appears to be some activity by the fence now. The projections seem to be putting up yellow caution tape along it, except for at the gate. There are a number of gaps in the fence that I can see where it has been cut through or fallen over. I wonder if Dispatcher going to be doing some work?

....

Oh my goodness. i just watched a half dozen railroad cars, gondolas by the look of them, just appear on the tracks by the fueling depot. Then a crane was plopped down by the switch junction that was damaged in the explosions last night. After that, two diesel engines moved out from the backshops. One coupled up to the line of cars that appeared and the other hooked up to a single car that looks like it's loaded with all the trash that was in and around the locomotive terminal. It must have shown up last night because I didn't see it there before.

Now I'm currently watching several switch assemblies that are floating mid-air being lifted into place after 30 or so projections cleared away the old damaged tracks and ties. The damaged stuff is being loaded into the gondolas with the crane and the switches are being slotteed into place with the precision a model railroader might have.

...

Is that what we have on our hands? A parahuman who is treating the Trainyards as her personal model railroad?
 
► LocoForLocos (Locomotive Hobbyist) (Leviathan Survivor: Seattle, WA)
Posted on: August 31st, 2008
@Brocktonite03 (Original Poster) (( @GeneralPatt1000 ))
Tinker powers are bullshit. Locomotive Tinker powers? Steam-powered bullshit, at just under 126 miles per hour (202.777 km/h for all the Europeans).

...Considering the speed of that tinker-enhanced bullshit, someone should probably give Skidmark a bath. Or Dispatcher some more bullshit. As someone who has spent far too much time on their model train sets, I can only cheer her on from over here on the West Coast. You go, Dispatcher!

...On another note, however, that does make me remember a saying about how many grains of sand it'd take to kill Leviathan if propelled at light speed. 'One, with sufficient mass', wasn't it? Makes me wonder how many trains it'd take to squish Lung. There's certainly enough mass, now we just need to find the particle accelerator! :D
 
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(( Tis' a reference, to the LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard, which, on the 3rd of July, 1938, reached the absolutely astounding 126 miles per hour for quite a while. ))

(( She also barely beat the previous German holder of the record, by a single MPH. She was also going downhill while the German loco was on level terrain. Mallard ended up needing repairs after the record run, the repairs had her out of traffic for 9 days.

If it wasn't for Nazi Germany being Nazi Germany, I'd not be surprised to see Mallard's record being much more contested.

That said, I feel it'd be meaningless to beat Mallard's record or revoke it ))
 
Okay everyone, it's about time we get this rolling again since we're trying to revive the story as well. Once I make this post, people can start reacting to the press conference in 2.5. Have fun everyone, and thank you for your patience.

----

BBFD (Verified First Responders)
Posted on: August 31st, 2008

I thought you would all like to know that The Department has just dispatched a pumper engine to the Roundhouse. Someone speaking for Dispatcher called in a request for us to fill a 12,000 US gallon tender if a donation was made to one of the charities we support. I imagine you all will see it arriving there on your televisions shortly. It must be for that steam locomotive people were talking about last night.

-Brockton Bay Fire Department Public Relations Office


Brocktonite03 (Original Poster)
@BBFD

Thanks for the notice and for your service! And yeah, I see the fire truck moving toward the Roundhouse area from the news helicopter camera. It's probably going to hook up to the water system and fill up the tender of that 4-6-2 that the hobbyist was talking about last night. It will be exciting to see the results of that!

Okay, it made its way through the crowd of reporters at the gate. That appearance certainly surprised them. Oh, one of the projections is moving to the podium now. it looks like we're going to get that press conference after all.
 
Starter 2.1
By the powers vested in me by my status as the OP, I command this thread to rise from the grave! Hello everyone and welcome back to this PHO thread. Since my story is active again, after consulting the readers, I decided to revive this thread so we can finish the PHO post around the events of the 2.5 press conference and Roger's bit of exercise in 2.6. Both chapters are required reading, so while I will be summarizing the press conference, I advise you all to reread both chapters to understand what is going on. I trust you guys to filter out anything in the chapters that would be considered meta-knowledge as we follow the events of the day. Now, lets get on with the show!
_______

Brocktonite03 (Original Poster)
Posted August 31st 2008

Well, that press conference has given us quite a bit to unpack so let me break it down for analysis.

1.It is confirmed that Dispatcher has train powers, though to what extent is unknown. She can also control small vehicles and construction equipment.

2. She intends to use those powers to reopen the port and bring industry back to the city.

3. This means cleaning up the Docks and Boat Graveyard so they can service shipping.

4. She is of Wards age, but doesn't intend to join them. However, she will be maintaining a good relationship with the PRT and Protectorate. Her family is aware of her powers.

5. She does not have a permit to use any of the existing equipment or tracks, but does want to legally acquire them and purchase the name of the Boston and Maine Railroad.

6. She threatened any interfering villains with retaliation and arrest if they oppose her.

7. A reporter asked if she intended to build a light rail system and she didn't seem opposed.

I think that was about everything. I think she also said something about operations she had carried out yesterday and her intentions regarding certain locomotives. It sounds as if that steam engine that was mentioned earlier is in good enough condition to run and she has an "appointment with it".

What did you guys think? Sounds like Dispatcher really wants to turn over a new leaf for the city.
 
Trufla (Unverified Cape)
Posted September 1st 2008

So, a Master/Shaker with a very wide area of effect. If she's going to run a transport company with her power, that's a necessity. Iceland doesn't have as many legal hoops to jump through as the US, but I imagine if she's talking about running multiple units at once, adding actual human employees will be a given. (And revitalizing a defunct rail company to boost the local economy sort of needs hiring personnel to do long-term benefits.)

I'll be looking forward to seeing what sort of limits she hits. And if her power can do lasting repairs and refurbishment on rolling stock, Dispatcher might want to look into setting up a side line as a salvage company for any engines and such that are slated for scrapping by other companies. It would be a win-win for both sides.
 
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TempestK(Behemoth Survivor)
Posted August 31st 2008

Wow, that's... that's honestly kind of a terrifying Shaker power. If she can affect things that aren't directly attached to the railroad, or if it extends out even further. In which case forget boxcars, Dispatcher could be dropping buildings on the likes of Leviathan.

I'll admit, if I had that power set I'd probably abuse it somehow. Good on her and her family with trying to do something positive and actively constructive.
 
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CaptainOblivious(Verified Troll)
Posted August 31st 2008

Another trains person? And so young?
Some would decry this, and ask what the world is coming to, but I for one applaud the kid. I heard she's a trains person, and if we get a Hero, Protectorate/ Wards or not, that can become a train, that's cool.
I mean, I loved the Transformers, and I hope she's an Autobot.

And if she can control an entire area, do you think she'll be able to become an entire city, like Metroplex? That'd be awesome, and we could show up the Endbringers by having City-Kid (Future Cape Name Pending) crush them underfoot like the world's least desired ants!
 
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((Just a reminder folks that the date for this is August 31st, not September 1st. September 1st is the story's current date and the PHO is a day in the past.
 
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adelie77
Posted August 31st 2008

Fifteen years of calling this dear beloved disaster of a city "home" have taught me two things:
1) Capes gonna capefight.
2) S-Class capes gonna swing their powers around.

Once again, those two rules seem to have played out. First, Skidmark reacts to the existence of a new cape in his neighborhood by starting a fight about it. Then, after smacking him down, said new cape proceeds to show us she has the biggest, girthiest superpower by materializing hundred ton vehicles out of thin air with a dozen camera crews watching.

Assuming Dispatcher is really the eager little kid her projection makes her out to be, it's possible she doesn't understand the full implications of her powers as a weapon. The fight with Skidmark was, after all, mostly handled by her "employee" projections (and isn't that a trip, where a side benefit of her power is enough to make her Crusader Plus). "Summoning and controlling" a train and then having it accelerate straight into a fortified target? Boxing in an enemy with derailed, immovable boxcars? All of this nonsense apparently covering a citywide range, if she's talking about clearing the graveyard solo, or laying and running a new bayside trolly?

I want so, so badly to believe it. That she's as idealistic as she presents herself, and that her parents have good enough heads on their shoulders to keep her from doing something stupid. And that she's strong enough to protect both her toy train set, and the people like us who live around it, if (god forbid) Mannequin catches wind of her plans.

But shit. She also talked about "possession is nine tenths of the law". She talked about summoning tanks. It feels like she's already having trouble seeing the city like any mundane human on the street would see it. And we've been burned before, haven't we?

So I'm gonna deliberately try to temper my hopes and my fears here, and go with "cautious optimism" for now. This is only a debut, after all. If she's this eager to get started on her plans, I'm sure it won't be long until her actions give us a clearer picture on whether we've really, finally won the cape lotto here.
 
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►ForTheHive (Not a Hivemind)
Posted August 31st 2008

Two things come to mind at the moment.

1. What is with the 4, 6, 2 number code? I assume it's related to trains, maybe a model number?

2. When Dispatcher said they would not be opposed to building more rails, do you think they meant helping construct it via her constructs, or magicing up completed train tracks?

That just triggered another thought. If they can magic up train tracks wherever, then they won't be limited by existing tracks...
 
adelie77
Posted August 31st 2008

@ForTheHive Reporter video has her installing a set of switch rails to replace ones that Skidmark ruined. If she can magic up a fancy chunk of track like that, it stands to reason she'd be able to place the normal kind. She only had to use her projections to remove the old, busted stuff.

As for "462", apparently it has something to do with the wheels on the engine car? Not my Topic tho, I'm sure someone else in here understands it better.
 
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►ForTheHive (Not a Hivemind)
Posted August 31st 2008
@adelie77 I meant placing tracks where none previously where (EG: down the middle of a road to run over Lung). Placing new tracks and replacing old ones might be completely different for their power.

Imagine waking up one morning to find your driveway has been replaced with a new train station...
 
adelie77
Posted August 31st 2008

@ForTheHive Ahh, gotcha. Yeah, the "train station in your driveway" scenario (or, more likely, "controlled rail crossings blocking your street") is, uh, one big reason that Dispatcher's apparently blasé attitude towards real property ownership has me a little jittery! Hopefully that's just a symptom of her starting in the Docks where half the buildings are ripe for adverse possession anyway, and not a pattern that'll carry over to when she wants to lay tracks in more populated areas. :confused:
 
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BrocktonBayHobbies (Verified Retailer) (Hobbyist Destination)
Replied on August 31, 2008:

@ForTheHive

@adelie77


I can answer the question about the number code. It is called the Whyte notation system. It is used to classify steam locomotive wheel arrangements. What you must remember is that the center number represents the number of driving or powered wheels while the beginning and ending numbers denote the unpowered wheelsets. These are called pilot and trailing wheels. So in this case, there are 4 pilot wheels, 6 driving wheels and 2 trailing wheels. 4-6-2.

It'll be good to see some live steam around the area again. It's been a long time since there have been any operating locomotives.

-Ted Banks, Owner and Proprieter of Bay Hobbies
 
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((I have never done this before so if I screw something up please let me know. Also is there a list somewhere that has the already taken names? I put in a place holder for now so that I don't loss my train of thought, pun intended))

►HopefulMachinist
Posted August 31st 2008

I'm so excited to possibly get to see the rail lines reactivated. The jobs that this would bring are going to be great. I do wish it happened sooner. My great grandfather had started a small machine shop just off the railroad between the main yard and the dry docks way back when.

For many years my various family members made just about everything that goes on a ship or a train. From axles to propellers, decorative fixtures to screws, we did it all. But when the ships were scuttled in the bay, almost all the work dried up. My father ended up closing the doors when I was in my early teens, but we still own the land and building. Maybe I can reopen the family business now.

Also as a final thought, do you think Dispatcher can make magic or sci-fi trains real?
 
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►HopefulMachinist
Replied August 31st 2008

@TempestK

I was more thinking about Thomas the Tank Engine and the rest of the cast from the show. Can you imagine having sentient trains going down the rails with their creepy faces.

But more importantly, if Dispatcher can deploy fictional trains, then I would bet that somewhere, there is a train that can beat an Endbringer. And if not, then I'll write a book about the strongest train to ever exist.
 
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Void cowboy.

Aug 31, 2008.

So our new cape overlord is a girl. I think she is an alien for sure.

So do you think I can get a date with her?
How cool would it be to say you are dating the train cape anyway?
I wonder if she goes to my school anyway?
 
TempestK(Behemoth Survivor)
Posted August 31st 2008

@ xXxVoid_CowboyxXx dude you do realize that this level of desperation is probably why you can't get a date in the first place? Either way, in order.

A. No, she likely won't date you because you can't keep a secret for shit.
B. That question kind of underscores my point.
C. Even if she did, why would that make her any more likely to date you than she already was?
 
((Just a reminder folks that the date for this is August 31st, not September 1st. September 1st is the story's current date and the PHO is a day in the past.))
((True, but from my persona's POV as someone in another country, it sort of made sense that his first post would probably be timestamped after midnight. He doesn't exactly live all the time online, so delays are his norm. ;) ))

Trufla (Unverified Cape)
Replied September 1st 2008
@CaptainOblivious(Verified Troll)
That'd be awesome, and we could show up the Endbringers by having City-Kid (Future Cape Name Pending) crush them underfoot like the world's least desired ants
If Dispatcher has that sort of control, let's hope she's Manton limited. Otherwise, what stops her from putting the entire city into her "pocket" and walking off? Although, if she could pull it off, I imagine that would make one annoyed Endbringer... Shows up, and the target is nowhere to be seen.
 
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