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Brockton's Celestial Forge (Worm/Jumpchain)

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Coil has two major disadvantages that he doesn't realize.

The first and most obvious disadvantage is that between the Workshop Privacy Curtain, the OCP ability, and Mystic Codes, Dinah's predictions are undetectably off. He literally just got Dinah a week and a half ago and she's been free of March's power for only like 5-6 days. So she's a brand-new resource he thinks of as a super-weapon, and she's inadvertently misleading him.

The less obvious problem is Tattletale. Coil's normal MO is to get Tattletale "on the table" so that he can verify under extensive torture if she's plotting anything. He can't do that any more (because the second someone even touches her in the alternate timeline, Joe shows up to bitch-slap him through a wall), meaning Tattletale is free to undermine him and plot against him. He also thinks he has her under electronic surveillance, but again Joe's watch blocks that. He probably doesn't realize the extent to which Tattletale is rebelling against him.

We all joke about how quickly Joe's progressing and there's the three-day-old meme and everyone outside Brockton can see it, but if you're inside Brockton, there's almost always a larger and more immediate problem than Apeiron. Sure, he looked powerful last Saturday and Monday, but everyone was neck-deep in dealing with the ABB. You've got a full 72 hours from Thursday night to Sunday night where Joe's the scariest problem on the board (and way outside your weight class), and then after Sunday night you've got The Butcher and the Teeth to deal with, as well as moving around within the constraints of the Truce. Plus everyone's got internal problems - Coil is setting up the Travelers and Noelle, the E88 are onboarding Damsel and dealing with internal Victor-related drama, and the Merchants are doubling in size. So everyone's plates are full and they can't give Apeiron their full attention.
 
Here are some quotes that I think summarize Lisa and Coil's thoughts on the situation. In short, in the early days Lisa didn't think Joe would be able to solo Coil, and now that he clearly could she's instead scared of Noelle cloning him. Coil himself still thinks Joe prioritizes non-interference because he doesn't realize that Joe's power growth also comes with character growth, plus he has an incorrect impression of Joe's character in the first place.
LordRoustabout said:
There was no conceivable growth curve that would allow a single cape to cleanly dismantle Coil's operation. Then Thursday night had shown what Joe thought about 'conceivable growth curves'. More than the power that had allowed him to storm the ABB and fight off Uber and Leet. More than the technical mastery that had fought Dragon to a standstill. More than the new abilities that had emerged out of nowhere during his visit to the hideout.

It should have been enough. It should have been a display that put her fears to rest and opened the door for the endgame. It was earlier than she would have preferred. Not enough time to finish her work, to ensure safe dismantling of Coil's operations, to protect the Undersiders from the aftermath. But with what Joe showed that it could work. There were ways around the defense provided by Coil's powers. With enough force and resources, resources that seemed to appear out of nowhere whenever Joe needed them, they could do it.

Or they would have been able to. That was before the Travelers.
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LordRoustabout said:
It was insane. Even for Coil, it was insane.
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LordRoustabout said:
Coil didn't care. Either he didn't see it, or he assumed his power was sufficient to protect him. Just another contingency meant to stack the deck in his favor. It was displayed so blatantly that she had to wonder if he knew. If somehow he had discerned her plans, picked apart her actions, his subversions. He loved to hint at the actions he had taken in his disposable timelines. Acquiring analysis that she didn't remember providing, revealing secrets that could only be acquired through extremely costly action, or even implying consequences for crimes that no one would remember.

But none of that had happened. Mercifully, Coil had been as pressed as her during March's tenure. He had acquired a new thinker, a powerful precognitive that provided assurance and security, but had failed him completely during the rise of the ABB. Now the security provided by that power was functioning again, just in time for it to provide another obstacle to any plans she might attempt.
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LordRoustabout said:
Somehow, as a small miracle, he wasn't concerned about Joe. Despite everything, Coil continued to trust her initial assessment. Continued to believe that Joe would seek a policy of non-interference. Of holding contracts and staying out of matters that didn't directly involve him or his interests. It was something she had been sure to play into, but it amazed her how firmly Coil had held to that impression.

Because he didn't know. He didn't know about the sudden shifts, the way Joe could be completely on board for a plan, then radically alter his stance the instant his power drew him in a new direction. Coil didn't understand just how unstable Joe was on a fundamental level. He saw what he wanted to see and believed he could manage the situation.
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Shadow Archon said:
The Duplicate Diary​

"Well, that was a thing." Aisha muttered as she stepped into the workshop. "I wonder what that was all about." She stretched her arms out until her joints made a very relieving pop. "Eh whatever, I'm sure Survey and Tetra can handle it."

She had about thirty minutes to burn before heading home now that the Garment extravaganza was all done. Sure, it was fun and snazzy, but also really exhausting. She was way better with people than Joe was, but even her social batteries were reaching critical levels of ugh.

But thirty minutes outside in Brockton Bay now meant five hours inside the workshop. That was certainly a head trip to think about. And definitely something she planned to abuse maliciously. All she needed to have a full eight hours of sleep now was forty-eight minutes. This was truly the best part of Joe's powers so far!

…Okay, his tea was better than this, but only by a bit!

Well, before she took a nap, there was always time to check in with Joe's duplicates. 'Should I call them Joe #2 and #3 or B and C? I'll figure something out. Oh, one of the Joes is hooked up to the super computer, neat.' "Hey Survey?"

"Yes, Aisha?"

"Is Joe numero dos doing anything related to that thing I'm not supposed to know about?"

"If you are referring to the Duplicate currently connecting to the Spiritron Computer...Yes."

"Gotcha. What about Joe C? Is he doing anything I can take a peep at?"

"Joe… C." There was a pause. "The other duplicate is currently spending their allotted twenty percent time early. Both of them wish to keep constant oversight on the confidential project, and thus are staggering their recreational time. They decided over who would go first over rock-paper-scissors. Joe C lost."

AIsha smiled at that last remark. "Oh sweet, so he's doing some crazy fun stuff right now!"

"No."

Aisha blinked. "What?"

"Currently he's in the process of reviewing the Duplicate Diary for inspiration."

"The what now?"

"The Duplicate Diary, or Journal as they prefer, is the catalog in which I have documented all Duplicate projects in. This is necessary as the Duplicates in the past preferred to surprise Joe with their additions to the workshop, but also must be informed of what their previous iterations have done so as to not repeat past projects. While its purpose of secret documentation and record keeping has been mostly antiquated after Joe received the perk designated Central Control, it still serves as an organized document for what projects Duplicates undertake and has even inspired a few projects from Matrix as well. Considering this is the first "twenty percent time" done so with the benefits of temporal controls, they have much more time allotted for independent projects."

"Huh. Can I look at this diary, or is there stuff 'I don't want to know' on there?"

Immediately, Survey replied. "There is no information considered "Joe's eyes only" in the diary. Would you like me to send you a copy to your Omnitool?"

Aisha shook her head. "Nah, thanks Survey. I think I'll read along with Joe C. Where's he at?"

A few moments and a portal later, Aisha found a very constipated looking Joe-Clone scrolling through a file on his wrist mounted supercomputer.

"Uh, hey. You know if you need a bathroom, I'm pretty sure you could just make one in like five seconds. Maybe ten if you wanted to throw in a sewage treatment plant."

Joe C laughed slightly. "No, I don't think the workshop needs more toilets." His face took a more thoughtful look. "You'd be surprised how many previous duplicates have made…"

"Wait, really?"

For the conversation at hand, he had a very appropriate looking grin on his face. "There's over a dozen golden toilets hidden around the workshop now. Joe-Prime hasn't found a single one yet." He frowned petulantly before grumbling. "Well, not before Central Control at least. Way to ruin the fun powers."

"Wow, really?"

"Really."

"Huh. So that's the "Everything a Duplicates made ever" document?"

"Oh, Survey filled you in." His look of constipation returned. "Yup. Everything I think of to make for fun, because I can, or because I think it's neat? It's been done already. The top ten things I'd want to make for fun? Already done." He pointed in a random direction. "Two-hundred miles that way? There's an entire life-sized lego mockup of Brockton Bay, with each lego brick made out of adamantium. Suffice to say,the Celestial Forge has a lifetime supply of adamantium caltrops."

Joe C laughed at the horrified look on Aisha's face. "Adamantium… legos?"

"Well, Legos with the strength and durability of Adamantium, but the pliability of plastic. But yeah, don't walk around it without your power armor please!" He pointed in another direction. "About five hundred miles that way, there's a one to one mockup of Sphere's Moonbase. Well, this one's finished of course. Then on the complete opposite side of the Kerbals, there's the Enterprise made out of exclusively Star Wars tech, the Star Destroyer made out of exclusively Star Trek tech, and then the addition so they can mecha shift into each other."

Joe C started listing things on his fingers. "There's the medieval-themed airbase, the cyberpunk jousting arena, the opposite-carrier, the redwood Christmas tree park, the museum of wax parahumans, a recreation of the ancient seven wonders made out of cheese, and after that things just get really silly."

Aisha just sat there and blinked. "And I thought the mecha basketball court was the biggest thing you guys made."

"Please Aisha, that project is over three days old."

Both of them started snickering. A growling stomach interrupted the laughter.

"Oh, are you hungry?"

Aisha put a hand on her belly. "Yeah. I didn't eat dinner yet because of how busy things were. Got too caught up in the flow of the event and all. Too bad there's not a fast food place here, huh?"

A glimmer of an idea blazed in Joe C's eyes. "Give me ten minutes."

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"Welcome to Boundless Burgers! May I take your order?" A Survey asked while dressed in a vintage but immaculate fast food uniform.

Aisha just stood there gob smacked and slowly looked at Joe C.

"Hey, it won't be as good as me in the kitchen, but it's the next best thing!" He cracked his knuckles. "You enjoy your dinner, I need to spread a franchise or five across a Texas sized land mass. I'm thinking "A Cup of Joe" for coffee, "Three Day Tacos" for Mexican, "Papa Aperion's Pizzeria" for pizza… Oh yeah. It's all coming together."

Aisha's eyes just followed him on the way out, before she turned back to the Survey behind the cash register-less counter. "Uh, you okay working here?"

"Don't worry Aisha, this is merely an autonomous drone much like Delphine is. And when people do partake in Aperion-grade fast food here, I'll be in the perfect position to observe and document!"

Aisha sighed. "I figured." She looked up at the impossibly beautifully crafted menu for a few seconds. "Uh… Can I get a number one with large fries and an," She paused and looked at the menu closer. "Aegis slash shake?"
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This is glorious. I have two questions.
1.whats a reverse Carrier?
2.what are the other options on the menu?
 
Cheetored20 said:
This is glorious. I have two questions.
1.whats a reverse Carrier?
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Pen-Paper Toad said:
My guess is that a Reverse Carrier is a large plane that carries multiple ships, instead of a large ship that carries multiple planes.
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Cheetored20 said:
2.what are the other options on the menu?
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Imagine Aperion grade versions of the best foods most Fast Food chains offer. I can't sit and think up all the pun names for everything right now, but things like a "Fleet Mac" burger , "Tybalt-style" fries, and a "Big Joe" coffee would be on the menu.
 
Shadow Archon said:
Imagine Aperion grade versions of the best foods most Fast Food chains offer. I can't sit and think up all the pun names for everything right now, but things like a "Fleet Mac" burger , "Tybalt-style" fries, and a "Big Joe" coffee would be on the menu.
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I don't know why, but I can see the place having a sundae like something out of a cartoon. With sparklers and needing multiple people to eat one as a normal item on the menu.

And honestly would still be better then McDonalds or other fast food places.
 
It has been sixteen months since the S9 got into their hobomobile from Buffalo, NY to the east coast where Brockton Bay is, a roughly eight hour drive away.

Last January, on another discord, I thought this was being dragged out just a little bit too long... but this is just getting silly. At this point, I just want them gone in half a sentence so the plot can go forward. Since there isn't a living being anywhere near them, and everything they've interacted with has been Fleet actors, each member of the S9 could get a hand crafted Vortex Grenade, followed by repairing the new potholes on the side of the road. They are as isolated as they will possibly get, far away from anything or anyone that they could use as a hostage or shield. No one has to see it happen, no one has to know. There doesn't have to be a single lick of combat. Any fight, combat, or banter is just seconds more that Jack Slash lives. Just pull the pin, 'piff,' and they're gone. Maybe, at best, leave a little roadside cross and bouquet of flowers at the filled in pothole. Just anything other than this nearly year and a half purgatory of trying to go east on I-90 for eight hours.

 
Waffelmeister said:
It has been sixteen months since the S9 got into their hobomobile from Buffalo, NY to the east coast where Brockton Bay is, a roughly eight hour drive away.

Last January, on another discord, I thought this was being dragged out just a little bit too long... but this is just getting silly. At this point, I just want them gone in half a sentence so the plot can go forward. Since there isn't a living being anywhere near them, and everything they've interacted with has been Fleet actors, each member of the S9 could get a hand crafted Vortex Grenade, followed by repairing the new potholes on the side of the road. They are as isolated as they will possibly get, far away from anything or anyone that they could use as a hostage or shield. No one has to see it happen, no one has to know. There doesn't have to be a single lick of combat. Any fight, combat, or banter is just seconds more that Jack Slash lives. Just pull the pin, 'piff,' and they're gone. Maybe, at best, leave a little roadside cross and bouquet of flowers at the filled in pothole. Just anything other than this nearly year and a half purgatory of trying to go east on I-90 for eight hours.

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As usual for the 'I don't care just move the plot', you're completely ignoring the actual agenda for handling them. People do need to know what happens to them, and they need it to not be 'assassinated by means they couldn't even see coming on a lonely road'.

The logic of the story doesn't change because you're annoyed by the pace of the writing.
 
Waffelmeister said:
It has been sixteen months since the S9 got into their hobomobile from Buffalo, NY to the east coast where Brockton Bay is, a roughly eight hour drive away.
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Beside the the plot plan about Joe wanting to utterly destroy the meaning of S9, Lord last year has been busy IRL so they don't have much time like the other year where they have to delay a lot of time. If anything the current schedule is good for him and us too.
 
Waffelmeister said:
It has been sixteen months since the S9 got into their hobomobile from Buffalo, NY to the east coast where Brockton Bay is, a roughly eight hour drive away.

Last January, on another discord, I thought this was being dragged out just a little bit too long... but this is just getting silly. At this point, I just want them gone in half a sentence so the plot can go forward. Since there isn't a living being anywhere near them, and everything they've interacted with has been Fleet actors, each member of the S9 could get a hand crafted Vortex Grenade, followed by repairing the new potholes on the side of the road. They are as isolated as they will possibly get, far away from anything or anyone that they could use as a hostage or shield. No one has to see it happen, no one has to know. There doesn't have to be a single lick of combat. Any fight, combat, or banter is just seconds more that Jack Slash lives. Just pull the pin, 'piff,' and they're gone. Maybe, at best, leave a little roadside cross and bouquet of flowers at the filled in pothole. Just anything other than this nearly year and a half purgatory of trying to go east on I-90 for eight hours.

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Good sir, I demand you pay for my new horse after you beat my last one to death.
 
I actually enjoy the pacing of the story for the most part, atleast when its not just tech babble that will go over my dumb head.

The characters are well written and I enjoy the interactions, that and I just like long chapters and stories in general.
 
Is Aisha able to make people forget about things that are not people? I am thinking once Joe knows about Alchemy having spread around can he get Aisha to make everyone forget about FMA Alchemy?
 
Southern Cross said:
Joe has access to memory alteration tech and the Lethe water. He doesn't need to modify Aisha's power in order to make people forget about alchemy.
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I am not sure if he has anything that could mass remove memories like that on a global scale. Not to say couldn't come up with something. Aisha's power might be the fastest way to do global memory wipes. Assuming that is the way he decides to fix the problem.

On another note, I have been looking for the omake from garments POV. Anyone know what it was called?
 
hikiller123 said:
I am not sure if he has anything that could mass remove memories like that on a global scale. Not to say couldn't come up with something.
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He has Harry Potter magic which means he can (theoretically) recreate the Fidelius charm, which is literally "remove specific information from everyone that knows it except {list}" the spell. So yeah he has that potential. Especially if he used a call bead synced to Aisha's power as a focus.
Dur'id the Druid said:
I just had a horrible thought. Do you think Jack would second trigger when he realizes just how much he was fooled for the past few days?
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He might start to, assuming Joe lets him live long enough to know he's being attacked, but he shouldn't live long enough to complete the reconfiguration.
 
Dur'id the Druid said:
I just had a horrible thought. Do you think Jack would second trigger when he realizes just how much he was fooled for the past few days?
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Part of Jack's trigger involved madness-inducing years of isolation, so I wouldn't expect a second trigger here. Maybe if Joe seriously went forward with that offhand mention of how he could curse the Nine to eternally wander America's roads without ever seeing another human being again.
 
Turbonator said:
Part of Jack's trigger involved madness-inducing years of isolation, so I wouldn't expect a second trigger here. Maybe if Joe seriously went forward with that offhand mention of how he could curse the Nine to eternally wander America's roads without ever seeing another human being again.
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It seems like Joe driving everyone deep into their Sechen Ranges or whatever because of how interesting the shards find him also makes folks more likely to second-trigger - Sabah came close last chapter and Tetra/Survey pulled her out of it. So "hahaha you've been trapped in fake reality for days" might do it for Jack? Especially since his shard is so close to him and might want to second-trigger?
 
Turbonator said:
Part of Jack's trigger involved madness-inducing years of isolation, so I wouldn't expect a second trigger here. Maybe if Joe seriously went forward with that offhand mention of how he could curse the Nine to eternally wander America's roads without ever seeing another human being again.
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The isolation didn't trigger him, it was when he finally left the bunker and realized how much his father was gaslighting him. Between that, Jack and his shard realizing how much trouble they're in, and shards becoming more likely to second trigger around Aperion....
 
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