- Location
- RS,brasil
Imagine garments going inside tap dance shoes, the internet would love it:
Brockton's Celestial Forge (Worm/Jumpchain)
- Thread starter LordRoustabout
- Start date
Dadpeiron (readerdreamer)
- Location
- Philippines
@LordRoustabout, I hope you don't mind the presumption. Hope this cheers you up a bit.
Dadpeiron
It was a goddamn picnic. Of all the things the PRT could've agreed to do with Mammon, Mammon picked a godforsaken picnic event.
Was it true that, after that display of power from Mammon against Lung, the PRT essentially gave up, changing paths to do all they could to suck up on the newest S-Class Threat Super Tinker while they still had the chance? Perhaps. Could Missy understand their reasoning, when the authorities - even Piggot - decided to sit all members of the Protectorate and Wards down to tell them of this choice? Of course she could. She was there when the Protectorate was struggling to get past the blockades, only to become Mammon's audience when he shot Lung into freaking space.
Mammon was strong enough that even the Triumvirate couldn't expect to fight him without expecting losses. He had the resources, he had the tech, heck he even had the political weight to throw around when theories of him being a former Case 53 went out. Fighting against a random cape was one thing, but Case 53s were seen as victims and if he really managed to cure himself, that meant that he was the only hope for said victims. If they tried to arrest him, it would be like they were telling the world that they didn't care about Case 53s.
They couldn't afford to be his enemy, so the PRT threw away their pride and approached him. And of course, Mammon was a mercenary so once the PRT started showing their wallets, the man smiled and pretended like he wasn't the cause of so many of their problems.
And then he picked a picnic for their event.
Fucking Mammon.
"Vista, are you alright?" Clockblocker approached Missy from the side, sounding very concerned at the way Missy had been looking at the... guest of their event. "I know that you have problems with Apeiron, but you know what they told us. We have to play it up that nothing's wrong between the PRT and Apeiron anymore."
Of course Missy knew that. Why else would the Wards be anywhere close to Mammon? True, everyone knew that there was no place safe against Mammon in Brockton Bay, but normally the Youth Guard would at least make the pretense of putting them under protection. Not this time though.
Orders from the top, from Director Costa-Brown herself. Play nice, ignore the Youth Guard if need to be. If Mammon wanted a picnic, he would get a fucking picnic, no questions asked. And of course, since they wanted everything to look nice and believable to outsiders, they had to bring in the kiddies - can't be a better show of trust than to bring a little girl like Vista in the event, right?
Missy wanted to puke, but she couldn't throw out the food in her mouth, or even pretend that Mammon's food was terrible, because of course it had to be the most divine set of sandwiches and finger foods ever known to man. Like everything Mammon touched, the food was perfect, looking like the kind of food five-star chefs dreamed of making and tasting like pure dreams and rainbows.
In fact, that could be said of everything in this godforsaken sham of an event. The venue was perfect: the park never looked better despite having been the blast zone of multiple exotic bombs, with shrubberies and street art straight out of paintings. The camerawork was perfect too, not that it could've been any less after Mammon gifted the camera crew with an improved set of cameras, mics, and lighting equipment. The ambience was perfect, the scenework was perfect, even the fucking weather was perfect.
Fucking Mammon who probably even made a fucking weather control device just to ruin Missy with an abnormally perfect day.
Missy bristled at Clockblocker's concern. "I could act perfectly genial, thank you. The fact that I haven't forgotten about Mammon's crimes like certain others won't stop me from being able to pretend that I have."
Not so subtly, Missy sent glares at several members of their Wards team. First, there was Chris. It only took Mammon three minutes talking to Kid Win for their Tinker to immediately start worshiping everything he said, and Missy couldn't even claim Master influence because of course Mammon could figure out Chris's specialty with just a single look, and of course Mammon knew how to do modularity work.
Then there was Browbeat. Blake had never really fit in with the rest of the Wards, not with whatever was going on with his head, but apparently that didn't matter for Mammon. The villain had given him one look as well, whispered a few words and handed a platter of divine food, and that had been enough for Browbeat to act like Mammon had never done anything wrong.
And given Weld and Flechette were here for Apeiron in the first place, it really was sad that the only person that looked to be just as unhappy as her to be here was Sophia.
"Well, you've been glaring at him since he's turned away, of course I would be concerned." It had to be said, Dennis at least sounded sympathetic to Missy. Maybe it was his brief stint as a leader during Weld's absence leaving lasting influences on him, to look out for her like this. "Maybe I could tell them you feel unwell so you could leave? I'd be lectured for it afterwards, I'm sure, but if you can't really stand him..."
Missy was tempted to do just that. Really, really tempted to just leave. But no, duty and logic warred against her disgust, and in the end Missy just sighed. "Don't. Knowing Ma- Apeiron, he'd whip out some of that healing tech of his again and try to 'fix' me. And I'd rather not let that option come to be."
She steeled herself then as her name was next called. It was her turn to shake hands and pretend to play nice. As she stepped forward to meet with the person that made her heroic career living hell for the past two weeks, Clockblocker bid her a comforting whisper of 'Good luck'.
Missy couldn't say it out loud, but she knew she needed every bit of it.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Apeiron!" Missy drew upon all of her PR and acting training as she said lies through gritted, no, smiling teeth. As Mammon held his hand in front of her, Missy wanted nothing more than to smack it aside, but she pushed her hatred down to take his hand, perhaps gripping just a bit tighter than was polite. "I'm not sure you've heard of me, but my name is Vista! Thank you for inviting us to this picnic!"
Fuck her image as the cute girl member of the Wards. Fuck all the high-tech cameras that were directed straight for her face. And fuck Mammon in particular for putting her in this position.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Vista." Mammon's voice was not the vile, raspy voice she'd prefer him to have. No, of course Mammon's voice had to be smooth, clear, calm, and - if Missy dare think it - perhaps even heroic. Her grip on his hand tightened just a bit more, but Mammon didn't show any sign of her attempt to stop the blood circulation in his right hand. "And don't say that. Aren't you the most senior member of the current Wards team? Of course I've heard of you."
Missy didn't know what to feel about that. Was that a compliment, or was it a threat? From any other person, Missy would've loved to hear her experience in the Wards being recognized, but this was Mammon. Was he saying that he knew of her Shaker abilities and prepared for fighting them if need be?
Perhaps the most terrifying part of that thought was imagining how Mammon might hypothetically counter her. The images it gave her shook her.
But Missy was not to be deterred. Right now, she was Vista, and her role was to lower Mammon's guard around the PRT as a whole. "You flatter me, Apeiron! Normally people just treat me like a kid, but you're not one of those people aren't you?"
Mammon pulled his hand back, forcing Missy to finally let go. Then, with an almost casual shrug, he said, "I have experience in handling kids, though of course to say that you are only a child would be an insult to you as much as it would be to my own."
Suddenly all went silent as everyone digested Mammon's words. Missy herself froze. Did Mammon just imply...?
"Excuse me, I know this might be asking too much but," Weld stepped back from where he had been appreciating Mammon's chilies to turn an incredulous look at the Tinker, "Are implying that you have kids?"
Missy could feel everyone staring at Weld for actually daring to ask something like that, but then again, Missy could understand how he was struck so hard by the idea of Mammon having children. After all, the current running theory was that Mammon was a former Case 53 - individuals that tended to be, as a general rule, incapable of having children even if they had the necessary parts involved.
Mammon didn't even seem perturbed by the sudden turn of the conversation, or the fact that all cameras were now rolling at his face, waiting for his answer. If this was Mammon's power of looking good no matter what he did at work, then it was a lot stronger and more broadly applicable than what people assumed, Missy thought.
"To a degree, yes. They are my own, and while it may not be official considering their circumstances, I have essentially adopted them." Missy blinked at that. So, not biologically related then. Regardless, the idea of fucking Mammon adopting children off the streets was just incomprehensible to Missy's image of the overpowered criminal Tinker. "Still, they're the reason why I held this picnic in the first place, as I thought that they might appreciate some help in getting introduced to the public eye."
The chaos in Missy's head was drowned out by the sound of thrusters from somewhere above them. With a gasp, everyone except Mammon looked up to see a futuristic hovercraft straight out of science fiction suddenly descending from the clouds in the sky, the sun making for quite the spotlight with how the sunlight bounced off of its smooth surfaces.
There was a bright flash, and just as suddenly it came the hovercraft disappeared, leaving behind three figures standing behind Mammon.
It was the first time anyone had seen Mammon's supposed children, and while to be fair they all had just been introduced to the idea, to Missy's surprise they didn't look at all that young. Perhaps it was due to her own age, but teenagers hadn't been the image Mammon had given her when he talked about adopting children.
First off, there was a black-haired girl. She was wearing a very well designed suit, with smooth and sharp cuts that gave her the feel of a professional without being too far from the idea that the wearer was a cape. On her face was a form-fitting mask with lenses that glowed, and in her arms was some sort of computer tablet. Knowing Apeiron's tendencies around tech though, Vista wouldn't be surprised if it was capable of far more than what it looked, up to wrecking the immediate area if need to be. All in all, she looked like someone who would at home in any major team of Parahumans, acting as the Thinker to support the rest of her team.
With growing dread as a realization slowly came upon her, Missy turned to the second child - a smiling teenage boy that looked only a year or so older than Missy. In clear contrast of the first sibling, he wore some futuristic and very detailed approximation of a pilot, complete with golden goggles that framed his equally golden hair. Despite the contrast however, the design of his costume somehow fit in well with that of his sister, and the both of them with their father.
And then there was the third child. Missy was painfully reminded of Aegis with the overwhelmingly red theme of the girl's costume, all smooth and organic patterns of red and gold that somehow didn't drown out the blazing red color that was her eyes and hair.
The realization finally hit Missy then. All three in front of her were Parahumans. Which meant that Mammon now had Parahuman allies irrespective of whatever working relationship he had with the Undersiders. Allies that could potentially use his bullshit tech with personal training from Mammon on how to use them, and that wasn't counting whatever powers they themselves had.
Mammon had a team. Mammon who already was such a powerhouse on his own, had a team and for god knows how long. In one fell swoop, Mammon displayed his own power in such a way that left everyone breathless while also perfectly timed to introduce his team without causing the chaos it would've been at any other time.
And the worst of it? It was also the best thing that could happen to Mammon's public image. A lone mad Tinker? Terrifying. A family man who would schedule a picnic with the Wards for his kids? Adorable. Already, Missy could tell that the internet would be making memes and reaction threads over this, with many concerned rich parents suddenly much less concerned over someone they could suddenly see is one of their own. Not to mention, the sympathizers that would certainly use Mammon's kids as justification to keep him out of jail among all the other excuses they already had.
If there was a chance for the PRT to take in Mammon without everything falling apart around them, it was lost the moment Mammon mentioned having children.
"Ah, here they are." Missy hated the smile in Mammon's voice as he acted casual even at the blatant power play he had just made. Never mind that everyone else in this godforsaken picnic had gotten quiet in horror, or that the ThinkTank back at base had to be panicking over this reveal. Missy could only watch as Mammon strutted up to his family. "Everyone, let me introduce you to my family. Well, most of them anyway. The one in the suit is Survey, the pilot is Fleet, and the redhead is Tetra."
Ignoring how everyone shuddered at the "most of them", the girl named Survey bowed gracefully at the Wards. "Good afternoon. My name is Survey, and I act as logistical support for our family. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
She then turned to Fleet, who shrugged. "Name's Fleet, pleasure to meet you and all that. Specialty is at piloting vehicles, you've all probably already seen me at work with the drones and such."
Everyone then turned to Tetra. The redhead was much more closed off than her siblings, as she only said "Tetra." before leaving it at that.
For a moment, nobody seemed to know how to respond. Fortunately, Weld came through first, stepping forward to shake their hands. "It's nice to meet all of you as well. My name is Weld, the leader of the Wards and someone Apeiron helped in the past."
That seemed to be it for the photographers, as they suddenly began to take pictures. Almost admirably, Apeiron's family members took the camera flashes and thrown questions very well, as they (or at the very least, Survey who seemed to be the spokeswoman for the entire group) shook hands and answered questions from reporters politely.
Missy knew that whatever they got would be combed over thoroughly by Thinkers later on, much like with anything else that had happened in this event. But as that wasn't Missy's job, she let her attention be drawn back to Mammon.
To her surprise, the Tinker looked... at peace. There was a great degree of satisfaction there, Missy could see that much, but there was also... love and affection? Missy almost couldn't believe her eyes, because the warm smile Mammon was sending his family as he watched them deal with reporters valiantly was incongruent with the image she had of the Tinker. It was almost as though he was truly a loving parent, not a monster who dragged in teenagers into this pastiche of family dynamics just so he could look better.
Don't be fooled, Missy. She told herself as she approached him once more. He's a monster who ruined the New Wave. If he really was a father he would've not done that.
If anyone had their eyes on Missy and Mammon then, Missy knew that they would try and stop her. After all, she was famous among the Wards for hating him, and with everyone's attention away Missy was free to interrogate the villain as freely as she wanted. But as it was, everyone was too distracted by Mammon's children, and in the end Missy did get her time alone.
Mammon stiffened as the world seemed to stop around them. The chatter and snap of the photographers and interviewers were drowned out and their surroundings became a blur as the world focused on Mammon and Missy alone. As for Missy herself, she didn't notice any of this as her attention was only on Mammon in the first place.
"What kind of scheme are you trying to play here, Mammon?"
For what it was worth, Mammon didn't take too long to respond to Missy's given appellation, posture relaxed and cool as he talked to her. Had it been anyone else, Missy would've appreciated the effort to not actually look down despite their massive disparities in height. Not for this man, however.
"What do you mean, Miss Vista?"
Missy gestured at the 'children' Mammon brought in. "Them. Who are you trying to fool with that kind of plan? The public might change their mind with what they are seeing now, but not me, not the Protectorate, and certainly not the PRT. In public eye, we might play along because that's how things seem to be leading up to, but know that we know the truth. You are a monster, a villain in disguise, and that is all that you are."
Despite the accusations being thrown his way, Mammon only smiled at her words. "Is that so, Miss Vista? Well, it's fortunate then that none of that matters to me. At this point, I've accepted this kind of incompetence from the local charter of the PRT as a whole. I am only doing my job, and despite what all of you might think, none of this is a ploy. What you see in front of you is the truth."
Missy quivered in rage at being so easily dismissed. "Now you see here, Mammon...!"
"My name is Apeiron, Miss Vista, and I thought I made that much clear since my first public appearance." Mammon interrupted her smoothly before brushing aside one of Missy's locks, heir hair having gone unruly from her shaking. "Speaking of appearances, lighten up. You look pretty with such a display of bravery and motivation, but you look even more beautiful if you confront opponents such as me with a smile, Vista."
The sudden praise that came out of nowhere pulled the rug from beneath Missy's rage. Try as she might, she could only stutter as Apeiron continued to pat her on the head, somehow leaving her hair more organized and styled after he was done. "Uh, bwuh-!?"
"There, you look much better." Mammon smiled at her again, but this time Missy couldn't begin to muster the desire to punch him in the face. "I can understand why you are so mad, however. After all, indirectly or not, I was part of what led to two of your friends being sent to other cities, and I know the Wards felt constrained under the inactivity you all had during March's plans. For that, I apologize. I didn't mean for my weapons to hurt you and your own so badly, I told as much to the Undersiders when it happened, nor was it my goal to demean the Wards as a whole. Circumstances had only led to things devolving this way between us, and we would have a more harmonious relationship had things been different, I'm sure."
Goddammit, where was he pulling out all of this charm and charisma from all of the sudden!? Suddenly, it was as though Missy was talking to next Legend, not the replacement of Lung in Brockton Bay!
Missy pulled away, trying to not get too drawn in by Mammon's charm. This man was dangerous. "How about the New Wave then? What do you have to say about the girl you had thrown into Master/Stranger containment, to the two families you had ruined with the secrets you ended up publicizing? That's not something a mere apology could fix."
Mammon frowned at that, his posture making him look heroic. Almost heroic, Missy corrected herself at the last second.
"I will have it be made clear than none of that was my intention. Had Armsmaster not interrogated Panacea like that, nor had he publicized the transcript of our conversation like so, none of that would've happened. I may have accidentally set off the first domino, but the mess was of the PRT's making as well as New Wave's internal conflicts." Missy couldn't help but concede on that. "Even then though, as reparation for the damage I have caused, I intend on personally making sure that New Wave's problems would be resolved as peacefully and as far from the public eye as possible. That was one of my conditions when I argued for this ceasefire."
Missy's eyes went wide as she turned towards Mammon's children again. "You mean-?"
Mammon smiled at her once more. "Vista, plans can be multifaceted. With such a public entrance, not only would my family get positive attention, we could also serve as distraction for the New Wave as they settle things between them, don't you think? And if several marriage councilors and therapists have already been hired and given access to for Lady Photon, well perhaps the Pelham and Dallon families can actually get out of this with their marriages intact."
Missy doubted that, speaking from personal experience, but certainly it would make things much easier for Amy. Easier on Vicky as well, no matter how much Missy had hated her before.
"I don't believe you." Missy crossed her arms, trying to put her defenses back up after Mammon so easily slid past them. "You did all of that, and now you are saying that you are fixing things? On what basis should I believe any of that?"
Mammon only pushed her forward. "You may not believe me in particular, but maybe they can change your mind. It's time that you talked to them in person anyway, don't you think?"
Suddenly, the world resumed around them. The cameras were back, and so were the rest of the Wards and Apeiron's supposed children. Clockblocker was looking at her in concern as she drew away from Mammon, and soon Dennis was right beside her again, talking so fast that Missy could mistake him for a speedster.
"Vista, what was that? Suddenly, the two of you were talking and none of us could interrupt it! Are you alright? Did he do anything to you?"
Missy should probably be more concerned about that, about the fact that Mammon apparently had something that facilitated uninterrupted dialogue, but she had something else on her mind. Literally in this case. "Clockblocker, how is my hair?"
She didn't have to be able to see his face that he stopped and blinked at that. "Vista, wha-?"
"Just answer me." Missy gritted her teeth. "How. Is. My. Hair?"
Fortunately, Clockblocker caught his foot in time before in reached his mouth. "I dunno, you look... Actually, you look really pretty with that do. Did Image get you a better hairstyler recently? You look a lot more mature, and I actually mean that in a compliment sort of way. Nice hair, Vista."
Missy sighed. Mammon's headpats, better than a trip to the salon and the work of an entire PR Department because why not. "Of course it is. Anyways, I should probably be talking to Apeiron's kids, don't I?"
"Ah, yeah, we already said our hellos. Also, you're calling him that no- hey wait, Vista, where are you going!"
As a girl with a goal, Missy quickly sorted through her options. Between all three of Mammon's children, who was her best option to get answers? Clearly, not the Thinker girl because Missy didn't want to parse through Thinker bullshit right now and Survey probably had canned answers at this point anyway. Tetra was an option, but given how closed-off the redhead seemed to be, she would have to spend more time than what she probably had to get any answers, if getting them was even possible.
No, if Missy wanted the best chances, there really was only one option.
"Hm?" The golden-haired boy seemed distracted when Missy approached him, but the youngest-looking member of Apeiron's family turned her way when it was clear that he was Missy's goal. "You are Vista, right? What's this about? Did Apeiron send you here?"
Fleet. As much as Missy hated this particular line of reasoning, as the youngest he was probably the easiest to squeeze out answers from, plus as someone with the same public image as his, Vista could talk to Fleet without alerting anyone here too much. "I just wanted some answers and he told me that I can get them from you, that's all. Mind if we talk?"
Fleet seemed to be a bit distracted, but he nodded at Missy's request. Maybe the boy was just a natural airhead? "I can't say anything too secret, but sure. You know the biz."
Missy took in a deep breath, recalling her PR training. This was a kid, not Apeiron who could be unaffected even in the face of a mad bomber. Calm down, then ask politely, "How is it like, to be around Apeiron? Nothing too private, of course, but I just want to hear your thoughts just between the two of us."
None of this would be remaining just between the two of them, of course, but there were hopes that the child in front of her wouldn't see that.
Apparently it worked, because Fleet's eyes lit up as he said, "It's awesome! I mean, sure, it's my role to pilot his vehicles, but Dadpeiron gives me so many toys! Like the mini collection of working sports cars, those planes, the mechs, and of course, the zambonis! And don't get me started with the motoroids! I first started my work on them, you know, and I had a lot of fun designing simulations and Dadpeiron has always been appreciative of the stunts I've been having them do! Shooting Lung across the sky was amazing!"
Missy could only stare at Fleet as the pilot cape continued to chatter about many things, things that the PRT would certainly be happy to hear, if not as happy to worry over as it became increasingly clear that Apeiron left the control of his many machines to an excitable child. But no, none of that was Missy's concern.
She was more interested in one thing: "Dadpeiron?"
Fleet blinked at that, stopping for a moment before smiling, "Yeah, Dadpeiron. Aunt Lethe told us to call him that, the same way we are to refer to her and Aunt Garment as our aunts."
Missy inhaled slowly through her nostrils. Dadpeiron. Dadpeiron. One of Apeiron, no, Mammon's kids called him Dadpeiron with all the affection of a clearly beloved child, with all the love that Missy wished she had with her own parents. And what was that? There were more to this family, that freaking Garment the new Rogue cape was also part of this mad family?
What did it say about Missy that for her, the worst of it was that Fuck Dadpeiron didn't work nearly as well as Fuck Mammon.
Fuck.
"So, what you are saying is that you love him?" Missy asked, in spite of herself.
"I mean, Dadpeiron raised us, cared for our development, gave us so many things, and lastly gave us the chance to interact with the rest of the world like this. Without him, none of that would've been possible." Fleet said all of that so matter-of-factly that Missy had difficulty breathing as the remnants of the image she had built of Mammon fell apart. "He loves us, so what is there to not love? I know that most of the world don't have that much."
Missy nodded blankly. "Yeah, not all of us do. Not all of us do..."
And not even Missy could muster the hate for Apeiron anymore, not now that the disgusting green tinge of envy had taken its place.
FIN.
Dadpeiron
It was a goddamn picnic. Of all the things the PRT could've agreed to do with Mammon, Mammon picked a godforsaken picnic event.
Was it true that, after that display of power from Mammon against Lung, the PRT essentially gave up, changing paths to do all they could to suck up on the newest S-Class Threat Super Tinker while they still had the chance? Perhaps. Could Missy understand their reasoning, when the authorities - even Piggot - decided to sit all members of the Protectorate and Wards down to tell them of this choice? Of course she could. She was there when the Protectorate was struggling to get past the blockades, only to become Mammon's audience when he shot Lung into freaking space.
Mammon was strong enough that even the Triumvirate couldn't expect to fight him without expecting losses. He had the resources, he had the tech, heck he even had the political weight to throw around when theories of him being a former Case 53 went out. Fighting against a random cape was one thing, but Case 53s were seen as victims and if he really managed to cure himself, that meant that he was the only hope for said victims. If they tried to arrest him, it would be like they were telling the world that they didn't care about Case 53s.
They couldn't afford to be his enemy, so the PRT threw away their pride and approached him. And of course, Mammon was a mercenary so once the PRT started showing their wallets, the man smiled and pretended like he wasn't the cause of so many of their problems.
And then he picked a picnic for their event.
Fucking Mammon.
"Vista, are you alright?" Clockblocker approached Missy from the side, sounding very concerned at the way Missy had been looking at the... guest of their event. "I know that you have problems with Apeiron, but you know what they told us. We have to play it up that nothing's wrong between the PRT and Apeiron anymore."
Of course Missy knew that. Why else would the Wards be anywhere close to Mammon? True, everyone knew that there was no place safe against Mammon in Brockton Bay, but normally the Youth Guard would at least make the pretense of putting them under protection. Not this time though.
Orders from the top, from Director Costa-Brown herself. Play nice, ignore the Youth Guard if need to be. If Mammon wanted a picnic, he would get a fucking picnic, no questions asked. And of course, since they wanted everything to look nice and believable to outsiders, they had to bring in the kiddies - can't be a better show of trust than to bring a little girl like Vista in the event, right?
Missy wanted to puke, but she couldn't throw out the food in her mouth, or even pretend that Mammon's food was terrible, because of course it had to be the most divine set of sandwiches and finger foods ever known to man. Like everything Mammon touched, the food was perfect, looking like the kind of food five-star chefs dreamed of making and tasting like pure dreams and rainbows.
In fact, that could be said of everything in this godforsaken sham of an event. The venue was perfect: the park never looked better despite having been the blast zone of multiple exotic bombs, with shrubberies and street art straight out of paintings. The camerawork was perfect too, not that it could've been any less after Mammon gifted the camera crew with an improved set of cameras, mics, and lighting equipment. The ambience was perfect, the scenework was perfect, even the fucking weather was perfect.
Fucking Mammon who probably even made a fucking weather control device just to ruin Missy with an abnormally perfect day.
Missy bristled at Clockblocker's concern. "I could act perfectly genial, thank you. The fact that I haven't forgotten about Mammon's crimes like certain others won't stop me from being able to pretend that I have."
Not so subtly, Missy sent glares at several members of their Wards team. First, there was Chris. It only took Mammon three minutes talking to Kid Win for their Tinker to immediately start worshiping everything he said, and Missy couldn't even claim Master influence because of course Mammon could figure out Chris's specialty with just a single look, and of course Mammon knew how to do modularity work.
Then there was Browbeat. Blake had never really fit in with the rest of the Wards, not with whatever was going on with his head, but apparently that didn't matter for Mammon. The villain had given him one look as well, whispered a few words and handed a platter of divine food, and that had been enough for Browbeat to act like Mammon had never done anything wrong.
And given Weld and Flechette were here for Apeiron in the first place, it really was sad that the only person that looked to be just as unhappy as her to be here was Sophia.
"Well, you've been glaring at him since he's turned away, of course I would be concerned." It had to be said, Dennis at least sounded sympathetic to Missy. Maybe it was his brief stint as a leader during Weld's absence leaving lasting influences on him, to look out for her like this. "Maybe I could tell them you feel unwell so you could leave? I'd be lectured for it afterwards, I'm sure, but if you can't really stand him..."
Missy was tempted to do just that. Really, really tempted to just leave. But no, duty and logic warred against her disgust, and in the end Missy just sighed. "Don't. Knowing Ma- Apeiron, he'd whip out some of that healing tech of his again and try to 'fix' me. And I'd rather not let that option come to be."
She steeled herself then as her name was next called. It was her turn to shake hands and pretend to play nice. As she stepped forward to meet with the person that made her heroic career living hell for the past two weeks, Clockblocker bid her a comforting whisper of 'Good luck'.
Missy couldn't say it out loud, but she knew she needed every bit of it.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Apeiron!" Missy drew upon all of her PR and acting training as she said lies through gritted, no, smiling teeth. As Mammon held his hand in front of her, Missy wanted nothing more than to smack it aside, but she pushed her hatred down to take his hand, perhaps gripping just a bit tighter than was polite. "I'm not sure you've heard of me, but my name is Vista! Thank you for inviting us to this picnic!"
Fuck her image as the cute girl member of the Wards. Fuck all the high-tech cameras that were directed straight for her face. And fuck Mammon in particular for putting her in this position.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Vista." Mammon's voice was not the vile, raspy voice she'd prefer him to have. No, of course Mammon's voice had to be smooth, clear, calm, and - if Missy dare think it - perhaps even heroic. Her grip on his hand tightened just a bit more, but Mammon didn't show any sign of her attempt to stop the blood circulation in his right hand. "And don't say that. Aren't you the most senior member of the current Wards team? Of course I've heard of you."
Missy didn't know what to feel about that. Was that a compliment, or was it a threat? From any other person, Missy would've loved to hear her experience in the Wards being recognized, but this was Mammon. Was he saying that he knew of her Shaker abilities and prepared for fighting them if need be?
Perhaps the most terrifying part of that thought was imagining how Mammon might hypothetically counter her. The images it gave her shook her.
But Missy was not to be deterred. Right now, she was Vista, and her role was to lower Mammon's guard around the PRT as a whole. "You flatter me, Apeiron! Normally people just treat me like a kid, but you're not one of those people aren't you?"
Mammon pulled his hand back, forcing Missy to finally let go. Then, with an almost casual shrug, he said, "I have experience in handling kids, though of course to say that you are only a child would be an insult to you as much as it would be to my own."
Suddenly all went silent as everyone digested Mammon's words. Missy herself froze. Did Mammon just imply...?
"Excuse me, I know this might be asking too much but," Weld stepped back from where he had been appreciating Mammon's chilies to turn an incredulous look at the Tinker, "Are implying that you have kids?"
Missy could feel everyone staring at Weld for actually daring to ask something like that, but then again, Missy could understand how he was struck so hard by the idea of Mammon having children. After all, the current running theory was that Mammon was a former Case 53 - individuals that tended to be, as a general rule, incapable of having children even if they had the necessary parts involved.
Mammon didn't even seem perturbed by the sudden turn of the conversation, or the fact that all cameras were now rolling at his face, waiting for his answer. If this was Mammon's power of looking good no matter what he did at work, then it was a lot stronger and more broadly applicable than what people assumed, Missy thought.
"To a degree, yes. They are my own, and while it may not be official considering their circumstances, I have essentially adopted them." Missy blinked at that. So, not biologically related then. Regardless, the idea of fucking Mammon adopting children off the streets was just incomprehensible to Missy's image of the overpowered criminal Tinker. "Still, they're the reason why I held this picnic in the first place, as I thought that they might appreciate some help in getting introduced to the public eye."
The chaos in Missy's head was drowned out by the sound of thrusters from somewhere above them. With a gasp, everyone except Mammon looked up to see a futuristic hovercraft straight out of science fiction suddenly descending from the clouds in the sky, the sun making for quite the spotlight with how the sunlight bounced off of its smooth surfaces.
There was a bright flash, and just as suddenly it came the hovercraft disappeared, leaving behind three figures standing behind Mammon.
It was the first time anyone had seen Mammon's supposed children, and while to be fair they all had just been introduced to the idea, to Missy's surprise they didn't look at all that young. Perhaps it was due to her own age, but teenagers hadn't been the image Mammon had given her when he talked about adopting children.
First off, there was a black-haired girl. She was wearing a very well designed suit, with smooth and sharp cuts that gave her the feel of a professional without being too far from the idea that the wearer was a cape. On her face was a form-fitting mask with lenses that glowed, and in her arms was some sort of computer tablet. Knowing Apeiron's tendencies around tech though, Vista wouldn't be surprised if it was capable of far more than what it looked, up to wrecking the immediate area if need to be. All in all, she looked like someone who would at home in any major team of Parahumans, acting as the Thinker to support the rest of her team.
With growing dread as a realization slowly came upon her, Missy turned to the second child - a smiling teenage boy that looked only a year or so older than Missy. In clear contrast of the first sibling, he wore some futuristic and very detailed approximation of a pilot, complete with golden goggles that framed his equally golden hair. Despite the contrast however, the design of his costume somehow fit in well with that of his sister, and the both of them with their father.
And then there was the third child. Missy was painfully reminded of Aegis with the overwhelmingly red theme of the girl's costume, all smooth and organic patterns of red and gold that somehow didn't drown out the blazing red color that was her eyes and hair.
The realization finally hit Missy then. All three in front of her were Parahumans. Which meant that Mammon now had Parahuman allies irrespective of whatever working relationship he had with the Undersiders. Allies that could potentially use his bullshit tech with personal training from Mammon on how to use them, and that wasn't counting whatever powers they themselves had.
Mammon had a team. Mammon who already was such a powerhouse on his own, had a team and for god knows how long. In one fell swoop, Mammon displayed his own power in such a way that left everyone breathless while also perfectly timed to introduce his team without causing the chaos it would've been at any other time.
And the worst of it? It was also the best thing that could happen to Mammon's public image. A lone mad Tinker? Terrifying. A family man who would schedule a picnic with the Wards for his kids? Adorable. Already, Missy could tell that the internet would be making memes and reaction threads over this, with many concerned rich parents suddenly much less concerned over someone they could suddenly see is one of their own. Not to mention, the sympathizers that would certainly use Mammon's kids as justification to keep him out of jail among all the other excuses they already had.
If there was a chance for the PRT to take in Mammon without everything falling apart around them, it was lost the moment Mammon mentioned having children.
"Ah, here they are." Missy hated the smile in Mammon's voice as he acted casual even at the blatant power play he had just made. Never mind that everyone else in this godforsaken picnic had gotten quiet in horror, or that the ThinkTank back at base had to be panicking over this reveal. Missy could only watch as Mammon strutted up to his family. "Everyone, let me introduce you to my family. Well, most of them anyway. The one in the suit is Survey, the pilot is Fleet, and the redhead is Tetra."
Ignoring how everyone shuddered at the "most of them", the girl named Survey bowed gracefully at the Wards. "Good afternoon. My name is Survey, and I act as logistical support for our family. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
She then turned to Fleet, who shrugged. "Name's Fleet, pleasure to meet you and all that. Specialty is at piloting vehicles, you've all probably already seen me at work with the drones and such."
Everyone then turned to Tetra. The redhead was much more closed off than her siblings, as she only said "Tetra." before leaving it at that.
For a moment, nobody seemed to know how to respond. Fortunately, Weld came through first, stepping forward to shake their hands. "It's nice to meet all of you as well. My name is Weld, the leader of the Wards and someone Apeiron helped in the past."
That seemed to be it for the photographers, as they suddenly began to take pictures. Almost admirably, Apeiron's family members took the camera flashes and thrown questions very well, as they (or at the very least, Survey who seemed to be the spokeswoman for the entire group) shook hands and answered questions from reporters politely.
Missy knew that whatever they got would be combed over thoroughly by Thinkers later on, much like with anything else that had happened in this event. But as that wasn't Missy's job, she let her attention be drawn back to Mammon.
To her surprise, the Tinker looked... at peace. There was a great degree of satisfaction there, Missy could see that much, but there was also... love and affection? Missy almost couldn't believe her eyes, because the warm smile Mammon was sending his family as he watched them deal with reporters valiantly was incongruent with the image she had of the Tinker. It was almost as though he was truly a loving parent, not a monster who dragged in teenagers into this pastiche of family dynamics just so he could look better.
Don't be fooled, Missy. She told herself as she approached him once more. He's a monster who ruined the New Wave. If he really was a father he would've not done that.
If anyone had their eyes on Missy and Mammon then, Missy knew that they would try and stop her. After all, she was famous among the Wards for hating him, and with everyone's attention away Missy was free to interrogate the villain as freely as she wanted. But as it was, everyone was too distracted by Mammon's children, and in the end Missy did get her time alone.
Mammon stiffened as the world seemed to stop around them. The chatter and snap of the photographers and interviewers were drowned out and their surroundings became a blur as the world focused on Mammon and Missy alone. As for Missy herself, she didn't notice any of this as her attention was only on Mammon in the first place.
"What kind of scheme are you trying to play here, Mammon?"
For what it was worth, Mammon didn't take too long to respond to Missy's given appellation, posture relaxed and cool as he talked to her. Had it been anyone else, Missy would've appreciated the effort to not actually look down despite their massive disparities in height. Not for this man, however.
"What do you mean, Miss Vista?"
Missy gestured at the 'children' Mammon brought in. "Them. Who are you trying to fool with that kind of plan? The public might change their mind with what they are seeing now, but not me, not the Protectorate, and certainly not the PRT. In public eye, we might play along because that's how things seem to be leading up to, but know that we know the truth. You are a monster, a villain in disguise, and that is all that you are."
Despite the accusations being thrown his way, Mammon only smiled at her words. "Is that so, Miss Vista? Well, it's fortunate then that none of that matters to me. At this point, I've accepted this kind of incompetence from the local charter of the PRT as a whole. I am only doing my job, and despite what all of you might think, none of this is a ploy. What you see in front of you is the truth."
Missy quivered in rage at being so easily dismissed. "Now you see here, Mammon...!"
"My name is Apeiron, Miss Vista, and I thought I made that much clear since my first public appearance." Mammon interrupted her smoothly before brushing aside one of Missy's locks, heir hair having gone unruly from her shaking. "Speaking of appearances, lighten up. You look pretty with such a display of bravery and motivation, but you look even more beautiful if you confront opponents such as me with a smile, Vista."
The sudden praise that came out of nowhere pulled the rug from beneath Missy's rage. Try as she might, she could only stutter as Apeiron continued to pat her on the head, somehow leaving her hair more organized and styled after he was done. "Uh, bwuh-!?"
"There, you look much better." Mammon smiled at her again, but this time Missy couldn't begin to muster the desire to punch him in the face. "I can understand why you are so mad, however. After all, indirectly or not, I was part of what led to two of your friends being sent to other cities, and I know the Wards felt constrained under the inactivity you all had during March's plans. For that, I apologize. I didn't mean for my weapons to hurt you and your own so badly, I told as much to the Undersiders when it happened, nor was it my goal to demean the Wards as a whole. Circumstances had only led to things devolving this way between us, and we would have a more harmonious relationship had things been different, I'm sure."
Goddammit, where was he pulling out all of this charm and charisma from all of the sudden!? Suddenly, it was as though Missy was talking to next Legend, not the replacement of Lung in Brockton Bay!
Missy pulled away, trying to not get too drawn in by Mammon's charm. This man was dangerous. "How about the New Wave then? What do you have to say about the girl you had thrown into Master/Stranger containment, to the two families you had ruined with the secrets you ended up publicizing? That's not something a mere apology could fix."
Mammon frowned at that, his posture making him look heroic. Almost heroic, Missy corrected herself at the last second.
"I will have it be made clear than none of that was my intention. Had Armsmaster not interrogated Panacea like that, nor had he publicized the transcript of our conversation like so, none of that would've happened. I may have accidentally set off the first domino, but the mess was of the PRT's making as well as New Wave's internal conflicts." Missy couldn't help but concede on that. "Even then though, as reparation for the damage I have caused, I intend on personally making sure that New Wave's problems would be resolved as peacefully and as far from the public eye as possible. That was one of my conditions when I argued for this ceasefire."
Missy's eyes went wide as she turned towards Mammon's children again. "You mean-?"
Mammon smiled at her once more. "Vista, plans can be multifaceted. With such a public entrance, not only would my family get positive attention, we could also serve as distraction for the New Wave as they settle things between them, don't you think? And if several marriage councilors and therapists have already been hired and given access to for Lady Photon, well perhaps the Pelham and Dallon families can actually get out of this with their marriages intact."
Missy doubted that, speaking from personal experience, but certainly it would make things much easier for Amy. Easier on Vicky as well, no matter how much Missy had hated her before.
"I don't believe you." Missy crossed her arms, trying to put her defenses back up after Mammon so easily slid past them. "You did all of that, and now you are saying that you are fixing things? On what basis should I believe any of that?"
Mammon only pushed her forward. "You may not believe me in particular, but maybe they can change your mind. It's time that you talked to them in person anyway, don't you think?"
Suddenly, the world resumed around them. The cameras were back, and so were the rest of the Wards and Apeiron's supposed children. Clockblocker was looking at her in concern as she drew away from Mammon, and soon Dennis was right beside her again, talking so fast that Missy could mistake him for a speedster.
"Vista, what was that? Suddenly, the two of you were talking and none of us could interrupt it! Are you alright? Did he do anything to you?"
Missy should probably be more concerned about that, about the fact that Mammon apparently had something that facilitated uninterrupted dialogue, but she had something else on her mind. Literally in this case. "Clockblocker, how is my hair?"
She didn't have to be able to see his face that he stopped and blinked at that. "Vista, wha-?"
"Just answer me." Missy gritted her teeth. "How. Is. My. Hair?"
Fortunately, Clockblocker caught his foot in time before in reached his mouth. "I dunno, you look... Actually, you look really pretty with that do. Did Image get you a better hairstyler recently? You look a lot more mature, and I actually mean that in a compliment sort of way. Nice hair, Vista."
Missy sighed. Mammon's headpats, better than a trip to the salon and the work of an entire PR Department because why not. "Of course it is. Anyways, I should probably be talking to Apeiron's kids, don't I?"
"Ah, yeah, we already said our hellos. Also, you're calling him that no- hey wait, Vista, where are you going!"
As a girl with a goal, Missy quickly sorted through her options. Between all three of Mammon's children, who was her best option to get answers? Clearly, not the Thinker girl because Missy didn't want to parse through Thinker bullshit right now and Survey probably had canned answers at this point anyway. Tetra was an option, but given how closed-off the redhead seemed to be, she would have to spend more time than what she probably had to get any answers, if getting them was even possible.
No, if Missy wanted the best chances, there really was only one option.
"Hm?" The golden-haired boy seemed distracted when Missy approached him, but the youngest-looking member of Apeiron's family turned her way when it was clear that he was Missy's goal. "You are Vista, right? What's this about? Did Apeiron send you here?"
Fleet. As much as Missy hated this particular line of reasoning, as the youngest he was probably the easiest to squeeze out answers from, plus as someone with the same public image as his, Vista could talk to Fleet without alerting anyone here too much. "I just wanted some answers and he told me that I can get them from you, that's all. Mind if we talk?"
Fleet seemed to be a bit distracted, but he nodded at Missy's request. Maybe the boy was just a natural airhead? "I can't say anything too secret, but sure. You know the biz."
Missy took in a deep breath, recalling her PR training. This was a kid, not Apeiron who could be unaffected even in the face of a mad bomber. Calm down, then ask politely, "How is it like, to be around Apeiron? Nothing too private, of course, but I just want to hear your thoughts just between the two of us."
None of this would be remaining just between the two of them, of course, but there were hopes that the child in front of her wouldn't see that.
Apparently it worked, because Fleet's eyes lit up as he said, "It's awesome! I mean, sure, it's my role to pilot his vehicles, but Dadpeiron gives me so many toys! Like the mini collection of working sports cars, those planes, the mechs, and of course, the zambonis! And don't get me started with the motoroids! I first started my work on them, you know, and I had a lot of fun designing simulations and Dadpeiron has always been appreciative of the stunts I've been having them do! Shooting Lung across the sky was amazing!"
Missy could only stare at Fleet as the pilot cape continued to chatter about many things, things that the PRT would certainly be happy to hear, if not as happy to worry over as it became increasingly clear that Apeiron left the control of his many machines to an excitable child. But no, none of that was Missy's concern.
She was more interested in one thing: "Dadpeiron?"
Fleet blinked at that, stopping for a moment before smiling, "Yeah, Dadpeiron. Aunt Lethe told us to call him that, the same way we are to refer to her and Aunt Garment as our aunts."
Missy inhaled slowly through her nostrils. Dadpeiron. Dadpeiron. One of Apeiron, no, Mammon's kids called him Dadpeiron with all the affection of a clearly beloved child, with all the love that Missy wished she had with her own parents. And what was that? There were more to this family, that freaking Garment the new Rogue cape was also part of this mad family?
What did it say about Missy that for her, the worst of it was that Fuck Dadpeiron didn't work nearly as well as Fuck Mammon.
Fuck.
"So, what you are saying is that you love him?" Missy asked, in spite of herself.
"I mean, Dadpeiron raised us, cared for our development, gave us so many things, and lastly gave us the chance to interact with the rest of the world like this. Without him, none of that would've been possible." Fleet said all of that so matter-of-factly that Missy had difficulty breathing as the remnants of the image she had built of Mammon fell apart. "He loves us, so what is there to not love? I know that most of the world don't have that much."
Missy nodded blankly. "Yeah, not all of us do. Not all of us do..."
And not even Missy could muster the hate for Apeiron anymore, not now that the disgusting green tinge of envy had taken its place.
FIN.
So, this omake blew up to be a lot bigger than I expected. Originally, it was supposed to be a lighthearted piece, but then I chose Vista's perpective and it ended up becoming a retrospective hypothetical outcome of what might happen in the future after the recent chapters. This included my thoughts on how Joe will be dealing with the PRT and New Wave with his new reputation to use as leverage. Vista's perspective was crucial in this as she had a bone to pick with Joe and her intellect let me detail things that would be normally missed by other characters.
Note the perks used in this omake:
General style perks to make the picnic work.
Do One Thing At A Time, Inexplicable Innuendo, Classy Contortionist, Sei Ki, and Katsujinken gave Joe the charisma bonuses to effectively pull the rug from under Vista's rage and leave her with a positive impression.
And lastly, That Undefinable Thing and Deranged Alchemy combined to give the AIs and Tetra bodies.
I was also going to add the nanite matrix into the mix, but we don't actually have a name for them yet and any personality directly set. Tetra was also mostly in the background for this one as I have no precise base to work off of in terms of her actual personality. Maybe in future omakes, if I work on this setting again.
Anyways, writing this was a lot of fun, and here's to hoping I get the chance to write more for this thread again.
Note the perks used in this omake:
General style perks to make the picnic work.
Do One Thing At A Time, Inexplicable Innuendo, Classy Contortionist, Sei Ki, and Katsujinken gave Joe the charisma bonuses to effectively pull the rug from under Vista's rage and leave her with a positive impression.
And lastly, That Undefinable Thing and Deranged Alchemy combined to give the AIs and Tetra bodies.
I was also going to add the nanite matrix into the mix, but we don't actually have a name for them yet and any personality directly set. Tetra was also mostly in the background for this one as I have no precise base to work off of in terms of her actual personality. Maybe in future omakes, if I work on this setting again.
Anyways, writing this was a lot of fun, and here's to hoping I get the chance to write more for this thread again.
The update was good. I mean the only possible complaint I had was in many ways it was too good. Like I outlined in my earlier post, the problem I think most people had was, despite pretty much everything being foreshadowed and explained. It was just too freaking good at getting you sucked in with the fast pace of things. Little details were missed, which is vital for realizing things like how Oni Lee could avoid being injured so long, despite Joe himself spelling out how Lee could do so right before the fight. We miss it because speed reading techniques teach us to skip over bits that are, in this story, giving vital bits of explanation.
Well actually there is one other complaint, but it's not really something that could be fixed, and that's simple. Lord split this chapter in half because the after section was getting too big, and I think that denied some the catharsis of the 'much needed victory'. The only real way to fix that being well... to release the second half. Which might not happen because all this criticism had utterly sapped his will to post. Something I've been victim of myself more then a few times. Heck some of my stories on other sites still never update simply because when I want to work on them. I start rereading things to 'catch myself up', then run into the wall of critiques and just loose all interest in them once again.
At least until I can find it in myself to muscle through. If I can. Honestly it's been hit or miss on how often I've managed that.
Well actually there is one other complaint, but it's not really something that could be fixed, and that's simple. Lord split this chapter in half because the after section was getting too big, and I think that denied some the catharsis of the 'much needed victory'. The only real way to fix that being well... to release the second half. Which might not happen because all this criticism had utterly sapped his will to post. Something I've been victim of myself more then a few times. Heck some of my stories on other sites still never update simply because when I want to work on them. I start rereading things to 'catch myself up', then run into the wall of critiques and just loose all interest in them once again.
At least until I can find it in myself to muscle through. If I can. Honestly it's been hit or miss on how often I've managed that.
- Location
- Elsewhere
Personally, I really liked this chapter. Most of the time, I can't get through updates longer than 5k words, but Lords' writing is just so good that BCF is an exception to this. Every Wednesday now, I make time in the evenings to read the update, and every time I'm left wanting more. It's just such a good story, and Jozef is a really likable character for me. He's got his flaws, but that's what makes him great. He feels like a real individual and one that's taking strides to deal with his own flaws, and that's what elevates this story from great to exceptional.
- Location
- Canada
Lord's writing is great as always its really sad to see trolls sap his enjoyment for writing the story makes me wanna drop kick a troll in to the sun. hopefully he keeps going there are very few story's set in worm this good
Lightwavers
Purple Noodle
- Pronouns
- they/them
If he's too burned out to release on Wednesday, what do y'all think of organizing a little thing where we as readers make some omakes?
- Location
- Book Fort
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Yes. Ping me, but I'll precommit to writing an Omake.
go propose the idea to the BCF discord servers omakes section and organizing would be easier
Honestly, I thought that the fic would slip from a 1-a-week schedule to at least 1-a-fortnight a while ago given the size of the updates but I suppose this explains why it hasn't.
As someone who thought Chen was for sure a goner for sure last chapter this one was quite a swing.
I love this omake, it's amazing!
- Location
- Philippines
I really want to see more of Chen, and I wish he becomes part of Joe's inner circle, as unlikely as that sounds given his circumstances.
- Location
- Germany
So, I've decided to leave one last bit of criticism regarding this chapter, which will hopefully be more constructive then the previous instances.
Fundamentally, in the end there are only really two problems which I now, several days after the chapter has been released, as well as multiple WOGs clarifying the situation, that still truly stick out to me.
First, is the fact that the climatic fight at the end of this fight is against Lung. I have reread several of the older chapters and in one of them Joe, while speaking with Aisha, outright states that Lung isn't a threat to him. Both the protagonist and the audience dismiss Lung, because due to all of Apeiron's perks Lung simply can't scratch him anymore. Not only that, but throughout just about every previous conflict with the ABB the actual danger always originated from March, Oni Lee, Bakuda, as well as Uber and Leet. Lung only ever really appears as a background character, to whom we have no real emotional connection. Sure, he's technically the Big Bad, as he's the boss of the ABB, which serves as this arc's primary antagonists, but he isn't in the spotlight.
To put my feelings regarding Lung into perspective: he's basically the Emperor in the Original Trilogy. Technically he's a bigger threat than Vader, but Luke's conflict is mainly with his father. By the time Episode VI rolls around, Vader has killed Luke's mentor, captured and tortured Luke's friends, as well as cut off Luke's hand. Meaning that I don't truly care about the conflict between Luke and the Emperor, but about Luke's final confrontation with Vader. And March is Vader's equivalent in this comparison.
So, when Joe just slaps March away before going off to fight Lung, it feels disappointing, because I lack the emotional component of the fight. I simply don't care what happens to Lung, but what happens to March. And March being simply physically overpowered rather than mentally, which has been her greatest advantage until now, simply doesn't feel as satisfying then Joe outsmarting her would've been.
Thus, in the end the fight against Lung feels a bit like mindless spectacle, it's mindbogglingly awesome, but on a meta level it falls somewhat flat.
The second problem is one Lord has already acknowledged, so I won't go into too much detail here. Namely, that the way it ends gives the audience to many ways to assume the absolute worst. As we aren't exactly shown what happens to March and Oni Lee, it is all to easy for the readers to come to the conclusion, that March will simply use healing technology from Leet to recover from her injuries without any negative consequences whatsoever, turning the events of this chapter pointless, because things like these have happened all too often in other stories.
I would thus recommend Lord to simply take some more time. We will wait. He is under absolutely no obligation to continue this story, and if he thinks that a chapter needs additional time to be brought up to a satisfactory level of completion, then that is his prerogative. It would also help prevent another storm of negativity as happened with this chapter.
That is all. Have a wonderful day everyone.
Fundamentally, in the end there are only really two problems which I now, several days after the chapter has been released, as well as multiple WOGs clarifying the situation, that still truly stick out to me.
First, is the fact that the climatic fight at the end of this fight is against Lung. I have reread several of the older chapters and in one of them Joe, while speaking with Aisha, outright states that Lung isn't a threat to him. Both the protagonist and the audience dismiss Lung, because due to all of Apeiron's perks Lung simply can't scratch him anymore. Not only that, but throughout just about every previous conflict with the ABB the actual danger always originated from March, Oni Lee, Bakuda, as well as Uber and Leet. Lung only ever really appears as a background character, to whom we have no real emotional connection. Sure, he's technically the Big Bad, as he's the boss of the ABB, which serves as this arc's primary antagonists, but he isn't in the spotlight.
To put my feelings regarding Lung into perspective: he's basically the Emperor in the Original Trilogy. Technically he's a bigger threat than Vader, but Luke's conflict is mainly with his father. By the time Episode VI rolls around, Vader has killed Luke's mentor, captured and tortured Luke's friends, as well as cut off Luke's hand. Meaning that I don't truly care about the conflict between Luke and the Emperor, but about Luke's final confrontation with Vader. And March is Vader's equivalent in this comparison.
So, when Joe just slaps March away before going off to fight Lung, it feels disappointing, because I lack the emotional component of the fight. I simply don't care what happens to Lung, but what happens to March. And March being simply physically overpowered rather than mentally, which has been her greatest advantage until now, simply doesn't feel as satisfying then Joe outsmarting her would've been.
Thus, in the end the fight against Lung feels a bit like mindless spectacle, it's mindbogglingly awesome, but on a meta level it falls somewhat flat.
The second problem is one Lord has already acknowledged, so I won't go into too much detail here. Namely, that the way it ends gives the audience to many ways to assume the absolute worst. As we aren't exactly shown what happens to March and Oni Lee, it is all to easy for the readers to come to the conclusion, that March will simply use healing technology from Leet to recover from her injuries without any negative consequences whatsoever, turning the events of this chapter pointless, because things like these have happened all too often in other stories.
I would thus recommend Lord to simply take some more time. We will wait. He is under absolutely no obligation to continue this story, and if he thinks that a chapter needs additional time to be brought up to a satisfactory level of completion, then that is his prerogative. It would also help prevent another storm of negativity as happened with this chapter.
That is all. Have a wonderful day everyone.
That sounds fun. I think I have an idea for something to post tomorrow.
Celestial Forge Wiki
Celestial Forge Wiki
Help wanted to fill the wiki with everything
@LordRoustabout can this be trademarked under the information section so more people will find this
MangoFlan
Cold... I feel cold...
Another silly thought came to me. It seems possible for Joe to get a perk that gives him the ability to time travel. What if the dinosaurs did not die out because of asteroid impact but because Joe happened?
I'm writing an omake as we speak. I'll finish it maybe tomorrow.
I'm writing an omake as we speak. I'll finish it maybe tomorrow.
- Location
- USA
Damn. It's been so long since I played it that when Joe transformed I didn't even think it was from Bloody Roar. I really enjoyed the chapter. This is the only story I'm willing to stay up until midnight to finish reading.
LordRoustabout, what made you choose that animal for his beast form?
LordRoustabout, what made you choose that animal for his beast form?
AntaeusTheGiant
Child of Gaea
- Location
- Lawrence, KS
Do you know who is going to be very very upset to see this? Accord. Accord is going to be very upset to see this.
We already know Accord is stalking Apeiron and recovering trinkets. What if he were the one who acquired whatever is left of March? What if he were the one to get all the weapons, the ruins of the motoroid, and the rest of the assorted debris from this fight? The safe return of it all might be an opening in their negotiations, if Accord can bear to part with any of it. Even if not, Apeiron will know where it is, and that might serve to introduce them as well...
- Location
- Philippines
Accord ships it and is very willing to burn people for his ship.
we will ahve a chapter this week but next week looks iffy for a chapter because somepeople was toxic
The Shallow
Shallow, Yet Deep
- Location
- Your Universe
- Pronouns
- She/They
It's an interlude, to remind everyone.
- Location
- That place where I live?
Fiat like what is applied to everything made in the workshop cover three scenarios, lost, stolen, and broken. The motoroid will reappear whole and unbroken in the workshop, sans consumables
- Location
- Philippines
Actually it's been discussed earlier on the thread:
1) The fiat backing repairs creations, but not consumables. You noted as much in your post. So in the case of fuel sources like call beads, when they are consumed/destroyed, the fiat will not return them.
2) The fiat backing does not return objects, but it returns missing parts. Do note that Grue's knife was broken, but the handle was still on him. Same went with Bitch's knife. It was broken, and the sheath was lost, but the main body of the knife was returned to her. Thus in both cases, after two days, both knives became whole again, sheath included in Bitch's case. Same also applied to Joe's gun that regained its heatsink after two days.
3) Thus, if the main body of the motoroid is taken by anyone, it won't reappear whole in Joe's workshop. Instead, it would repair itself in two days at the hands of whoever broke it, without the call bead that was destroyed. This would be a very bad thing if they could reverse engineer it, except...
4) Joe's Motoroid mostly works via fiat-backed effects, and what is left has much less effectiveness without Joe's perks backing it up. Still a concern however for several of Joe's tech bases which are mundane in nature like Grease Monkey.
5) However while fiat doesn't return the motoroid to his hands, one of his perks locate his creations anytime. This means that combined with #4, not only will whoever is trying to reverse engineer it gain much less than what they might expect from having the motoroid, they would also end up revealing the location of their base. Given Joe's 3-day-old-tech statement, this is the kind of exchange that actually favors him way more than it would other people. Thus this gives us the conclusion:
6) Dragonslayers and Coil, please pick the motoroid up. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, I swear. As for the Protectorate, well good luck trying to keep Joe away from recovering what is his.
4) Joe's Motoroid mostly works via fiat-backed effects, and what is left has much less effectiveness without Joe's perks backing it up. Still a concern however for several of Joe's tech bases which are mundane in nature like Grease Monkey.
5) However while fiat doesn't return the motoroid to his hands, one of his perks locate his creations anytime. This means that combined with #4, not only will whoever is trying to reverse engineer it gain much less than what they might expect from having the motoroid, they would also end up revealing the location of their base. Given Joe's 3-day-old-tech statement, this is the kind of exchange that actually favors him way more than it would other people. Thus this gives us the conclusion:
6) Dragonslayers and Coil, please pick the motoroid up. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, I swear. As for the Protectorate, well good luck trying to keep Joe away from recovering what is his.
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The Shallow
Shallow, Yet Deep
- Location
- Your Universe
- Pronouns
- She/They
That fiat applies to CP-bought items, not stuff made in the workshop. See @readerdreamer's post for the specifics of workshop fiat.