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Infernal Conundrum: [Exalted/Worm] - Part 2: Hell is Other Exalts

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the DragonBard said:
Oh Frak, we're probably fighting Hookwolf.

@Thief of Words
Does TFE training count as physical or mental?
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TFE? Remind me what that is? (Can we please type out the name of a charm at least once per post, barring cases where you're quoting a post that has the name written in it? Basic academic rules of abbreviation: you only have to list the full thing out once, but for all that loves clarity and efficiency, please do so at least once?
 
Thief of Words said:
TFE? Remind me what that is? (Can we please type out the name of a charm at least once per post, barring cases where you're quoting a post that has the name written in it? Basic academic rules of abbreviation: you only have to list the full thing out once, but for all that loves clarity and efficiency, please do so at least once?
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I guess tomescu flesh extravagance
 
First: we will only be fighting Hookwolf in the near future if we pick a fight with him or he shows up during one of our patrols. We don't even have a patrol schedule yet for the latter method. We promised not to do the former. And we actually already know he'd have trouble hurting us...so...the former's not impossible. He's sort of low on our list of "threatening Empire capes". Rune rates higher in Taylor's mind. As does Stormtiger. And Krieg.

Also, that theme was not included because of Hookwolf. No, I'm not telling you why.

Ah! Right.

I...have no idea. It's a physical change, representative of a spiritual alteration...so I'm going to say it could go either way, but would require Uncertainty's cooperation for the training process if no physical component is utilized.

EDIT: That cooperation requirement is in no way a problem here. If it were not beneath his dignity to do such a thing, he might even be said to have 'squeed' at the notion.
 
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Can someone do a vote tally? Because I kind of want to threadmark the squeecrab so I can find it in the future. For...reasons.

EDIT: Um...after I threadmark and link the Omakes. And...y'know, generally fix up the index. >_<

Nevermind on that tally. Vote closes tomorrow. Have to wrap up my writing for the moment because the library closes in an hour and I have other stuff I have to work on. On the bright side, I should have internet at home for a week or so again coming up soon. :D
 
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veekie said:
Mmm, probably need to make it more explicit. Voter attention span shifting means that you're going to see it being forgotten whenever a crisis happened.

You may recall that the MA charm was on the training list right until the following things happened:
-Lawsuit pushed things slightly towards social charms. But not strongly. MA still on track.
-Danny discussion. MA still on track.
-Fought Oni Lee. MA no longer on track. Combat charms dominates discussion, paranoia combo returns.
-Aftermath of defeat. MA forgotten entirely. Paranoia combo now reaching "Lets train the whole combo at once" levels.
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Based on this, I think that going paranoia combat is actually the most IC thing we could be doing right now. That valor botch left Taylor terrirfied. That terror might have abated a touch, but I'd say her first reaction is going to be to prioritize survival.
While JU probably wasn't as scared, being more experienced and aware of Taylor's capablities, he'd probably agree with the survival instinct and push her more towards training things that will immediately increase her suitability. I don't think he'll be insulted if we defer his MA training to focus on survival oriented stuff first.
For that reason, I'd suggest deferring Five Dragon Claw until we're on a team. Given our promise to dad and ELD, I'd suggest picking up War.
JIVA gives us a surprise negator, something she would really want after being ambushed. That goes hand in hand with improved perception.
DDJ: Taylor likes running and being able to escape. DDJ is all kinds of useful for both.

EDIT: While I like Tomascu Flesh Extravagance, I don't think it jibes with Taylor's self image issues.

[X]Plan Not Gonna Die
-[X][XP]Every Last Detail - 4xp
-[X][Physical]Death Dealing Journey
-[X][Mental]Joy In Violence Approach
-[X][Mental]War
-[X][Mental]Perception
 
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If any of those paranoia comments were directed at me, I apologize.
thamuzz said:
Based on this, I think that going paranoia combat is actually the most IC thing we could be doing right now. That valor botch left Taylor terrirfied. That terror might have abated a touch, but I'd say her first reaction is going to be to prioritize survival.
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This was my mindset and why I wrote the stunt from a couple chapters back the way that I did. I read Taylor as someone who has been been a target of various attacks for the last 18 months, for whom fear has been a rather constant companion. Had we not fled from Oni Lee in terror, I would probably be all for training the MA charm.

@thamuzz , why War? It doesn't do anything with Every Last Detail, and unless I'm missing something big, it doesn't seem to help with anything we know about IC.
 
Looks like Plan Conjoined Coadjutor is winning, though I hope the extension on voting time will let people choose something that 'won't' play on Taylor's body-image problems, and lead to us looking like Crawler 2.0 all the time.

Heck, if some other plan gets enough traction, I'll vote for it just so we 'don't' get Tomescu Flesh Extravagant.
 
the DragonBard said:
Looks like Plan Conjoined Coadjutor is winning, though I hope the extension on voting time will let people choose something that 'won't' play on Taylor's body-image problems, and lead to us looking like Crawler 2.0 all the time.

Heck, if some other plan gets enough traction, I'll vote for it just so we 'don't' get Tomescu Flesh Extravagant.
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Remember, we're using LSD practically full-time in order to look like pre-Exalted Taylor. It works the same no matter how many mutations we have in our "real" form.
 
[X]Plan Conjoined Coadjutor
-[X][XP]Every Last Detail - 4xp
-[X][Physical]Five Dragon Claw
-[X][Mental]Joy In Violence Approach
-[X][Mental]Tomescu Flesh Extravagance
-[X][Mental]Perception
 
[X]Plan Not Gonna Die
-[X][XP]Every Last Detail - 4xp
-[X][Physical]Death Dealing Journey
-[X][Mental]Joy In Violence Approach
-[X][Mental]War
-[X][Mental]Perception
 
Thief of Words said:
And we actually already know he'd have trouble hurting us...so...the former's not impossible. He's sort of low on our list of "threatening Empire capes". Rune rates higher in Taylor's mind. As does Stormtiger. And Krieg.
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Yeah, I've always figured that Hookwolf is an absolute nightmare for normals. Even if he's just using, like, Strength 5 and the stats for a chopping sword or chainsaw (plus extra actions because he's a goddamn blender), so around +5L, that brings us neatly to base 10L which makes him murder basically anyone that isn't a brute or decked out in serious armor. It's not a guaranteed insta-gib, but it's damn scary for just about everyone that isn't a tank.

The worst we're probably going to have to worry about is ping. Which, given that you deal with soak monsters by flurrying lots of ping damage, means that he's actually still a threat to us. Just not as big a threat as people that can stay out of our engagement range while blasting us (Rune, Purity), or have bullshit kinetic powers (Krieg), or could potentially fuck us up real bad if he can get past our soak (Stormtiger).

the DragonBard said:
Looks like Plan Conjoined Coadjutor is winning, though I hope the extension on voting time will let people choose something that 'won't' play on Taylor's body-image problems, and lead to us looking like Crawler 2.0 all the time.

Heck, if some other plan gets enough traction, I'll vote for it just so we 'don't' get Tomescu Flesh Extravagant.
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It won't, because we still have Loom-Snarling Deception. Her "combat" form is going to change, but it doesn't alter who Taylor sees as herself.
 
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FunkyEntropy said:
Yeah, I've always figured that Hookwolf is an absolute nightmare for normals. Even if he's just using, like, Strength 5 and the stats for a chopping sword or chainsaw (plus extra actions because he's a goddamn blender), so around +5L, that brings us neatly to base 10L which makes him murder basically anyone that isn't a brute or decked out in serious armor. It's not a guaranteed insta-gib, but it's damn scary for just about everyone that isn't a tank.

The worst we're probably going to have to worry about is ping. Which, given that you deal with soak monsters by flurrying lots of ping damage, means that he's actually still a threat to us. Just not as big a threat as people that can stay out of our engagement range while blasting us (Rune, Purity), or have bullshit kinetic powers (Krieg), or could potentially fuck us up real bad if he can get past our soak (Stormtiger).


It won't, because we still have Loom-Snarling Deception. Her "combat" form is going to change, but it doesn't alter who Taylor sees as herself.
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Except that she knows with a guilty little twinge that she's lying when she claims the spindle-spider monster isn't her true form. Or, if her lie detector charm is up, she knows with a dissonant shriek like the sting for a jump scare in a bad horror movie.
 
the DragonBard said:
Actually, gives me an idea for an omake.
Taylor breaking down at the idea of looking like 'that' for the rest of her, quite possibly very 'long' life.
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Relevant from Chrysalis 1.7. Also I'm wondering if JU is Valor 5 ala the Tomescu example from Games of Divinity. If so Taylor's insistence on using LSD for daily life may sour relations between them if she hasn't already established other reasons for doing so.
<Yes. That does not mean you should be looking for the first Neomah equivalent you can find to get rid of them.>

<The first what?>

<Neomah. They're a type of flesh-shaping demon where I come from. And isn't it obvious? A Neomah's art requires work. Especially if you're pushing things by making yourself the canvas! This isn't just getting a stomach bottle bug to patch you up for some alcoholic beverages. As interesting as photographs are, they are not a suitable model for this kind of art. Unless I've misread you terribly, you want something other than simple art.>

<I just...there is so much in those statements that I don't feel like unpacking right now. Mostly, I just don't want Dad to see me like this.>

"You okay, Ma'am? Do you want me to get my sister?" Glory Girl interrupted your inner argument.

<"Why anybody would want joints with such limited range of motion, I have no idea.> Joyous Uncertainty grumbled on the edge of your thoughts.

Art. Imitation of reality. Copy of a copy. He may have had a point. That didn't mean you wanted to be completely unrecognizable. But... did you need Panacea for that?

Glory Girl looks like she's about to ask you again but you manage to speak up first. It takes everything you are to say this.

"She...she probably has more important things to worry about."

You feel a surge of approval in your direction from your headcrab houseguest.

<"Well done. Glad to know you don't find the similarities in your new biology to what mine was to be utterly abhorrent.> There was a self-evident strain of outrage mollified in the statement. It occurred to you that the things you were hating so much about how you looked now were ways in which whatever it was before it met you resembled what you'd become. Or...rather, they were ways in which what you'd become resembled what it was before it met you.
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Conjured Blade said:
Relevant from Chrysalis 1.7. Also I'm wondering if JU is Valor 5 ala the Tomescu example from Games of Divinity.
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Yeah, but Taylor has had body image problems since 'before' she Exalted. Joyful may think it's fine, and Taylor may be willing to him some concessions, but still, it's going to be putting stress on her, and it probably 'will' break through at times.

Also, why would Vicky think Amy could help fix it if she can't remove mutations caused by Parahuman powers?
 
the DragonBard said:
Yeah, but Taylor has had body image problems since 'before' she Exalted. Joyful may think it's fine, and Taylor may be willing to him some concessions, but still, it's going to be putting stress on her, and it probably 'will' break through at times.

Also, why would Vicky think Amy could help fix it if she can't remove mutations caused by Parahuman powers?
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It wasn't Vicky thinking Amy could help fix it. It was Vicky offering to get her sister to do a medical scan, and Taylor deciding against asking Vicky to do that just so she could ask Panacea if she can undo the mutations.
 
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Better, I think, that she come to terms with the indisputable fact that she is not who she was anymore. Not in body, mind, or soul. Accepting this, owning it, and moving forward is the true path to finding peace with herself.

Accepting who you are is also a part of growing up. An Infernal Exalted coming of age story, if you will.
 
MadGreenSon said:
Better, I think, that she come to terms with the indisputable fact that she is not who she was anymore. Not in body, mind, or soul. Accepting this, owning it, and moving forward is the true path to finding peace with herself.

Accepting who you are is also a part of growing up. An Infernal Exalted coming of age story, if you will.
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I agree completely. It's just that she's got a lot of accepting to do, even without the Inferal Exalted stuff. Baby steps, you know?

[X]Plan Use The XP Dammit
-[X][XP]Every Last Detail - 4xp
-[X][XP]Martial Arts +1 - 4xp
-[X][XP]Bureucracy +1 - 4xp
-[X][Physical] Five Dragon Claw
-[X][Mental]War
-[X][Mental]Perception
-[X][Mental]Joy In Violence Approach
 
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