Lex Sedet In Vertice: A Supervillain in the DCU CK2 quest

[Reader of all]

I just realized we just invited a bunch of ancaps to work in the company hah well this is going to be a bitch and a half.

 

[Simon_Jester]

That is a classic Bacon's cipher. That being said, I love it when you code the messages.

Spoiler: Message

[The reaper chapter becomes the order of the scythe. They follow in the scarecrow's footsteps.]

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Huh. So, nailed it then.

I just realized we just invited a bunch of ancaps to work in the company hah well this is going to be a bitch and a half.

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Ancaps as in anarcho-capitalists? Well, Lex Luthor is a tech billionaire so we can probably get along with ancaps.

Would you mind explaining/reminding me where the ancap characterization comes from and who you're talking about though?

 

[Gumiho]

Huh. So, nailed it then.

Ancaps as in anarcho-capitalists? Well, Lex Luthor is a tech billionaire so we can probably get along with ancaps.

Would you mind explaining/reminding me where the ancap characterization comes from and who you're talking about though?

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The only ones i can think of would be any members of The Menagerie who we hire due to them wanting out.

 

[Reader of all]

Huh. So, nailed it then.

Ancaps as in anarcho-capitalists? Well, Lex Luthor is a tech billionaire so we can probably get along with ancaps.

Would you mind explaining/reminding me where the ancap characterization comes from and who you're talking about though?

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The Menagerie I doubt everyone we hire wants out of the movement some may be spies or still believe in the movement and are looking to establish their own branch away from the main. Also I forgot that ancap means anarcho capitalists what I meant to say was we just hired a bunch of anti capitalists.

 

[Serpentine]

I wonder if Sinner could be used to turn the allegiances of those who infest our company with the intent to spy and such. Or would she be too blunt of a hammer for such delicate work, so to speak?

Edit: The ones we detect anyway. Wouldn't want her working on just anyone and everyone. Also, is this our only opportunity to recruit her? Because I think it'd be neat to have her as an interrogator and use her skills for less savory things than as a regular psychiatrist for all our company's employees.

 

[Reader of all]

I wonder if Sinner could be used to turn the allegiances of those who infest our company with the intent to spy and such. Or would she be too blunt of a hammer for such delicate work, so to speak?

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She is actually very subtle as shown by the fact that her own co workers do not know of her psychosis and even speak well of her results she could be the subtle nudge to the full on sledge hammer that is Pamela spraying pheromones on the people and forcing them to be loyal.

 

[Negation]

The Menagerie I doubt everyone we hire wants out of the movement some may be spies or still believe in the movement and are looking to establish their own branch away from the main. Also I forgot that ancap means anarcho capitalists what I meant to say was we just hired a bunch of anti capitalists.

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Which is why we direct them against Stagg and other Corpos in his mould. It makes us look good, is good for the enviroment and is profitable. It's all about how we utilize Manpower & Talent.

 

[King crimson]

Huh. So, nailed it then.

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You nailed 3/4 of it. You got what the group is now down pat and hit the motivations and symbolism but missed the comic allusions (which I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to get). I suppose I'm not spoiling much if I say this but the Order of the Scythe is a canon group that existed independently of Scarecrow in comics. They were also initially known as the "Reaper Chapter" before eventually becoming a group of mercenaries in powered armor who fought Batgirl. I figured this was a fun way to reuse and update them in an interesting manner since they're pretty flat in their initial comics forays and retooling thme likely wouldn't cause massive amounts of uproar.

Also, is this our only opportunity to recruit her?

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No but it very likely will be the easiest opportunity you'll have to recruit her.

 

[Reader of all]

So seeing as how th gm has not said that the vote is closed I am thinking I should try to convince people to hire Alyce Sinner not as company psychologist but as a researcher on psychology we could have her be our interogator or someone we use to subvert spies but ultimately I want her because she is a hero unit in a field we lack and if we can handle Dr. Moon and Nygma without them planning to backstab us we can handle her.

 

[Serpentine]

In addition to how we put up with the likes of Ivo and Louise. Arguably for more profitable gains. Why should we let paranoia and doubt take away her the opportunity to flourish under LexCorp and our benefit from having another hero in the next turn or two. Sinner may just as likely prove to be a competent and worthwhile asset as an utter failure that needs to be cut loose and stuffed in our closet of skeletons.

Edit: I also want to return to Metropolis with as many gains as we can. So far we've hashed out agreements with Menagerie, gotten a gift for Cassandra, some deeper information on Gotham, a favor with Cobblepot that will probably earn us more favors from the government and generals Eiling or Lane, and a favor from the League of Shadows.

 

[jonasquinn]

So seeing as how th gm has not said that the vote is closed I am thinking I should try to convince people to hire Alyce Sinner not as company psychologist but as a researcher on psychology we could have her be our interogator or someone we use to subvert spies but ultimately I want her because she is a hero unit in a field we lack and if we can handle Dr. Moon and Nygma without them planning to backstab us we can handle her.

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The issue is we have no real need for a psychological researcher and whoever we eventually hire to replace Parker can fill that role

As for Moon and Nygma, the former just needs the occasional interesting experiment or prisoner tot play with and we still want rid of him at some stage and the latter just wants to work on puzzles

Sinner wants to actively drive people insane and see how low they can sink, that is much harder to facilitate and cover up

In addition to how we put up with the likes of Ivo and Louise. Arguably for more profitable gains. Why should we let paranoia and doubt take away her the opportunity to flourish under LexCorp and our benefit from having another hero in the next turn or two. Sinner may just as likely prove to be a competent and worthwhile asset as an utter failure that needs to be cut loose and stuffed in our closet of skeletons.

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Ivo and Louise are geniuses that provide access to a completely unique piece of technology and whose worst traits are that other people don't like them

Sinner provides nothing unique and creates a far larger problem

 

[Reader of all]

Seriously guys we put up with Ivo a man we knew was going to betray us the moment he completed his project, Nygma a maverick who more than willing to disobey orders and put us in hot water remember how Nygma got the sword in the first place or how Nygma spent the money lex gave him on hookers and blow just to show Lex that he doesn't need any help and Dr. Moon a man that needs to conduct inhumane experiments everyday or he gets antsy.

Sinner wants to actively drive people insane and see how low they can sink, that is much harder to facilitate and cover up

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On the contrary that is even more of a reason as to why we should hire her she can make deniable assets who we can easily cover up and use against our enemies also it is a lot easier to cover up crazy people or people who had a mental break down than the shit Dr. Moon cooks up.

 

[Serpentine]

Ivo and Louise are geniuses that provide access to a completely unique piece of technology and whose worst traits are that other people don't like them

Sinner provides nothing unique and creates a far larger problem

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I would argue she'll only provide services as unique and useful as the thread can cook up. I don't think the problems she could create are any greater a threat than Moon's or Louise's could potentially be to property, PR, or lives.

Edit: She'll be under surveillance constantly under Carl's watchful eye and Lex knows her for what she is, it isn't unreasonable to expect that there's a high likelihood of preventing or discovering and correcting any shenanigans she may try to get up to. Ivo and Louise being geniuses doesn't devalue what Sinner could possibly bring to the table, they're in completely different fields. Louise being a Learning/Stewardship hero and Sinner probably being a Learning/Intrigue hero, maybe a bit of Diplomacy.

 

[jonasquinn]

Seriously guys we put up with Ivo a man we knew was going to betray us the moment he completed his project,

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We don't know for sure that Ivo was going to betray us, he was pretty up front about why he wanted Amazo and I'll remind you that despite being very useful ans giving us access to new technology we still decided that he was too much of a pain in the ass and let him die

Nygma a maverick who more than willing to disobey orders and put us in hot water remember how Nygma got the sword in the first place

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And he was right to do so, nobody has realised what he did and it's literally the only example of him being insubordinate

Nygma spent the money lex gave him on hookers and blow just to show Lex that he doesn't need any

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Yeah, which was his right to do so and caused us no problems

Dr. Moon a man that needs to conduct inhumane experiments everyday or he gets antsy.

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Not every day and we just so happen to need a researcher comfortable with inhumane experiments

On the contrary that is even more of a reason as to why we should hire her she can make deniable assets who we can easily cover up and use against our enemies also it is a lot easier to cover up crazy people or people who had a mental break down than the shit Dr. Moon cooks up.

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I mean that's making a lot of assumptions

First that the people she drives insane will be capable of helping us in any way, second that they'd be willing to help us and third that nobody would connect the sudden influx of crazy people to Lexcorp or our new psychiatrist

Also it's a lot easier to cover up what Moon does because his victims die afterwards, we just burn their bodies and dispose of the ashes and it's as if it never happened whereas Sinner needs prolonged continuous contact with her victim to drive them as insane as possible and probably won't want to kill them afterwards in case they can be driven more insane which means we'd just be stuck with a bunch of crazy people locked in cells

I would argue she'll only provide services as unique and useful as the thread can cook up. I don't think the problems she could create are any greater a threat than Moon's or Louise's could potentially be to property, PR, or lives.

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Except there's nothing she can do that another psychiatrist theoretically couldn't as well and while her she isn't likely to create physical problems her messes are far more difficult to cover up

And again, Louise is just antisocial and manipulative

 

[Serpentine]

Except there's nothing she can do that another psychiatrist theoretically couldn't as well and while her she isn't likely to create physical problems her messes are far more difficult to cover up

And again, Louise is just antisocial and manipulative

Click to shrink...

Another psychiatrist, able or not, likely wouldn't do due to morals. And I'm not suggesting she be our official psychiatrist, we could hire a proper psychiatrist for the everyday normal stuff. We could feed Sinner captives of Intergang, known moles that could be made into double agents, and other hostiles that won't be missed. Especially since Isley is going to be busy in the foreseeable future trying her hand in politics and government.

Louise is also obsessed with her research, perhaps not to Ivo's level, but her project has already proven to be risky and dangerous.

 

[King crimson]

On the New Gods
So apparently I'm incredibly skilled at being unproductive and I chose to channel it into this endeavor, an informational post literally no one was asking for. That being said I hope people find this interesting and informative.

I will not be going over every single New God due to time constraints (I apologize to any massive fans of Junior Jumbo but he alongside many others were deemed not important enough to be covered). This will by no means by a complete cover of everything but it should be enough to get you guys to start looking at the New Gods and at least thinking about them a little bit (like how the Endless are somewhat known to you guys I hope the New Gods also become somewhat understandable).

What is a god?
The first and most important question to answer is what is a god in the DC Universe? Specifically a "God" can be defined as an entity that exists that embodies an idea of some kind. All Gods are multiversal singularities and cannot be killed. However they are also utterly defined by what they embody and cannot deviate from that idea in any way shape or form. If the concept upon which a god is reliant disappears so to will the God vanish. On the flipside the more heavily a concept is drawn upon the more powerful a God will be come. Thus all gods are effectively memetic egregores which seek to infinitely self perpetuate.

"Gods" come in "worlds" (a word which here is used to refer to a wave of gods) in the DC universe that occur due to sufficient collection of a concept across a multiversal level that is recognized in such a way as to make it possible. The New Gods are effectively the fourth wave of gods. Most of the more familiar pantheons are specifically from the third world (Greek gods, Norse gods, Egyptian gods etc.). There are "Old Gods" which came into being in the first and second world. However most of them are fairly inactive and non-manifesting although under certain situations they can come back into play. The Presence (DC's big Yahweh equivalent) is not considered a god because it predates all of them. Likewise the Endless, which came after the Presence, all predate the cycle of gods because they are not dependent on concepts so much as being a fundamental part of existence.

The most basic history of the New Gods
The story of the New Gods begins not with Darkseid and Highfather but rather with Yuga Khan. Yuga Khan was arguably the most powerful god in existence whose empire spanned the cosmos. However it was not enough for the God-Emperor. He needed more and more power and sought to bring all of totality under his control.

The story then continues with the arrival of Izaya, a minor god and a researcher seeking to unravel the secrets of the universe who fled Yuga Khan's empire. In doing so he discovered the Source Wall and by extension the Source itself a seemingly infinite wellspring of power. Yuga Khan got wind of this and he ordered his brother in law Steppenwolf to murder Izaya's wife Avia in order to draw out the other god so that he could take the secret of the Source from him. Steppenwolf brought his nephew Uxas along and the pair succeeded in attacking the settlement Izaya had founded and Steppenwolf personally slew Avia.

Izaya flew into a rage and attempted to kill Steppenwolf, badly beating the God but was swiftly defeated by Yuga Khan himself. Izaya gave up the information realizing he had lost but he warned Yuga Khan of the dangers of tapping into the Source without restriction. Yuga Khan laughed off Izaya's warnings and attempted to take all of the power of the Source. His hubris cost him though as he ended up forever trapped in the Source Wall. Without Yuga Khan to hold everything together the empire fractured and fell apart.

Izaya, realizing revenge would gain him nothing, overcame his rage and learned how to tap into the source somewhat safely and became known as Highfather. He then went on to found New Genesis, gathering various other individuals who were disaffected with Yuga Khan's old empire.

The remnants of the empire, now centered on Apokolips, was ruled over by Heggra. Heggra had two sons with Yuga Khan, the gentle and peace loving Drax and the aggressive schemer Uxas. As Drax was the oldest he was assumed to be the one who would take over when his mother fell. Uxas chafed at this and spent a while wandering the cosmos, even arriving on New Genesis and meeting the individual who would individual who would become his most trusted advisor, Desaad. He even met the one woman he ever loved, Suli, and met her in secret.

Heggra though had her own plans. She despised Drax's weakness and when her spies overheard that Darkseid had a plan to kill him, she let the plot go through and helped it succeed. As Drax lay alone in space he learned how to truly tap into the source and gained the ability to become an agent of the Source's will and thus get power from it. However even that massive boon was not enough to heal him, merely being enough to keep him from dying. Eventually a god named Astorr found him and was deemed worthy of the power to have it passed down to him. Astorr in turn then passed it down to five other individuals who called themselves the Forever People.

Uxas was ecstatic with the death of his brother since it meant he would be able to rule as he pleased and swiftly set out to marry Suli who had borne him a son named Kalibak. Heggra though had no desire to see her other son be tainted by "weakness" and so she arranged for Suli to die. Upon learning that his mother had killed his wife, Uxas promptly murdered his mother and claimed the wellspring that had empowered his father, the Omega force, and rechristened himself Darkseid gaining immense power. He then married a woman named Tigra who helped him unify Apokolips under his complete control, even if the two of them felt nothing but loathing for each other.

New Genesis and Apokolips then proceeded to wage a destructive war for eons on end with the two sides never managing to ever thoroughly defeat the other. Eventually a truce was reached though and Darkseid and Highfather exchanged their newborn sons to be raised by the other as a way of formalizing the pact. Of course this didn't prevent the two factions from waging proxy wars for decades on end. During this period of time Darkseid learned of the existence of the Life Equation and through that deduced that an Anti-Life Equation must also exist. As such Darkseid began to discreetly search all worlds for the components to this equation, believing it to be the weapon he needed to forever tip the odds in his favor and ensure the universe ends up under his complete and total dominion.

The Genesisians

• Highfather: Once known as Izaya, Highfather is the just and righteous ruler of New Genesis who seeks to bring peace and freedom to all individuals. He and Darkseid are mortal enemies forever locked in an eternal stalemate. Where Darkseid seeks to crush all life beneath his boot, Highfahter lets individuals flourish on their own and is hands off with his aid.
• Avia: Highfather's first wife who was killed by Steppenwolf
• Vayla: The mother of Mister Miracle. Was killed by Darkseid.
• Metron: An individual dedicated to collecting and understanding all knowledge in the universe. While he is nominally on the side of New Genesis, he is on very shaky terms with most of the other gods due to having sold the technology for Boom Tubes to Darkseid in exchange for materials to build his mobius chair. That said he is too useful of an ally not to keep on your side and his Mobius Chair enables him to offer pertinent advice even if he tends not to directly interfere
• Desdemona: The teacher of the gods. Used to be close to Metron but they had a falling out when he refused to stop his pursuit of knowledge for anything.
• Himon: The greatest spy in Highfather's employ. Stayed on Apokalips for years and helped Mister Miracle and Big Barda to escape the planet
• Bekka: The daughter of Himon and the wife of Orion. Bekka is a skilled warrior and is able to forcibly inflict empathy on any target capable of feeling such things. She and Orion are quite happy together
• Orion: Highfather's adopted son and Darkseid and Tigra's biological son. Loyal to New Genesis and while he is hot tempered and aggressive he seeks to do his best to help end the endless war against Darkseid. Arguably New Genesis' greatest warrior in direct combat
• Mister Miracle: Highfather's biological son who was adopted by Darkseid and who utterly refused to be broken by the institutions on Apokalips, escaping from each and every one of them. Sometimes poses as the human Scott Free. Is happily married to Big Barda
• Lonar: A quiet solitary scout for New Genesis
• Gideon: A high ranking general in the forces of New Genesis
• Arkal: Lightray's brother and the childhood friend of Orion who was killed by the bugs of New Genesis
• Lightray: A slightly cocky but peaceful and powerful individual in New Genesis and a decently close friend of Orion
• Takion: An agent of Highfather and a potential back up in case he is ever killed.
• Fastbak: Inventor of the aeropads and the swiftest scout in all of New Genesis who is constantly pushing the capabilities of technology ever onwards
• Moonrider: Leader of the Forever People and 1/5th of Infinity Man
• Beautiful Dreamer: A member of the Forever People and 1/5th of Infinity Man
• Big Bear: A member of the Forever People and 1/5th of Infinity Man
• Serifan: A member of the Forever People and 1/5th of Infinity Man
• Vykin the Black: A member of the Forever People and 1/5th of Infinity Man
• K'zander: A hideous hag who lives in the one burning hellhole on New Genesis who offers up visions of prophecy
• Forager: A New God who somehow ended up being raised by the bugs of New Genesis and believes himself to be one of them
• All-Widow: The entity that gives birth to all bugs of New Genesis
• Prime-One: Leader of the bugs of New Genesis
• Mantis: A bitter bug that has rebelled against New Genesis and seeks to overthrow them

Apokoliptians

• Yuga Khan: The first ruler of the fourth world of the gods and the most powerful god to have existed. Is currently perpetually trapped in the Source Wall
• Heggra: Yuga Khan's wife and the mother of Darkseid and Drax. Was killed by Darkseid
• Darkseid: Current ruler of Apokolips and undisputed master of that world. A tyrant of the highest order who seeks to complete the Anti-Life Equation so that he can bend all of reality to his will.
• Suli: Darkseid's first wife and the mother of Kalibak. Was killed on Heggra's orders
• Tigra: Darkseid's second wife. The two can't stand each other.
• Kalibak: Darkseid's firstborn son who seeks acknowledgement from his father. A fairly simple brute and a perpetual disappointment in Darkseid's eyes
• Grayven: Darkseid's bastard son who he abandoned as a baby without a care in the world. A cocky and powerful individual who seeks to force his father to acknowledge him.
• Steppenwolf: The greatest general of Apokolips and an entity the lives for violence and carnage. Is Darkseid's uncle and enjoys nothing more than crushing enemies underfoot. Personally killed Highfather's first wife and desires to fight Orion to bring out the violent dog of war he feels is lurking beneath the surface
• Desaad: A malignant torturer and spymaster who serves as Darkseid's closest advisor. Desaad is perpetually slimy and sadistic and runs dozens of schemes and delights in breaking others to the will of Darkseid
• Granny Goodness: A loyal lieutenant of Darkseid who specializes in indoctrinating and breaking people. Used to be a soldier for Darkseid who proved her loyalty to him by killing the one thing other than him she cared about on his orders. Is the head of the Female Furies and absolutely hates Mister Miracle for refusing to break
• Auralie: The mother of Bekka. Used to construct Mother Boxes and would watch people dance. Was arrested by Big Barda and then tortured to death
• Kanto: Darkseid's chief assassin. Currently held by the 14th individual to have the title a god named Iluthin. The title is earned by each god killing their predecessor and becoming Kanto, gaining the skills and knowledge of each one who came before. Kanto has a fondness for renaissance Italy.
• Doctor Bedlam: A researcher for Darkseid who specializes in figuring out horrific ways to maximize the fear and suffering an individual can take.
• Glorious Godfrey: Darkseid's minister of propaganda with mind control powers and Amazing Grace's brother
• Amazing Grace: A spy for Darkseid with mind control powers
• Virman Vunderbar: One of Darkseid's chief generals and the older brother of Malice Vunderbar
• Big Barda: The former leader of the Female Furies who fell in love with Scott Free and eventually defected to New Genisis. Is one of the most powerful warriors amongst the New Gods
• Lashina: The current field leader of the Female Furies. Absolutely hates Big Barda due to being unfavorably compared to her
• Gilotina: A member of the Female Furies
• Bernadeth: A member of the Female Furies and Desaad's sister
• Mad Harriet: A member of the Female Furies
• Artemiz: A member of the Female Furies
• Stompa: A member of the Female Furies
• Malice Vunderbar: A member of the Female Furies and the younger sister of Virman Vunderbar
• Pythia: Caretaker of the garden of hope on Apokolips and an oracle who happily and cheerfully gives out prophecies to any who ask it of her. Of course since Darkseid is the only one who visits her, only he speaks with her and learns of her visions of the future.

 

[Lockheart]

I would also very like if you gave us some of the concepts of those gods. It defines them, after all.

 

[King crimson]

I would also very like if you gave us some of the concepts of those gods. It defines them, after all.

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Keep in mind that the concepts I'm proposing might be a touch simplistic or reductive for a few of them and I don't have a single word I can tie to every individual and I'll probably be ignoring some. Some of these also might be significantly shakier than others. That being said here are a few as I see them. Feel free to suggest your own interpretations and keep in mind that a lot of what I've listed below is not 100% canon for most of the individuals on the list

• Highfather: Just Ruling
• Metatron: Knowledge as a collection/archive
• Desdemona: Proliferation of knowledge
• Himon: Resistances
• Bekka: Unlikely Love
• Orion: Righteous Battle/Anger
• Mister Miracle: Freedom
• Lonar: ???
• Gideon: Duty?
• Arkal: Lost Hope
• Lightray: Enduring Hope
• Takion: ???
• Fastbak: Progress
• Forever People: ???
• Infinity Man: Cosmic Order
• K'Zander: Looming Threats
• All the Bugs of New Genesis: ???
• Yuga Khan: Unchecked Power
• Heggra: Control
• Darkseid: Tyranny
• Suli: Lost Causes?
• Tigra: ???
• Kalibak: Impotence and Hate
• Grayven: Abandonment?
• Steppenwolf: Massacres
• Desaad: Torture
• Granny Goodness: Repression
• Aurelie: Regrets?
• Kanto: Cumulative Hatred?
• Doctor Bedlam: Sadism Masquerading as Science
• Glorious Godfrey: Propaganda
• Amazing Grace: Obsession
• Virman Vunderbar: Unchecked Pride in oneself
• Big Barda: Changing for the Better
• Lashina: Lashing Out
• Gilotina: Execution
• Bernadeth: Drawn Out Suffering?
• Mad Harriet: Megalomania?
• Artemiz: Targeted Misery?
• Stompa: Kicking Someone While They're Down
• Malice Vunderbar: Childish Sadism
• Pythia: False Hope

 

[Negation]

And Forager is Forager

 

[Lockheart]

Keep in mind that the concepts I'm proposing might be a touch simplistic or reductive for a few of them and I don't have a single word I can tie to every individual and I'll probably be ignoring some. Some of these also might be significantly shakier than others. That being said here are a few as I see them. Feel free to suggest your own interpretations and keep in mind that a lot of what I've listed below is not 100% canon for most of the individuals on the list

• Highfather: Just Ruling
• Metatron: Knowledge as a collection/archive
• Desdemona: Proliferation of knowledge
• Himon: Resistances
• Bekka: Unlikely Love
• Orion: Righteous Battle/Anger
• Mister Miracle: Freedom
• Lonar: ???
• Gideon: Duty?
• Arkal: Lost Hope
• Lightray: Enduring Hope
• Takion: ???
• Fastbak: Progress
• Forever People: ???
• Infinity Man: Cosmic Order
• K'Zander: Looming Threats
• All the Bugs of New Genesis: ???
• Yuga Khan: Unchecked Power
• Heggra: Control
• Darkseid: Tyranny
• Suli: Lost Causes?
• Tigra: ???
• Kalibak: Impotence and Hate
• Grayven: Abandonment?
• Steppenwolf: Massacres
• Desaad: Torture
• Granny Goodness: Repression
• Aurelie: Regrets?
• Kanto: Cumulative Hatred?
• Doctor Bedlam: Sadism Masquerading as Science
• Glorious Godfrey: Propaganda
• Amazing Grace: Obsession
• Virman Vunderbar: Unchecked Pride in oneself
• Big Barda: Changing for the Better
• Lashina: Lashing Out
• Gilotina: Execution
• Bernadeth: Drawn Out Suffering?
• Mad Harriet: Megalomania?
• Artemiz: Targeted Misery?
• Stompa: Kicking Someone While They're Down
• Malice Vunderbar: Childish Sadism
• Pythia: False Hope

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Some of those are beautiful (False hope? Looming threats? Unlikely love?).

I think Forever People should be youthful concepts. Youthful energy, youthful dreams, youthful ambitions, youthful potential, etc.

 

[Zale]

Keep in mind that the concepts I'm proposing might be a touch simplistic or reductive for a few of them and I don't have a single word I can tie to every individual and I'll probably be ignoring some. Some of these also might be significantly shakier than others. That being said here are a few as I see them. Feel free to suggest your own interpretations and keep in mind that a lot of what I've listed below is not 100% canon for most of the individuals on the list

• Highfather: Just Ruling
• Metatron: Knowledge as a collection/archive
• Desdemona: Proliferation of knowledge
• Himon: Resistances
• Bekka: Unlikely Love
• Orion: Righteous Battle/Anger
• Mister Miracle: Freedom
• Lonar: ???
• Gideon: Duty?
• Arkal: Lost Hope
• Lightray: Enduring Hope
• Takion: ???
• Fastbak: Progress
• Forever People: ???
• Infinity Man: Cosmic Order
• K'Zander: Looming Threats
• All the Bugs of New Genesis: ???
• Yuga Khan: Unchecked Power
• Heggra: Control
• Darkseid: Tyranny
• Suli: Lost Causes?
• Tigra: ???
• Kalibak: Impotence and Hate
• Grayven: Abandonment?
• Steppenwolf: Massacres
• Desaad: Torture
• Granny Goodness: Repression
• Aurelie: Regrets?
• Kanto: Cumulative Hatred?
• Doctor Bedlam: Sadism Masquerading as Science
• Glorious Godfrey: Propaganda
• Amazing Grace: Obsession
• Virman Vunderbar: Unchecked Pride in oneself
• Big Barda: Changing for the Better
• Lashina: Lashing Out
• Gilotina: Execution
• Bernadeth: Drawn Out Suffering?
• Mad Harriet: Megalomania?
• Artemiz: Targeted Misery?
• Stompa: Kicking Someone While They're Down
• Malice Vunderbar: Childish Sadism
• Pythia: False Hope

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I've always seen Granny Goodness's concept as Indoctrination.

For Kanto, maybe it could be something like Brutal/Merciless Meritocracy? If someone can kill you than they deserve everything you had. Idk if that quite hits the character still, but its the best I got at 12am.

 

[King crimson]

Some of those are beautiful (False hope? Looming threats? Unlikely love?).

I think Forever People should be youthful concepts. Youthful energy, youthful dreams, youthful ambitions, youthful potential, etc.

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I don't know how beautiful the things are but I do think they are rather nice and I'm happy you found them beautiful.

The main crux of my issue with the Forever People is that I personally would like to try and have them tie into Infinity Man's own concept as well. As such while "youthful concepts" could work for them in isolation I'd like to try and find something to have them all match up at least a little bit with Infinity Man. It's certainly an angle to ponder but I'd like to explore the characters a little more before coming to a final conclusion on them since they're arguably the most thematically interlinked New Gods.

I've always seen Granny Goodness's concept as Indoctrination.

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For me Indoctrination covers too little. Yes she is most famous for brainwashing and such at the orphanages she runs but Granny Goodness is so much more than that. She's the official commander of the Female Furies, regularly cracks down on rebellions and was a former soldier who murdered the only thing she ever loved besides Darkseid on his orders. For me indoctrination is a little too narrow (it was considered and it hits most of the notes right) to cover everything about Granny. Repression feels better to me it covers indoctrination to some extent (repression is a required part of indoctrination) and because it also covers Granny's more militaristic aspects as well.

For Kanto, maybe it could be something like Brutal/Merciless Meritocracy? If someone can kill you than they deserve everything you had. Idk if that quite hits the character still, but its the best I got at 12am.

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It's not the worst idea I've heard. My problem is that it matches Kanto's history but not his current job and character. Like how does brutal meritocracy tie into being a skilled assassin or being somewhat showy and pretentious? It's tricky to land something perfect on all New Gods because a few angles need to be covered on any one of them for it to really stick. I like elements of it but it just doesn't seem to cover the totality of the character.

Cumulative Hatred was my attempt (which I don't think is perfect) because each Kanto inherits the hate and skills of those who came before them. The assassinations breed more hate and resentment and when someone else finally grows to hate enough and succeeds in killing Kanto they become the next version of Kanto. It's not perfect either and it's tricky to narrow down something that's distinctly cyclical in someway into a concept that can also cover murder/assassination. My problem with this is that it somewhat doesn't cover why he is an assassin as opposed to a warrior (although you could argue symbolic justifications) and it is absolutely at odds with his personality.

 

[Sirrocco]

For me Indoctrination covers too little. Yes she is most famous for brainwashing and such at the orphanages she runs but Granny Goodness is so much more than that. She's the official commander of the Female Furies, regularly cracks down on rebellions and was a former soldier who murdered the only thing she ever loved besides Darkseid on his orders. For me indoctrination is a little too narrow (it was considered and it hits most of the notes right) to cover everything about Granny. Repression feels better to me it covers indoctrination to some extent (repression is a required part of indoctrination) and because it also covers Granny's more militaristic aspects as well.

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Domination, perhaps? Or maybe it's more of her role - she excels as a transistor for tyranny. So... maybe it's indoctrination again, or at least something closer to it, because her own indoctrination is a key part of her identity, and she essentially epitomizes what every tyrant might desire in their own indoctrinated minions.

It's not the worst idea I've heard. My problem is that it matches Kanto's history but not his current job and character. Like how does brutal meritocracy tie into being a skilled assassin or being somewhat showy and pretentious? It's tricky to land something perfect on all New Gods because a few angles need to be covered on any one of them for it to really stick. I like elements of it but it just doesn't seem to cover the totality of the character.

Cumulative Hatred was my attempt (which I don't think is perfect) because each Kanto inherits the hate and skills of those who came before them. The assassinations breed more hate and resentment and when someone else finally grows to hate enough and succeeds in killing Kanto they become the next version of Kanto. It's not perfect either and it's tricky to narrow down something that's distinctly cyclical in someway into a concept that can also cover murder/assassination. My problem with this is that it somewhat doesn't cover why he is an assassin as opposed to a warrior (although you could argue symbolic justifications) and it is absolutely at odds with his personality.

Click to shrink...

He is the god of "Come at the King, you bets not miss". Perhaps... regicide? Overthrow? The idea that the God/King is showy and pretentious, but inevitably gets assassinated, and when he dies, his killer claims the throne, thereby becoming showy and pretentious.

For that matter, is it possible for a deity's aspect to change? I wouldn't think that Izaya started out as "Just Ruling", after all.

 

[King crimson]

So the winning vote from last time is as follows:
[X] Plan Diplo Hero
-[X] Hire Paige Monroe full time to work at Lex Corp

[X] [Academy] Leonard Fiasco
[X] [Academy] Simon Trent
[X] [Academy] Barbara Gordon

[X] [Sinner] Do not recruit Alyce Sinner at all

[X] [GU] Kevin Long
[X] [GU] Clement Tyme
[X] [GU] James Million

Furthermore the poll on adjustments to voting indicates that more people believe the current system is fine (it was ultimately 5 to 3). As such I likely will not be doing radical upheavals to the voting system. That being said I will be looking to make some quality of life changes. The main issue people seem to have is with an inability to structure the actions taken each turn as effectively. I will not be making the action phase into a plan format voting. That said I do have an idea that I think could allow people to be more strategic in which actions are selected while also potentially making Nemesis Actions less at risk of slipping through the cracks due to vote format. I'll explain my idea in more depth later but I do want people to be aware that I am listening and trying to make things better for everyone involved. I doubt everyone will be satisfied with this but I am doing my best to at least try and find some kind of compromise.

Also I hated writing this update. It was like pulling teeth at times especially with Leonard Fiasco's stutter. I had moments I really enjoyed (Barbara Gordon was a ton of fun to write) but some of them were just a miserable slog to get through. That being said I hope you all enjoy this update and that the quality has not dipped. Let me know what you all think! As always there is a 1 hour moratorium on subvotes

A Trip to Gotham Event Part 5: What You See
Paige Monroe (Second Week of Lex Luthor's trip to Gotham)
"Miss Monroe" Lex Luthor said in a steady voice "I'd like to hire you to work full time at LexCorp"

Paige blinked. This was far too good to be true. It was clearly some kind of trap or trick. Paige had hoped she'd get something from this meeting but being able to apparently launch a career from scratch was a ridiculous fantasy in her mind especially with all of the flaws that were coming in. It might not have been the smartest thing to do but Paige had to double-check that this wasn't just a cruel joke.

"What exactly would that entail?" She asked uncertainly.

"I imagine at first you'd be primarily dealing with the Public Relations Department" Lex Luthor calmly and smoothly responded "Then depending on how things go you may be asked to do some additional work with either Lightyear Entertainment or McCabe Fashions"

Paige couldn't believe it. Something had to be off about this.

"And are there any restrictions or clauses you think I should know about this job?" Paige inquired a little more forcefully than necessary but she was just so desperate to figure out what the trick being played here was.

"You'd be made to sign many non-disclosure agreements, agree to work exclusively for LexCorp and no one else and you'd have to be physically present in Metropolis for large swathes of time" Lex Luthor answered utterly unphased "In exchange you'd be given access to all onsite amenities, be well compensated monetarily and be given access to LexCorp's excellent employee insurance programs as well as some other benefits that can be hashed out with a lawyer present"

It was a good deal all things considered and there weren't even many catches to it, if any. Paige had no idea why Lex Luthor was offering her this much but she had no intention of letting him have any time to question it. After all if Lex Luthor was given time to think through what he was offering he might notice Paige's flaws and back out and then she'd have nothing but her ever decaying and wretched state. This was what she needed and she couldn't let it get away.

"I'll take the job." Paige swiftly declared "How soon can we make it official?"

Lex Luthor practically chuckled at this but seemed to not be aware of why Paige was so fast to agree. He probably had thoguht he was getting a perfect deal, not having noticed Paige's imperfections quite yet. She felt a little proud that she'd managed to hide them from him.

"I'll call my lawyer and see if we can't have a contract drafted in an hour or so" Lex genially responded.

And so after a phone call or so later and some drafting Paige had ended up signing a contract that had her as an official LexCorp employee. She thanked Luthor as he left, feeling somewhat smug that things had finally gone her way. However she knew that this was only the beginning and the pit at the bottom of her stomach only grew as she realized what would be next.

Paige made her way over to the large mirror in her bedroom. She stared at herself. She wasn't good enough not nearly good enough just yet.

Barbara Gordon (Second Week of Lex Luthor's trip to Gotham)
Barbara hadn't meant to stay in the computer lab any longer than she needed to. It was meant to be a quick research gathering session to prepare for her debut and then moving on but as she looked into things going on in Gotham the more wrapped up she'd gotten in her own thoughts and so she'd accidentally ended up unintentionally ditching class. Oops.

It was only once she heard the sounds of people walking into the lab and talking that she realized how long she'd stayed holed up on her laptop in the computer lab.

"This here is the Gotham Academy Computer lab" The persnickety voice of Mr. Scarlet rang out over the empty lab "While many of our students prefer to bring in their own electronics, the academy provides this room and state of the art equipment to those who wish to make use of it"

"I see" an unfamiliar deep voice answered "The equipment here is above the norm but if students can bring in their own equipment that allows for even more advantages and it explains why that girl is working on a laptop on her own"

Barbara cringed internally. She'd hoped no one would notice what she had been doing. Mr. Scarlet really didn't appreciate students being tardy or slacking off so she'd hoped to get off unscathed. The last thing she wanted was to end up in detention with Headmaster Hammer. Dick had told her enough horror stories about that to make her never want to personally experience it. Sheepishly she turned to face an annoyed Mr. Scarlet and an unfamiliar bald man in a pinstripe suit. His features seemed vaguely recognizable but Barbara Gordon couldn't figure out just where she recognized him from.

"Miss Gordon" Mr. Scarlet said in his best disapproving teacher voice "Just what exactly are you doing here instead of class?"

Barbara winced internally. She doubted that explaining to her teachers how she'd been tracking the correlation between some thug on the dark web offering his services as "Killer Moth" and the odd outbreak of house fires in the areas in which he was supposedly hired to work in. That and trying to track whatever the heck was going on with Selina Kyle's finances would probably land her in more trouble not less. As such she had to fib her way out of this one.

"Sorry I got caught up in a personal project and lost track of time" Barbara answered "You know me give me a computer to play and tinker with and I can spend hours just optimizing things and figuring out how to code new things"

Mister Scarlet seemed to buy it but the bald man was now looking at her with interest. Barbara wished she could place why his face looked somewhat familiar to her.

"Is your laptop one of these projects?" The bald man asked "It's certainly not a model that's available on the market right now"

Mister Scarlet motioned that it was okay for Barbara to talk rather than immediately get to class. While Barbara had her apprehensions the fact that they let the bald man into her school meant he was probably okay to talk to. Plus the more she talked about her computer specs the more likely they were to just move on from what she had been doing in the computer lab.

"It's actually custom made, I built it out of a bunch of separate parts of machines including some things found at Lexpo" Barbara answered. "It was a bit tricky figuring out how to get everything to work together the way I wanted it to but now I'm happy with what I've got"

"Miss Gordon is one of our most successful students in not only traditional academics but also the realm of computer science" Mister Scarlet chimed in "Here at the academy we encourage not only academic excellence but also for students to pursue whatever they are passionate about to the utmost degree"

The bald man just smiled in some way that seemed to indicate that he knew something the rest of them didn't.

"I can tell" He calmly replied "I'm rather impressed with the way she managed to rig multiple L-Phone chips into properly working within a laptop"

Barbara felt her jaw almost drop. No one else had managed to figure out that and it was the hardest part of jury-rigging the laptop together. L-Phone's had incredible microchips but they tended to paly poorly with being integrated into larger structures. It had taken her months to get it all to work properly and even then she'd had to design new cooling systems to ensure the computer didn't just melt down.

"It was certainly a challenge" Barbara somewhat nervously admitted "How'd you figure out what I did?"

The bald man grinned

"The hum of the cooling system working overtime is indicative that you managed to solve some of the overheating problem vast overlays of integrated L-Phone microchips had, if only at the expense of power output" The bald man stated as Barbara tried not to wince at how he'd also picked up on her laptops biggest flaw and why it probably wouldn't be commercially made for a while. "That and considering my company made the L-Phones in the first place I merely assumed what I might have done myself if I wanted to rig together a powerful computer using nothing but preexisting designs."

Barbara paled. Now she knew where she recognized the bald man from. He was Lex fricking Luthor and she'd just run into him in the middle of school and it was awkward. How were you supposed to react to meeting one of your idols and arguably the greatest tech genius of this generation without any preparation?

"Uh, sorry for violating the warranty on the L-Phones?" Barbara awkwardly said. As soon as the words left her mouth Barbara immediately regretted them. She'd just blurted the first thing that came to mind and now she'd probably made a bad impression with Lex Luthor.

The multi-billionaire just chuckled.

"Don't be it's very impressive" the genius businessman praised and Barbara couldn't help but feel swelling of pride. Apparently Lex Luthor thought her homemade laptop was impressive. "I'm glad to hear that despite some complications towards the end Lexpo did manage to genuinely inspire others"

"Thanks" Barbara said, unsure how to deal with getting praised by Lex Luthor himself. She was not prepared for all of this. She was even less prepared for Lex Luthor to offer her an incredible opportunity thanks to how impressed he was with her work. It was absolutely incredible but Barbara let Lex Luthor know she had to think about it.

Mr. Scarlett then interrupted and let Barbara know that she was late to class and that she should head back there. Barbara quickly scampered off, practically on cloud nine due to not only having not gotten in trouble but also having managed to somehow impress Lex Luthor. Mister Scarlet had even seemed less annoyed once he'd realized that Barbara's achievements were apparently a selling point for the school. It was also incredible and unreal.

Barbara hadn't meant to stay in the computer lab any longer than she needed to but she was glad she did. All she needed was a big break in the Killer Moth case and be able to excellently debut her costumed identity as Batgirl and it would practically be the best day of her life. True she'd probably be better off waiting a little longer to fight crime as Batgirl but as she walked with an extra spring in her step, Barbara couldn't help but think about how great the day had gone for her.

Leonard Fiasco (Second Week of Lex Luthor's trip to Gotham)
"Alright class!" Leonard boomed out from the whiteboard he was standing in front of "Th-th-this is the Advanced English Literature class s-so I e-e-expect you to be able to ask questions about The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket"

The class then proceeded to quiet down and participate in class even as Leonard directed the conversation to relevant and interesting topics. It was always a challenge but this year the students seemed more cooperative than usual. Halfway through the lesson. Arthur and Lex Luthor stepped in to observe the class. Leonard did his level best to ensure the class stayed on topic and ignored the intrusion. Eventually the class wound down and Leonard assigned the students an optional essay to write on the book and then informed them of his office hours being a little earlier today. There was no sense in mixing his two careers.

"The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is not what I was expecting this class to focus on" Luthor stated not hostilely but rather inquisitively as though he was merely curious as to why Leonard made the choices he did "I'd have thought something more traditional would have been chosen"

"Th-th-there is value to be had in looking at less viewed works so that my students can arrive at their own conclusions i-i-independent of those that came before them" Leonard responded silently cursing his stutter.

"And the racist connotations and overt violence aren't an issue?" Lex Luthor further enquired.

"I doubt c-c-coddling children by pretending unfortunate implications don't exist in older literature is a good idea, I'd rather i-inoculate them to the concept and get them used to questioning what is written and critically evaluating the text for hidden and implicit messages" Leonard responded "As to v-violence most of the students in my class are teenagers living in Gotham, I d-d-d-doubt anything short of the works of Marquis De Sade would inspire revulsion from them"

"As you can tell" Arthur calmly joked "Leonard has opinions on literature"

"I have o-o-opinions on everything" Leonard retorted "The only way you don't is if you know nothing"

"That's an interesting school of thought" Lex Luthor said somewhat appraising "So I'd imagine you'd be happy to talk about the safety of students at Gotham academy?"

"Of course" Leonard answered "The only real danger is the Menagerie or maybe one of the costumed loons, the rest of the crooks in this town don't want the heat attacking this school would bring on them"

Scarlet rolled his eyes as Leonard continued to elaborate.

"M-m-most criminals operate in such a way that hides th-th-their crimes since open crimes means they get Batman on them fast" Leonard continued "As such only i-i-ideological extremists would take the risk of attacking the academy, especially since there is next to no way to make the evidence di-di-disappear"

A few more questions were asked mostly about course requirements and considering how little Arthur had complained about Leonard's statement on the nature of criminality, Leonard figured that meant he hadn't gone overboard. After all as proud as Leonard was of his skills it would hardly be prudent or intelligent to advertise them so obviously. The Eraser was an artist in his area of expertise after all and the more scarce a commodity was the more valuable it became. Leonard knew that his time was very very valuable.

Simon Trent (Second Week of Lex Luthor's trip to Gotham)
Simon had retired from acting ages ago. As much as he enjoyed the performance and indeed the prep work that went into each part, as an older man he'd found the somewhat hectic lifestyle to be a little lackluster. As such he'd decided to take up teaching and Simon had found he'd enjoyed it.

It had taken a while to get used to being called Mr. Trent by schoolchildren but working with them was always a joy. There was something to be said for a child's imagination and the youthful zest and energy they had towards something they enjoyed. Simon had no intention of returning to the silver screen as he was quite happy with his current job.

Still as one of the biggest names on the instructors list it often fell to Simon to speak to parents of prospective students to convince them to continue investing in both the academy and the artistic endeavors therein. Lex Luthor was no different than any other individual he'd encountered.

As soon as Mr. Scarlet introduced the two, Simon already had braced himself for the inevitable inquiries and traditional questions.

"Mr. Trent" Lex Luthor began "You were quite a prolific actor back in your prime"

Idly Simon wondered if he was like Bruce Wayne and would be wanting an autograph.

"Yes I was" Simon admitted with a somewhat forced chuckle and a pleasant expression plastered upon his face "I've found that I currently enjoy teaching far more than I do being a movie star. It pays less but it is far more personally fulfilling"

Lex Luthor raised an eyebrow in response to this.

"I've found that making money and helping children are not mutually exclusive" Luthor answered calmly attempting to probe at Simon.

"It's not that there is some impassable schism between the two concepts" Simon responded hoping to somewhat placate Luthor and prevent him from getting offended "It's just that I currently enjoy my work teaching at Gotham Academy far too much to ever want to go back to movie or television work"

Lex Luthor seemed to contemplate it for a while and Simon could see the barest hints of disappointment from the man, so well hidden he doubted most people would have been able to spot them.

"That is a shame" Lex Luthor replied "I was hoping to see if you'd be willing to star in one of Lightyear Entertainment's projects"

Well at least the man was honest about it.

"I'm afraid that despite how much I enjoyed Knights of Camelot, particularly the episodes written by that one Swedish fellow, I'm afraid that I won't be appearing in it any time soon" Simon stated "But I might be able to recommend a particularly talented student or two for a role".

Lex Luthor soon left after a brief discussion of the various programs available at the Academy and how Simon repeatedly poured his all into ensuring that students were given a chance to excel not just in drama but in all of the fine arts at Gotham Academy. The meeting ended amicably in the end and Simon was confident he'd managed to at least interest Lex Luthor without compromising his own principles.

Lex Luthor (Second week of the trip to Gotham)
With Professor Crane not easily available you decided first to discuss things with the Dean, Dr. Kevin Long. The Dean was an older man with a somewhat greying thick mustache. The man was apologetic over Dr. Crane's absence but he informed you that Crane had important work with the police.

"As much as I'd like Dr. Crane to stay focused solely on research and teaching I can hardly blame the man for taking a few days off every month to help the police with their investigations" Dr. Long said

"I understand" You replied "That being said what is Gotham University looking for in a professor or a guest speaker"

"Simply put" Dr. Long chuckled "Excellence in their field of study. If you have anyone willing to teach part time or even provide a guest lecture we'd be happy to take them"

There was a little bit you could do with that but not much. Still you had more angles to approach.

"And the university is well funded to pay all of these individuals for their time?" You question.

"Well we could always use more money" Dr. Long jovially stated "and we'd be happy to accept any donation you might give, but currently we are more than capable of funding ourselves."

"And I imagine that it does little to affect the reception of honorary degrees" You state. Dr. Long nods in agreement.

"It by no means is a deciding factor but it certainly helps signal a candidates interest in the university and demonstrates their aptitude in their chosen field of study" Dr. Long somewhat prevaricates. Well there is a very amusing option available to you now to simply pay money to outdo Bruce Wayne in the amount of honorary degrees received from this very university but it is likely not that valuable or cost effective. That being said passing along this information to Cobblepot could earn you a favor from him since he's so eager to have a veneer of respectability.

You ended up thanking Dr. Long for his hospitality and head on over to Dr. Tyme's office, passing by the open statues and the somewhat gothic architecture of the university itself.

"Planning on getting a honorary degree?" Talia jokes as she follows along "I wouldn't have figured you for a man needing his ego to be stroked so obviously"

"As amusing as the idea of outdoing Wayne in the university equivalent of a participation award and the fact that I can effectively claim to collect degrees is in and of itself entertaining the real value of this is in passing it onto others" You explain. Talia's eyes light up as she puts all the pieces together.

"Cobblepot" She states with a slight tinge of amusement to which you nod in assent. You eventually make your way to Dr. Tyme's office but you were not at all prepared for what you would encounter. You knock on the door politely but firmly and soon it swings open. A red headed man with a ridiculous haircut and harsh looking features, dressed entirely in a garish purple and yellow costume of some kind, whose ensemble is completed by, of all things a ragged cape opens the door.

"Forsooth!" The man you believe is either Dr. Tyme or an escaped schizophrenic "Who dares disturb the delving of Dr. Tyme into the depths of the demon arts"

"Lex Luthor" You state utterly unamused at this buffoonery. Dr. Tyme seems to shrink in on himself for a second before swiftly recomposing.

"What business do you have with me?" He loudly yelled "Speak quickly for I will not be mocked or have my time wasted"

"Frankly I'm starting to feel like you're mocking us" Talia dryly responded. Dr. Tyme glowers at her and then pales rapidly

"You smell of the waters of eternity" The man said shuddering in fear of some unknown thing. And with how Talia briefly flinches what he said meant something to her. "What are you?"

"Talia Haguall, wealthy business woman on vacation with Lex Luthor" Talia glibly responds. You're quite intrigued by her reaction to the whole "waters of eternity" comment but you can unravel that mystery in due time. For now you are content to simply wait and see. "You don't mind if we come in"

"No, no not at all" Dr. Tyme slowly and cautiously says. Both you and Talia walk in and you notice just how cluttered and messy his office is with dozens of texts lying scattered across it. Both you and Talia comfortably take a seat.

"What brings you to my humble place of work?" Dr. Tyme inquires somewhat warily.

"I'm interested in your work on demonology" You calmly reply hoping to keep him on the backfoot in these interactions.

"Of course, of course, my research give me a moment to grab a particular talisman and I'll be happy to talk about those fascinating fell fellows" Dr. Tyme responded as he got up and searched for something. Talia quickly shot you a somewhat incredulous look but you're confident that humoring him will likely lead to him making a mistake. The man is too on edge to not be hiding something. He soon returned holding a large gold coin.

"My latest work involves delving into the history of a demon that's been primarily centered around the Middle East and supposedly has conquered the waters of eternity" Dr. Tyme began making sure to have the light room reflect off of the coin in a repeated pattern. "Look closely and you'll see the supposed image of the infamous Rosh Hashed"

Talia just rolled her eyes and scoffed. You did admit it was amusing. Apparently the man was telling old legends about Ra's al Ghul to the man's daughter. The bit about the waters of eternity coming back up again was interesting. more concerning though was the way Dr. Tyme was clearly trying to do something.

"Don't doubt it miss" The professor said to Talia in an almost somniferous tone of voice "You can concentrate on the coin and look into the face of this so called demon and feel yourself locked in and fascinated by what you might see"

Now it makes sense. Dr. Tyme apparently was attempting to hypnotize you and Talia by using the coin as a focus.

"I'd recommend you don't keep up with the induction" you interject disrupting Dr. Tyme's cadence "It will end quite badly for you"

Dr. Tyme looks nervously at Talia who is now glaring at him head on.

"I've dealt with more impressive individuals" Talia threateningly states "I was interested in seeing how far you were willing to push it before I'd make you pay for your arrogance"

Dr. Tyme pales and looks around fearfully.

"Look it didn't succeed so no harm came right?" He questioned. Talia just stared at him imperiously. Dr. Tyme then looked at you nervously.

"Look I don't know what she is but you can't let her kill me!" he pleads having now fully abandoned his fairly pompous pseudo-Shakespearean affect

You idly take the coin and to your surprise you do find that printed on it is a face that vaguely looks like Ra's al Ghul. Talia wouldn't be happy about this.

"What was that legend you mentioned? Rosh Hashed?" You calmly ask "Is it anything to do with the greater work of demonology?"

"No not really it's just an anomalous account of a demon from the Crusades, the story is basically of a man becoming a demon after falling into and conquering the waters of eternity" Dr. Tyme nervously spluttered "It's not about a real demon or anything I just thought it was an interesting story considering that woman smells remarkably similar to the waters of eternity"

You look at Talia who seems utterly fed up with this individual.

"What do these waters smell like?" You question hoping to get him to keep talking. Dr. Tyme nervously looks around.

"It's not a physical smell per se" Dr. Tyme states his eyes darting constantly looking for a way out "Its more like a distinct residue only practitioners can pick up on."

Well that's useless information for now. Either he's lying or you'd need a known honest magic user to confirm. What a pain. Worst of all is how Talia seems to be radiating murderous intent at Dr. Tyme. Well you suppose any further conversations for later.

"Well Dr. Tyme it has been interesting speaking to you" you state telling the truth in a disingenuous manner "But I think its time me and my guest take out leave"

Talia follows your lead and begins to leave, but not before throwing out one last comment.

"You really should stop telling your stories about Rosh Hashed" Talia pithily informs Dr. Tyme with no small amount of malice "After all you might find it really poor for your health"

The two of you leave the now terrified Dr. Tyme behind. Not at all what you'd hoped for but you could still salvage this situation.

"I hope you aren't too rattled by him" You calmly state as you hand Talia the coin with Ra's face on it. She gives a silent nod of thanks.

"I'm not rattled" she says confidently "I'm infuriated that someone would be stupid enough to try something like that. The moment I heard what he was doing I wanted to run him through but I figured letting you lead would be best"

You are unsure whether or not Talia was lying so you decide to let the matter rest.

"We've got one last professor to visit" You inform her reassuringly "And then we are finished with our tour of Gotham University."

"Good riddance to bad rubbish" Talia responds somewhat jokingly.

You end up finding James Million out in the open areas of the university. He spots you and then quickly does a double take before reaffirming his stance and his confidence.

"Good afternoon Professor Million" You begin "It's a pleasure to meet you"

"Likewise" The professor shakes your hand somewhat firmly although you can feel a constant strain of nervous energy leaking from him "I'm quite happy to be meeting Luthor although I'm afraid I can't quite recognize your companion"

"Talia Haguall" Talia responds seemingly happily although you are well aware that she is likely masking some irritation as she shakes his hand "What is it you do at this University?"

"Oh this and that" The professor deflects "My current pet project is the Gotham University Mathematical Society, an organization meant to get students excited and involved with math although I've had trouble securing enough funs to get the group of the ground and keep it interesting for the students involved."

"Any particularly interesting problems or practical demonstrations you've been working on?" you calmly ask hoping to see what you could get out of this.

"I've been hoping to get a look at some of Ezra Gill's old work but the Chambers family keeps it tightly under look and key and what little else remains of his work I'd have to pay his former employers through the nose to get to it" He replies. Alright you can work with this.

A quick offer made later and you are ready to leave. Gotham University has been interesting with its colorful cast of characters but thoroughly disappointing.

An Opportunity for Barbara subvote
During your tour of Gotham academy you ran into Barbara Gordon a rather intelligent young woman who managed to attend Lexpo by winning the contest Oswald Loomis designed. What little you have spoken to her managed to demonstrate that she has a prodigious intellect. As such it's always best to try and snap up prodigies early so offering her some kind of opportunity that will let you get your foot in the door to having her work for you could prove quite useful. Making an offer that she'll take could be the first step to a long and productive future. Please pick your favorite option from the list below. Please keep your votes in approval format as any vote not in approval format will be discounted. Write-ins are allowed for this subvote but as always all write-ins are subject to QM approval (although any write-in combining to existing options is fine). As always there is a 1 hour moratorium on voting.
[ ] [Opportunity] Offer Barbara an internship at LexCorp
[ ] [Opportunity] Offer Barbara a position tutoring Cassandra on computers in exchange for monetary compensation and personal commendation
[ ] [Opportunity] Offer Barbara a large sum of money in exchange for the blueprints of her jury-rigged computer
[ ] [Opportunity] Offer to give Barbara a position testing and providing feedback on new LexCorp products.
[ ] [Opportunity] Write-in

Million's Millions subvote
James Million is a mathematics professor who is quite short on money to continue the programs he most enjoys. Providing him with money could enable you to glean some opportunities. However it could also end up as being nothing more than a drain on your resources. It's ultimately up to you what call to make. Please pick your favorite option from the list below. Please keep your votes in approval format as any vote not in approval format will be discounted. As always there is a 1 hour moratorium on voting.
[ ] [Millions] Offer Professor Millions a massive sum of money in exchange for him deliberately trying his hardest to get Ezra Gill's work and figure it out
[ ] [Millions] Give Professor Millions a moderate amount of money in exchange for him sending a report to LexCorp on any progress or breakthroughs he has made
[ ] [Millions] Give Professor Millions no money but offer to sponsor a program that will enable particularly successful students in his organizations to earn a job at LexCorp.
[ ] [Millions] Do nothing

Bruce Wayne's Gala Guests subvote
Bruce Wayne has hosted a charity gala to which you have decided to join. There are a wide variety of guests at this party and speaking to them could net you a variety of opportunities. As such making sure that you plan out your moves properly could be the difference between amusement and success. Please pick your four favorite options from the list below. Please keep your votes in approval format as any vote not in approval format will be discounted. As always there is a 1 hour moratorium on voting.

[ ] [Gala] Bruce Wayne
The host of the gala and the prodigal son of Gotham himself. Speaking to the head of Wayne Enterprises could prove interesting and effective even if he is a bit of a fop and a fool

[ ] [Gala] Lucius Fox
This brilliant businessman does all the actual hard work of running Wayne Enterprises and in your eyes is very much the power behind the Wayne throne. Speaking to him more could prove interesting especially after your last interaction

[ ] [Gala] Katherine Monroe
A member of Wayne Enterprises board of directors Katherine Monroe could prove interesting to talk to if you want to get the company properly aligned with your vision.

[ ] [Gala] Lincoln March
A rich man of no small importance, whose party later in the week you've been warned to stay away from at all costs. Speaking to him and getting a better read on him could prove quite interesting.

[ ] [Gala] Selina Kyle
The socialite who secretly is the leader of the Menagerie is also attending this party. As something resembling an ally and someone whom you are making deals with, further communication could prove important in the long run.

[ ] [Gala] Norman Madison
A rich businessman and the father of Julie Madison. It might be interesting to hear his own thoughts and opinions on how the night is going.

[ ] [Gala] Sebastian Clark
A rich investor who often has his pulse on various goings on in Gotham City. Speaking to him could prove interesting and enlightening

[ ] [Gala] Geraldine Powers
A woman who is starting up her own company, Powers International and has managed to make a decent amount of money doing so. While she is by no means a captain of industry her company has been growing at a rather impressive rate.

[ ] [Gala] Derek Powers
Geraldine's teenage son who is currently looking for acceptance into a prestigious college. Speaking to him and potentially greasing a few wheels could end up working out in your favor.

[ ] [Gala] Celia Kazantkakis
Celia Kazantkakis is apparently an old friend of Martha Wayne's who owns a rather successful textile company. She seems interested in learning about Wayne Enterprises and something is definitely shady about her.

[ ] [Gala] Gregorian Falstaff
A rich businessman who apparently disgusted Vivian D'Aramis to a ludicrous degree. Finding him could lead to some benefits although you are uncertain as to whether or not you'll actually enjoy the company.

[ ] [Gala] Dick Grayson
Bruce Wayne's adopted son and heir and a potential threat to you and yours later down the line. Getting his measure and seeing what he is made of could prove quite interesting in the long run.

[ ] [Gala] J. Devlin Davenport
One of Gotham's most wealthy and influential socialites if a slightly dense one. Still money is moeny and getting him to part with his can only help you in the long run

[ ] [Gala] Zatanna Zatara
A master magician and a world class entertainer. You're not sure whether or not she is a genuine practitioner of magic or merely a master of legerdemain but either way a conversation with her could prove quite useful to figuring out a little bit more about what's going on with magic and potentially allow you to make some effective inroads

[ ] [Gala] Rupert Thorne
This likely corrupt member of Gotham's City Council who likely has some ties with Tobias Whale. Speaking to him too much is liable to get you mired in implications and have aspersions cast upon your own reputation because of his stupidity but there is benefit in potentially clearing things up and letting him know what actions you plan to take.

[ ] [Gala] Holly Robinson
The ward of Selina Kyle. Not an individual you expected to see at this gala but still someone whom you could converse with. She's far less likely to be as effective at secrecy as Selina so perhaps you could pick up a thing or two from her that you wouldn't from her guardian

[ ] [Gala] John Wycliffe
A massively rich banker who has connections all over Gotham and can probably get you in contact with any number of skilled individuals. Might be worth talking to.

[ ] [Gala] Veronica Vreeland
Gotham's premier socialite and one of the movers and shakers amongst its richest citizens. While Veronica is by no means particularly stupid she is quite shallow and you could easily make use of her to gain further benefits later on down the line.

[ ] [Gala] Leslie Thompkins
A doctor who doesn't seem particularly happy to be here but is known for her charitable efforts as well as her closeness to Thomas Wayne. Speaking to her might prove interesting

[ ] [Gala] Sheldon Fallbrook
A rich but stingy businessman who has ties to several other prominent people in Gotham. It might be worth speaking to him even though he isn't one of the larger movers and shakers.

Voting Update subvote
Unlike the other votes this one is fully optional. Mostly it is here to act as a poll to gather information on a potential update to how voting occurs. So from what I can tell the main problem people who do have issues with the voting have is that it is too hard to make long term strategies with you being tugged a million ways every action phase and that the introduction of nemesis actions likely only makes this worse. I can see that to some extent and so I'd like to propose a potential solution. The solution is as follows. I'd move Nemesis Actions to the hero vote section and force them to have at least a single hero attached to them. Furthermore Nemesis actions would be updated to be only available if they replace a pre-existing option. Thus in order to successfully commit a Nemesis action you'd be forced to replace and cut out other actions. Since this would occur during the part of the vote where everything is plan voting this would enable you to more effectively form plans on a per turn basis by excising some elements until you have what you'd like for a workable long term strategy, and nemesis actions would remain a burden while not being potentially blindsidingly unfair since you'd be able to work them into any plan vote made before any dice are rolled and thus it's easier to argue specifics on certain parts. This is basically going to be a poll on peoples thoughts for this idea. There is no vote moratorium for this particular part but I recommend you post it with your normal vote to ensure things don't unintentionally get lost.
[ ] [Vote] I like the idea and I want to implement it immediately
[ ] [Vote] I think the idea is good but would like to hear about it in more depth or try it on a trial basis
[ ] [Vote] I think the idea is interesting but I have problems or suggestions to make regarding it
-[ ] Write in what problems or suggestions you have
[ ] [Vote] I think it's a bad idea but I'm willing to see how it goes
[ ] [Vote] I think this idea is terrible and should be immediately scrapped

 

[Void Stalker]

[ ] [Gala] Zatanna Zatara

This is the hill I die on. Grabbing more magic users is only a good thing. Probably speak to Bruce Wayne, would be interesting if we pick up that we already spoke to him, not to mention how he is going to react to us having told one of his alter egos to put the word out that if people were looking for a 2nd chance that Lex Corp would consider hiring them.