Katie is going to work like a New Dawn summon. She'll send a Buddy on certain missions so you can bring a character's power set without me having to write them in the plot.
I wanna be able to cheat out a second Handyman to be able to have both Decoy Object Handyman and the transformed version Frontline Hero Handyman in play at the same time. How do I do that?
I mean, there's the old Algernon holotech artifact cards, but those costs just don't make sense in the current meta. Fortunately, there's a rare they just released in the last set. Katie, Childish Copier. Pretty cheap to get out, costing just a Heroic Will and a You Can Be More, haste lets you use her on the turn she arrives. Tap to activate her Buddy ability to let you generate a token version of any hero currently on the field with haste and Simple Actions Only limits; this Buddy specifically ignores the Legend Rule. Sure, the token exiles at the start of your next turn but she also untaps as normal next turn so you can do this as long as you can keep her in play.
So you're telling me I could have two Lady Leizi commanders on the battlefield at once? Would I call that double-double-L, and would I able able to have the clone bounce electrical energy into the original again and again?
A/N: I love the idea of setting up a shell game with the real Handyman so it can look like he's in two places at once. Have Katie give instructions for the buddy to follow Handyman's lead and provide assistance either via shapeshifting or decoy distraction while also sticking to her two big rules for buddies: keep other people safe, and keep yourself safe so long as it doesn't explicitly put other people in danger. Something tell me he's clever enough to make it work.
And yeah, this is definitely a riff on a certain collectible card game with silly combos at least as wacky as any powers we've run into thus far.
Katie, Childish Copier.
Level 4 Dark
Ritual/Psychic/ Effect:
This card must be summoned by using the Ritual Spell "You can be More", this counts as a ritual summon. This card cant be targeted or destroyed by card effects, while you have another monster card on the field. When this card is Special Summoned to the field, you can target one Monster card on your side of the field, deck, or GY, and if you do that, summon one "Copy Token" to your side of the field. (The "Copy Tokens" Name, Attribute, Type, Effect, and ATK/DEF is the same as the targeted monster.)
During the Main phase you can target 1 monster on your side of the Field, and if you do that, summon 1 "Copy Token" to your side of the field.
Both effects of Katie, Childish Copier can only be activated once per turn.
0 ATK/ 1000 DEF
Tada A Katie Yugioh card! (I do not promise balance, just ask Kermie). So yeah a good card if you want to make different plays. Probably more Ritual or link plays with the tokens. Maybe fusion if the Extra deck cards have named components.
Edit: A Socialite Butterfly card would be a supped up version of this, Maybe a standard card.
Level 8, slightly higher stats, only capable of targeting cards in the GY, but can make 3 tokens instead of 1, however their effects are negated.
"THIS IS THE FLORIDA FORCE, SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!"
"You said this place was abandoned!" hissed the ex-prisoner at Stockpile.
"It was for years!" the young man protested. "They must have stepped up surveillance!"
"A natural move for any regime that recently suffered an international blow," snapped Valiant Silvergirl. "As I told you."
"We needed supplies! Better here than Horizon!"
Radiant's retort was cut off when the voice outside boomed, "YOU FORFEIT YOUR RIGHTS! GOD TAKE YOU!" and the wall exploded in flame and shrapnel. The cosmic meta quickly waved her hands and controlled the mess in a gravity ball. The wall crumbled away to reveal three angry metahumans in state-flag uniforms.
Stockpile scanned them quickly. "It's Koine, Orange and Forty-Fiver! The others must be off!"
"Their names matter not."
"They should, missy!" yelled Forty-Fiver. "I'm not some weakling like in Midwest! And besides..."
He grinned and tapped a button on his power-armored wrist. Silvergirl doubled over in pain.
"They told us about the insurance for your parole, yeah?"
"ENOUGH!" Silvergirl glowed and charged at Forty-Fiver, blasting him into the sky and streaking away after him. Orange Justice made his own attack, spewing tentacles from his mouth to grab for the grizzled ex-prisoner (who called himself "Stug"). Two tentacles were topped with jagged blades, and two with dripping suction-cups. The skinny man was lifted up, Orange cackled and reeled him in. A blade nearly took Été's arm while she slowly conjured fire. But in the nick of time, Stockpile made a flank and hit Orange with a stun grenade. He dropped Stug in surprise, who grabbed his gun and shot down both Orange, and Koine who was fleeing.
Around that time, Silvergirl flew back, dramatically wiping her hands. "Forty-Fiver all done," she said. "But reinforcements will arrive soon."
"Five minutes local cops. Twenty-five, more metas." Stockpile guessed.
"Indeed. So time to grab and go."
The group split up and combed the equipment cache, piling up useful things and gulping down food. However, Stockpile looked at Stug and Silvergirl carefully.
"Did... you kill them?"
"Of course not," Silvergirl snapped. "He's safely trapped under a few tons of rubble - rubble which he created - and I'm sure the crew will get him out by tomorrow, if he doesn't fix his shoddy armor and blast out first."
They both looked over at Stug, who grinned coldly.
"Aimed for the legs. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What's it to you?"
"That's not the hero way!" Stockpile said instinctively.
"I'm not a hero. You knew that from the start."
They both looked at Silvergirl, sensing she could break the draw. But she just sneered.
"You ask whether you should kill. I ask, why should I keep you all around?" She glared at Été in equal disdain, who was silent, just as she'd been since the escape. Silvergirl continued:
"I have more power than this entire state put together. I certainly don't need a baseline man, la Saison la plus faible, and an 'Algernon' who couldn't build his own gear. Why shouldn't I leave you all here to the Americans' mercy?"
Silvio felt like he was back with Crusade, listening in vain as White Hawk undermined him. Was this the path of all Algernons? Did the Captain ever suffer this?
Suddenly, Stug spoke. Despite being like an ant to a man, he seemed unafraid.
"You already forgotten what Forty-Fiver did? You were nearly down for the count there. If there'd been a blaster with him, you could be dead now. Hell, what if the Americans tell Leizi about it? And if they put the weakness in you, who better to figure it out -"
He jerked his thumb at Silvio.
"-than one of their former Algernons?"
Silvio felt emboldened. He broke in: "You don't know what the world is like now. You were never the infomaster of the group, and the teams have changed, the dynamic's changed. Whatever your goals, they'll be easier with us to navigate."
And then, even Été spoke. In a raw, low voice she said:
"You are the most powerful... but you want to live the most. That makes you fight differently. As for us..."
She looked around with haunted eyes.
"...I think each person here has a death in mind. You can use that, if you think."
Silvio couldn't bring himself to disagree. Stug had returned to his trademark grin.
Radiant Silvergirl stared for a while. Her eyes had the chill of the void. The humid Florida night sent sweat down Stockpile's back.
"...Fine. You all stay with me for now."
"But-" she said in response to Silvio beginning to thank her "-this is not a true team. If I feel I can do better alone, I will leave. Now, Stockpile. Where do you recommend we go next?"
He swallowed hard.
"Well, we have two main options. Actually three. Uh, one, go back to Horizon right now and try to strike all targets while they're recovering from the events with Social Butterfly. Number two, continue raiding Global Justice supply caches and look for info on the weakpoint. I even know an ex-lab where I could, uh, try to make some weapons for me and Stug. Number three... go to Panama and try to hijack the secret monitoring station, wait until we see a target become vulnerable, and move from there. What's uh, what's everyone think?"
The group looked at each other awkwardly. Stug shrugged and said, "I'd sure as hell like a weapon before I kill Octavius, so two then three."
"That's acceptable to me," Silvergirl droned.
Été said nothing, but slowly nodded.
Silvergirl created her gravity cup and pulled the supplies into it, before the others climbed in as well. There was food, water, some light weapons, and random junk that Stockpile would have to... use his power... to craft with.
The cosmic meta lifted off with her load just as police sirens came into hearing. "Where to?" she yelled.
"There's a good lab in Montgomery!" Silvio said.
"Good enough." She rose to become just a dot from the ground, and set off north.
When the forensic team arrived in Boca Raton, they found no evidence that one of the world's top five metas had been there. But Silvergirl knew, that they knew, that she was out, and the hammer would fall. Their time stateside was limited, but they would gain something from it.
And then... back to Horizon. For the reckoning. For the answers.
Name: Forty-Fiver, Rick Ronald Age: 22 Power: Algernon-type Faction: Florida Force Stockpile's notes: Yet another Algernon who built power armor. How original. But he had the grace to make it fueled by a miniature nuclear reactor instead of psychic energy or the Leviathan. This will probably give him cancer, but I guess he knows.
His armor grants enhanced strength, can fly up to 200 mph, withstand bullets and extreme temps, and it interfaces with computers so he can hack things remotely. Though in metahuman battle this is not actually very impressive. For attack he uses guns. He's led the Florida Force since Glade Trooper retired.
Name: Orange Justice, Daniel Marsher Power: Transformation, Regeneration Age: 35 Faction: Florida Force Stockpile's notes: Orange Justice is the oldest member of Florida Force, and I hear he's resentful cause he thinks he should have been promoted to a national squad by now. But he's too weak, not to mention unmarketable.
He conjures four tentacles from his mouth and controls them as limbs. These tentacles can extend up to 150 feet, and their end can be topped with a number of tools such as a sucker, blade, fingers, shield, I heard he even made instruments one time. If a tentacle is severed, it will regrow in seconds. However if it is severed close to his mouth, it will cause severe pain and take a few minutes to recover. The longer timeframe also applies to his human body.
Orange used to hide on a battle's outskirts to harass opponents and set up the heavy hitters. But his frustration made his tactics more aggressive lately. Trying to get in the splash photo, I guess.
Name: Koine, Theo Armas Power: Clairvoyance Age: 29 Faction: Florida Force Stockpile's notes: Koine has the power to see the "true form" of anything within a few feet. This includes seeing past illusions, X-ray vision on layered objects, and even translating unknown languages and codes. But his power only works on objects, not living beings, as they are apparently "too shifting in the truth". Rumor says the brass was put out at not getting a walking lie detector, and so chose not to invest in power armor for Koine. We should all be thankful they haven't mass-produced PREVAIL yet.
Additional note: there are two other members of the Force, Glade Girl who's a hydrokinetic, and God's Great Sunshine who can detach and remotely control his body parts (why name?). I guess they were off-shift.
I've spent the past week or so making a sheet that compiles a lot of the current information regarding Ambrosia and powers in general. The sheet also includes the first version of an Ambrosia Builder (if someone has a better name I will pivot to that immediately lol) for making builds.
List of all known and learned synergies and a worksheet for recording synergy guesses
An Ambrosia Builder. Allows for the combination of up to 5 DNA samples. Compiles all used keywords and calculates potency.
Synergy Detection! Thanks to spiderhellian for completing this feature!
Work In Progress Features:
An explanation of all keyword types
More Sample slots
Add all known DNA profiles to Ambrosia Builder
Info I'm Looking for (Last Updated 1/3):
Any DNA profiles not included (please include link to the original post)
A brief explanation of Printemp's power in the style of the other DNA profiles
Any miscellaneous information about Ambrosia or DNA Profiles not yet in an informational post (please include links)
Google Account Method
If you have a google account you can copy the sheet directly to your drive. Remember to check which account you are signed into and practice safe internet practices. To be safe you may want to use a private or incognito tab.
1. File > Make A Copy
2. Open the Copy on your Google Drive. This version should be editable by you. Direct Download Method
If you do not have or don't want to use a google account you can also directly download the file.
1. File > Download
2. Download as a Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or OpenDocument (.ods) file
Once downloaded go to the Ambrosia Builder tab and select the samples you want to use from the drop down. To make a Sample dropdown blank backspace until the cell is empty then select another cell.
I know there are errors so please let me know when you find them by @ing me. For glitches and bugs I will try to solve them to the best of my ability but please be patient- this is not my specialty or something I'm experienced in and I'm just doing this for fun
Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. And I appreciate the feedback, where provided.
I know Dynamite made for a pretty intense update. And I know a a lot was left unexplained.
This is a quest with a myriad of mysteries and where you are grappling with forces and foes stronger than yourselves -- I like to think that's part of why you've all enjoyed it so far, but it does have consequences. That kind of update is one of them.
Either way, I'd appreciate if people moved on from arguing about what just happened. Rest assured: Yes there are reasons, No you do not have the information necessary to understand them now, Yes you will have avenues to gain more information, No you are not 'doomed' or 'in a death spiral', Yes you are in a very difficult situation.
But please, trust me. Over the tens of thousands of words you've read this quest, I hope I've earned that.
You are Silvio Serra Fernandes, and two days ago, you survived the most intense fight of your life.
It was more brutal than any of your skirmishes with Monarch. More exhausting than any of your war of words with Lady Leizi. More daunting than even your worst dreams about the Movement.
And it was a harder loss than any Crusade has faced. One of you was killed. All of you fought foes you had trained for, and lost. And in the face of a foe you weren't prepared for, you were brutalized and incapacitated.
For all that, Red Iustitia's benediction left your body in perfect shape.
And her judgment left your mind reeling.
Disappointing.
Your captain was there, probably the closest she'll ever be.
She saw you. She judged you. And she found you a disappointment.
You felt almost disembodied as you participated in the mandatory debrief yesterday. The brass wanted answers, and...
DC 10.
Stat Check: OPS 10. Valiant Justice has OPS 9.
You rolled: 15.
15 - 3 (Disappointing) = 12. Success!
You at least were able to provide some. You tried to focus on the details, because the big picture felt overwhelming.
But you could describe the powers you had seen Valiant Gold execute (as she trounced you). What you had learned of a powerful metahuman referred to as Socialite Butterfly (who treated you and your team as a laughingstock). What little you remembered of a glimpse somewhere else (Disappointing).
The meeting could have gone worse. But you could tell the Brass wasn't happy. You could tell they were pissed, actually. The last line in the meeting made that very clear -- "it's only been a month, and you've delivered us a veritable stockpile of failures, Valiant Red, White, and Blue."
If you had heard that a few days ago, you'd have been pissed as well. But now, it wasn't much more than a bird flying into the maelstrom of your mind.
Disappointing.
What you've done? Disappointing.
What you've become? Disappointing.
What you're doing now? ...Disappointing.
That's enough. What are you, fifteen again? Seventeen? No more wallowing on the bed, Silvio. It's time to get up. You're still Crusade's ostensible leader, and you have no idea what's been going on in your base for the past 48 hours. You weren't the only one brutalized, hell, some of your teammates walked away in much worse shape than you. And you've ignored them? That's disappointing too, but at least that's an error you can correct.
You take a deep breath. And then you get up. And set out to try to figure out what you've missed.
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: ESP 10. Valiant Justice has ESP 6
You rolled: 16.
16 - 2- 3 (Disappointing) = 11. Moderate Success!
It doesn't take long to get a sense of what most of your teammates are doing. Largely for the simple fact they're mostly still in the hospital. The medical records are a bit of a puzzle to unlock, but the challenge almost seems fun. You've mostly been facing insurmountable ones, and it's nice to have a task that yields with a little effort.
Joules is a wreck, though the doctors think it'll only be a week or two before he's mobile again, even if it'll be a month before he's fully functional. Not that his fully functional is all that impressive, you think with a sigh.
The physicians seem slightly more optimistic about Ete -- no plasma burns, at least -- but she has been almost totally uncommunicative. You thought having a team again had made a slight difference for her, and that you had helped her a little, but it seems that has all been washed away.
Sunlight Knight is physically well, but weak. Same with The Brass Shield. That's a ray of sunshine, at least. Hah.
Plasticity is doing okay, but the fact that his sister is not must be agonizing. He's been falling asleep in the chair beside her hospital bed, it seems.
White Hawk... you pause for a moment. You could pull up his file. But you need to have a conversation with him, and that takes priority. If his schedule is accurate, he should be done an -- ultrasonic procedure (really?) In ten minutes.
You put down your screen. Your armor is a wreck, but should still get you there in nine. Is there anything else you should check on first?
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: OPS 5. Valiant Justice has OPS 9
You rolled: 2.
2 + 2 = 4. Failure!
No. You've put this off too long already. You don't really hope this is going to be a friendly conversation. It seems like it will be a heated argument. Maybe even a long-awaited confrontation. But whatever comes next, it's time.
"White Hawk." You begin, as soon as the doctor leads him out of the Procedure Room. He looks fine, though how much of that is real and how much is makeup you'll never quite be sure.
"Valiant Red, White, and Blue. I was looking to talk to you. Thank you for coming by." His voice is warm. It's the kind of warmth you trusted once, but now you know means he's lying out of his teeth. Even if every word he says is true.
The fight with Valiant Gold was, among other things, a reminder that you can't afford to lose the initiative. And that applies just as equally here and now. You press on, "We need to review the Osanyin Operation. Immediately. We can't let something like that happen again."
White Hawk's voice is still warm, and he replies, "I agree, we can't. But we also can't spend time looking backwards right now, Valiant Red, White, and Blue. We have to look forwards, first."
That brings you up short. You ask, "What do you mean by that?"
White Hawk gives you a sad look. You want to punch it off his face. He reaches into a pocket inside the coat he's wearing, and pulls out a sheaf of files.
"Unfortunately, our superiors," his voice shifts at that last word, warmth replaced for a moment with the venom underneath, "have been profoundly disappointed in Crusade's performance over the past month. They see a need to revitalize our operations and restore our reputation with the public."
Disappointing. You've been thinking much the same. So why is White Hawk's mouth curving in the faintest hint of a smile?
White Hawk quickly provides you the answer. "And to do so, they have decided a change of leadership is required. Effective immediately, they have granted me operational and tactical command. They would like to see more in the way of results -- such as the wider access to EXCEED armor you promised was possible -- before they return you to your leadership role."
He finally gives you that smile. "I know the feeling of wanting to make the hard decisions. But I also know sometimes we can be pushed too hard. I am sure this will only be a temporary arrangement."
If before you felt like you were caught in a maelstrom, now you feel oddly calm. Furious, yes, but calm. Your tone is level, your words measured. "The team won't stand for this."
Luck Check: 9! Unlucky!
He shakes his head. "The team has already been informed. They understood the necessity. Besides, orders are orders."
White Hawk continues, "I am truly sorry, Silvio. But I believe in the goals of Crusade, and they matter more than any of us. Will you work with me to accomplish them?" He offers his hand to shake.
You look at it for a moment, before swinging your eyes back up to meet his gaze. Another moment passes, and then...
[] You shake his hand.
-You will remain with Crusade, even though you will no longer be in a leadership role.
-You will maintain the opportunity to socialize with other members, and such actions may be more effective.
-You will maintain access to Crusade's resources, including the Brig.
-You will face requests from the Brass, and you will have little recourse to argue. -This is the stay-loyal option, and you will not consider leaving Crusade again, unless the situation changes drastically.
[] You retort, "I won't stand for this!"
-You will go to the Brass immediately.
-You will talk with your teammates imminently.
-You will make a desperate case that this cannot happen.
-You are not optimistic that any of these will succeed.
-This is the hail mary option. If it fails, you will have a choice between the other two paths, but from a severely disadvantaged position.
[] You offer a succinct reply: "I hate you."
-You will immediately make preparations to leave Crusade.
-You may have the chance to encourage others to follow you.
-You will very soon (but not immediately) lose access to all of Crusade's resources, including the Brig.
-The Brass will be very angry. Others may be as well.
-This is the betray Crusade option, and you will not rejoin it, unless the situation changes drastically.
Whatever you decide, there will be subsequent rolls and planning votes. But whatever you decide, there will be no going back.
Choose carefully. 24 Hour Moratorium.
Umamigirl said:
I know when this discussion has come up in the past, things have gotten heated. Please remember to keep it focused on the choice at hand, and please do not bring up past votes or plans. You are not Augur, You cannot change the past. Also, remember that you can respond to people's arguments without attacking them directly.
Feel free to ask questions, but many answers are likely to be 'You don't know.'
If you're disappointed or frustrated, I truly promise, I can see ways both paths go amazingly well. And ways they can go terribly. It will be in the hands of the dice and your plans. But remember, I like Silvio, I do want him to succeed, and you are not doomed. (Even if the dice have not been doing you any favours the past few months.)
We did well on the rolls that didn't really matter, and bombed the ones that did. Including a luck roll off by a hair.
Honestly, what an absolute classic Truth, Justice and the Horizon Way performance. No notes.
Well. It's time to make up our minds, and I think the choice is clear. Crusade has been awful for us, and truthfully, we've been awful to it. It's time to leave.
Started thinking through what the last update looked like from nega!Quest perspective, and couldn't stop. Now it's 3 AM and I've only written half of what I've planned. There's still the whole Brig scene, where finally these poor questers will catch a break. But it's enough for now.
I imagine the Stockpile!Quest QM is having a pretty rough time of things. It's a good thing salt tends to bring out umami flavours?
(inspired by the theme of "Ambrosia build with only one keyword but high Potency")
[A fine but well-worn desk in corner of a room - midscale hotel, maybe, or some conference room, or a nightclub in the day. The overhead light is orangeish, stilted. Two men sit at it. One, collared shirt, dark skin, big smile, with a portable recorder and a 360 mic. He speaks with the smoothness you have to learn. The other, long coat, face concealed by a tube scarf and big opaque goggles. He sounds vaguely Iranian, or maybe Turkish? Arabo-Italian? You really can't tell. They shuffle awkwardly. The first one starts.]
1: Well, thank you again for speaking with me, Mr. Risk.
2: Oh, yeah, that's actually something I wanted to talk about. I've decided to lose the name Flight Risk.
1: And why's that?
2: Really the same reason I agreed to this interview. I don't like talking much, it's so slow. I think I did my last one, uh...
1: Twelve years ago.
2: Twelve years ago, yeah.
1: So, what changed?
2: Well, the cops caught up to me in, uh, Ejina, and they were really mad. Like, guns blazing and I'm pretty sure it was an international squad. So I called in some favors to look up where I'm wanted, and it turns out it's every country.
1: You're wanted in every single country?
2: Well, not all of them, but at least two-thirds. All because I fly free, you know?
1: So it's all trespassing charges?
2: Also smuggling. Now, I'm completely sure that's fake. When I ran Absolute Speed Shipping, I for sure, whatever I was carrying followed international law. If there was something hidden in the parcel, and our scans couldn't detect it, then I'm a victim of deception. You know, it was hard enough getting people to agree to look at the loads sometimes, I sure as hell wasn't gonna smuggle their synth or whatever!
1: Ah, before we get back to that, you mentioned you're changing the name from Flight Risk. What's the new one?
2: It's Orbit! And you know why?
1: Why?
2: Cause I live on the MOON now! Look at this!
1: Is that a moon rock?!
2: Yep! I already knew I don't need air, but turns out depressurization can't hurt me either. Only thing is I'm not sure about the radiation.
1: Actually, uh, for the benefit of younger viewers, perhaps you could explain your power. Since some of them might not, uh...
2: Remember me. It's okay. So yeah, my name's Orbit, and my power is [Flight]. But like, REAL [Flight], not that weaksauce figure skating like Soapie, Fall or the new kids. For starters, I can fly faster than any plane. I have the senses and reflexes to steer at high speeds. I'm immune to friction, asphyxiation, high G's, earthly extreme temps, collisions with micro-objects - NOT big stuff like bullets though, ow! - and I can fly all day, long as I pack light. Yeah, long as I have a GPS, the world's my oyster.
1: Wow, that's-
2: And after I figured out the moon thing, I went and drew my initials on every planet. I'M THE FIRST MAN ON MARS! SUCK IT, GALACO!
1: Wow, that's amazing. Uh, changing subjects a bit, why did you decide to close your shipping company? It was once ranked one of the world's most elite contractors.
2: Oh, straight to the tough ones. Well, the elite thing was kind of the problem. One, they always wanted me going to the same cities. New York, Miami, Moscow, Beijing, Horizon, then do it all in reverse. Cause the so-called elite wouldn't let me know where their stupid hideouts are. When I started this job I was all over the bush around K- my home turf. But people kept bugging me, and I got used to the money, and I had to move up. And the attacks! God, the attacks. Every damn time in Horizon someone wanted a shot. Like, hello? Everyone knows I bleed like a normal guy! I don't speal steed like Footboy neither! Like, I just wanna fly, why are you dragging me into feuds and stuff?
1: So do you mostly fly around the Moon now, then?
2: Like the song. IIIIII just wanna fly, put your arms da da dadada...oh, yeah, the moon. Yeah, it's been fun, lots of craters and stuff. But I still visit here. I want to get my seized money back, not sure how though.
1: Have you considered joining Powers? I believe they allow selection of contracts.
2: With Scarlet Maturity? HA, no. He tried to chase me once, you know? Had to ditch him zigzagging the Pacific, it took hours. It was fun at first, but God, some people...
1: I have a last question for you, but before that, is there anything else you want to put out there? Keeping in mind that I'll publish the full recording, if that's okay.
2: Yeah, do that. What I want to say, uh, just give me back my money. And drop the arrest warrants.
1: Thank you. And last question. I understand that your power does not lend itself to battle. But why do you not work in disaster relief, for example, evacuating flood or fire victims?
2: Listen. What I want to do is fly interesting places, and live large. Not work-fly all day. That's why I delivered things fast. And I'm not gonna spend life on beck-and-call of some firefighters just cause I got this power. You know what, I'll give CNSA a moon rock, that'll be my good deed for the day.
1: They're-
2: Yo, listeners! If you ever have an interesting flight for me, give me a shout. Just put it online, I guess.
[He walks offscreen. Sound of a window sliding open. Sound of a swoosh, quickly fading. The other man, his collared shirt now sweaty, sighs. The wind comes in with a slow, deep noise.]
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Consider The Implications Of Gravedigging — KermieNew
Consider The Implications Of Gravedigging
By Kermie
You are Gabriel Kwan, alias Wolong. Once again, you're having a headache.
This isn't too much of a foreign situation to you, it comes with your power. But for once, this headache isn't coming from overuse. Rather, it's a headache of anticipation. While she hasn't woke up yet, you felt whatever Ellie was doing, and the little of what you've been able to dig up from Nora Kim's notes is right, it has to do with something called the Stage. Apparently, it's where everything psychic comes from/goes…? Does that include human minds? Perhaps. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Valiant Silver left detailed notes. Whether because of her Rebound or because of some unmedicated ADHD you don't know.
Faced with such a daunting mental task and the fact that Monarch's been disconcertingly quiet this past week, you do the only thing that makes sense:
You lean your head down and immediately start taking a nap, while vaguely pondering what this Stage could do.
When you open your eyes, you're immediately greeted with what seems like the QZ. While you weren't on the front lines of the Movement, the stench of Behemoth blood still lies heavy in the air, and you can distantly hear some R-Train units stomping across the rock. Almost as if someone else was moving your body on puppet strings, your head turns and you see—
Yu. Heavenly Astrologian walks across the rocky shores of the QZ, seemingly unhindered by the fact that there's a huge bite mark where her entire torso should be. You reach out, but it's no use. Instead, your head turns again and you see Yelena, walking down the shores as well. Lloyd. Ami. All your old comrades (and for a second, you see Arc out of the corner of your eye, but something in the rational part of your head reminds you that she's under Alice's care) are walking with injuries that should be fatal. No, injuries that were fatal.
As your body turns on invisible puppet strings, you see something, but much more importantly, you hear someone— Nora's voice, carried over the waves but still recorded-sounding.
The Stage is a massive psychic conduit, but it doesn't house souls, exactly. It's not really an afterlife, it's more of a… place of every story ever told.You'd never be able to take anybody back from the fucking Stage, how could you? If there's somewhere where people go when they kick the bucket, it's anywhere but there!
Against everything in your mind that tells you to not, your eyes focus in on the thing in the distance. Your eyes see traditional Chinese clothing, purple. It's Lady Leizi, walking down towards the Leviathan for more Goldnine, amongst these corpses that you once called friends. Somehow, impossibly, you feel the pain of everyone walking despite their injuries and despite their need to rest, and you feel the look in Leizi's eyes as she looks back at you.
It's the look of someone who always believed that she was a monster.
You open your mouth to scream, but somehow no words come out. Instead, the corpses scream in your place—
You wake up and—
Nopenopenope. Don't use the Stage as a necromancy tool, got it. Leviathan's Blood, you knew that you shouldn't have taken a nap without taking some Advil first. Author's Note:
If I had a nickel for every time a new person came to this thread and expressed an opinion that the majority of the thread seemed to disagree with heavily, I'd have two, maybe three nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened that many times.
Omake: Justice Unlimited - Civil War - part 1 — ProfessorBNew
(my imagining of the "Leizi dark path ---> NuGen 2.0" untaken route)
But as you look at your hand, sparks dance around it. You could take her out, right now. Before her power manifested. Hard enough she wouldn't be able to do anything.
But would she even survive? Another voice in your mind asks. It sounds like dead friends. Will the great Lady Leizi give up, just like that?
You want to scream back at it to leave you alone. You want to ask how dare ghosts impose this responsibility on you? You want . . . no. You wonder. You wonder if the voice could be right.
You don't have any more time to decide. You have to act now. You know the truth. You . . .
You know that you cannot be anything other than what you are. You strike the girl down.
It's so fast. One jolt and her body flails. She hits her head at a bad angle on the way down. A pulse check confirms the obvious.
Just like that, the shadows all fade. The building is still, peaceful. It's done.
You feel, for a moment, like something was lost. But you shake it off. There's still people to save.
You are Mona Merola-Morales, and you're scared of your boss.
I mean, she was always "the scary one" of Justice Unlimited. But she used to be scary in a safe way, like Batman. Talking tough, but you knew she'd do the right thing in the end, cause she's a hero.
Now you're not sure.
You just saw her kill an innocent girl.
It was after the fight with Socialite Butterfly. You were fussing over Ellie, who was unconscious, while John called for evac, when you all saw Katie.
But Leizi barely looked before striking her down.
"It's still Socialite Butterfly," she snapped. "Would you have her escape justice for her murders merely by donning that guise?"
You were horrified. How could she judge so swiftly, and cruelly? What happened to second chances? What happened to the hero you knew?
But as you think back, there were other signs.
Back with New Dawn, when she casually advised euthanasia for Arc, ignoring the Mendicant possibility - and then that same day, you overheard her discuss the DNA uses with Dr. Ibis.
Back in that weird speech at the memorial, when she said her teammates "died with their methods faultless, but we are forced to consider results now".
The smaller signs - the needless cruel words, the kicking while people are down. The bodies that kept falling when the fight was nearly over - Earthen Owl, Été, Brass Knight.
And even back at Apartment Three, when she said there'd been a fight with no time to think, but you swore you'd heard her talking to... another young girl.
Your head swims. You can't believe you didn't see it all.
You've zoned out. You're back at the Apiary now. Even the building seems to spite her sometimes, and she always gets this horrible look on her face. You wave everyone off and crash in bed, where you dream of shadows and high, cruel laughs.
You stew for a few days, unsure who to trust. You tried approaching Rhys, once, but he brushed you off, said things go wrong out there sometimes. And when he suggested talking to Leizi, you tripped over yourself to say it's not that big a deal. Probably gave the whole thing away, but you can't look Leizi in the eyes right now.
You confide in Ellie. Who else? It's infinite relief when you don't insult her, and she says she's thinking the same thing. How she had to agree to join just to secure goldnine for her friends, after the deaths of Yellow Qilin's gang. How she's read Nora's notes and knows Leizi's true past. And is it not her own words, that the past always matters?
She says you two should leave. You're strong enough. You can set out on your own and find out what being a hero really is.
You want to talk to Leizi. Give her a chance to explain herself and promise to be better. But Ellie says she can't be trusted. She could move against you two. She says you need to set out immediately.
A few days later, your hand is forced. Dr. Ibis says that Yara will wake up soon, and that his tests indicate she's become a powerful psychic. You also remember that, after talking to Leizi about her sister, she seemed utterly loyal.
What if she reports your thoughts?
That very night, you meet with Ellie, and you prepare to go. It's pretty easy, actually. You grab some food and money, stuff it in a bag, walk downstairs and open a door.
You debated with Ellie how to tell everyone. You wanted to post a video online, to tell the world how Leizi's changed. But she said it's better to stay quiet and hope the matter isn't pursued - in other words, that you aren't pursued. You had to concede once she made that cute little frown and said "For me, Mona?"
So you just leave the note at the door. And then flee at near-sonic speeds using your powers.
"We've decided to leave this team. Leizi, you need to be better. You need to be more. Killing innocent people isn't how a hero acts. We're making our own team now. We won't talk about the thing since we'd be equally hounded if it came out. But don't come after us, don't interfere. You know our power. And if any of you wants to join us, we'll find you."
The next morning, when Opale shows Zixuan the note, her mask slips, and she blasts it with lightning and snarls in rage.
Makes me wonder how widespread cults that worship Leviathan are. They probably got a boost in membership and credibility after it moved and killed 90% of the supers on the planet
And on that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and on that day they will ask, 'Have these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?'
It is late.
The pale, gibbous moon glares banefully, bathing the world in her pallid light. Tonight, her stare brings no comfort to a few residents of Horizon.
In a secluded place where few dared to set foot in, a man hurriedly paces around a room. He's inside what appears to be a cathedral, religious iconography strewn about the place. The flock had just received a sermon, and in their mania, they had left the place a mess. But it doesn't matter. It never matters. This place will be clean and pure again soon. And then it shall be disassembled. Again, and again, and again.
Quietly.. the man hurries in the process of his escapade, he packs a scant few essentials into his bag and hurriedly looks around, as if he is scared that something will jump him if he is not quick enough.
He must hurry, or soon.. he will no longer have a mind. He will be empty. Hollow. Like all of those other people the Prophet and his Acolyte have touched. He would retain himself. He would escape this accursed place at last.
But alas.. few escape the Leviathan's Flock.
Footsteps ring out from behind him, and the man does not notice in his panic. It takes a second for him to understand, but when he does.. panic sets in. His face pales until it is almost bone white, but the moon's light means that you wouldn't notice. He turned around in a hurry, and there they were.
The Prophet. Dressed with white robes in blue accents and a blank looking white mask that seemed to judge the world around them. They walked with grace. With patience. They walked with the confidence of someone who understood that the world was meant for them and them alone.
The man finds his courage at last, and he turns at the monster. This hideous creature dressed in the skin of an angel. A false saint. They seemed so serene even now, so angelic and pure.. nobody would dare grasp the twisted mind beneath.
"Let me go." He says, his voice wavering and yet firm. "I want nothing to do with your insanity anymore. If you truly value my company.. if anything we have shared ever meant anything.. then you will let me leave and never come back."
The Prophet does not respond. They simply stand in silence, mask as blank as ever.
"Please. I beg you. I won't hurt you. I just want to leave. What you're doing to these poor people.. it's wrong!" He says. "Worshipping the Leviathan? Have you gone mad? Did our time in church not teach you anything about blasphemy? And to drag innocents into your insanity.. I want nothing to do with it anymore!" He yells out.
The Prophet speaks at last, their voice soft and calm: "You would not be able to hurt me even if you tried."
There is silence. It hangs in the air like a blade.
"It seems that you are under a false assumption of what my intentions are." They say, turning to a stained glass window gracefully. "I dream.. of a world where our God awakens and cleanses this world with his blood. And I know that he is here, for why else has he blessed me with this gift? That is all I desire, nothing more and nothing less."
They pause, allowing their words to sink into his flesh before they continue: "If you wish to leave, then do so. I will not stop you. I have cherished the time we have spent together.. but I do find it regretful that you have decided to part ways with us this way.."
The man glares at them with distrustful eyes: "And I am supposed to believe that you would be magnanimous enough to let me leave, just like that?" The Prophet simply waves a hand at his direction dismissively: "Believe what you want. I am simply stating the truth."
The man stands there for some time, unsure of what to do, and then he flees. He runs. He barges out of the cathedral as quickly as possible, out into the secluded streets and quiet spots. These madmen.. these lunatics.. they would not stop. They would never stop. They genuinely believe in their twisted deity. The person he knew a long time ago was no longer there.
He needed to stop them.
But how?
For now.. he just ran. He ran and ran and ran and ran and ran until he could run no more.
Anything to escape that flock.
A/N: Leviathan cult! I'll send the necessary characters to @Bitterman in DM's so not to spoil anything~
I'm Justice Unlimited's Biggest Fan!: by chickenbouillon
COLOSSAL TRIGGER WARNING FOR GORE
The room was damp.
A man is tied to a chair, struggling to escape. Rage as he might against his bindings.. he could not escape. He bites at the gag in his mouth, but it is futile. It is fastened too tightly.
The door opens, and the man flinches. He tries to scoot away, but his current predicament makes it.. difficult.
There is the sound of rummaging, and then the lights turn on with a click. A young boy in his late teens enters, he looks.. youthful, somehow. Black hair, black eyes, freckles dusting his cheeks.. There was something noticeably nervous about him. Like he was unsure of what to do.
If only that was the truth.
The boy stares at the bound man quietly, not saying anything for a second. And then he reaches forward and pulls out a.. phone? He sets up some elaborate looking equipment all about the room, before fastening the phone on the recording stand and clearing his throat.
And then he reaches forward and rips the gag out of the man's mouth.
The man wastes no time screaming: "What the fuck do you think you're doing to me, you crazy fucking brat?! Do you even know who I am?!" The boy stands there in silence, his formerly nervous eyes replaced by something far colder. "I do, actually." He says.
"You're Dave Thompson. You're part of a motorbike gang.. and you go around extorting people for money." He says. The man smirks at this, perhaps under the mistaken assumption that this boy would finally realize the sheer amount of trouble he's in. "Your friends don't scare me, if that's what you're counting on." The boy speaks.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?! Hey! Hey! Don't ignore me, you fuck!-" He screams, but the boy is already walking away from him and towards the camera. "Is this thing on?" He says, he clears his throat nervously, fidgeting in place for a moment.
"Umm.. hello, everyone!" He says, waving at the camera. He does not pay attention to the man screaming in the background. "Welcome.. to the first episode of my show! I don't have a name yet.. so maybe you guys could come up with a name for it?" He says. The man continues screaming and raging in the background.
The boy sighs and turns to the audience: "Give me a second." He turns to the raging man and flicks a hand. Nothing more. Nothing less. The man's skin starts to sizzle.
The screams of rage are soon replaced by those of agony.
"Ahem! Sorry about that.. I just had to quiet him down. Anyway.. I'd really like to get to the main topic now, if you guys would let me!" He says, his voice was nervous and shaky, and yet there was a noticeable undertone of mania in his tone. "Have you guys heard of Justice Unlimited?" The chat immediately lights up at that name. The visitors of this stream are lowlives and criminals themselves, and as such they are likely upset at hearing the name of a superhero team.
"You have, right? Who in Horizon hasn't heard of them?" He says. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm a.. really, really big fan of them.. so that's why I have to do this." He turns around, pushes the man closer to the camera.. and clamps his hand over the man's face.
The man's flesh begins to boil and sizzle, before it sloughs off his skull and melts onto the floor in a puddle of blood. His skull droops onto the floor, half melted from the sheer acidic corrosion of what he has gone through. His screams dissipate into gurgles.. and then to nothing.
"You see this man?" The boy asks: "He was a bad person. A very bad person. Racketeering.. extortion.. he did them all! So I had to get rid of him!" He says, his voice now full of barely restrained zeal. "Because it's what's good for the world! Because it's what Justice Unlimited would have wanted! For me to purge evildoers!" He says. He wipes off the blood on his pants, and quietly stares at the camera. Face downcast.
"You're all lowlives and criminals, so I'll do this as a reminder for you. This is what you're all gonna get. This is what I'm gonna do to you. And I'm gonna do it for the sake of Justice Unlimited, because I'm a true hero of justice!" He says, his voice dreamy. His face is locked into a grin, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I'll see you guys next time on the next episode! Same time, same day." The boy reaches out and turns off the camera. Leaving him in silence.
