Yara truly is the most powerful of the shippers."Yeah! Black Swan, the hero with the golden hair? Come on, you saw how she was all 'my Swan' and 'I've lost myself in unlimited cosmic power, oh wait I'm making babygirl sad, forget this!' You had to have seen it!"
Good taste if nothing else but-"The States!" Lucille calls, "Oh, we've been to the United States! New York, the City that Never Sleeps! We saw the last production of Hadestown, before it went off Broadway and—"
Oh. They're these kind of people, great."This is so hurtful," Lucille says, looking at her husband with tears in her eyes, "I just don't know why he did this to us."
"Gus loved you guys, it's just—"
"I just don't understand that boy," Harold says, shaking his head, "So hurtful. Spiteful toward his family. He's just like my brother! Maximilian was . . ."
Shit, so Doctor Silver is going to want Jorogumo's head on a spike until we get it pounded into his head that she likely had no control over that.Because . . . because Nat's body hadn't just incinerated. It had been gnawed on. She bled before burning.
Like something had been eating her.
Considering Bitterman hinted that he's related to that really bad failed Esp roll I have my eye on you for this."Magical girls?! They're real now?! What else did I miss in prison?!"
Even now keeping up the Sailor Moon vibes, alongside the occasional dropped info."Yeah we're not friends! You're a violent murderer who tried to kill my whole team, and you work for creepy Faust and his even creepier Hand-cult! I'm the Cute Soldier of Justice, but even I have standards, butthead! I don't care how tragic your backstory is!"
You stand up and proclaim your not-friendship with authority. Who does he think he is?!
". . . how do you know about The Hand of the Mysteries?"
Full understanding why Gus didn't tell them about his relationship or out himself to them. These are the worst kind of insufferable people."I just don't know why Augustus would keep this from us!" Lucille bemoans for the thousandth time.
"It's terrible," Ellie says with zero affect, staring into the distance. She stopped trying an hour ago, but they were yet to notice.
"What kind of child doesn't share something like his partner with his parents?" Harold signs, "It's—"
"Did you ask?" you interrupt after finishing your forth beer. With your biology, you're not really feeling it, but it's the thought that counts. "Did you ever ask if he was seeing anyone?"
"Well, no, but he should have told us—"
"Hey! Pop quiz!" you say, "What was the name of Gus' favorite movie? The one he has all of the posters for?"
Lucille looks confused. "Oh, gosh, I know what you're talking about, but it beats me if I can remember the name. It's the one about the priest."
Oh he's a cape nerd. He's versus debating and strategizing how to use the clone pool optimally."I can't believe I missed this fight! Trismegistus being put in his place? An army of cloned metahumans? Crusade being exposed for the bumblers they are?"
He stands up and paces back and forth, excited.
"Sounds like a battle for the ages! I knew Key was a fool, but never how much of one she was! She never should have engaged you directly. She should have used Uiara to flood the area and then freeze you all at once. And Man o' War was able to move his limbs? Did he have complete control of them at that point, or were they still autonomous except for where he put them?"
Look, you need to constantly be on the grind for good collab partners if you want to make it in this cutthroat world. Viewers only have so many hours in the day and are stretched thin by thousands of channels. You need that chemistry and hook to make it work."Not at all," he replies, "But 250,000 concurrent viewers only come but once in a lifetime! I need to stay on your good side if we are to recapture the magic once Soraia gets our monetization restored!"
". . . really? This is about clout?" you say in disbelief.
"And money!" he agrees, "Now, go ahead and open it!"
Okay 4th Hour has some form of psychic element and BS is likely immune to LPP, very handy information all around.". . . I do hate fighting psychics."
"Ugh, tell me about it!" you call, "We're gonna have to fight Le Petit Prince eventually and I'm probably going to get benched for that."
"Actually, I'm fairly certain his power is biokinetic in nature. You're likely immune."
"Oh!"
"It's the 4th Hour you should avoid at all costs. Her power would conquer you in an instant."
Cain, you lovable huckster you. You're sleazy and I love that for you."Because that is obvious!" he turns to you with a smirk, "She wants to find a gift that will make dear Ellie shower her in kisses!"
"No!" you shout, turning beet-red, ". . . d-do they . . . sell things like that . . .?"
"They do!" Cain says, pulling you back toward the stalls, "And for a modest finder's fee, I can find you the perfect thing to woo the woman of your dreams . . ."
Holy shit
We are so back, we're up to 2,500 income a turn now.
...Bro"Fun fact!" he says, "Did you know that there's an underground market for metahuman blood, spit, and, ah, other fluids? Folk wisdom is that ingesting them will increase your own odds of gaining superpowers and that some act as a potent aphrodisiac!"
". . . gross."
"Quite! But useful for us! How close they are to the truth, eh?"
You eye the cooler dubiously. "So those are . . .?"
"Biological samples from The Guardian Wave! Perfect for our resident mad doctors, yes?"
You feel vaguely ill.
"How old are they?"
"I try not to ask."
". . . Scarlet Maturity can never know."
"He would almost certainly try to murder us, yes."
Oh, oh no. Maddie please fix this mistake. Its spiraling out of control."Yeah . . . they apparently just started dating? Maddie filled me in. I didn't know if you knew yet."
"O-oh."
"Mona, I'm really sorry—"
"No, no, it's fine!" you say, trying not to cry, "I-I didn't know if Ellie even liked girls so . . . um, g-guess not?"
"Oh, Mona," Miss Naught says hugging you, "Us girlkissers and girlkisser-adjacents have all been here. I'm so, so sorry."
"That was gross. I'm sorry, I'm trying to unlearn some things,"
Since we need to do MG and DF, We should be able to regain contract of OID easily next turn, as long we do abarimon or 3rd person. So thats extra income and source of it.Well! This has been one hell of an interesting update. We got information on Scarlet Maturity's backstory, and looking at the DNA profiles...yeah, telepathy or some sort of psychic sharing is necessary to use Algernon powers safely. Kind of weird, if you think about it: no other power seems to have that sort of flaw. Still, once we figure out how to take advantage of it, then things have yo he potential to get very interested indeed.
We've got money, both a substitute infusion and a steady income stream! That makes things so much better, though we should still try to boost that income stream a bit. We've got a lot of expenses after all.
So phasing bullets and using screens to teleport them. Its expensive but that has a lot of potential given its opening up offensive intangibility to presumably mess with invulns in some manner.Name: Bullet Proof, True Name Unknown
Keywords: Teleportation, Enhanced Senses, Intangibility
Faction: The Guardian Wave
Potency: 5
Author: LucidProp
Ibis Jr.'s Notes: I, the great Dr. Massive Ibis, have been the opportunity to record the findings of the Ibis clan for, as my father has put it, I have had 'little screen time'. Whatever that means! The world may thank me for my genius and worship at my feet!
. . . I have been informed that 'worshiping at my feet' is a sex-thing for many perverts. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
Anyway, Bullet Proof was in many ways emblematic of how The Guardian Wave was different from other hero teams. Originally, she was a killer employed by a small-time Red Mantis Triad—one of the many early competitors to the Ghost Dragon who eventually fell by the wayside. Her name came from the fact that, for the longest time, the bullet she left at the scene of the crime was the only proof of her existence. Tacky names aside, Bullet Proof had the curious ability to teleport her gun's bullets through phone or TV screens to the camera broadcasting a live feed as if it were a window to whatever said screen depicted. Her bullets also had an unusual penetrating quality, able to "phase" into objects and material that should otherwise repel them.
Eventually she fled from the Red Mantis Triad and sought sanctuary among The Guardian Wave. They were one of the few organizations willing to take her in and risk the triad's wrath, and it's speculated that the Red Mantis Triad was who leaked The Guardian Wave's location to the bounty-poachers on the day they perished. They were eventually destroyed by Scarlet Maturity, lending credence to this rumor.
Ohhhh, this is nice. This is basically tailor built for the theoretical self enhance synergies. Decent chance you still want Soldier X anyway but doubling them up sounds amazing regardless. Sewer Rat/Daggermaw/this/Soldier X is only 7 potency while hitting every element there.Name: Trail Chaser, Kione Ele
Powers: Fitness, Enhanced Speed
Faction: The Guardian Wave
Potency: 2
Author: EternalObserver
Ibis Jr.'s Notes: I did cross-county in high school! I wasn't very good at it, but that's a fun fact about me, Dr. Massive Ibis! I also enjoy rock-climbing and the works of P.G. Wodehouse. I'm a well-rounded individual!
Trail Chaser was a former Olympic competitor who washed out after they began screening for metahuman powers. He maintained he had no idea he was a metahuman, but they stripped him of his medals and struck him from the record books nonetheless. His power manifested as the ability to run at ever increasing speed so long as he did not stop. He began at the speed of a normal, slow-footed human, and could eventually equal a galloping horse. His power provided him with the ability to stay in peak physical condition while running, and, thus, he tired very slowly.
Records show he briefly turned to crime after losing everything. He specialized in purse-snatching where he would literally outrun the authorities, but at some point he met Fantastic Metal and joined The Guardian Wave. He died in the QZ with the rest of them.
Okay, the regenerating Teleports are really interesting because this seems like a very strong powerset on someone with access to enhanced speed or enhanced senses just to make the most of the utility healing. Coincidentally any people trying to go for a Phasewalking Red Huntress build should be using this over Memoria any day of the week I'm pretty sure.Name: XTreme, Matteo Porter
Keywords: Teleportation, Regeneration
Faction: The Guardian Wave
Potency: 4
Author: StarSingerBlue
Ibis Jr.'s Notes: XTreme was another "hero" who originally led a life of crime before reforming to join The Guardian Wave. I'm sensing a theme! Perhaps I should try crime before becoming a hero, just like my father!
UPDATE: I cut in line in the cafeteria and felt so guilty I cried for forty minutes in a broom closet. Father has also pointed out that he was less "criminal" before joining Justice Unlimited than "criminally negligent". Truly crime does not pay!
XTreme was a standard teleporter who could move to anywhere in his line of sight and within one hundred meters. However, upon joining The Guardian Wave, his power displayed an unusual quirk: he partially regenerated his wounds whenever he teleported. The exact mechanism by which it worked is unknown, but gave him a natural advantage at "hit-and-run" tactics where he would strike, take injuries, and retreat while simultaneously healing them.
Oh hey, good for them on this one. Still despite some of the tags this seems primed to be mixed with an Adamant build just so the metal needles can be crafted from Adamantium. Its a simple bit, but its being directly pointed out for a reason y'know?Name: Wind Rose, Vanessa Almeida
Keywords: Telekinesis, Construct Creation, Clairvoyance
Potency: 5
Author: ArgentThyme
Ibis Jr.'s Notes: Wind Rose's power manifested as a set of twenty metal "needles" that were each approximately two feet in length, which she could control telekinetically. She could move each needle independently and with a high degree of precision, and they were sharp and strong enough to pierce metal. The needles were extremely durable, although not indestructible, and, if damaged in any way, would violently explode into shrapnel. She could slowly recreate them out of mundane metals, and they would be enhanced depending on what metal was used in their creation. One wonders what she could do with something like Adamantium!
Wind Rose was second-in-command of The Guardian Wave and their primary tracker due to her power's other quirk: she had both perfect awareness of her needles' location and orientation at all times. She was especially useful at hunting Behemoths, being able to tag and track them in real time.
She was also mildly dysmorphic, with vine-like thorns for hair. Hmm, Dr. Massive Ibis could rock this look! I will consult my paramor, Natalie Rhodes, for her opinion! After our third date, she agreed to go steady so long as "neither of our fathers ever, ever find out."
Note-self: delete that last part later.
...I want to create a monster using this, Crimson Soprano, Dragonsteeth, and Millions all on the same build. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. Do I want to see the carnage from that level of Energy Manipulation? Completely and utterly.Name: Tenebrism, Zende Listman
Power: Construct Creation, Energy Manipulation, Solar Absorption, Enhanced Strength
Faction: Independent
Potency: 4
Author: Hologram Killer
Ibis Jr.'s Notes: Tenebrism was able to create four shadowy duplicates of herself. These constructs copied her movements exactly with a slight delay that she could change the duration of. With clever application she was able to stagger her shadows to create off-angle attacks and difficult to block attack patterns. Her shadows were stronger during the day becoming larger and more durable based on the intensity of the illumination that created them. Tenebrism herself exhibited signs of super-strength, which her constructs also possessed.
Not much is known about her personal life, but Dr. Massive Ibis likes to think she could put on a mean puppet show! I'm something of a stygian puppeteer myself! Watch, as I recreate the monster Scylla from myth, a maiden with heads of several wolves emerging from her waist!
. . . Dr. Massive Ibis will include a picture for the file.
Not wholy sure what Promethean's Warning is, but Red Glow at Mourning seems insane given the samples we've seen here and Primtemps, given the implication is it would allow us to safely use the samples. Now there is the question of if the samples would return to a weaker form and lose some potency alongside the red tag or just become safe but otherwise in the same state, but that is something we will presumably need to take it to find out first.Unlocked research action: Red Glow at Mourning, Promethean's Warning.
Oh this is the first step to figuring out how Algernons work IC, let's go.Name: Fantastic Metal, Tatiana Menezes Padilha
Keywords: Algernon-type, True Telepathy
Potency: 13
Ibis Jr.'s Notes: I don't understand. I've run the test three times, and the results have remained the same. But it's impossible. Fantastic Metal has never demonstrated any telepathic ability whatsoever in any capacity. Yet, I see the ability for it in her DNA.
But . . . beyond that. Her medical records show no sign of the Rebound. At all. We know she made frequent use of her power, but she seems to have suffered no ill effects from it. Even my father, who is as judicious about the usage of his Algernon-type as one advancing their field can be, shows early signs of degeneration. Yet, she does not.
How?
Using up money to gain new samples based on context clues, while being repeatable. Not sure how much we need it but not bad to have available.
It's one research action. It's a play off the old expression "Red Sky at Morning, Sailor's Warning"Not wholy sure what Promethean's Warning is, but Red Glow at Mourning
What on earth is going on in Creature's Den?!? I'm not quite sure where to take the Discworld reference, but it is kinda alarming!
This is... wow. That is so damn tragic. Oh no, am I a fan of Scarlet Maturity? I love this."During the fight, the boy tried to sacrifice himself. Buy time for the real heroes to escape. Even if his enhancements of their powers did not persist beyond his death, he still would have served The Guardian Wave well. Only, he did not die when was supposed to. His wounds, which he thought fatal, stitched themselves back together. His frame filled out, granting him new strength. He was not only able to delay Typhon, but, as the battle dragged on, he could match the creature."
He's far away right now, seeing something you can only imagine.
"Eventually, he crushed the last of Typhon's heads. But, when he turned around to proclaim his victory, there was no one left to celebrate. He had devoured them all."
Apiary
"Don't deny it, it's obvious. And none of my business! But . . . I saw you two just now, and I figure, if you don't already know, someone outta tell you. Ellie has a boyfriend."
"Yeah . . . they apparently just started dating? Maddie filled me in. I didn't know if you knew yet."
AHAHAHAHAHAHA YESSSSSSSS
<3
JU has existed for 3 months and we've dealt absurd levels of damage to one of the planet's most powerful entity. And that was before even counting what Yara just did here. Wow."Y-you!" he gasps. His skin is mottled and bloated, his expression more tumor than face. He looks at you in shock and awe. "What have you done?! You . . . took it away?! Why? I am so close!"
My best guess is "Double Clairvoyance, Double Mental Manipulation" but after that I'm blanking, if it is a 5-keyword combo.Wait, I know that we got the formula for Telekinesis, but did we ever get the formula for True Telepathy? I know that we've got Seraph for that now, but she costs 6 Potency on her own. The formula might let us figure out a cheaper way for True Telepathy.
It really does seem like Bitterman took our desire for a psychic defender and went all in on it.JU has existed for 3 months and we've dealt absurd levels of damage to one of the planet's most powerful entity. And that was before even counting what Yara just did here. Wow.
Pros: LL knows this, we know there's an Apiary-Scarlet Maturity connection, it will be very sad.[ ] Flight of the Bumblebee (Apiary, Scarlet Maturity, The Defiance Unit)
Pros: We know almost nothing about either The interlocutor or Osanyin even though both are pretty important. I think this is one of my favourites.
Pros: A glimpse at foes we've faced. And possible insight into the mystery of Fish.[ ] The Hand of Mysteries (Radiant Silvergirl, Star, Key, Fish)
Pros: Setting deep lore? Don't mind if I do. Especially with our level of psychic engagement getting insight into these characters (and probably the WiB by proxy) seems valuable. One of my favourites as well.[ ] Stairway to Heaven (Valiant Red, Valkyrie, King, Dr. Theodore Frederson)
Pros: The Horae Guard are making their move and we'll be going up against them in Wider than a River, probably. Insight into White Hawk and 1/3 of Silvio's new team.[ ] The Egg of the King (The Defiance Unit, Triss, Octavius, Edgar, Horae Guard)
Mona blasted and then Valkyrie hounded him remember? Its why Horae guard are even willing to pick a figjt with the mysteries.I wonder if Hand got injured fighting the Horai or was it from one of his other enemies.
who
It's been at least 3 days. I thought he would have had gotten into an already prepared shelter in that time and had been forced out from it.Mona blasted and then Valkyrie hounded him remember? Its why Horae guard are even willing to pick a figjt with the mysteries.