- Location
- Philippines
But think of the possibility maybe next time rather than a lighter maybe try a gas tank or a faucet +gas or other liquid
~Taylor Hebert: Sburban Alchemist~ Worm/Homestuck
- Thread starter masterax2000
- Start date
INSERT DISK 1.5
Right, of course, I should have done that, the dandyskit was dangerous, I should have gotten rid of it...
I grabbed the card, and... D-did I really have to do this? The dandyskit was the first combination I'd ever tried that was actually successful. I was sort of proud of it, in a weird way.
But no, clearly it wasn't okay to have around. Of course I couldn't even allow myself to bask in the glory of my creation, of course I'd have to destroy any real threat I'd made, of course-
I ripped the card in half before my thoughts could keep spiraling.
...No grist. Of course.
Maybe I should have expected that. Otherwise, punching holes in the cards with the punch designix could spew grist everywhere.
And I guess I was sort of glad it didn't work, because man would I have felt dumb about all those birds and rats I'd been killing through blunt force trauma rather than ripping cards.
I tossed a clothes iron as hard as I can, and captchalogued it before it went too far. I then released it outside, and-
It drops to the ground.
Testing it the other way, where I fill my deck until it's pushed out the other side, it also doesn't seem to work, with the direction and speed still being pretty random.
No, no, and no. Well, sort of, to the first two, but only if the containers are open, and I can see the item.
Except, not really, because my eyes don't actually need to even be open in order to captchalogue things. After a bit of testing, it seems that it's more based on whether I "know" where an item is, and if I "could" have just gone and grabbed it. Or something. The fact that my power seems to treat walls and containers as totally different things that work in different ways doesn't much help. Like, It can't go around a wall, even if the door is right there, and it's open. Meanwhile, it can go into a bag, so long at it's open.
Grabbing things out of peoples hands at least should be possible though. I tested it by tossing a piece of bread to a bird- and then captchaloguing the bread before it could get the whole chunk in it's mouth. It works, so merely being held by others shouldn't stop it...
I really hope so anyway. If it works differently with other humans, I'm gonna end up riddled with bullets trying and failing to grab a gun out of someone's hand.
[IGNEOUS FLARESPEWER && BUBBLE GUN]
???
10 Build, 10 Propolis, 10 ???
Not enough grist!
Cheap, whatever it is, but I'm missing a grist type.???
10 Build, 10 Propolis, 10 ???
Not enough grist!
[WALLET && CAPTCHALOGUE CARD]
???
10,000 Build
Not enough grist!
[HUNTING RIFLE && CAPTCHALOGUE CARD]
LIGHT GUN MODUS
100 Build, 1 Carmine
...
Okay, well, now I knew why it's so cheap. It didn't seem to be very good? Though it did have one advantage over my others.
The light gun modus let me use any card in the deck whenever I wanted. Technically. It technically did that.
It did it by manifesting a tacky pink-and-white gun made out of cubes into my hand, and spewing out every captchalogue card in my deck, which then bop around at random in front of me. I could then shoot them with the gun to retrieve the items inside.
The sad thing is, this is actually more convenient for everyday use. It lets me not have to empty the entire fucking sylladex just to get at one card at the bottom. But in combat, it's probably better to not have to take my eyes off the enemy to play a fucking minigame.
And before you ask, no, the gun doesn't seem to do anything to anything other than cards. Probably for the better, my guess is that it would need a lot more carmine if it were a real weapon.
Huh, there's a thought... I can't think of any stores near me that sell crappy stuff like that, but maybe I can at least do the "terrible JPEG" thing...
I open a drawing application, and draw my shittyest possible rendition of a tranquilizer dart.
I then combine it with the bubble gun.
Didn't work, but hey, maybe I'm onto something? The cost is low- wait, fucking, zero? It costs zero of some type of grist? What the fuck does that mean?
Okay, lets try...
This one costs a negative amount of some sort of grist... I don't know what that means.
But by this point, I'm kinda getting into it. Something about drawing these terrible things is sort of soothing... Just one more.
Okay, so now my power is just fucking with me. This is literally impossible to make, because it'll always want one more carmine than I have.
Still. This feels promising. Maybe I'll do more like this some time...
Sadly no, there are no rewards for independent heroes who turn in criminals. Not that it's really a problem, considering I might be able to sell my creations after I get better established. And I want to fight villainy for it's own sake anyway. I need to. And on that note...
It takes a few days to get it together. (+102 build)
But by the end, my costume is looking... Decent? I guess? It's hardly anything fancy, but that's to be expected, considering the "survivalist" angle I'm playing up. A dark green scarf sewn over a black ski mask. Camo jacket and pants. Ordinary hunting boots. My glasses.
And on a whim, I paint a symbol on the chest of the jacket. Ever since I first got the lid off the cruxtruder, the little screens at the bottom had been displaying this flashing green insect-looking thing. I'm not sure what it was or what it meant exactly, but it looked nice. And it felt fitting, to have a symbol.
A machete on my belt, and my rifle strapped to my back. Here's hoping dad won't notice it missing, but he's asleep, so it shouldn't be a problem... Oh, and my sylladex is loaded up with stuff. Nets at the bottom, ready to be fired out, light gun modus at the top in case I need a specific item, a captchalogue card full of blank captchalogue cards under that so I can expand my inventory and pick up more stuff without my deck firing pre-emptively, and a bunch of other stuff I might need like my civilian clothes, zip ties, and some water just under it.
Tonight, I wasn't Taylor Hebert. I was the Hunter-Gatherer. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but it's evocative, and that- embracing this identity- is what's important.
I sneak out.
I headed to the junkyard.
Now normally, this would be a bad idea. Someone- especially someone obviously in costume- going to the junkyard? That raises some alarm bells. You might as well paint a target on yourself that says "unaffiliated tinker who's just starting out! Come and get me!" but in my case, it was a little different. I didn't need to leave here carrying armfuls of conspicuous scrap, I could just load up my deck with items and rodents, and unless someone was actively watching me the entire time, it would look like I was just wandering around, not taking anything. And if someone stopped me to ask why I was there, I could tell them half the truth: I'm patrolling.
Of course, I gotta say, I don't think that deep down I was really expecting to see anyone. And if I did need to step in and prevent a crime, I figured I'd encounter like, a mugging or something. But nope.
Uber and Leet aren't scary. Not really. They were horrible people, but they knew better than to kill anyone, right? And they weren't really any good at what they did. Still, I had assumed they had better options for acquiring resources than just... rooting around in the junkyard, like me.
And yet, here they were.
They were in costume. I couldn't identify the game, but it looked like... well, they looked like they were cosplaying Indiana Jones or something. They were carrying whips, which weren't the most threatening of weaponry, but were probably suped up with tinkertech in some way.
They haven't spotted me.
[] Sneak attack. Fire the nets before they see you, then disarm them, zip tie them, find a payphone, turn them in. Easy! Assuming you can aim the nets well enough.
[] Disarm first. Who knows what they have on them, just rush forward and grab all their items. Then go on the offensive.
[] Run. Weak as they are, you're weaker. You weren't expecting to face anyone with powers tonight. Beyond that, it isn't like they're actually doing anything right now that needs stopping really...
[] Keep hiding. Follow them. Find their base. Steal all their tinkertech for your own use! And then call the PRT informing them of where the base is.
[] Write-in.
AN: By the way, I know most of you probably assumed this anyway, but just in case: when Taylor suddenly "has" an item to try combining, like the bubble gun, you can safely assume that she ran to the store to pick it up, or just had it lying around. I just don't want to write "So I went to the store and bought-" five thousand times.
Additionally, the grist gazette has been added to the info tab. As have pictures of all the alchemy machines Taylor has deployed so far, in the phernalia registry.
Also, I can't remember if telling the authorities where Uber and Leet's base is would be a violation of the unwritten rules? For the purposes of this story, lets say that it's not.
Finally, I gotta say that writing in this weird past-tense perspective is hell, and I never know what words to use. Sorry if it's... incredibly inconsistent. Like, "I stopped even trying halfway through writing this post" level of inconsistent.
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- Location
- OK
[X] Write-In: Ignore them and look for crime more in your league. If they see you patrolling and ask who you are or what you are doing, don't provoke them.
We're still in "Gangster" mode, and L33t, whether he's a good one or not, is a Tinker. I feel like provoking them right now might be a poor decision. We're basically a normal person with the power to fire nets right now, for all the firepower we have if they decide to beat us up for following/fighting them.
That said, they're Uber and L33t. I doubt they'll go after us just for EXISTING in the same place as them while we patrol the scrapyard for thugs and loot.
We're still in "Gangster" mode, and L33t, whether he's a good one or not, is a Tinker. I feel like provoking them right now might be a poor decision. We're basically a normal person with the power to fire nets right now, for all the firepower we have if they decide to beat us up for following/fighting them.
That said, they're Uber and L33t. I doubt they'll go after us just for EXISTING in the same place as them while we patrol the scrapyard for thugs and loot.
Architect Iront.
Verified Cosplayer, Verified Living Doll
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Is it weird that my first impulse is to walk up and say hi to them? It's probably a bad idea, so I won't vote for it.
Ok, so the gun gave a new modus type but not a strife specibus. I can work with that.
[X] Write-In: Ignore them and look for crime more in your league. If they see you patrolling and ask who you are or what you are doing, don't provoke them. If they force a fight, capchalogue them. We're not Manton limited, bitch.
[X] Combinations
-[X] Combine drawing tablet with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine array or drawing of an array with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine a hashmap or drawing of a hashmap with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine cookbook with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine magic-8 ball with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine a puzzle with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine ice with pepper spray.
-[X] Combine ice with baton.
-[X] Combine ice with rifle.
-[X] Combine ice with kitchen knife.
-[X] Combine ice with rope.
-[X] Combine ice with party popper.
[X] Try to capchalogue something nebulous like a fire.
If we can pull off elemental effects on our equipment it will allow for all the bullshit. All of it.
Hopefully one of these will will work.
Ok, so the gun gave a new modus type but not a strife specibus. I can work with that.
[X] Write-In: Ignore them and look for crime more in your league. If they see you patrolling and ask who you are or what you are doing, don't provoke them. If they force a fight, capchalogue them. We're not Manton limited, bitch.
[X] Combinations
-[X] Combine drawing tablet with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine array or drawing of an array with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine a hashmap or drawing of a hashmap with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine cookbook with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine magic-8 ball with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine a puzzle with capchalogue card.
-[X] Combine ice with pepper spray.
-[X] Combine ice with baton.
-[X] Combine ice with rifle.
-[X] Combine ice with kitchen knife.
-[X] Combine ice with rope.
-[X] Combine ice with party popper.
[X] Try to capchalogue something nebulous like a fire.
If we can pull off elemental effects on our equipment it will allow for all the bullshit. All of it.
Hopefully one of these will will work.
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[X] Write-In: Uber and L33t can be of use and they are one of the safest ( for a given value of safe a villan can be) capes you can enconter. Your identity is new so you can discar it if something is wrong, aproch them and try a working relationship, L33t can have functional tech to valuable to just burn on games and you can try to reproduce it and Uber is an expert in everything, he can teach you very valuable skills than you can only get by joining an actualy dangerous gang or the Wards. If all else fail entince L33t gith imposible materials he can use just once but for great gain. Who knows maybe you can convince them to turn a new leaft or be more rougeish , capes are not notorious for be more powerfull in old age (or reach it in first place) play the "this way is more safe for all".
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- Pronouns
- he/him
i just realyse somthing l33T would be absolutly extatic to have copy of some of his tinkertech because he can't make more so if we want to go the moral gray route maybe try to propose a partenership. It may even give use enough say with them to make it so their stream become safer
Taylor doesn't even have the mats to reliably merge normal items, she's not going to be making impossible materials or messing with/copying tinkertech anytime soon, not unless it's broken down or otherwise very poor quality.
Uber might have skills, but that doesn't mean he can teach them well, would be willing to teach them, and also why would taylor only be able to get skills from gangs or wards...? Taylor learning to fight at dojo's is a pretty common trope.
And these were the guys who beat up women for the funnies, and were willing to be hired by "bombs in your head" bakuda and coil. They could've gone rogue or joined the protectorate at any time, but didn't.
The only thing that'd make them worth working with, would be if they had some kind of tinkertech able to produce creatures for taylor to grind grist from.
Thoughts on current situation: We haven't actually tested carding other people or things held by others. Manton limit could maybe differentiate people and small animals.
Taylor could probably take them, as I'd be impressed if uber could martial arts out of multiple nets.
Leet's tech... probably not that useful to us (see above), but I guess we could sell to the protectorate, or something?
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- Pronouns
- he/him
i just realyse somthing Blasto is in it for the art if taylor where to move to boston she could maybe entice blasto in giving here acces to failed creation for grit in exchange for alchemizing thing for him knowing that Blasto is more of a rogue than a true villain it could be a long term plan
punster lv1
Killjoy - cheerful shitposter - ignorant pedant
[X] Write-In: Ignore them and look for crime more in your league. If they see you patrolling and ask who you are or what you are doing, don't provoke them.
- Location
- Milky Way
[X] Run. Weak as they are, you're weaker. You weren't expecting to face anyone with powers tonight. Beyond that, it isn't like they're actually doing anything right now that needs stopping really...
oh, and anti-master/stranger baybee
[X] Combinations
-[X] Combine Tinfoil with Safety Helmet
-[X] Combine Tinfoil with Goggles
[X] Try to capchalogue the biggest or heaviest thing you can find, but be careful to not yeet it accidentally. Could work as anti-brute or cover to hide behind in a pinch, but being underestimated is useful, and launching or appearing scrapped cars would put a stop to that.
Also, Taylor didn't actually test manually killing the dandyskit to know whether it normally drops grist, nor ripping a card with a natural animal inside. Probably wouldn't have been anything unexpected, but it would've been cool to see what the dandyskit dropped.
[X] Combinations
-[X] Combine Tinfoil with Safety Helmet
-[X] Combine Tinfoil with Goggles
[X] Try to capchalogue the biggest or heaviest thing you can find, but be careful to not yeet it accidentally. Could work as anti-brute or cover to hide behind in a pinch, but being underestimated is useful, and launching or appearing scrapped cars would put a stop to that.
Also, Taylor didn't actually test manually killing the dandyskit to know whether it normally drops grist, nor ripping a card with a natural animal inside. Probably wouldn't have been anything unexpected, but it would've been cool to see what the dandyskit dropped.
SmashQueen
Professional duck-cat.
[X] Write-In: Ignore them and look for crime more in your league. If they see you patrolling and ask who you are or what you are doing, don't provoke them.
-[X] They might see your abilities as a game mechanic. Items popping in and out of existence, the light gun minigame. Take care to hide abilities or they might want to play.
[X] If caught...
-[X] Deescalate options?
--[X] Stick to the cover story with a dash of truth. Why are you here? Patrolling. You expected someone new, at best, not the established Uber and L33t.
--[X] If pushed: claim you're thinking. Trying to figure out how to deal with the utter bs life has thrown at you. The junkyard was supposed to be quiet, out of the way, not with two active capes on the one night you were here.
--[X] You know what? Maybe they'll level. They're villains, and cause destruction, but they aren't the E88, Merchants, or ABB and wouldn't have made it this far independently without being some sort of savvy, and not snatched up by the gangs. See if they could give some general advice/tips. Like what places to avoid so the local dragon doesn't host a BBQ, etc.
---[X] To self: Think of it like a documentary with ex-felons, only sort of not. You are not a bad guy for wanting to get a better hold of what dangers there are in cape life.
[X] Do more comics when you have the time and energy. Unwind from school and potentially get some good combos. Win-win!
-[X] Could comic details affect the item created? Third comic poked fun at you needing more carmine, and the result would always need one carmine more than you had.
---
At this point, antagonizing U&L is a bad idea. Who knows, maybe the junkyard is a semi-neutral place where no one fights? An unvoiced rule of no confrontation. If it's so obviously widely known tinkers come here, then maybe it's a possible thing?
(I was expecting maybe one cruddy picture, and only spoken of. Instead, you actually drew not one but three cruddy comics sbahj style. Kudos. Not going to expect them anymore, but Taylor having a way to destress seems like a good idea.)
-[X] They might see your abilities as a game mechanic. Items popping in and out of existence, the light gun minigame. Take care to hide abilities or they might want to play.
[X] If caught...
-[X] Deescalate options?
--[X] Stick to the cover story with a dash of truth. Why are you here? Patrolling. You expected someone new, at best, not the established Uber and L33t.
--[X] If pushed: claim you're thinking. Trying to figure out how to deal with the utter bs life has thrown at you. The junkyard was supposed to be quiet, out of the way, not with two active capes on the one night you were here.
--[X] You know what? Maybe they'll level. They're villains, and cause destruction, but they aren't the E88, Merchants, or ABB and wouldn't have made it this far independently without being some sort of savvy, and not snatched up by the gangs. See if they could give some general advice/tips. Like what places to avoid so the local dragon doesn't host a BBQ, etc.
---[X] To self: Think of it like a documentary with ex-felons, only sort of not. You are not a bad guy for wanting to get a better hold of what dangers there are in cape life.
[X] Do more comics when you have the time and energy. Unwind from school and potentially get some good combos. Win-win!
-[X] Could comic details affect the item created? Third comic poked fun at you needing more carmine, and the result would always need one carmine more than you had.
---
At this point, antagonizing U&L is a bad idea. Who knows, maybe the junkyard is a semi-neutral place where no one fights? An unvoiced rule of no confrontation. If it's so obviously widely known tinkers come here, then maybe it's a possible thing?
(I was expecting maybe one cruddy picture, and only spoken of. Instead, you actually drew not one but three cruddy comics sbahj style. Kudos. Not going to expect them anymore, but Taylor having a way to destress seems like a good idea.)
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- Location
- OK
Are we able to put a piece of Grist into a captcha card?
If we can, it might be worth trying to combine Grist with something like a tomato seed so we can work on some kind of nonmurder income.
If we can, it might be worth trying to combine Grist with something like a tomato seed so we can work on some kind of nonmurder income.
Tam Lin
The Evolution QM
Neat idea but would out us to dad hebert
[X] Create a Grist Journal or a Bookmarks Tab, so we can save Recipes that we find useful or could reveal more about our power. If possible, create a filing system for Known recipes and noted Combinations we have yet to try.
[X] Observe Uber and Leet for now. If the game or movie they are playing has weapons or projectiles, try to examine the areas where the explosions go off for "bullets" or scrapped parts. Those might be useful.
[X] To live up to your cape name, buy rat poison, and try combining it with something that the rats in your city enjoy (not necessarily cheese, but whatever food is you think would fit.) Leave it in the sewers near the Boat Graveyard, or in any area that has lots of rats and where no one poor and desperate will find it.
-[X] If rats no longer cut it, repeat the process with catnip and alley cats, or birdseed and pigeons. However, do NOT attempt to do so with dogs.
[X] Observe Uber and Leet for now. If the game or movie they are playing has weapons or projectiles, try to examine the areas where the explosions go off for "bullets" or scrapped parts. Those might be useful.
[X] To live up to your cape name, buy rat poison, and try combining it with something that the rats in your city enjoy (not necessarily cheese, but whatever food is you think would fit.) Leave it in the sewers near the Boat Graveyard, or in any area that has lots of rats and where no one poor and desperate will find it.
-[X] If rats no longer cut it, repeat the process with catnip and alley cats, or birdseed and pigeons. However, do NOT attempt to do so with dogs.
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- Pronouns
- he/him
that would be a good way to test if there is a range limit on the girst aquisition and if poison work for those
punster lv1
Killjoy - cheerful shitposter - ignorant pedant
At least part of what you're asking for can be found in the second post.
@resusplus, consolidate your posts into a single post. I believe doubleposting is still frowned upon in SV.
I'm aware of the infotab, but what I had in mind was to add tabs like these to it:
[Known Combos] [Goal Combos]
Sample item A (&&, ||) Sample item B
Grist Cost:
Description: (Known Combos only)
- Location
- Arkansas
Pro tip if you check the top of the post on the last chapter it tells you the date it was posted this one being on Jan 21 2021 or 10 days ago so I would say it's likely.
- Pronouns
- he/him
there was already a gap that big in the past so i can hope
INSERT DISK 1.6
Part of me wanted to run. The reasonable part.
But I'd supposedly been a hero for weeks now. And I hadn't done anything.
If I retreated, that would be it. Nothing more to it, my first patrol ever, nothing accomplished.
Even if I couldn't turn them in, even if I couldn't beat them in a fight, I needed to get something out of this encounter.
I glanced around, and I soon located the snitch- the camera they used for their streams. I crept just in range... and captchalogued it. After all, it wouldn't be good if my first known act as a hero was... what I was about to do.
"Greetings. You are Uber and Leet, yes?" I step out from the shadows.
They whirl around to face me, Uber pulling out his whip.
I hold up my hands in a pacifying gesture. "I am the Hunter-Gatherer. I believe our abilities could be of use to each other."
I'm... not sure what this persona I'm putting on is, exactly. I guess I'm trying to sound polite? Whatever the case, they look...
Actually, they look pretty interested. I think deep down I was hoping they would pick a fight. Expecting it even. But I should have known better. I stopped watching their streams because they were impossible to root for, but rooting against them... It made me feel like Emma. Like I was just vindictively hoping for them to fuck up, for my own amusement. It made me feel like a bully.
Not to say they don't deserve that treatment, they do, but I knew better than most what it felt like to be hated by everyone. They probably don't have anyone beside each other to rely on. In my case, it lead to paranoia. But not everyone is me, I should have figured there was a chance that cooperation would be instantly snapped up.
For a brief, feverish second, I consider suggesting that I actually join their group. It would be such a horrid idea on every level, from logically to morally, and they probably wouldn't even have me considering my disinterest in video games. But I do still have the thought, and it leaves me feeling weird and gross for a second before I snap back to focus, realizing they'd been staring at me for like half a minute now while I've just been standing here psychoanalyzing them like a lunatic.
Then, Leet notices the lack of the snitch.
"Shit, where the fuck is the camera?!" he asks, failing utterly to keep his cool.
"Safely stored away. Don't worry, it will be returned at the end of this interaction. I simply don't want to be seen on the stream. "
They relax at that. A little. Still, it seems their guards have been raised.
"So," says Uber, "what do you want with us?"
"A trade. I need a... machine, made. In exchange, I can... probably... duplicate some of your technology for you."
They glance at each other. Their faces are obscured by weird golden masks, so I'm not sure what they're communicating by just looking at each other, but I decide to go on.
"My power requires certain materials. You can build anything, yes? I need a machine that... produces them. Or lets me make them in some other way. In exchange, I could... duplicate some of your tinkertech for you. You can only make things once, yes? I can help you skirt around that, a little."
"Shit!" Yells Leet, I nearly fall over in shock. "Ah sorry, it's just- if that's true, we shouldn't talk about it here. Unless- do you have some kind of anti-surveillance power? Is that how you got rid of the snitch?"
"...Yes," I say, because... well, it's sort of true. I mean, being able to get rid of cameras probably counts, but- "why?" I finish.
"Well it's not like we're the only ones with cameras here," Uber interjects. "the entire yard is bugged to hell and back. We only come here cuz people know better than to fuck with us, but I guess that isn't a concern-"
"Oh, that is what you mean... No, my power can't deal with that. " I say, slowly, relaxed, serene almost, as though I'm not internally screaming in panic.
How fucking stupid am I? I knew that the junkyard is monitored, by the gangs, the PRT, everyone! Why did it not occur to me that they might, oh I don't know, use cameras and recorders to do so, probably surreptitiously placed around all over the fucking place, and also recording from a distance? What had I even thought the surveillance was if not that? Fuck fuck fuuuuuck this is bad. There's no way that this isn't being recorded, who knows who I might have just revealed my tinkertech duping powers to- not to mention, I'll be forever known as having worked with Uber and Leet, when I'm supposed to be a hero.
This was supposed to be a one off- or even a bait and switch. Get the tech I need, then part ways, or turn them in. But now... But, but, but maybe not? I mean, I don't know that I'm being recorded. Not for sure...
"We should meet somewhere else." Concludes Uber.
He pulls out a pen and a notebook- which I guess he just carries around? Or maybe it's part of the costume somehow- and scribbles out a time and place, bent over the paper, and I suspect using his power to make his handwriting really weird, considering that it looked like he was flailing the pen around at near random, despite what I'd later find to be a perfectly legible result. It struck me as a little paranoid, but I guess I don't have proof that the PRT wasn't recording this, and trying their hardest to tell what he wrote just based off of hand movements so they could ambush us. I guess.
He tears out the page, and hands it to me. I take the paper, and run off- Leet yells something- ah, the snitch! Right. I swap my modus mode, pick up some trash, and send the camera shooting toward them and away from me- hopefully that way it'll be to far to pick me up, though at this point maybe there's no point in hiding that Hunter-Gatherer is working with them. Ugh... I'll have to do some research on just how closely monitored that junkyard really is. Maybe they made it sound worse than it was...
I go home. I'm too wrung out from that encounter to do anything else.
I sneak into my room, unequip my costume, and read the note. It has a street name, and says to meet them at midnight, tomorrow.
It occurs to me at this point that there isn't much reason we couldn't have just left the junkyard together, and continued business away from the cameras tonight... Ah, they probably wanted time to decide amongst themselves what they wanted to do about me. Though that begs the question... what do I do about them?
[] Meet up, have Leet try and make a machine that can make grist. In exchange, you use some of the grist you get from it to dupe his tech for him.
[] Meet up, trick them. Get what you need, and try and figure out a way to turn them in as you do so.
-[] Snatch up any of their stuff that you can while you're at it!
[] Meet up, tell them you changed your mind. No need to leave them wondering, that could breed animosity.
[] Don't meet up. Hope you never meet again.
[] Write-in
AN: Okay, this one took a while. I did say not to expect consistent updates, right? I wasn't really sure how I wanted this encounter to play out, and in fact at one point had to choose between like... ten different ways it could have gone. It doesn't help that I don't really have the best idea of how I ought to write Uber and Leet. I hope they didn't come across as OOC- though the encounter was probably too brief to tell either way I guess.
But I'd supposedly been a hero for weeks now. And I hadn't done anything.
If I retreated, that would be it. Nothing more to it, my first patrol ever, nothing accomplished.
Even if I couldn't turn them in, even if I couldn't beat them in a fight, I needed to get something out of this encounter.
I glanced around, and I soon located the snitch- the camera they used for their streams. I crept just in range... and captchalogued it. After all, it wouldn't be good if my first known act as a hero was... what I was about to do.
"Greetings. You are Uber and Leet, yes?" I step out from the shadows.
They whirl around to face me, Uber pulling out his whip.
I hold up my hands in a pacifying gesture. "I am the Hunter-Gatherer. I believe our abilities could be of use to each other."
I'm... not sure what this persona I'm putting on is, exactly. I guess I'm trying to sound polite? Whatever the case, they look...
Actually, they look pretty interested. I think deep down I was hoping they would pick a fight. Expecting it even. But I should have known better. I stopped watching their streams because they were impossible to root for, but rooting against them... It made me feel like Emma. Like I was just vindictively hoping for them to fuck up, for my own amusement. It made me feel like a bully.
Not to say they don't deserve that treatment, they do, but I knew better than most what it felt like to be hated by everyone. They probably don't have anyone beside each other to rely on. In my case, it lead to paranoia. But not everyone is me, I should have figured there was a chance that cooperation would be instantly snapped up.
For a brief, feverish second, I consider suggesting that I actually join their group. It would be such a horrid idea on every level, from logically to morally, and they probably wouldn't even have me considering my disinterest in video games. But I do still have the thought, and it leaves me feeling weird and gross for a second before I snap back to focus, realizing they'd been staring at me for like half a minute now while I've just been standing here psychoanalyzing them like a lunatic.
Then, Leet notices the lack of the snitch.
"Shit, where the fuck is the camera?!" he asks, failing utterly to keep his cool.
"Safely stored away. Don't worry, it will be returned at the end of this interaction. I simply don't want to be seen on the stream. "
They relax at that. A little. Still, it seems their guards have been raised.
"So," says Uber, "what do you want with us?"
"A trade. I need a... machine, made. In exchange, I can... probably... duplicate some of your technology for you."
They glance at each other. Their faces are obscured by weird golden masks, so I'm not sure what they're communicating by just looking at each other, but I decide to go on.
"My power requires certain materials. You can build anything, yes? I need a machine that... produces them. Or lets me make them in some other way. In exchange, I could... duplicate some of your tinkertech for you. You can only make things once, yes? I can help you skirt around that, a little."
"Shit!" Yells Leet, I nearly fall over in shock. "Ah sorry, it's just- if that's true, we shouldn't talk about it here. Unless- do you have some kind of anti-surveillance power? Is that how you got rid of the snitch?"
"...Yes," I say, because... well, it's sort of true. I mean, being able to get rid of cameras probably counts, but- "why?" I finish.
"Well it's not like we're the only ones with cameras here," Uber interjects. "the entire yard is bugged to hell and back. We only come here cuz people know better than to fuck with us, but I guess that isn't a concern-"
"Oh, that is what you mean... No, my power can't deal with that. " I say, slowly, relaxed, serene almost, as though I'm not internally screaming in panic.
How fucking stupid am I? I knew that the junkyard is monitored, by the gangs, the PRT, everyone! Why did it not occur to me that they might, oh I don't know, use cameras and recorders to do so, probably surreptitiously placed around all over the fucking place, and also recording from a distance? What had I even thought the surveillance was if not that? Fuck fuck fuuuuuck this is bad. There's no way that this isn't being recorded, who knows who I might have just revealed my tinkertech duping powers to- not to mention, I'll be forever known as having worked with Uber and Leet, when I'm supposed to be a hero.
This was supposed to be a one off- or even a bait and switch. Get the tech I need, then part ways, or turn them in. But now... But, but, but maybe not? I mean, I don't know that I'm being recorded. Not for sure...
"We should meet somewhere else." Concludes Uber.
He pulls out a pen and a notebook- which I guess he just carries around? Or maybe it's part of the costume somehow- and scribbles out a time and place, bent over the paper, and I suspect using his power to make his handwriting really weird, considering that it looked like he was flailing the pen around at near random, despite what I'd later find to be a perfectly legible result. It struck me as a little paranoid, but I guess I don't have proof that the PRT wasn't recording this, and trying their hardest to tell what he wrote just based off of hand movements so they could ambush us. I guess.
He tears out the page, and hands it to me. I take the paper, and run off- Leet yells something- ah, the snitch! Right. I swap my modus mode, pick up some trash, and send the camera shooting toward them and away from me- hopefully that way it'll be to far to pick me up, though at this point maybe there's no point in hiding that Hunter-Gatherer is working with them. Ugh... I'll have to do some research on just how closely monitored that junkyard really is. Maybe they made it sound worse than it was...
I go home. I'm too wrung out from that encounter to do anything else.
I sneak into my room, unequip my costume, and read the note. It has a street name, and says to meet them at midnight, tomorrow.
It occurs to me at this point that there isn't much reason we couldn't have just left the junkyard together, and continued business away from the cameras tonight... Ah, they probably wanted time to decide amongst themselves what they wanted to do about me. Though that begs the question... what do I do about them?
[] Meet up, have Leet try and make a machine that can make grist. In exchange, you use some of the grist you get from it to dupe his tech for him.
[] Meet up, trick them. Get what you need, and try and figure out a way to turn them in as you do so.
-[] Snatch up any of their stuff that you can while you're at it!
[] Meet up, tell them you changed your mind. No need to leave them wondering, that could breed animosity.
[] Don't meet up. Hope you never meet again.
[] Write-in
AN: Okay, this one took a while. I did say not to expect consistent updates, right? I wasn't really sure how I wanted this encounter to play out, and in fact at one point had to choose between like... ten different ways it could have gone. It doesn't help that I don't really have the best idea of how I ought to write Uber and Leet. I hope they didn't come across as OOC- though the encounter was probably too brief to tell either way I guess.
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