Plans. I has dem.
* Blood Crucible's father as an AV. This is exactly what I've been waiting for to advance BC's story again. It's a bit of a wait, but it'll be worth it.
* Jefallen as an AV. I've wanted to bring back Vagz' arch-enemy for a long time, but have never really managed to make it happen. Now I can. And with whatever random brain-washed minions I want, too.
* Nemesis in Cimerora. Current story element for Will.
* Rikti in Cimerora. ...nah, that'd just be mean. :)
* Styrm as an AV. This'd mostly be just for me since E's story is pretty much at a stand-still. Anyone who wants to pummel the guy would be invited, of course.
Showing posts with label Team 2.0. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Team 2.0. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Sunday, December 21, 2008
EVAC vs. the Night Widow
Sometimes, certain moments in-game will speak to me, and story will write itself in my head. This is one of those moments.
To set the stage: E.VAC (illusion control/radiation emission controller) is on a Statesman Task Force. The mission is to defeat the real security chief in order to gain access to Dr. Aeon's lab. There are a lot of Arachnos forces along the way.
As far as the game was concerned, E was trading mental blows with a Night Widow. He was using Blind, Spectral Wounds, and Power Blast. She was using her smoke grenade and mind blasts. Then E's Phantom Army, finished with their previous target, came over and finished her off.
E gritted his teeth, sending darts of mind-numbing pain into the Widow's head. She sent back psionic bolts of her own, sending twitches and convulsions through the hero's body with each blast. E fired his gauntlet blasters in an attempt to knock her off balance. She lobbed another smoke grenade, trying to distract him, thinking the hero would lose concentration if he couldn't see.
"You know," she suddenly said, flicking the pin out of another grenade, "it doesn't have to be like this."
"Like what?" he growled, sending out another wave of pain, fueled by his own wounds.
"We don't have to fight," she tried to say between grunts of effort. "Arachnos could use someone like you. We're not so different. And Widows aren't exclusively women any more." She looked him up and down beneath the concealing helmet. "We could use... a man like you."
EVAC laughed hollowly as he squeezed off another shot from his wrists. "Sorry, lady," he said dryly, "but there's one big difference between me and you. Between me and the kinda psychics you guys recruit."
She raised an eyebrow, thinking she knew exactly what he was going to say. "Oh, yeah? What's that?" Heroes always say the same thing.
E chuckled and stood up straight, jerking a thumb back over his shoulder. "These guys," he said simply.
Her eyes widened in horror as four phantoms swarmed over her and tore her mind apart.
To set the stage: E.VAC (illusion control/radiation emission controller) is on a Statesman Task Force. The mission is to defeat the real security chief in order to gain access to Dr. Aeon's lab. There are a lot of Arachnos forces along the way.
As far as the game was concerned, E was trading mental blows with a Night Widow. He was using Blind, Spectral Wounds, and Power Blast. She was using her smoke grenade and mind blasts. Then E's Phantom Army, finished with their previous target, came over and finished her off.
E gritted his teeth, sending darts of mind-numbing pain into the Widow's head. She sent back psionic bolts of her own, sending twitches and convulsions through the hero's body with each blast. E fired his gauntlet blasters in an attempt to knock her off balance. She lobbed another smoke grenade, trying to distract him, thinking the hero would lose concentration if he couldn't see.
"You know," she suddenly said, flicking the pin out of another grenade, "it doesn't have to be like this."
"Like what?" he growled, sending out another wave of pain, fueled by his own wounds.
"We don't have to fight," she tried to say between grunts of effort. "Arachnos could use someone like you. We're not so different. And Widows aren't exclusively women any more." She looked him up and down beneath the concealing helmet. "We could use... a man like you."
EVAC laughed hollowly as he squeezed off another shot from his wrists. "Sorry, lady," he said dryly, "but there's one big difference between me and you. Between me and the kinda psychics you guys recruit."
She raised an eyebrow, thinking she knew exactly what he was going to say. "Oh, yeah? What's that?" Heroes always say the same thing.
E chuckled and stood up straight, jerking a thumb back over his shoulder. "These guys," he said simply.
Her eyes widened in horror as four phantoms swarmed over her and tore her mind apart.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Doomed Task Force
First of all, I had intended to post this sooner, but things have been busy here, and I begrudge my time at home, preferring to play instead of blog.
Fyre made excellent points in her blog. If you have not read it, go look. I'll wait.
Done? Good.
I have not played E-VAC/E.VAC in quite some time. I even had him in a coma for a while, specifically to get away from the character. There are good reasons for that and the fact that he's twice level 50 is the least of the reasons. So what are the primary reasons? Well, the first and foremost is very simple: I was tired of the RP in Team 2.0 (aka Team Angst). It had settled into a horrible and annoying little cycle:
Masonry would do something terrible. He'd revel in being evil for a bit. He'd suddenly regret it. He'd tell revised versions of what happened to people who weren't there. Those people would get righteously indignant on his behalf, believing E and Fyre were terrible people for not forgiving Masonry's "minor" faults. Fights and arguments ensued. Quiet descended. The cycle begins again.
When I heard Fyre and I were going to be invited to a Statesman Task Force that involved Masonry and was going to focus on RP, I knew no good would come of it. I don't say this to be mean to any of the players involved, but my first thought was that there was no way I would do it. My four eligible characters would be two versions of E and two versions of Vagz (Vagabond Mage and Vagabond Blade). There's no way E would team with Masonry. As for Vagz, while he tried to meddle and be helpful a while back, he washed his hands of the whole situation with Masonry's "death", even taking back the mace he had crafted special for Masonry.
I was not going to go, and looking back on it, I was not wrong. I should've refused to go in the first place.
Yes, I realize extra people were needed for there to be any hope of getting past even the first mission or two. Yes, I realize there was plot to be advanced and all. Yes, I know the people I normally team with on Sundays would've been there with or without me. Guess what? That's why I ended up going.
But I regret it.
The next time E sees Masonry, it had better be a fight to the death (E's or Masonry's, just so long as it happens). And as has already been guessed, E is none too happy with Frost, either, after hearing he's gone back to Masonry. E understands that Frost has to follow his heart, but in this case, it's a betrayal. Nothing matters more to E than his daughter and Masonry put her in harm's way. Frost is fraternizing with the enemy.
To the players involved in Sunday's TF: please don't try and put these characters together IC again without a strong, definite plan. And even then, talk it over with me first. I will not be willing to go through that again. Ever.
Fyre made excellent points in her blog. If you have not read it, go look. I'll wait.
Done? Good.
I have not played E-VAC/E.VAC in quite some time. I even had him in a coma for a while, specifically to get away from the character. There are good reasons for that and the fact that he's twice level 50 is the least of the reasons. So what are the primary reasons? Well, the first and foremost is very simple: I was tired of the RP in Team 2.0 (aka Team Angst). It had settled into a horrible and annoying little cycle:
Masonry would do something terrible. He'd revel in being evil for a bit. He'd suddenly regret it. He'd tell revised versions of what happened to people who weren't there. Those people would get righteously indignant on his behalf, believing E and Fyre were terrible people for not forgiving Masonry's "minor" faults. Fights and arguments ensued. Quiet descended. The cycle begins again.
When I heard Fyre and I were going to be invited to a Statesman Task Force that involved Masonry and was going to focus on RP, I knew no good would come of it. I don't say this to be mean to any of the players involved, but my first thought was that there was no way I would do it. My four eligible characters would be two versions of E and two versions of Vagz (Vagabond Mage and Vagabond Blade). There's no way E would team with Masonry. As for Vagz, while he tried to meddle and be helpful a while back, he washed his hands of the whole situation with Masonry's "death", even taking back the mace he had crafted special for Masonry.
I was not going to go, and looking back on it, I was not wrong. I should've refused to go in the first place.
Yes, I realize extra people were needed for there to be any hope of getting past even the first mission or two. Yes, I realize there was plot to be advanced and all. Yes, I know the people I normally team with on Sundays would've been there with or without me. Guess what? That's why I ended up going.
But I regret it.
The next time E sees Masonry, it had better be a fight to the death (E's or Masonry's, just so long as it happens). And as has already been guessed, E is none too happy with Frost, either, after hearing he's gone back to Masonry. E understands that Frost has to follow his heart, but in this case, it's a betrayal. Nothing matters more to E than his daughter and Masonry put her in harm's way. Frost is fraternizing with the enemy.
To the players involved in Sunday's TF: please don't try and put these characters together IC again without a strong, definite plan. And even then, talk it over with me first. I will not be willing to go through that again. Ever.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Rip van E
Another day, another disappointment, Dr. Nguyen thought, striding quickly up the steps of Steel Canyon Med. He nodded to the security guards and walked into the elevator. He checked over his clipboard, looking at the minor fluctuations and trying to decide which treatment to try next.
When the doors opened again, he walked down the hall, nodding again to the extra security that had been added. They recognized him by now and gave him only a cursory scan before waving him along. He walked into his office and was almost to the computer before he realized something was wrong.
A few of the monitors were squealing weakly, indicating flatline, but somehow not as loudly as they should. Sparks were flying in the room on the other side of the tempered glass window. Lights were flashing, instruments were scattered, and...
The bed was empty.
Oh, no! he thought, forcing his way through the security door as quickly as he could. He scrambled in, already trying to think of what he would tell Fyre Hex. He gawked at the bed for a minute in horror. Then he started looking around the room, under the bed, behind it...
Someone was sitting at the computer in the corner. Dr. Nguyen grabbed a tranquilizer and started to creep up on him...
...when the ghosts appeared.
The figure at the computer turned around, scratching at the beard the orderlies had let him grow and pulling the labcoat closed across his scarred chest.
"Hey, doc," Dr. Jason Pace said, smiling a bit. "How long have I been out?"
When the doors opened again, he walked down the hall, nodding again to the extra security that had been added. They recognized him by now and gave him only a cursory scan before waving him along. He walked into his office and was almost to the computer before he realized something was wrong.
A few of the monitors were squealing weakly, indicating flatline, but somehow not as loudly as they should. Sparks were flying in the room on the other side of the tempered glass window. Lights were flashing, instruments were scattered, and...
The bed was empty.
Oh, no! he thought, forcing his way through the security door as quickly as he could. He scrambled in, already trying to think of what he would tell Fyre Hex. He gawked at the bed for a minute in horror. Then he started looking around the room, under the bed, behind it...
Someone was sitting at the computer in the corner. Dr. Nguyen grabbed a tranquilizer and started to creep up on him...
...when the ghosts appeared.
The figure at the computer turned around, scratching at the beard the orderlies had let him grow and pulling the labcoat closed across his scarred chest.
"Hey, doc," Dr. Jason Pace said, smiling a bit. "How long have I been out?"
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Prognosis: Not Good
Dr. Nguyen slammed down his clipboard and buried his face in his hands. He sighed loudly and moved to massage his temples. He looked down at the clipboard. He looked up at the machines. He looked over at the computer. They all said the same thing they did the day before. They all gave the same information.
But what the hell does it mean? he thought, and not for the first time.
Dr. Pace was still alive. But for the second day in a row, his brain activity dropped to almost undetectable levels. If it was like the day before, when everyone panicked, it'd last for an hour or two... and then shoot right back up.
But what the hell does it mean?
But what the hell does it mean? he thought, and not for the first time.
Dr. Pace was still alive. But for the second day in a row, his brain activity dropped to almost undetectable levels. If it was like the day before, when everyone panicked, it'd last for an hour or two... and then shoot right back up.
But what the hell does it mean?
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Times Gone Past
One of the many faceplants Team Angst had against Infernal. E-VAC face-down in a pool of blood.
E-VAC (Kit's containment suit, still in Longbow) & Keen Frost (when the piston boots were new).
E-VAC (heavy operations armor) and Fyre Hex. Before Team Angst.
E-VAC & Masonry during the winter event. Also, see above.
Team 1.0 having just rescued Statesman.Friday, July 13, 2007
More Incidents at Steel Canyon Med
Dr. Scott Nguyen walked down the deserted corridor toward the lab and containment unit. It was very late, but he hadn't been able to sleep. A new idea had struck him, and he knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he ran the models on it. It wasn't terribly unusual for him to stay late at the lab, but going back at this hour? Well, at least he wouldn't be sharing the space with the rest of the team for a change. Hard to work with all those elbows bumping together.
He rounded the last corner and his shoes squeaked on the freshly-mopped floor as he skidded to a halt. There were figures in the hallway. Three of about average size, but on had to be at least seven to eight feet tall. And all four of them were glowing like dying flourescent bulbs.
It's one thing to see them on the security cameras, the doctor thought to himself, swallowing hard. It's quite another to see real ghosts standing guard outside the room. He steeled himself and continued walking. Nothing to be afraid of. Just figments. They haven't hurt anyone.
Dr. Nguyen looked up at the tall, faceless figure as he stopped in front of the door. "H-hi... umm... Doppleganger, isn't it?" As he had heard, the four figures didn't react to him except to stand and stare. Silently threatening. Panic started building in the doctor, and he began to sweat. "I'm just going to run another model," he found himself telling the ghosts as he fumbled his security code. "We're going to help Dr. Pace. Really."
Finally, he managed to get the door open and get inside. He breathed a sigh and flicked on the lights, fighting the panic and fear that seemed to come across him in waves. Just ghosts, he kept telling himself. Nothing to worry about...
He turned to power up the computer and picked up a tray of instruments, intending to draw some blood. He turned back around and the instruments clattered, crashed, and shattered across the floor.
The ghosts had surrounded him, the largest one standing firmly between the doctor and his patient. The three smaller ones glared, pounding their fists into their hands. The largest... well, without a face, it was hard to be sure, but the fear and panic took over. Dr. Nguyen found himself trying to make a run for it. Icy shards shot past his head. A flaming sword clipped his shoulder, setting his lab coat aflame. Bolts of pure energy slammed into his lower back, sending him flying into the hallway, his head hitting the wall with a crack.
* * * * * * * * * *
The next day, Dr. Nguyen found himself a patient in his own hospital. He was treated for a concussion and bruised ribs. When he finally managed to talk his way out of bed, he put back on his lab coat (odd that it was unmarked since he was sure he'd been burned). He stalked through the hallways to his office and began making phone calls to M.A.G.I.
"Yes, I know you can't give me her home number," he barked at the far-too-patient voice on the other end. "Just give a message to Obsydian Fyre or Fyre Hex or whatever she's calling herself now. I think there's a couple things she forgot to tell me about her friend."
He rounded the last corner and his shoes squeaked on the freshly-mopped floor as he skidded to a halt. There were figures in the hallway. Three of about average size, but on had to be at least seven to eight feet tall. And all four of them were glowing like dying flourescent bulbs.
It's one thing to see them on the security cameras, the doctor thought to himself, swallowing hard. It's quite another to see real ghosts standing guard outside the room. He steeled himself and continued walking. Nothing to be afraid of. Just figments. They haven't hurt anyone.
Dr. Nguyen looked up at the tall, faceless figure as he stopped in front of the door. "H-hi... umm... Doppleganger, isn't it?" As he had heard, the four figures didn't react to him except to stand and stare. Silently threatening. Panic started building in the doctor, and he began to sweat. "I'm just going to run another model," he found himself telling the ghosts as he fumbled his security code. "We're going to help Dr. Pace. Really."
Finally, he managed to get the door open and get inside. He breathed a sigh and flicked on the lights, fighting the panic and fear that seemed to come across him in waves. Just ghosts, he kept telling himself. Nothing to worry about...
He turned to power up the computer and picked up a tray of instruments, intending to draw some blood. He turned back around and the instruments clattered, crashed, and shattered across the floor.
The ghosts had surrounded him, the largest one standing firmly between the doctor and his patient. The three smaller ones glared, pounding their fists into their hands. The largest... well, without a face, it was hard to be sure, but the fear and panic took over. Dr. Nguyen found himself trying to make a run for it. Icy shards shot past his head. A flaming sword clipped his shoulder, setting his lab coat aflame. Bolts of pure energy slammed into his lower back, sending him flying into the hallway, his head hitting the wall with a crack.
* * * * * * * * * *
The next day, Dr. Nguyen found himself a patient in his own hospital. He was treated for a concussion and bruised ribs. When he finally managed to talk his way out of bed, he put back on his lab coat (odd that it was unmarked since he was sure he'd been burned). He stalked through the hallways to his office and began making phone calls to M.A.G.I.
"Yes, I know you can't give me her home number," he barked at the far-too-patient voice on the other end. "Just give a message to Obsydian Fyre or Fyre Hex or whatever she's calling herself now. I think there's a couple things she forgot to tell me about her friend."
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Feelings
They say that coma patients can still hear. Brain-scans and such have provided evidence, and so doctors will often encourage their friends and family to talk to them as if they're sitting there not in a coma.
Well, a fat lot of good that does me. The radiation had already taken most of my natural hearing before the coma. I'd guess it's gotten worse, but then I'm in no condition to take a hearing test. And my team wasn't thoughtful enough to put my helmet on with its built-in amplifiers. So here I lie, physically deaf in my comatose state. Prisoner of my body.
...I wonder if it's like this for elderly coma patients? "Grandma, if you can hear me... we love you very much and want you to know we're taking care of your house." "What? Put my hearing aids back in, stupid kid!"
But I've got an edge on granny. I'm an empath. Able to sense the emotions, feelings, and moods of people around me. Before I was in this stupid coma, if I was "open", nobody could sneak up on me. Everyone's always feeling something. Well... almost everyone. And certain people... well, I can feel certain people a mile away.
Okay, that's an exaggeration, but only on the range.
I can tell when Mason is in the room. Sometimes I can sense him in the hall. Usually the first thing I feel from him is the fear. Fear is a more complex emotion than most give it credit for. Nathan brings the whole fear package to the table. Fear of loss. Fear of mortality. Fear of inadequacy. Fear of... "what's out there". There's love in there, too. Tainted and made tentative by the fear, unfortunately, but it's there. Friendship love and bonded love. Not blushing teenage "romantic" love. Thank God. 'Cause I don't think I could take sensing that in my current state.
And the anger. Always seething just below the surface or kept in check by the love and the fear. But it's there. Like a pulsing heartbeat or a low bass rumble. Orange and hot.
Have I ever mentioned describing what an emotion feels like to a non-empath is like trying to describe "red" to a person blind from birth?
Oh, speaking of red... Fyre... Alexandra... I can feel her the moment she enters the building. She is a complex bouquet of emotional states. She'd probably be really irritated if she knew I was sensing her like this. She never did like my mental powers. But since I can't see, hear, or touch her... well, this is the only sense I've really got left to me. And I'll be damned if I'm going to endure this... this prison without being able to sense her. I love her and there's nothing I can do about it but take in her emotional states as they flicker and dance around me and picture her as she sits there.
You know, I bet she talks to me a little. Probably not much, though. I'd try to guess what she was talking about based on her emotional state, but... well, she might be talking as she goes through her feelings, but she might not. She might just be sitting there thinking about stuff.
She's as fiery beneath the surface as she is above it, you know. Flickering from anger to fear, love to irritation, worry to hate. Being around her, even in this state... it's intoxicating. Like... the empathic version of a Michael Bay film. So much going on. So much to take in.
But she's rarely in the room alone. I mean, physically she probably is alone with me a lot. But Fyre is never really alone. Like sulfur in the nostrils, I can sense the demon that plagues her. Sometimes strong, sometimes distant. But he's almost always there.
And then there are the times where I'm alone. Especially at night. If I strain, I can feel the sickness in the floors above me. The fear. And it starts to get to me, you know? This whole... I can't see, I can't hear, I can't move thing. I can't stand it. Sometimes I just want to let go. Get it over with. Move on or whatever. But I can't. There's some... barrier. I'm not done in this life? There's something more for me to do? But what? I mean, what the hell can I do for anybody in this condition? Why can't I wake up? Why am I stuck in this useless shell? Let me out! Help me! Somebody! I'm trapped in here! God, why can't I wake up!?
...breathe, Jason... breathe...
I'm scared. And in my more lucid moments, I remember that my fear brings out the ghosts. Probably scaring the socks off some hapless janitor. Or getting in the way of my team as they try to work. Geez, I hope they know what the dead guys are all about. Fyre must've explained it to them by now. Yeah, she wouldn't forget.
Fyre... heh. I probably flood the room when she's around or I'm thinking about her. If anybody knew I was down here, my room would probably be declared the most romantic spot in Paragon. It's hard for me to broadcast in this condition but some feelings are too strong to contain. I wonder if she feels it? My empathic equivalent of hugs, roses, and soft music. Maybe she doesn't recognize it as coming from me. No way to really tell since I can't ask her.
If only I was strong enough to do more than perfume the air with my emotions. Give Nathan a phantom hot-foot or something. He wouldn't recognize it for what it was, though. Too distracted. I mean, it's good he's thinking about somebody else. He needs that. Spends entirely too much time thinking about himself, and that's when he gets in trouble.
Maybe Frosty is the one I need to give the hot-foot to. Then Mas would jump up and do something about it.
Oh, I can feel her coming again... my fiery angel... my love and my comfort... Fyre... Fyre, I want out of here... can't you tell I'm trapped in here? You've got to get me out! Fix me! Let me live or let me die! I want out! Anybody!? Help me!
S.O.S... Help me... somebody...
(("One", Metallica, And Justice For All))
Well, a fat lot of good that does me. The radiation had already taken most of my natural hearing before the coma. I'd guess it's gotten worse, but then I'm in no condition to take a hearing test. And my team wasn't thoughtful enough to put my helmet on with its built-in amplifiers. So here I lie, physically deaf in my comatose state. Prisoner of my body.
...I wonder if it's like this for elderly coma patients? "Grandma, if you can hear me... we love you very much and want you to know we're taking care of your house." "What? Put my hearing aids back in, stupid kid!"
But I've got an edge on granny. I'm an empath. Able to sense the emotions, feelings, and moods of people around me. Before I was in this stupid coma, if I was "open", nobody could sneak up on me. Everyone's always feeling something. Well... almost everyone. And certain people... well, I can feel certain people a mile away.
Okay, that's an exaggeration, but only on the range.
I can tell when Mason is in the room. Sometimes I can sense him in the hall. Usually the first thing I feel from him is the fear. Fear is a more complex emotion than most give it credit for. Nathan brings the whole fear package to the table. Fear of loss. Fear of mortality. Fear of inadequacy. Fear of... "what's out there". There's love in there, too. Tainted and made tentative by the fear, unfortunately, but it's there. Friendship love and bonded love. Not blushing teenage "romantic" love. Thank God. 'Cause I don't think I could take sensing that in my current state.
And the anger. Always seething just below the surface or kept in check by the love and the fear. But it's there. Like a pulsing heartbeat or a low bass rumble. Orange and hot.
Have I ever mentioned describing what an emotion feels like to a non-empath is like trying to describe "red" to a person blind from birth?
Oh, speaking of red... Fyre... Alexandra... I can feel her the moment she enters the building. She is a complex bouquet of emotional states. She'd probably be really irritated if she knew I was sensing her like this. She never did like my mental powers. But since I can't see, hear, or touch her... well, this is the only sense I've really got left to me. And I'll be damned if I'm going to endure this... this prison without being able to sense her. I love her and there's nothing I can do about it but take in her emotional states as they flicker and dance around me and picture her as she sits there.
You know, I bet she talks to me a little. Probably not much, though. I'd try to guess what she was talking about based on her emotional state, but... well, she might be talking as she goes through her feelings, but she might not. She might just be sitting there thinking about stuff.
She's as fiery beneath the surface as she is above it, you know. Flickering from anger to fear, love to irritation, worry to hate. Being around her, even in this state... it's intoxicating. Like... the empathic version of a Michael Bay film. So much going on. So much to take in.
But she's rarely in the room alone. I mean, physically she probably is alone with me a lot. But Fyre is never really alone. Like sulfur in the nostrils, I can sense the demon that plagues her. Sometimes strong, sometimes distant. But he's almost always there.
And then there are the times where I'm alone. Especially at night. If I strain, I can feel the sickness in the floors above me. The fear. And it starts to get to me, you know? This whole... I can't see, I can't hear, I can't move thing. I can't stand it. Sometimes I just want to let go. Get it over with. Move on or whatever. But I can't. There's some... barrier. I'm not done in this life? There's something more for me to do? But what? I mean, what the hell can I do for anybody in this condition? Why can't I wake up? Why am I stuck in this useless shell? Let me out! Help me! Somebody! I'm trapped in here! God, why can't I wake up!?
...breathe, Jason... breathe...
I'm scared. And in my more lucid moments, I remember that my fear brings out the ghosts. Probably scaring the socks off some hapless janitor. Or getting in the way of my team as they try to work. Geez, I hope they know what the dead guys are all about. Fyre must've explained it to them by now. Yeah, she wouldn't forget.
Fyre... heh. I probably flood the room when she's around or I'm thinking about her. If anybody knew I was down here, my room would probably be declared the most romantic spot in Paragon. It's hard for me to broadcast in this condition but some feelings are too strong to contain. I wonder if she feels it? My empathic equivalent of hugs, roses, and soft music. Maybe she doesn't recognize it as coming from me. No way to really tell since I can't ask her.
If only I was strong enough to do more than perfume the air with my emotions. Give Nathan a phantom hot-foot or something. He wouldn't recognize it for what it was, though. Too distracted. I mean, it's good he's thinking about somebody else. He needs that. Spends entirely too much time thinking about himself, and that's when he gets in trouble.
Maybe Frosty is the one I need to give the hot-foot to. Then Mas would jump up and do something about it.
Oh, I can feel her coming again... my fiery angel... my love and my comfort... Fyre... Fyre, I want out of here... can't you tell I'm trapped in here? You've got to get me out! Fix me! Let me live or let me die! I want out! Anybody!? Help me!
S.O.S... Help me... somebody...
(("One", Metallica, And Justice For All))
Monday, July 2, 2007
Unrest in Steel Canyon Med
Dr. Nguyen looked over the short older woman in front of him, a puzzled frown on his face. "I'm sorry," he said gently, "no hablo español. Do you speak English?" Or Vietnamese, he thought wryly.
The woman shook her head, but as luck would have it, Dr. Sanchez passed by down the end of the hallway. "Dr. Sanchez!" he called out. "Claudia! Can I borrow you a sec?"
The female doctor smiled and changed direction, coming over and looking between Dr. Nguyen and the woman. "Hi, Scott," she said, still smiling. "Something wrong?"
He nodded and indicated the woman. "She seems very agitated about something, but, uh... I can't understand a word she's saying. Can you help me out?"
Dr. Sanchez nodded as well and proceeded to question the woman in Spanish. The conversation was lengthy, and while Dr. Nguyen tried to follow, he caught only a word or two here and there. He did notice, though, that Dr. Sanchez went from smiling to frowning deeper and deeper.
Finally she sighed and turned to Dr. Nguyen. "Her daughter is part of the custodial staff here," she started to explain. "She came home last night screaming and crying. Her hair had turned white from shock. Apparently, she was working near your labs when suddenly she felt an overwhelming feeling of fear and helplessness without any visible source. She tried to continue her work, getting closer to the lab as she cleaned the hallway. When she reached the door of your lab, she said four apparitions appeared, one of them towering over her. She ran screaming home. She refuses to return."
Dr. Sanchez sighed. "Mrs. Echevarria came here to ask that her daughter not be fired. That she be transferred to a different section of the hospital. Or maybe another hospital entirely. But she will not come back to a haunted laboratory. Do you know what this is about, Scott?"
Dr. Nguyen stared at Mrs. Echevarria for a long minute. "No," he finally said. "But I'd better find out. Get her daughter's name and I'll see what I can do. She won't have to work that hallway again, though."
As Dr. Sanchez explained to the older woman, Dr. Nguyen continued to watch. Now what? he thought.
The woman shook her head, but as luck would have it, Dr. Sanchez passed by down the end of the hallway. "Dr. Sanchez!" he called out. "Claudia! Can I borrow you a sec?"
The female doctor smiled and changed direction, coming over and looking between Dr. Nguyen and the woman. "Hi, Scott," she said, still smiling. "Something wrong?"
He nodded and indicated the woman. "She seems very agitated about something, but, uh... I can't understand a word she's saying. Can you help me out?"
Dr. Sanchez nodded as well and proceeded to question the woman in Spanish. The conversation was lengthy, and while Dr. Nguyen tried to follow, he caught only a word or two here and there. He did notice, though, that Dr. Sanchez went from smiling to frowning deeper and deeper.
Finally she sighed and turned to Dr. Nguyen. "Her daughter is part of the custodial staff here," she started to explain. "She came home last night screaming and crying. Her hair had turned white from shock. Apparently, she was working near your labs when suddenly she felt an overwhelming feeling of fear and helplessness without any visible source. She tried to continue her work, getting closer to the lab as she cleaned the hallway. When she reached the door of your lab, she said four apparitions appeared, one of them towering over her. She ran screaming home. She refuses to return."
Dr. Sanchez sighed. "Mrs. Echevarria came here to ask that her daughter not be fired. That she be transferred to a different section of the hospital. Or maybe another hospital entirely. But she will not come back to a haunted laboratory. Do you know what this is about, Scott?"
Dr. Nguyen stared at Mrs. Echevarria for a long minute. "No," he finally said. "But I'd better find out. Get her daughter's name and I'll see what I can do. She won't have to work that hallway again, though."
As Dr. Sanchez explained to the older woman, Dr. Nguyen continued to watch. Now what? he thought.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
I was working in the lab late one night...
"...well, run it again!"
"But Dr. Pace... we've run that test twenty times already. The catalyst just isn't working any more. It hasn't for days now!"
"But why, dammit!? How on earth has the condition hit a plateau? Why am I not getting worse and why can't I get better? I want my hearing back, dammit!"
"Dr. Pace... we know, okay? The whole team has been here the entire time. And we've been working on it while you're in the field as well as while you're... um... resting."
"Blacked out, you mean. Speaking in tongues. Delivering prophecies of doom. You can say it, Dr. Nguyen. It's not like I'm... okay, it is like I'm unaware, but you've told me about it. Shown me video and such."
"Yes. And at this point, I think it's pretty safe to say the team knows as much about your condition as you do. Maybe more, even. We're all putting in overtime on this, but there's just no indication as to why you've stabilized or why your condition refuses to respond positively or negatively to anything."
"Well, run the test again."
"...all right, Dr. Pace. Give me your arm, and we'll draw some more blood."
"But Dr. Pace... we've run that test twenty times already. The catalyst just isn't working any more. It hasn't for days now!"
"But why, dammit!? How on earth has the condition hit a plateau? Why am I not getting worse and why can't I get better? I want my hearing back, dammit!"
"Dr. Pace... we know, okay? The whole team has been here the entire time. And we've been working on it while you're in the field as well as while you're... um... resting."
"Blacked out, you mean. Speaking in tongues. Delivering prophecies of doom. You can say it, Dr. Nguyen. It's not like I'm... okay, it is like I'm unaware, but you've told me about it. Shown me video and such."
"Yes. And at this point, I think it's pretty safe to say the team knows as much about your condition as you do. Maybe more, even. We're all putting in overtime on this, but there's just no indication as to why you've stabilized or why your condition refuses to respond positively or negatively to anything."
"Well, run the test again."
"...all right, Dr. Pace. Give me your arm, and we'll draw some more blood."
Monday, June 25, 2007
Styrm Update
For those who didn't make it last night, here's the key point: because the Kronos went down too fast and too easily, it could not have been Styrm at the wheel. After all, as E said IC, the thing came straight in, shot at E, and was wasted in a few minutes. There's no way Styrm was driving it.
The final confrontation with Styrm will be in the timed mission against the AV version of the Kronos. Anyone who wishes to attend, even just to watch, is invited. We will shuttle people inside and then "unteam" them if necessary.
I hope this will be tonight, but it's hard to say for sure after what happened yesterday. It might end up waiting 'til tomorrow.
EDIT (6/26/07 9:00 AM) - Due to angst beyond my control, Styrm/the Kronos Titan was not seen last night. Stay tuned, true believers. I do hope to wrap this up this week.
The final confrontation with Styrm will be in the timed mission against the AV version of the Kronos. Anyone who wishes to attend, even just to watch, is invited. We will shuttle people inside and then "unteam" them if necessary.
I hope this will be tonight, but it's hard to say for sure after what happened yesterday. It might end up waiting 'til tomorrow.
EDIT (6/26/07 9:00 AM) - Due to angst beyond my control, Styrm/the Kronos Titan was not seen last night. Stay tuned, true believers. I do hope to wrap this up this week.
Angst Force Sunday part deux
I had a plan for yesterday, and I thought it was a pretty good one. Team Angst is already on Crimson's "World Wide Red" story arc, both E and Frosty. The Kronos ambushes at mission 9, appears in mission 16, and we were on #3. Instead of our usual task force, we'll plow through the story arc, I'll use E's IC voice-over to tweak the given plot a little so that it meshes better with our own plots. The last time we fought the Kronos, it was a half-hour long grueling ordeal, so this time, I'll call out all the reserves. I'll make an OOC call just before the ambush, and an IC one for color as soon as the monster appears. Whatever team forms from the ambush will continue on through the arc. We'll get to the final mission, possibly ushering extra people in by teaming and un-teaming, beat "Styrm", and ride a triumphant high... culminating a couple missions later in E's "end". I thought it'd be a blast, a hoot, and a nice way to quit playing E for a while.
The best-laid plans of mice and men...
Instead of the Jack/Lodestar Masonry, still in tragic/abused hero mode, doing his duty in the face of adversity... Nathan shows up. Well, that's not something I'd planned on in the slightest. Yeah, I thought he'd come out to fight the Kronos, either the first time around or the second. Probably both. I didn't expect another long argument like this. Not right off the bat. I mean... after Styrm was down and before I "closed out" E, maybe, but... It's the same old argument from the last time Mason "went evil", and all I can figure is that Mason's player is back-pedalling on the "Masonry is a villain" issue and trying to drag Nathan back to hero stuff. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed for E. There have been too many chances, too many betrayals, and threats to his daughter are unforgivable. Nathan leaves. E, recognizing the torn feeling in Frost, tells him there'd be no hard feelings if Frost wanted to go with Mason. He means it, but Frost decides to stay with E and Scarlette.
So here I was thrown off the plan already. Okay, we've lost Masonry. And apparently Mason's player isn't going to offer us a replacement character, either. Well, that'll slow us down, but... I guess Mas has something prepped, so we'll continue on.
Then Frost drops the bomb that Nathan is out because Frost asked Jack to let him out. Naturally, E completely flips out. He's completely blind-sided again by someone he trusted letting out Nathan again. The argument here was shorter, mostly because Frost doesn't seem to know what to say. So now Frost leaves.
Well, damn! We're down to two. I went and cranked back the difficulty to Rugged. Scarlette & E run a few more of the missions. Scarlette then tells E she's been in contact with someone "more powerful" than her, filling this mystery person in on what happened. Scarlette's been told she probably ought to leave town for a few days, and this person will fill in. E heads to the CIA offices that are the next mission, waits to meet Scarlette's replacement...
...and it's Fyre. I expected this. E did not. He practically falls apart in relief, unloading everything that's been happening, everything he's feeling... cut short (thankfully) by the fact that Fyre pretty much already knows what's been going on thanks to Scarlette. So E & Fyre continue on, coming at last to the mission after which the Kronos makes its first appearance.
Okay, since it was such a rough and long battle last time, we'll hit all the bases. OOC, I tipped off the Dauntless Global, the Help channel, and Futura Force. Fyre left the mission ahead of E and hit Broadcast. I give everyone a few minutes to switch characters if necessary and get into place so when the IC call goes out, they can jump into the fight and maybe the battle will last 15 minutes instead of last time's half-hour. I was worried that, like previous occasions, once the Kronos downed E, it would run off and disappear, so I tried to get everything set up just right.
I have never seen so many Decoys and Phantasms in my life. I don't know who called out the Illusion Controller High Guard, but the northwest corner of Founders was flooded with heroes and pets. Instead of fifteen minutes, I think the Kronos lasted maybe 2-3 minutes. It managed to down E with its initial alpha (which I knew it would), but the thing didn't stand a chance.
Umm... oops. I hadn't planned on that battle being so short. Or on the fact that Mas & Keen (and a few others as well?) would wait for the IC call to start traveling to the spot (which wouldn't have mattered if the Kronos had lasted as long as I'd expected). Well, crap. I'm just shooting blind here now.
It's getting late, and there's still five missions left in the arc before the final battle. So we do one more with Keen. In the middle of the mission, Fyre let's it slip that Serra left. She's not hiding deep in Fyre's mind any more. She's gone. We're in the middle of stuff, though, so it gets pushed aside for the moment. After the mission, we let Keen go off to bed, and then let Team Angst go for the night.
Maybe we'll get to finish this thing off tonight. But at this point, I'm not counting on it. The plan is already shot to hell. Better to play it by ear for the rest of the tale.
The best-laid plans of mice and men...
Instead of the Jack/Lodestar Masonry, still in tragic/abused hero mode, doing his duty in the face of adversity... Nathan shows up. Well, that's not something I'd planned on in the slightest. Yeah, I thought he'd come out to fight the Kronos, either the first time around or the second. Probably both. I didn't expect another long argument like this. Not right off the bat. I mean... after Styrm was down and before I "closed out" E, maybe, but... It's the same old argument from the last time Mason "went evil", and all I can figure is that Mason's player is back-pedalling on the "Masonry is a villain" issue and trying to drag Nathan back to hero stuff. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed for E. There have been too many chances, too many betrayals, and threats to his daughter are unforgivable. Nathan leaves. E, recognizing the torn feeling in Frost, tells him there'd be no hard feelings if Frost wanted to go with Mason. He means it, but Frost decides to stay with E and Scarlette.
So here I was thrown off the plan already. Okay, we've lost Masonry. And apparently Mason's player isn't going to offer us a replacement character, either. Well, that'll slow us down, but... I guess Mas has something prepped, so we'll continue on.
Then Frost drops the bomb that Nathan is out because Frost asked Jack to let him out. Naturally, E completely flips out. He's completely blind-sided again by someone he trusted letting out Nathan again. The argument here was shorter, mostly because Frost doesn't seem to know what to say. So now Frost leaves.
Well, damn! We're down to two. I went and cranked back the difficulty to Rugged. Scarlette & E run a few more of the missions. Scarlette then tells E she's been in contact with someone "more powerful" than her, filling this mystery person in on what happened. Scarlette's been told she probably ought to leave town for a few days, and this person will fill in. E heads to the CIA offices that are the next mission, waits to meet Scarlette's replacement...
...and it's Fyre. I expected this. E did not. He practically falls apart in relief, unloading everything that's been happening, everything he's feeling... cut short (thankfully) by the fact that Fyre pretty much already knows what's been going on thanks to Scarlette. So E & Fyre continue on, coming at last to the mission after which the Kronos makes its first appearance.
Okay, since it was such a rough and long battle last time, we'll hit all the bases. OOC, I tipped off the Dauntless Global, the Help channel, and Futura Force. Fyre left the mission ahead of E and hit Broadcast. I give everyone a few minutes to switch characters if necessary and get into place so when the IC call goes out, they can jump into the fight and maybe the battle will last 15 minutes instead of last time's half-hour. I was worried that, like previous occasions, once the Kronos downed E, it would run off and disappear, so I tried to get everything set up just right.
I have never seen so many Decoys and Phantasms in my life. I don't know who called out the Illusion Controller High Guard, but the northwest corner of Founders was flooded with heroes and pets. Instead of fifteen minutes, I think the Kronos lasted maybe 2-3 minutes. It managed to down E with its initial alpha (which I knew it would), but the thing didn't stand a chance.
Umm... oops. I hadn't planned on that battle being so short. Or on the fact that Mas & Keen (and a few others as well?) would wait for the IC call to start traveling to the spot (which wouldn't have mattered if the Kronos had lasted as long as I'd expected). Well, crap. I'm just shooting blind here now.
It's getting late, and there's still five missions left in the arc before the final battle. So we do one more with Keen. In the middle of the mission, Fyre let's it slip that Serra left. She's not hiding deep in Fyre's mind any more. She's gone. We're in the middle of stuff, though, so it gets pushed aside for the moment. After the mission, we let Keen go off to bed, and then let Team Angst go for the night.
Maybe we'll get to finish this thing off tonight. But at this point, I'm not counting on it. The plan is already shot to hell. Better to play it by ear for the rest of the tale.
Friday, June 22, 2007
The Angst Continues
I thought after our blogged discussions yesterday that we'd be re-starting T3 over on Guardian, so I started out by making space over there. Deleted Sapphire Death, my Ninjas/Trick Arrow mastermind. He had a halfway interesting look, and he was how I learned I can solo an MM pretty easily if I have to, but since Ryu is Ninjas as well (and SD was only level 6), no need to keep both. Then I logged in Eryx the Hunter, my AR/Traps corruptor and one of the leaders of the VG Fyre and I put together eons ago. I figured since odds were the other three had a good half-hour to an hour on me, they'd already have their characters prepped, maybe even up to level 4 or so. I'd hand out the invites and then go set up Ryu.
Except my GFriends list showed that Keen Frost, Masonry Redux, and Scarlette Blade were on. And to make things weirder (to me, anyway), Scarlette was on a team of 7 and Keen & Mas were each solo. So, after 10-15 minutes of sending tells around trying to figure out what we were doing, I ended up on E. :)
As was probably fairly obvious to the rest of the team, E is miserable. He hasn't seen Fyre in days. He hasn't seen his daughter in months. The guy he thought was his best friend is now evil, and his few other friends are all going through some seriously bad times of their own. He gets ambushed by Malta at least three times a day, and he knows Styrm's out there still. He's in a lot of pain, and the degeneration is spreading.
And he feels like he has no one to talk to about it. He's feeling like a burden on his remaining friends, like they're all thinking "yeah, we know you're dying, now shut up and get on with it already". And in the back of his head is the idea that he drove Fyre away. He doesn't believe that consciously, but the subconscious can often be louder than the logical mind. And as he mentioned to the team last night, he's starting to think that even if a "cure" can be found, he wouldn't want to live. Not with his physical condition and his situation the way they are.
On top of that, the research at Steel Canyon Med seems to have stalled now that the radiation has stabilized. The team can't figure out what's happened, but it looks like everything they're trying now, including things that had an effect before, is doing nothing. Something very odd is going on, and no one seems to have an explanation for it.
Well, Keen and Mason had to leave after a couple missions, and since we're porting T3 over to Guardian, Fyre and I decide to re-use the slots on Virtue and create a new duo. We've been talking about some new story ideas for a while now, and since we had opportunity and motive, we decided to go ahead and give it a try. More on that later, though.
Except my GFriends list showed that Keen Frost, Masonry Redux, and Scarlette Blade were on. And to make things weirder (to me, anyway), Scarlette was on a team of 7 and Keen & Mas were each solo. So, after 10-15 minutes of sending tells around trying to figure out what we were doing, I ended up on E. :)
As was probably fairly obvious to the rest of the team, E is miserable. He hasn't seen Fyre in days. He hasn't seen his daughter in months. The guy he thought was his best friend is now evil, and his few other friends are all going through some seriously bad times of their own. He gets ambushed by Malta at least three times a day, and he knows Styrm's out there still. He's in a lot of pain, and the degeneration is spreading.
And he feels like he has no one to talk to about it. He's feeling like a burden on his remaining friends, like they're all thinking "yeah, we know you're dying, now shut up and get on with it already". And in the back of his head is the idea that he drove Fyre away. He doesn't believe that consciously, but the subconscious can often be louder than the logical mind. And as he mentioned to the team last night, he's starting to think that even if a "cure" can be found, he wouldn't want to live. Not with his physical condition and his situation the way they are.
On top of that, the research at Steel Canyon Med seems to have stalled now that the radiation has stabilized. The team can't figure out what's happened, but it looks like everything they're trying now, including things that had an effect before, is doing nothing. Something very odd is going on, and no one seems to have an explanation for it.
Well, Keen and Mason had to leave after a couple missions, and since we're porting T3 over to Guardian, Fyre and I decide to re-use the slots on Virtue and create a new duo. We've been talking about some new story ideas for a while now, and since we had opportunity and motive, we decided to go ahead and give it a try. More on that later, though.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Jason's Dream
The dream is always the same. I have it every time I close my eyes. Ever since the night Nathan turned.
The chapel is made of stone. Indecipherable runes that are still somehow menacing in their meaning cover the walls. Torches and fire flicker everywhere. An altar with a summoning portal mounted on the wall behind it. Demons everywhere. And him. Styrm. Standing at the altar. Waiting. A smug look on his face.
All around me, my friends and allies are dead. The Futura Force is there. Blood, Em, Kit, Red, Scott, Thad... even StarWyng. Bodies torn apart and burned. Bloodshot is trying to pull together, but some demon keeps tearing him back apart. Blood everywhere. Keen Frost, a charred skeleton, icicles still clinging to his bones. Fyre Hex... lying on the floor... her eyes open and staring... but lifeless... like the old woman...
And me. I'm alive, but have no strength left. My body has melted out from under me. I can see... hear... smell... but I cannot move. Cannot summon my powers.
And then they walk into the room. Nathan, dressed in browns with dark hair, and Lodestar, wearing the same face, but dressed in blue with snow-white hair. Nathan is carrying Jennifer. She is struggling weakly, and I hear bones popping and snapping as he holds her tighter. Jack... Lodestar just shakes his head, trailing behind Nathan, doing nothing but disapproving.
The demons are violating the corpses of my friends. Breaking... burning... eating... playing... all for my benefit as they look to be sure I'm watching.
And Nathan passes the broken form of my daughter to Styrm. Styrm grins that vile, simpering grin he uses... and fires a quantum cannon through Nathan and Lodestar. They die with a surprised look on their re-united face.
Styrm raises the knife... and a demon begins to peel the skin off of my back...
...and I wake up. Screaming. Hurting. Bleeding.
The dream is always the same. I have it every time I close my eyes. Ever since the night Nathan turned.
The chapel is made of stone. Indecipherable runes that are still somehow menacing in their meaning cover the walls. Torches and fire flicker everywhere. An altar with a summoning portal mounted on the wall behind it. Demons everywhere. And him. Styrm. Standing at the altar. Waiting. A smug look on his face.
All around me, my friends and allies are dead. The Futura Force is there. Blood, Em, Kit, Red, Scott, Thad... even StarWyng. Bodies torn apart and burned. Bloodshot is trying to pull together, but some demon keeps tearing him back apart. Blood everywhere. Keen Frost, a charred skeleton, icicles still clinging to his bones. Fyre Hex... lying on the floor... her eyes open and staring... but lifeless... like the old woman...
And me. I'm alive, but have no strength left. My body has melted out from under me. I can see... hear... smell... but I cannot move. Cannot summon my powers.
And then they walk into the room. Nathan, dressed in browns with dark hair, and Lodestar, wearing the same face, but dressed in blue with snow-white hair. Nathan is carrying Jennifer. She is struggling weakly, and I hear bones popping and snapping as he holds her tighter. Jack... Lodestar just shakes his head, trailing behind Nathan, doing nothing but disapproving.
The demons are violating the corpses of my friends. Breaking... burning... eating... playing... all for my benefit as they look to be sure I'm watching.
And Nathan passes the broken form of my daughter to Styrm. Styrm grins that vile, simpering grin he uses... and fires a quantum cannon through Nathan and Lodestar. They die with a surprised look on their re-united face.
Styrm raises the knife... and a demon begins to peel the skin off of my back...
...and I wake up. Screaming. Hurting. Bleeding.
The dream is always the same. I have it every time I close my eyes. Ever since the night Nathan turned.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The End?
Well... um... wow. Okay.
If you read Masonry's blog, you've already got a pretty darn good idea of what happened last night. Styrm had spent the better part of the day banging on the inside of my skull, demanding screen time. I gave in and wrote the previous post here, but that didn't placate him. He wanted to talk to the heroes again. Oh, all right...
Well, Styrm knows the weak link is going to be Mason. He's prone to anger, talks too much, and hates (depending on the day) one or two of his teammates. Ask a couple questions, make a couple offers, add in a couple threats, call it a night with the information Mason's bound to let slip.
Neither I (the player) nor Styrm expected what happened last night. E certainly didn't. Masonry's blog summarizes it very well, but here's the highlights: Styrm now knows Fyre most likely knows where Jen is. Masonry doesn't really care about anyone but himself. Mason is practically looking forward to E's death. If Mason knew where Jen was, Styrm would already have her. Mason has let anger, hate, pride, selfishness, and cowardice lead him down the Dark Path.
Just when E had started to think he was wrong and that Mason not only could change but would... Mason turned evil.
We've talked about how sometimes the characters will do things we don't expect. We've talked about how we as the writers and players of these characters can force them back into the stories we want to tell or the game we want to play. I think Masonry is one square peg who resented being forced into that round hole. He squirmed and wriggled until he finally broke free. And I don't think he's going back in.
For putting Fyre in danger and for not only saying he doesn't care about Jen but nearly proving it... E is done with Mason. For good.
Maybe it's time to solidify and start Team 3.
If you read Masonry's blog, you've already got a pretty darn good idea of what happened last night. Styrm had spent the better part of the day banging on the inside of my skull, demanding screen time. I gave in and wrote the previous post here, but that didn't placate him. He wanted to talk to the heroes again. Oh, all right...
Well, Styrm knows the weak link is going to be Mason. He's prone to anger, talks too much, and hates (depending on the day) one or two of his teammates. Ask a couple questions, make a couple offers, add in a couple threats, call it a night with the information Mason's bound to let slip.
Neither I (the player) nor Styrm expected what happened last night. E certainly didn't. Masonry's blog summarizes it very well, but here's the highlights: Styrm now knows Fyre most likely knows where Jen is. Masonry doesn't really care about anyone but himself. Mason is practically looking forward to E's death. If Mason knew where Jen was, Styrm would already have her. Mason has let anger, hate, pride, selfishness, and cowardice lead him down the Dark Path.
Just when E had started to think he was wrong and that Mason not only could change but would... Mason turned evil.
We've talked about how sometimes the characters will do things we don't expect. We've talked about how we as the writers and players of these characters can force them back into the stories we want to tell or the game we want to play. I think Masonry is one square peg who resented being forced into that round hole. He squirmed and wriggled until he finally broke free. And I don't think he's going back in.
For putting Fyre in danger and for not only saying he doesn't care about Jen but nearly proving it... E is done with Mason. For good.
Maybe it's time to solidify and start Team 3.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Somewhere in Steel Canyon...
The men, although still dressed in their black Malta Group uniforms, were unmasked, their arms bound behind their backs, kneeling in a long line. Bruises, welts, burns, and blood still bore mute witness to the beating they had received at the hands of the heroes. The man in the black trenchcoat paced up down the line, stalking back and forth like a caged tiger.
"I hand them to you on a silver platter," he spat, his hands clenching and unclenching as though eager for a throat. "You had ample time to conceal yourselves among those stupid carnival folk. Extra weapons, extra ammunition, extra body armor. You were supposed to be more than a match for half those heroes. And you couldn't even take down ONE!?"
The man in the coat took the hat from his head and flung it across the room. He paused, composed himself with a deep breath, and ran a gloved hand over his head, smoothing down his hair. He walked up to one of the Malta Gunslingers and took a pistol from his shoulder-holster. He looked it over appraisingly.
"The Malta Group is supposed to be the best in Paragon City. The most feared. Most heroes panic at even the idea they're going against you or those 'Knives' ladies."
He looked up at the Gunslinger who did not meet his gaze. "But your reputation is undeserved," he said, pointing the pistol at the other man's head and pulling the trigger. With the air of a man walking up a shopping aisle, he moved up the line, putting a bullet into each man's head.
"Incompetent." *BANG* "Sloppy." *BANG* "Incapable." *BANG* "Stupid." *BANG* "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He stopped when he realized he had emptied the clip and two remained. One of them let out an almost-imperceptible sigh of relief. "Looks like your lucky day, doesn't it?" the man with the gun sneered. "Maybe your fellows will see fit to come rescue you. Or you can work your way free of your bonds and report to your superiors."
He tossed the gun into a corner and whirled on a woman in the corner. "We're going," he barked at her. She nodded slowly, hefting her own, much more substantial gun. The two walked out of the Steel Canyon high-rise and crossed the street. A group of ruffians dressed in reds and browns waited there, many tossing fire-bombs from hand to hand. The man walked up to one wearing a demonic mask, pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket and slapped it into the Hellion's open hand. "Be thorough," the man in the coat told him.
With a shout and whooping, the Hellions descended on the building, rapidly setting it ablaze.
A young hero dressed in blues and whites landed nearby with the stagger-step of someone only recently taken to the air. He jogged up as the man in the coat pinned on his "David Nightstorm" Hero ID. "Hello, fellow hero!" the younger man announced, putting his fists to his hips. "Is it true we can earn badges by helping fight the fire?"
David turned to the hero, smiling at him in a friendly sort of way as his female companion moved around behind. "Yes, you can, young man!"
*BANG*
The hero slumped to the ground, a large hole burned through his skull. David laughed and dropped a business card marked with a simple silver crescent moon on the hero's body. "I'd see that you were buried with one, but that Vahzilok Reaper over there will probably just use you to upgrade his latest batch of zombies."
Styrm and the woman strolled up the street as she whistled tunelessly.
"Maybe I should have a word with Mr. Greene," he said to the woman. "We are running out of time."
She nodded. "The upgrades to your battle-suit are almost complete, my Lord," she said, picking off a stray Outcast.
"I hand them to you on a silver platter," he spat, his hands clenching and unclenching as though eager for a throat. "You had ample time to conceal yourselves among those stupid carnival folk. Extra weapons, extra ammunition, extra body armor. You were supposed to be more than a match for half those heroes. And you couldn't even take down ONE!?"
The man in the coat took the hat from his head and flung it across the room. He paused, composed himself with a deep breath, and ran a gloved hand over his head, smoothing down his hair. He walked up to one of the Malta Gunslingers and took a pistol from his shoulder-holster. He looked it over appraisingly.
"The Malta Group is supposed to be the best in Paragon City. The most feared. Most heroes panic at even the idea they're going against you or those 'Knives' ladies."
He looked up at the Gunslinger who did not meet his gaze. "But your reputation is undeserved," he said, pointing the pistol at the other man's head and pulling the trigger. With the air of a man walking up a shopping aisle, he moved up the line, putting a bullet into each man's head.
"Incompetent." *BANG* "Sloppy." *BANG* "Incapable." *BANG* "Stupid." *BANG* "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He stopped when he realized he had emptied the clip and two remained. One of them let out an almost-imperceptible sigh of relief. "Looks like your lucky day, doesn't it?" the man with the gun sneered. "Maybe your fellows will see fit to come rescue you. Or you can work your way free of your bonds and report to your superiors."
He tossed the gun into a corner and whirled on a woman in the corner. "We're going," he barked at her. She nodded slowly, hefting her own, much more substantial gun. The two walked out of the Steel Canyon high-rise and crossed the street. A group of ruffians dressed in reds and browns waited there, many tossing fire-bombs from hand to hand. The man walked up to one wearing a demonic mask, pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket and slapped it into the Hellion's open hand. "Be thorough," the man in the coat told him.
With a shout and whooping, the Hellions descended on the building, rapidly setting it ablaze.
A young hero dressed in blues and whites landed nearby with the stagger-step of someone only recently taken to the air. He jogged up as the man in the coat pinned on his "David Nightstorm" Hero ID. "Hello, fellow hero!" the younger man announced, putting his fists to his hips. "Is it true we can earn badges by helping fight the fire?"
David turned to the hero, smiling at him in a friendly sort of way as his female companion moved around behind. "Yes, you can, young man!"
*BANG*
The hero slumped to the ground, a large hole burned through his skull. David laughed and dropped a business card marked with a simple silver crescent moon on the hero's body. "I'd see that you were buried with one, but that Vahzilok Reaper over there will probably just use you to upgrade his latest batch of zombies."
Styrm and the woman strolled up the street as she whistled tunelessly.
"Maybe I should have a word with Mr. Greene," he said to the woman. "We are running out of time."
She nodded. "The upgrades to your battle-suit are almost complete, my Lord," she said, picking off a stray Outcast.
E-VAC's Team
Jason has put together a team that is made up entirely of young doctors. Most of them are recent graduates or have just earned their licenses. All of them have specialties in either radiation or super-powered beings. A few of them are experts in both. They are all extremely intelligent, but they also lack real-life experience. They refer to E as "Dr. Pace", although they know in the field he goes by "E-VAC".
They are all really excited to have been given the opportunity to participate. A couple of them may not seem like they really grasp the seriousness of what they're working on, even though the "subject" is their team leader. They all talk excitedly about anything they're working on. Most get even more animated when talking to another hero.
All of them are hopeful they can find a cure or at least a catalyst to slow down the degenerative process. Most of them don't honestly believe they'll do so in time. "If only we'd been able to start sooner..." is a common mantra.
They all intend to see the experiments through, however, because E is not likely to be the only one to ever go through something like this. If pressed by a hero, they may reveal that, in the event of his death, the team is authorized and prepared to continue the experiments post-mortem. And yes, Dr. Pace is not only aware, but insisted.
They are all really excited to have been given the opportunity to participate. A couple of them may not seem like they really grasp the seriousness of what they're working on, even though the "subject" is their team leader. They all talk excitedly about anything they're working on. Most get even more animated when talking to another hero.
All of them are hopeful they can find a cure or at least a catalyst to slow down the degenerative process. Most of them don't honestly believe they'll do so in time. "If only we'd been able to start sooner..." is a common mantra.
They all intend to see the experiments through, however, because E is not likely to be the only one to ever go through something like this. If pressed by a hero, they may reveal that, in the event of his death, the team is authorized and prepared to continue the experiments post-mortem. And yes, Dr. Pace is not only aware, but insisted.
E-VAC's Condition
The mutagenic radiation E's body was inundated with has been constantly changing and coursing through his body since his return to Paragon City. His blood and organs are radioactive. The radiation has been constantly damaging him internally, but his innate healing ability has been repairing the damage over and over. This is why his healing powers don't work as well as they used to: most of their energy is directed inward, keeping him alive.
His ability to heal is beginning to fail, however. It's still at work, but E's body is losing the battle with the radiation. If his condition had been known sooner (by someone who didn't want him dead, anyway), preventative measures could have been taken. Currently, it is most likely too late. There is still a chance, but it's a slim one. The damage is extensive and it is unlikely E's body will recover its ability to heal.
As of right now, the damage is most obvious in the most delicate and sensitive tissues and areas: E's hands and arms (which were already extensively damaged during the torture he endured) as well as his lungs and digestive organs (in case you were wondering why he keeps complaining about "hospital food"...). Most likely (and most feared by E), his sight and hearing will probably soon follow.
The radiation permeating his skin has left him highly sensitive, and he feels itchy at best. Most often, his hands and arms especially pain him and he often complains of an all-over burning sensation like having a bad sunburn. The more he uses his radiation powers, the more it hurts him and damages him. The less he uses them, the more chance he gives his body to repair the damage. But even that process is slowing down.
At this point, E's team is accepting any and all assistance. There are certain exceptions, people they have been told under no circumstances to accept help from. Longbow, for example, and anyone matching Styrm's description. They have already taken a number of samples and a case history from Red Pulsarion. They have been given Hope and Kit's names and descriptions and are under orders to give either one any help they require.
The damage is extensive. Some of it may be irreversable. Will he die? Again, most likely. The time-table is unclear at this point. It could be a matter of days... maybe weeks. It is not likely to be months. But neither E nor the team is giving up hope. E is, however, preparing for the worst. His affairs are in order, a will drawn up, and other legal matters have been seen to.
Just in case.
His ability to heal is beginning to fail, however. It's still at work, but E's body is losing the battle with the radiation. If his condition had been known sooner (by someone who didn't want him dead, anyway), preventative measures could have been taken. Currently, it is most likely too late. There is still a chance, but it's a slim one. The damage is extensive and it is unlikely E's body will recover its ability to heal.
As of right now, the damage is most obvious in the most delicate and sensitive tissues and areas: E's hands and arms (which were already extensively damaged during the torture he endured) as well as his lungs and digestive organs (in case you were wondering why he keeps complaining about "hospital food"...). Most likely (and most feared by E), his sight and hearing will probably soon follow.
The radiation permeating his skin has left him highly sensitive, and he feels itchy at best. Most often, his hands and arms especially pain him and he often complains of an all-over burning sensation like having a bad sunburn. The more he uses his radiation powers, the more it hurts him and damages him. The less he uses them, the more chance he gives his body to repair the damage. But even that process is slowing down.
At this point, E's team is accepting any and all assistance. There are certain exceptions, people they have been told under no circumstances to accept help from. Longbow, for example, and anyone matching Styrm's description. They have already taken a number of samples and a case history from Red Pulsarion. They have been given Hope and Kit's names and descriptions and are under orders to give either one any help they require.
The damage is extensive. Some of it may be irreversable. Will he die? Again, most likely. The time-table is unclear at this point. It could be a matter of days... maybe weeks. It is not likely to be months. But neither E nor the team is giving up hope. E is, however, preparing for the worst. His affairs are in order, a will drawn up, and other legal matters have been seen to.
Just in case.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Dear Friends,
I want to thank all of you for your generous and kind offers of help and your words of support. At first, I had thought this was something I would be better off handling alone. That's why I kept it a secret for about... a week, I think? But it quickly became apparent that this was not something easily handled. This is why I have been trying to talk to all of my friends and allies about my condition and what I am trying to do about it. All I expected was silent nods, words of concern, and then business as usual. I did not expect the offers of assistance and the words of support.
I want to re-iterate that I am not accepting my condition graciously and letting it all go. Nor is my intent to push everyone away so I can die in peace. I intend to go down fighting, possibly literally. My team is taking all donations of time, money, equipment, and... other things? and adding it to what we have already learned. Time is our enemy, but we remain hopeful.
Again, thank you all for your support, regardless of how you render it.
Yours,
Jason Pace, M.D.
aka E-VAC
((Copies of this letter are sent, via Hero Corps, to Futura Force, the Night-Watch, and Safe Havens.))
I want to re-iterate that I am not accepting my condition graciously and letting it all go. Nor is my intent to push everyone away so I can die in peace. I intend to go down fighting, possibly literally. My team is taking all donations of time, money, equipment, and... other things? and adding it to what we have already learned. Time is our enemy, but we remain hopeful.
Again, thank you all for your support, regardless of how you render it.
Yours,
Jason Pace, M.D.
aka E-VAC
((Copies of this letter are sent, via Hero Corps, to Futura Force, the Night-Watch, and Safe Havens.))
Friday, June 8, 2007
Degeneration
I want to start by saying that it's sheer coincidence that Keen Frost and E-VAC are both dying slowly. We did not get together and decide to do it at the same time, and I think he's as surprised by E as I am by Frost. Unfortunately, it means we're competing for the same spot on stage. Not actively or intentionally competing, mind you, but I gotta tell you: nothing makes me feel as foolish as hearing Keen Frost say "the radiation is killing me" only to have E come out and essentially say "me, too". Or vice-versa. We're not trying to do it, and we're both taking different tacks on it, but still...
The day before yesterday, I decided E was going to be starting on drugs. Up until then, he was trying to do without, confining himself strictly to experimenting on the radiation and injecting himself with different substances designed specifically to target the radiation. But the pain is getting worse and worse. His empathic powers don't trigger it, but every time he uses the radiation, it's new worlds of pain. So he started to take something for the pain. Naturally, my very first outing after making that announcement, I started screwing up. It was a series of total accidents, but it quickly made sense there were side-effects of the medication, making E get sloppy, lose control, lose concentration.
Let me explain how I envision E's powers actually work. RP-wise, his powers basically fall into five categories, and they don't necessarily fall where you'd expect.
Containment Suit
Power Blast: Kit apparently installed a few extra gadgets in the containment suit she built. A hidden trigger inside the gauntlets sends out pulses of energy.
Empathic
Accelerate Metabolism: E once had refined his empathic powers to where he could actually stimulate the adrenal glands directly, one of his favorite beneficial uses of his empathy. This is much harder with the radiation interfering, but he eventually learned to combine the empathic stimulation with a "squirt" of radiation, making this a "combo" power.
Blind/Spectral Wounds: E's oldest and most-used power is to use his empathy to make his victims feel pain. He either takes pain they're already feeling and amplifies it, or he makes them feel injuries they don't have.
Deceive: One of E's favorite tricks is to insert paranoia into his victim's mind. This tends to work best with villains who already have reason to distrust their companions.
Mutation: Another "combo" power, E uses his empathic powers to reach in and re-stimulate his fallen comrade. A little burst of radiation causes the process to happen more rapidly as well as invigorating the body at the same time.
Radiant Aura: Yes, I know this is a radiation power mechanically, but to me (RP-wise) it's his old empathic healing aura.
Spectral Terror: E summons up (in his words) a wad of pure fear and tosses it up in the air. Since it's just a raw emotion, the victim's minds will sometimes conjure up mental images to rationalize the sudden fear.
Haunted
Phantom Army/Phantasm: The spirits of the people E killed during his criminal career have been raised to serve as bodyguards. As spirits, they have powers they did not have in life (PA) or altered versions of the powers they used to have (Doppleganger).
Mutagenic Radiation
Accelerate Metabolism: See above.
Choking Cloud: Most the time, E is holding in the radiation his body produces. When he relaxes his control, this poisonous, mutagenic radiation leaks out into a cloud around him. In my mind, it should affect friend as well as foe, but mechanics don't allow for it.
EM Pulse: By concentrating on forcing his body to produce more radiation, but holding it in for a few minutes, E can do a quick burst, causing an electro-magnetic pulse as well as shooting out radiation in all directions.
Enervating Field, Lingering Radiation, Radiation Infection: E sort of... squirts some of the radiation from his own body at a target, coating them with a specific radiation type, generally harmful.
Mutation: See above.
Pocket Dimension
Group Invisibility: With a little effort, E can nudge friends around him part way into his pocket dimension. This causes them to be harder to see and harder to hit (yes, I slot GI for defense).
Recall Friend: E can reach through his pocket dimension, grab a friend, and yank them over near him.
Teleportation: While in L.A., E was able to go virtually anywhere he liked just by stepping through his pocket dimension. Unfortunately, the dimensional instability of Paragon City only allows him jumps of about 200 yards at a time.
Now the other four "categories" work just fine, but his radiation-based powers hurt. The radiation courses through his system and generally comes out through the marks on his hands and arms. But this is not a natural process and his body has to heal itself every time the radiation comes through his pores. This is part of why his regeneration is burning out. In addition to having to constantly repair him internally, he's also been forcing it to constantly work on him externally as well. And the more he uses his radiation, the more it builds up in his system and hurts him.
But now, rather than risk hurting the people he cares about or innocent bystanders, he's refusing any more pain medication. So last night, as people in a lot of pain often do, he went back and forth between quiet and sullen and grumpy and rude. He was more uncomfortable than he's ever been, and I tried to make it show.
And at the end of the night, he noticed his hands are bleeding again...
The day before yesterday, I decided E was going to be starting on drugs. Up until then, he was trying to do without, confining himself strictly to experimenting on the radiation and injecting himself with different substances designed specifically to target the radiation. But the pain is getting worse and worse. His empathic powers don't trigger it, but every time he uses the radiation, it's new worlds of pain. So he started to take something for the pain. Naturally, my very first outing after making that announcement, I started screwing up. It was a series of total accidents, but it quickly made sense there were side-effects of the medication, making E get sloppy, lose control, lose concentration.
Let me explain how I envision E's powers actually work. RP-wise, his powers basically fall into five categories, and they don't necessarily fall where you'd expect.
Containment Suit
Power Blast: Kit apparently installed a few extra gadgets in the containment suit she built. A hidden trigger inside the gauntlets sends out pulses of energy.
Empathic
Accelerate Metabolism: E once had refined his empathic powers to where he could actually stimulate the adrenal glands directly, one of his favorite beneficial uses of his empathy. This is much harder with the radiation interfering, but he eventually learned to combine the empathic stimulation with a "squirt" of radiation, making this a "combo" power.
Blind/Spectral Wounds: E's oldest and most-used power is to use his empathy to make his victims feel pain. He either takes pain they're already feeling and amplifies it, or he makes them feel injuries they don't have.
Deceive: One of E's favorite tricks is to insert paranoia into his victim's mind. This tends to work best with villains who already have reason to distrust their companions.
Mutation: Another "combo" power, E uses his empathic powers to reach in and re-stimulate his fallen comrade. A little burst of radiation causes the process to happen more rapidly as well as invigorating the body at the same time.
Radiant Aura: Yes, I know this is a radiation power mechanically, but to me (RP-wise) it's his old empathic healing aura.
Spectral Terror: E summons up (in his words) a wad of pure fear and tosses it up in the air. Since it's just a raw emotion, the victim's minds will sometimes conjure up mental images to rationalize the sudden fear.
Haunted
Phantom Army/Phantasm: The spirits of the people E killed during his criminal career have been raised to serve as bodyguards. As spirits, they have powers they did not have in life (PA) or altered versions of the powers they used to have (Doppleganger).
Mutagenic Radiation
Accelerate Metabolism: See above.
Choking Cloud: Most the time, E is holding in the radiation his body produces. When he relaxes his control, this poisonous, mutagenic radiation leaks out into a cloud around him. In my mind, it should affect friend as well as foe, but mechanics don't allow for it.
EM Pulse: By concentrating on forcing his body to produce more radiation, but holding it in for a few minutes, E can do a quick burst, causing an electro-magnetic pulse as well as shooting out radiation in all directions.
Enervating Field, Lingering Radiation, Radiation Infection: E sort of... squirts some of the radiation from his own body at a target, coating them with a specific radiation type, generally harmful.
Mutation: See above.
Pocket Dimension
Group Invisibility: With a little effort, E can nudge friends around him part way into his pocket dimension. This causes them to be harder to see and harder to hit (yes, I slot GI for defense).
Recall Friend: E can reach through his pocket dimension, grab a friend, and yank them over near him.
Teleportation: While in L.A., E was able to go virtually anywhere he liked just by stepping through his pocket dimension. Unfortunately, the dimensional instability of Paragon City only allows him jumps of about 200 yards at a time.
Now the other four "categories" work just fine, but his radiation-based powers hurt. The radiation courses through his system and generally comes out through the marks on his hands and arms. But this is not a natural process and his body has to heal itself every time the radiation comes through his pores. This is part of why his regeneration is burning out. In addition to having to constantly repair him internally, he's also been forcing it to constantly work on him externally as well. And the more he uses his radiation, the more it builds up in his system and hurts him.
But now, rather than risk hurting the people he cares about or innocent bystanders, he's refusing any more pain medication. So last night, as people in a lot of pain often do, he went back and forth between quiet and sullen and grumpy and rude. He was more uncomfortable than he's ever been, and I tried to make it show.
And at the end of the night, he noticed his hands are bleeding again...
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