Dr Archeville
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"Though I am unfamiliar with most of your references," Heroditus replied to Benicio's spiel, "I believe I understand what you intend." He began retrieving components from the pouches of his bandoliers, small bits of wire, slivers of crystal, thin strips of rune-engraved metal. "Connecting my pad to Prince Leroy's cube should be a very simple matter, but connecting my pad to your laptop will be considerably more difficult. In part because I have no idea how your laptop functions -- which is why I came here -- and in part because your laptop does not think as a person does." As he talked he assembled some of the pieces into a short cable with clips on either end, hooked one to one corner of his pad and the other to one face of Leroy's cube. "Your laptop uses electricity, yes? To power it, and to store and transmit information? So in a way it would be like connecting two memory crystals and transferring contents from one to the other. But we would need to work out some way to translate that electricity into something closer to mental energies which my pad could receive. I know several techniques for transmuting elements, manipulating matter," he rummaged through his pockets some more, "but changing energies? That is... well, my sister does that, with her spells, so it is possible. I just need to figure out how I can do it."
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"The basics are where I need to start," he replied to Mia with a self-effacing chuckle. "There is so much I want to know, that I need to know. And if there is anything I can do to help you -- any of you," he gestured towards Ashley, Judy, and Danica -- "I would be quite pleased to do so. I am staying in room 214, just one level down and at the other end of the building." And then Maxine ran into -- or, rather, through -- him. "Oh, no, no, no need to apologize," he said with a slight bow to Maxine, "I should have been more aware of my surroundings. That was an impressive feat, though -- how do you manage that?" He saw no obvious devices on her, he'd not heard any incantations, her aura looked entirely non-magical. He then remembered a bit of etiquette that had been drilled into him, and he bowed again to her, "oh, I am sorry, that was rather forward of me. Ah, Max, was it? I am Heroditus Stylianos," he offered his hand, "from Atlantis."
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Horrorshow -- Dorm Roof "Jumpscare's a good handle," the ArachDavyd replied to Clause, "though I usually go by 'Horrorshow'." "Thanks, Pan! Yeah, been practicing over the summer." He turned daintily on his four spindly limbs, and spread his mandible-pincer wide. "Though I'd focus on speed, next I might focus on duration." He was as delighted as ever with his powers, and proud of his increased skill. He took a step back when OctoBen's question caught him a bit off-guard. "Weeellllll..." he shifted back to his human form, though the left half was hairless and had crimson skin, "the lab accident I was in, that gave me these abilities, kinda... made me part Grue. I'm still coming to terms with that, and Miss Grue's been helping me figure out just what that means. Yes, I can drop names, too," he gently nudged Benicio as heshifted fully back to human form, "also, to find out why that lab had Grue biomaterials in the first place."
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Artificer -- Dorm Interior, 2nd Floor, Room 214 Heroditus closed and opened the tube a few times, satisfied with the apparent integrity of the seals. He glanced over at Benny, noted his physique (ah, a thick shark-like neck, likely a predator... though he seems amiable enough), then he noted both desks. "Ah, it appears we have some of the same texts," he pointed to the identical books on history and technology on their desks, "perhaps that is why they placed us together, because we have similar... areas in which we need to focus on," he offered diplomatically. "I admit there is much about the Surface world I am unaware of, which is one reason I have come here. Perhaps we can assist each other in our education?"
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Davyd made a 'gimme' motion at Mia, and took a drink of the potent potable. His physiology made is near-impossible to get even buzzed from it, but he still wanted to go along with the group. "Whoof!" His head tilted, "reminds me of something I had at one of my uncle's parties." He passed the bottle back, then took a small compact from his pants pocket and checked his appearance in the tiny mirror. "He wasn't allowed to bring any more drinks. Knew a lot of good take out places, though. Ah, good, good, no smears." He glanced up at the group, "oh, yeah -- this is all makeup! And I made the outfit, too! Wanted to keep my skills up. Besides, 'no powers while off campus,' right?" He snapped the compact shut and stuffed it back in his pocket, then tuned to the house and puffed up his chest. "Let's do this!"
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Davyd's eyes widened a bit when Lulu spun the keys in front of him, then he morphed into a full woad-covered William Wallace. "Freeeeeedooommmm!" He morphed back to himself on the way to the student parking lot, and whistled appreciatively. "Cool! I can't imagine when my folks will let me drive." He slid into the front passenger's seat, "not that I'd really need to, what with the powers." He scrolled through the device, "hrm, maybe something spooky. Some horror soundtracks? The music in those movies can really make or break a scene. Wait, no," he shook his head, "they'll probably be playing that in the Halloween store, so I don't want to play something we'll probably hear again soon. Okay, something different- oh! I know!" After a few moments, some rousing pop vocals filled the vehicle, though in a language Lulu did not know. "This is Ruslana -- I think you'll like her!"
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Benicio drew Heroditus' attention, in both the "oh, great, this guy" manner and the "ah, my area of special interest" manner. Alright, yes, he is a freakish-looking motormouth, embodying many things 'wrong' with Surface Worlders, but he is a fellow member of Orange Squad, so you need to learn to get along. Besides, he seemed more upset at Aquaria's speech than anyone else, and the... discomforted by my... traditional enemy is my... ally? The Atlantean raised his hand, "I may be of some assistance, Squadmate Benicio," and with the other retrieved his tablet. "This is an Atlantean memory crystal, which can record and play back text, images, and sounds." He glanced at the tablet, and a 3d hologram of Claremont Academy appeared above it. "We use them for information storage and entertainment, since we lost most of our books and scrolls during The Sinking." A note of sadness and loss was in his voice at the end there, but it was quickly dispelled. "The most relevant aspect of them, though, is that the information is stored and retrieved by the user telepathically. And since my secondary purpose here is to figure out how to incorporate Surface Worlder technology and magic with Atlantean mechanomysticism," he offered the tablet up, "I would be both very interested in and honored to assist you in this endeavor."
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ic Extradimensional Birdwatching Club (IC)
Dr Archeville replied to Avenger Assembled's topic in Bayview
Davyd had never been camping before, and knew nothing of tents, so he volunteered to take lead on cleaning the shelters. He tried offering to take over digging duty for Ashley & Judy -- largely in an attempt to get on Ashley's good side -- but Mr. Jorgensen insisted that they stick with their assignments. It was during one such attempt that Judy presented her gift to him, which he accepted graciously. "Oh, wow! This is really good! And I love the colors! Thank you!" He immediately put it on, and shifted a few tendril-like hairs to keep a firm hold on it. "I'd heard something about you doing some knitting. If you're interested, I'm sure my babusya would be happy to give you a few lessons!" A beat. "Ah, not that I'm saying you need lessons! But, uh, ya know, if you wanted some." Sleep did not come easily to Davyd that night, as he was unused to the cacophony of nature's sounds. But eventually it did, and when it did his body reverted to a featureless crimson form, which remained just this side of humanoid. -
Heroditus had been glancing over at Mia and her laptop. He'd met her one other time, and they'd briefly discussed computers, but never followed up beyond that. Now he was wishing he had. What a fascinating device! All those components... and the lines, almost like runic engravings. But where are the crystals? Are they embedded in those tiny bits? Do they need that much protection? Does that not interfere with their energy flow? He also caught the bit about Micah wanting to work on a vehicle, both for Danica and for his own use. A mo-tor-sye-kull? What manner of conveyance is that? I should talk with him about that at the next Green Squad meeting. Leroy's display was the least interesting to him. It did catch his attention, and he was respectful of the effort the Atlantean Prince put into it, but he'd seen similar feats countless times (and done with considerable more ease). He set his tablet down on the table, went to his side, and offered him a drink from his second waterskin. "An impressive effort, Prince, I am sure your tutors are proud." His tone was respectful as ever, but had a slight undertone of one praising a child for finally writing their ABCs correctly.
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Create Object starts at [power rank] 5 ft. cubes, and Progression increases the size of the cube (10 ft., then 25, then 50, etc.). So that build would let him create one 25-ft. cube!
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Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright! Yes, Horrorshow's made up as the Lon Chaney Jr Wolf Man -- from George Waggner's The Wolf Man (1941) -- and I do mean made-up: he's just using his Disguise skill ranks and natural Charisma (Took 20, got 30). No powers!
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A mournful howl pierced the night sky. But the moon was a waxing crescent -- it had been a new moon just three nights prior -- so it couldn't be a werewolf... could it? Wait, what was that? By that tree? A figure approached, crouched, skulking. It was hard to make out in the shadows, but it had to be a person... right? Ah, but now it steps out, into the light, a jarring vision! It wears the clothes of a man -- slacks, a long-sleeved shirt with pockets on either breast -- but there the signs of civilization end. Its feet are bare, covered in fur, as are its hands, with long ragged claws. But the face... that hideous face! A low brow, pointed ears, an upturned nose, all covered in fur, framing a snarling mouth with great fangs coming up out of the jaw. Yes, it was some sort of wolf-man... in grayscale! "Hey, gang!," it said in a familiar Ukrainian-American voice. "Ooh, nice costumes!"
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Heroditus had joined Octo-Ben, Leroy, and Benny, but it looks like Benny left and joined Ashley & Judy?
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"Oh. Oh? Oh!" Davyd's reactions went from surprised confusion to elation, "yeah, just... yeah, just wait there in the hall, I'll be ready in, like, 30 seconds." He closed the door behind her. Fifteen of those seconds were spent silently freaking out over what had just happened & would be happening, bouncing about the room, and almost knocking over a few things as his limbs flailed about. Six seconds were spent calming himself down, advising himself to be cool. It took three seconds to freshen himself up, and the final six seconds were spent double checking his appearance in the mirror. When the door opened again, Davyd was in the same yellow sneaked, blue shorts, and yellow short-sleeved tee, but now his skin had a healthier, just-exfoliated glow, and his hair smelled like a freshly-washed puppy. "Okay, all ready! So, how are we getting there? Bus?"
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Davyd hesitated a moment, and looked quickly around the room. Okay, everything's like it normally is. No muted lights, no smooth jazz in the background. My desk has my textbooks on it... One arm stretched out, making a sound like a stretching balloon, and retrieved one of the books, which he opened to a random page. "Ah," he said flatly, "I can read this. Which means I'm not dreaming..." Embarrassed, his face flushed for a moment -- almost as red as his Grue-y flesh -- and he turned from her. Okay okay it's cool cool cool cool she's really here okay cool cool He turned back, his outfit morphing from pajamas to a pair of yellow sneakers, blue jeans, and a yellow tee. "Hang out at the mall? Sure! With you & Adam? Yeah! I've been meaning to go there anyway, get some ideas. I think the food court got a few new places, too."
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Horrorshow is in, yeesss
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Davyd was still asleep when Lulu came a-calling, having stayed up all night playing video games with Ben. So at the moment, Davyd didn't look like Davyd, or even remotely human. He was in a vaguely humanoid shape, blank and featureless. As her knock and voice drew out his consciousness, two eyespots and a thin line of a mouth appeared. "I've had this dream before..." he mumbled. He shifted to a seated position, and 'put on his face.' When he'd first gotten his powers, he'd remained in his original Davyd Palahniuk form when sleeping. But not long after Miss Grue helped him realize the full extent of what had happened to him -- that he was now, in effect, part Grue -- his body sometimes shifted into a nearly featureless mass of red protoplasm with a thick fleshy skin whenever he fell unconscious. Daphne had said something about it reflecting his true identity, but he wasn't sure about that; he did know he needed to get a better control over it. What if he'd reverted to that form while hanging out with friends? Or out in public? "Just a moment!" he called out. Did that sound too panicked? No, no, of course not. Not here. None of that was on his mind at the moment. What was on his mind was a dream of Lulu Beaumont, appearing at his door, alone, and with Ben conveniently gone. (He'd woken earlier and gone out for brunch.) As he got out of bed and walked towards the door, his form resolved itself into that of Davyd Palahniuk, Ukrainian-American boy, in green pajamas, blue slippers, and a Hefner-ian blue smoking jacket. He checked his appearance at the mirror they'd set on the back of the door, then opened it. "Why, hello there, Lulu." His voice was husky, and he leaned nonchalantly on the door frame. "To what do I owe the... pleasure of this visit?"
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Heroditus was taken aback by Danica's reaction (did I not put on an adequate amount of deodorant?), but tried not to show it. He was focused on Ashley's question. "Oh, no, no, no," he waved his hands in front of him, "the Stylianos family has long served Atlantis, and worked with the nobles -- as I hope to someday -- but I have barely interacted with Prince Telemachus." There was a decided note of reverence in his voice when he spoke the Prince's name. "But, this birdwatching club -- how do they travel to other realms? And do you know which ones do they visit?" I know dimensional travel is possible, but the energy requirements should be enormous, and the calculations dizzyingly complex. Do they have someone here who handles that? Or is it via some artifact? Mia found his handshake firm, and with more strength than she would have expected. Her comment on his name got a chuckle from him, "well, I feel my middle name -- Fabricus -- is more predictive of my future, but I would not be upset if my first name proved equally prescient." His eyes widened a bit when she talked about computers, "oh, that is very kind of you!" He actually bowed to her (about 45 degrees, and stepping back a few inches so his head still remained outside Danica & Mia's room), and focused wholly on her when he straightened back up, "I know frustratingly little about Surface Worlder technology, as it is so very different from what we use in Atlantis. I would greatly appreciate any help you could give me."
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Artificer -- Dorm Interior, 2nd Floor, Room 214 Heroditus winced a bit at Benny's grip, but smiled and nodded along. "I appreciate that, Benny, though- ah!" He was taken completely off-guard by Lulu's psychic illusion, but after a moment realized what she was trying to do, and allowed himself to enjoy it. He smiled at her when it was done, "that was incredible! There were some inaccuracies, yes, but I see what you were trying for," he nodded, "and appreciate the effort. Can you read images from minds as well as project into them? If so, I would be happy to show you my home. And you could share that with others." Once the door was open, he saw that his sleeping accommodations had been provided for. Instead of two beds, one against either wall, the room contained one bed along one wall, and along the other was a large horizontal metal and glass cylinder, with some machinery underneath and wheels on the bottom, connected to some tubes and pipes coming out of the wall. Benny sorta recognized it as an iron lung (he'd seen a few in hospitals, back in the old days), which is indeed what Stephanie Harcourt had started with, though this one could completely enclose whoever was inside it. On top was a sheet of paper with instructions, along with a few sticky notes on various controls, which were located both inside and outside the chamber. He approached and gave it a cursory examination, nodding satisfactorily. "Good, good, it looks like everything is in order here. Oh," he turned back to Benny, "I'm also an early riser, so that should not be an issue."
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Artificer's initiative 1d20+1: 12 [1d20=11] Dead last!
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"Tech club?" a bright voice called out from the hall. A face appeared in the doorway -- long nose, sharp cheekbones, strong jawline, with green eyes and black hair -- soon followed by the rest of its body, with broad shoulders and toned limbs. "I had heard there was one, but have yet to find information on it. Oh, ah, forgive me," he bowed slightly, "I am new here. Heroditus Stylianos, of Atlantis." He smiled at Mia, Danica, Ashley, and Judy, and offered his hand to any who would shake it, though he remained in the doorway and did not enter the room. He gave Danica a quick double-take, but tried to recover quickly. "I hope I am not intruding, ladies. I was up on the roof, trying to get a good view of the campus, and on my way back to my room overheard your discussion. One of my primary areas of study is Surface World technology, so I would be most interested in a tech club. If there's a magic club, I would be equally interested in that. Also," here a look of confusion crossed his face, "did I hear someone mention an extradimensional birdwatching club?"
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Artificer It's Mov(in)g Day! (3) Late Arrival (4) Tech Compliance (5) 3+4+5 = 12 posts = 2pp Dead Head [Titanium!] Everyone Is From Somewhere (1) Red Death Redemption (1) 1+1 = 2 posts; to... it doesn't really matter! Doktor Archeville [Titanium!] --- Horrorshow Amygdala (8) Extradimensional Birdwatching Club (7) Freaky Fraternity (3) Halloween Mall Trip (10) It's Mov(in)g Day! (2) 8+7+3+10+2 = 30 posts = 3pp Extracurricular: Vignette [1pp] 2pp from posts + 1pp from Vignette = 4pp
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Horrorshow -- Dorm Roof Dayd grinned, "so, you think you've got me figured out, Micah?" His flesh rippled, smoothly reshaping itself, even flowing over his clothes and making new ones, until he was the spitting image of Pan. "With all the superpowered craziness that goes on here, how can anyone be sure of anything?" Another ripple, and now he was Benicio's clone. "The 'one and only,' eh?" Tentacles slid in and out, at the same spots they had on Ben, "might want to get your eyes checked." Another ripple, and he matched Claude. "Ah, another sci fi fan! Heinlein's not a fave, though-" he paused at Ben's remark, managed to suppress a chuckle, "but I do have a soft spot for..." This time his change was not smooth. He doubled over as his skin split with a wet tearing sound. Two arachnid limbs spread out from each leg, and his arms shredded away to reveal a shorter chitinous limbs, lacking any sort of fine manipulator, suitable only for stabbing or slashing. His head retracted into his chest, which split open as his ribcage extended out and twisted into a powerful pincer-like mandible. Accompanying this change was a stuttering growth, and now his Arachnid form was almost ten feet long. "... you know this one, yes?" The voice was definitely Davyd's, but deeper and more grating.
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Artificer -- Dorm Interior, 2nd Floor Heroditus stared at Lulu for a moment. Such red hair... I have never seen such! Is that common among Surfacers? He blinked a few times, smiled and extended his hand to her. "Yes, Heroditus Stylianos, of Atlantis. This is my first time on the Surface World. It is very," he searched for a diplomatic word, "nice." He turned to Benny, took a quick sip from his waterskin as he waited for him to finish shaking Kameron's hand, then offered his. "Hello, I'm Heroditus. Benny, was it? I shall remember that," he nodded. "So, we are to be roommates. Have you shared a room before?"
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He really was willing to take Strix's word for it, but he was also relieved when he showed him the blissed-out Woodchuck Man. *** "... right," he muttered, hopefully low enough that only Strix would hear. "Hobo king in the sewers of a big city. Seen this a few times. Mind if I take lead?" Before receiving any sort of reply -- as he assumed Strix was not particularly interested in talking -- he approached the raggedy man. "Hello there, Mister Sewer King, Sir!" He bowed slightly, with one arm in front of him and one out to his side. "We thank you for lookin' after Miss Emily," he nodded to the girl, "and for invitin' us down to yer kingdom. My ally here," he gestured towards Strix, "tells me that you an' your Nowhere Men are lookin' to stop whoever it is what's settin' fires all over the Up Above. We'd very much like ta help ya with that, if'n you'd allow."