Dr Archeville
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"... and Summers was okay with all this? I mean, she had to vet Aquaria, right?" He morphed into a reasonable copy of Headmistress Summer, holding up a magnifying glass. "Do a background check and all that? I think I read the Freedom League even vouched for her," now he looked like Captain Thunder, scratching his head, "they're okay with all this?" Something was not adding up. "Okay, so what did the audience do? Did anyone else call her out on that? I think we've got a student or two from Atlantis this year," he shifted again, now looking like Sea King, in his younger, Silver Age phase, "were any of them in the audience?"
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Heroditus' pulse was quickening, his breaths more shallow. This was far more chaotic and disorganized than he'd expected. Does Ms. Velásquez not have a plan for us? No guidance? We are all to chart our own path? That's... that's freeing, yes, but... but some structure... He set his tablet down and retrieved his waterskin with trembling hands, and took a long drink. The cool water calmed him a bit. Okay. Okay. You knew this was going to be tough. You knew this, and you came anyway. You can handle this. You are a Stylianos. You are Atlantean. Seeing his roommate enter, and be roped into conviviality with Leroy and Octo-Ben, sparked an idea. He grabbed his tablet, bowed slightly to Valeria, and made his way to the trio. He smiled an nodded politely to Ashley and Judy as he passed them; he would have done the same to Micah, had he seen him in the back. "Greetings, gentlemen." He bowed slightly to Leroy, "I have a request to make of you three, if I may. I admit I know precious little about Surface World technology -- which is rather jarring, as I am very skilled with the mechano-mysticism of Atlantis -- and would very much appreciate some help in learning my way around it. For instance," he showed his flat crystal device, "I have seen many of the students here, and some teachers, with devices which look similar to this, yet theirs appear to allow them to communicate with people far away, and access something called 'the ent-er-net.' And I have seen one student accidentally drop theirs into a fountain, and reacted as if it was irreparably damaged. What are those devices?"
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ic Extradimensional Birdwatching Club (IC)
Dr Archeville replied to Avenger Assembled's topic in Bayview
Davyd had wanted to go on the trip with nothing but the morphic molecule clothes on his back. Cold doesn't bother me, my body can adapt to any disease or poison, I'm stretchy, and I don't think I even need to eat anymore -- what do I need a tent or ropes or rations for? But Jorgensen (and Summers) insisted he bring along some basic supplies. After all, he was still learning to control his shapeshifting. And what if his powers suddenly failed him? So there he was, in gold boots, blue shorts, a gold short-sleeved tee, and a brown leather bag slung over his shoulders. Despite his minor grumbling, he was still happy and excited to be there; even Ashley couldn't darken his mood. An entirely different world, similar to but also different from Earth! So many different animals to see! They were there to focus on birds, sure, but what else would they come across? -
Learning about Surface Worlder tech -- how it's used and misused/abused -- would be in Artificer's interests; his mother works with medical tech so that'd be another point of interest for him. But he's not stealthy, is only PL 7, and the differences between Surfacer tech and Atlantean technowizardry means he's effectively at -10 on any Knowledge (Technology) checks. (Would he find himself relying on Octoman to identify the tech? Maybe!) On the other hand, he has a variety of useful abilities (Create Object, Move Object, a broad Transform), and could stunt any number of exotic effects. EDIT: With this month's pp awards, he should be able to hit PL 8 !
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Spring Break road trip from Freedom City (NJ) to Vibora Bay (FL), pulled off-course so subtly we don't realize it until Lulu starts noticing some disturbingly familiar landmarks? Horrorshow * melee combat training (powered and non) with Sun Dragon (the only other melee-er on Orange squad). * continued practicing/mastering powers, with help from Grimalkin and Miss Grue * possibly learn about uncle's ties with the Mafiya, become disappointed/disillusioned Orange Squad * we've got a metamorph, a sorceress, a psychic, a(n anti-)matter manipulator, a gravity-manipulating martial artist, and a geokinetic dragon. That's a broad range of powers! But what, if any, will our niche and/or theme be? * it's fair to say most of them have family issues. How can they help each other with that? Can they become a new family for each other, one forged by choice rather than blood? Artificer * learn more about the Surface world, especially its technologies and magics. Octoman & Thunderbird could help with former, Victoria Danger with latter. * discover self while away from conservative, tradition-bound, xenophobic Atlantis. He still loves Atlantis, but will he be able to change it, or will it change him? * show the Surface world the greatness of Atlantis, not through boasts but deeds. * combat training with Green squad. * work on ways to insure he (PL 7) is not a burden to the rest of Green squad (all PL 10). Green Squad * keep eye on unstoppable force (Octoman) vs. immovable object (Chelone). * Danger, Inc.-sponsored shenanigans? * The Two Americas: Lady Liberty & Thunderbird * Senior Project: convert one of the abandoned Atlantean outposts in the Bermuda Triangle into a Squad HQ?
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He smiled at Judy, and nodded to her protective older sister. "Hello Judy, Ashley. I am Heroditus Stylianos, of Atlantis." "... yo," he replied uncertainly to Mia. Ah, yes, she was the one who disappeared abruptly at the end of Aquaria's visit. How does she cloak herself? Some sort of light warping, perhaps. I should try to see if I can have a chat with her after this meeting. He nodded to Claude and Nick, and smiled & bowed slightly when Leroy entered. "<Greetings, Prince of Atlantis-2,>" he said in the bright, sharp tones of Atlantean, "<I trust you are well.>" Ah, he and Mis are on the same squad! Perhaps he can help introduce me. To the few in the room who could pick up electromagnetic signals, Heroditus' device was decidedly unusual. It was not intercepting or broadcasting any EM signals, or even seem to be powered on -- it looked to be just a flat pane of quartz, set into a leather border/frame. Yet he was holding and looking at it like it was a fully active tablet computer. Oh merciful Poseidon, it's him, he thought as Ben entered. He was still adjusting to Ben's... well, everything. He did manage a polite smile and nod.
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"Ah, yes, hello," a soft, bright voice replied. It was one of Claremont's Atlantean students, Heroditus Sylianos. He was wearing sandals, dark blue knee-length breeches, and a dark green short-sleeved tunic, cinched together with a tan belt and bandolier which contained numerous pouches. "This is the tech club, yes? Where students can learn about technology at their own pace? And perhaps learn things the instructors do not teach?" Such a break from established doctrine would be anathema to a conservative, tradition-minded Atlantean, but teenagers were often more rebellious, and Heroditus was considered particularly iconoclastic among his peers back under the seas. "I am quite eager to learn about Surfacer technology, how it differs from what we have back home." He grabbed a seat at the front of the class, and retrieved some sort of tablet computer from one of the larger pouches.
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Horrorshow -- Dorm Interior, 2nd Floor "Hrm? Oh, thanks! I've been wanting to watch those," he nodded, smiling. "Mom would never let me, said they were 'too violent' and a 'bad influence.' Uncle Sasha seemed to like 'em, though, would always go off to viewing parties with some of the guys he works with." Davyd completely and utterly fell for Ben's feigned indignation, and was halfway through an apology when the prank was revealed. He scowled and frowned, pulled one arm back like he was going to swat at Ben... then began to laugh, and turned his slap into a high five. "Man, you got me good! You've got to teach me how you do that so well!" Soon they were on the roof, with Micah and Pan and Claude. "Hey guys! I told my roommate about this, invited him along. Hope that's okay. Ben, this is Pan," he gestured towards the floating boy, "he & I got up to some wild stuff down in the Virgin Islands over the summer. And that's Micah," he gestured towards the guitar player, then the third one, "and this is... oh, sorry, I don't believe we've met." He extended a hand to Claude, "name's Davyd. This is Ben."
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Artificer -- Dorm Interior, 1st Floor Heroditus shifted uneasily, partly from being unaccustomed to standing in a non-buoyant environment, partly from the awkwardness of being a third wheel in Leroy & Kam's discussion. Kameron does seem wise, I shall have to remember him should I have questions. He perked up a bit at Leroy's description of Nicole, fell a bit when Kam said she'd graduated already, but perked up again at the promise of contact being made anyway. He took a long drink from his waterskin and was about to excuse himself when Kam suggested going upstairs. He bowed slightly to the secret prince, "thank you, that is very kind of you. I do hope all is in order!" And so, Kameron and Heroditus ascended the stairs and made their way to room 214, getting there just as Lulu and Benjamin did.
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"Okay, okay, so it really was that bad. But-" He paused at Ben's suggestion, felt his face, looked down to his textbook, and realized what must have happened. "Hunh. 'kay, gimme a sec." He closed his eyes and concentrated a moment. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then his features slowly started popping back out. "C'mon, c'mon..." The growing look of frustration on his face underscored how slowly it was going, so he did what any plasticine character would do: he blew on his thumb, which caused his head to hyperinflate, then settle back to normal. "So," he began nonchalantly, "Aquaria said, what, that she & the Deep Ones really are coming to eat us all? Sacrifice us to their demon-gods? Crush us, see us driven before them, and hear the lamentations of our women? Enslave us, make us toil in their oyster farms? C'mon, bro, gimme details!"
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Well excuuuse me, Mister Strix. Ain't my fault if I'm in th' dark 'about things yer so tight-lipped about, like yer vampire pappy, what he can and cain't... cain't... haint... oh... oh, hold on a sec.... Dead Head began looking through the books Strix had been perusing, both those still on the desk and the ones he'd thrown about. "So we hittin' one after th' other, or splittin' up an' hittin' both at once? If we's facin' a full-on vampire 'pocalypse, it might be best if -- no," he'd picked up one book, flipped through the pages, tossed it aside, "that ain't it -- we cover as much ground as we can. Find anyone else what's been bitten but not yet turned. Speakin' of, I think I might have a way t'help anyone we find, an' th' folks downstairs." He looked to Strix, "I've dealt with a few cases'a possession, by ghosts an' haints an' such, and was able t'exorcise 'em, drawin' out th' spirit usin' my own, like a magnet. I know this ain't the same, but I might -- might -- be able t'do somethin' similar, draw out th' necromantic infection 'fore it runs its course, or at least weaken it an' give their own systems a better chance t'fight it off. I'll need more info fer that, though, an' I'm sure I saw some account by some 'cultist who described the aura from one'a these things..."
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"That looks like more'n just a few drops there, Strix," his body had reached his head and picked it up off the ground, "but I don't see Muray's spirit swirlin' 'round, so I'll take yer word for it that he's still 'mongst th' livin'." He held his head up to the ragged space between his shoulders, and bone and meat reached out and knit back together. He turned to look at the blue figure, "uhh... hello. Nowhere Men, hunh? Well, I'm Dead Head," he extended a hand, "an' we'd be happy t'help y'all stop whoever it is what's settin' those fires. An' if ya can let us see lil' Emily, make sure she's okay, an' maybe take 'er back to 'er folks, well, we'd sure 'ppreciate it."
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I'd love to see some group activities for Green (w/ Artificer) and Orange (w/ Horrorshow), of both the "professional" (combat or powers training on school grounds) and "rebellious" (sneaking out to attend a concert or film showing) variety. (Horrorshow would love doing stuff with his squad, Artificer would be reluctant, at least initially.) Figuring out what those teams niches/themes are, and how my chars can fit into them, would also be good. Will this be the year one (or more) Squad(s) goes to Leroy's home and ousts his mother? Orange Squad goes on a roadtrip, somehow detours through Lulu's hometown, helps her confront something from her past?
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Davyd circled the boat a few times (this is amaaazing!!!) before diving down the left stairwell and in through the doorway after Adam and the crewman. Seeing he'd have less room to maneuver in, he attempted to morph back into his human form, but made the mistake of doing so while still in the air. The sudden shift in his center of gravity sent him toppling over, past his classmate and their guide, and he landed hard on his butt, between the bunk beds. And completely naked. "Well, that could've gone... ACK!" He quickly drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around them. "I must've changed out of my clothes -- because I wasn't wearing one of the school-issued outfits," he slapped his forehead, "which means the outfit I wore's still back on the tender!" He stretched one arm out to his suitcase and dragged it towards him, opened it and began rummaging through, "I know I packed one in here..."
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ic Bedlam Burning : Beauty and the Beasts
Dr Archeville replied to Tiffany Korta's topic in Bedlam City
I'll be so glad when he gets outta his 'angsty teen vampire' phase.... Dead Head gave a nonchalant shrug/nod to Merge. "Yeah, I been injured an' killed in jus' about every way ya can think of. I keep comin' back, though -- ya cain't keep a good ghoul down!" His cheesey smile quickly faded as he felt more vampire eye-shaped holes being burned into the back of his head. "So, ah, the question is, do I go in like this," he swept a hand over himself, his scuffed boots, ripped jeans, torn tee, and weathered leather jacket, "or this?" A flash of violet light briefly outlined his form, and now he appeared to be an elderly man, pale and wan, slightly hunched over, in a charcoal gray suit. "Julius C. Brownstein, had a stroke a few days ago. His obituary was in yesterday's paper. Or, how about," another flash, now a strikingly beautiful Brazilian woman in a black shapeless dress, "Adriana Silva, a plastic surgeon's nurse who was also a plastic surgery addict. After the doc refused her latest request, she tried doin' it herself." "She" peeked down the dress, "ooh, y'all do not want to see what's under here. Or, how about," another flash, and now a young African American boy, not even ten years old, in a blue suit and matching patch over his left eye, stood before them. "William Newman was in the wrong place at the wrong time during a convenience story robbery." Each change was not only physical, his voice and even scent all shifted (Strix noted an undercurrent of embalming chemicals in all three). "Hey, Merge, maybe you & I can go in together like this?" -
Viktor did know of that photo, though did not learn of it until several months after it had been taken. He liked it, but it was not his favorite. His most cherished "Mona at Oktoberfest" pic was a more candid, subdued one, taken in one of the food tents. The photo wasn't even focused on her, the focus was on the 23.5 kg (51.8 lbs.) pile of sauerkraut made from one red cabbage, the largest one grown in Germany that year. She was seated off to the side, unnoticed by the photographer at the time the picture had been taken, with a half-eaten pretzel in one hand. She had a far-off look, lost in thought, dreamy, serene. He smiled back at her, "and that's one reason I'm looking forward to it." He paused a moment, "no, nothing major left on my end. I suppose, for now, I can focus on the meeting with Phantom, and seeing to this not-so-little fuzzball," he interrupted his massage just enough to scritch Penny under the chin. ~fin~
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Horroshow -- Dorm Interior, 2nd Floor Davyd waved his roommate over, "sure, Ben, c'mon!" Then he remembered what his roommate assignment letter said about Ben's hearing, twisted his torso life taffy until his face was pointed towards Ben, and repeated his invite. He snapped back before he got outside -- he knew his parents were still getting used to the whole "superpowered son" thing, though his uncle and babusya were much cooler with it. As they worked, Ben got to learn a bit more about Davyd's family. His mother, a somewhat stoic, no-nonsense type, worked as an auto mechanic, a job she'd had since before they'd moved to America. They did that because of the Chernobyl Disaster, which was about 50 miles from their home. On the boat over to America's west coast, she met a talented musician, and they soon fell in love. Davyd's father, something of an aged hippie, still performed -- violin, sopilka (wooden flute), and buben (tambourine), and vocals -- at numerous bars and clubs, but never did it for fame, he just liked making others happy. Uncle Sasha did a lot of odd jobs for various community organizations for the Ukrainian communities in Freedom. The VW microbus they were using to carry Dayv's stuff from the family's apartment in Riverside was borrowed from a catering company, and carried a lot of distinct smells. His grandmother -- babusya, which she soon insisted Ben call her -- seemed very impressed with Ben's multidexterity, and soon coaxed from him his favorite foods and drinks. She seemed the most at ease at Claremont (with Sasha a close second), and hinted that she'd lived a long and interesting life, so nothing much fazed her. In almost no time, the microbus was emptied, the Palahniuk's said their goodbyes -- including back-slaps for Ben from Sasha, and hugs for him from Babusya -- and the two were left to their own devices. "Hey, I got an invite to go up to the roof and hang out with Micah and some others while he plays guitar. Wanna come?"
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Ben's sudden entrance startled Davyd, causing him to drop his history textbook... onto his face! When he picked it back up, his entire head was deformed, as if a heavy book-like object had fallen onto a clay sculpture. Ben could still make out his roommate's confused expression, but his flattened face gave his speech a nasal tone (which he couldn't hear) and lip-reading picked up a flat affect to his speech. "What? The Deep One speaker? What happened?" He set his book aside, sat up, and leaned forward slightly. "I know you'd been looking forward to that. Was it really that bad?"
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Stealth check for Horrorshow 1d20+8: 24 [1d20=16] Aww yiis He'll be posing as a young Li, perhaps mistaken for Lu Chu's younger brother or cousin.
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Fall 2019 -- shortly after Aquaria's speech at Claremont Claremont Dorms -- Room 213 7-ish pm Despite how much his roommate had been amped about it, Davyd Palahniuk had elected not to attend Aquaria's speech. It's not that he wasn't interested in seeing her -- a Deep One, here, on campus! Not attacking or eating anyone! -- but he already had a lot of homework to catch up on, and was happy to be able to study alone in his room for a bit. He'd never done well in history, and while Claremont's version of U.S. History courses focused more on the impact of superheroes (and supervillains) on the country, and was thus much more interesting to the native Freedomian, he still had difficulty keeping all the names and dates and whatnot right in his mind. He was lying on his bed, with his textbook on his chest, eyes closed in concentration. "Okay, let's try this again. First there was The Ghost, then Johnny Danger, then Bluesman, then Centurion, then Eldrich... wait, no," he picked up the book, "no, Eldrich then Centurion. Then-" And that's when his roommate reappeared.
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Heroditus recalled the last time he heard of Deep One "justice," and how Dalekos had interpreted (or misinterpreted?) to mean "victory." Was that what Aquaria meant? A "victory" for the Deep Ones? And if they were victors, who would be the vanquished? Bend's outburst, followed by Lulu's display, were a one-two punch to the young Atlantean. He had seen Ben's abilities before, during team exercises or randomly on campus, but it was still a somewhat disconcerting sight, made moreo in this case by his obvious anger and frustration. And Lulu's display presented a truly horrific aspect of Surfacer theology which he'd never encountered before. A part of him retreated at these experiences; he shrunk down in his seat, clutching his water skin, and repeatedly muttered something in the click-pop language of Atlantis.
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Heroditus had been somewhat interested in the concept of power armor since he'd heard of the exploits of Daedalus (named after the Daedalus who'd helped Athenians drive off Atlantean invaders some 2,300 years ago, certainly), and moreso when Devil Ray attempted to conquer Atlantis (with Lemurian artifacts) a few years ago. The convenience of incorporating so many different functions into one wearable item was tempting. And they looked really stylish! Well, Daedalus' and Devil Ray's did. Aquaria's armor... adhered to a different set of aesthetics. But the "keeps the wearer hydrated" function was one the young inventor had not considered before. Truly, this had been a very educational event! Hearing about Aquaria's Surface Human friend was unexpected, but pleasant enough. Hearing about secret torture chambers under Claremont was jarring, and he (and perhaps others) let out a sigh of relief when Headmistress Summers clarified that that was all at a different Claremont. (Parallel worlds! Astonishing! The other realms I've studied are all so vastly different from this one!) But there was one other thing she'd mentioned that was still worrying the back of his mind, a contradiction in light of what he (thought he) knew. He did not stand this time. "You said Surfacers should not worship your gods. Do you not wish to have more voices sing their songs? Would not Surfacers receive the same gifts as the Deep Ones?"
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Claremont Academy - The Play's The Thing
Dr Archeville replied to Avenger Assembled's topic in Archives
Horrorshow can help with makeup and costumes. Artificer can help with lighting and sound, or other special effects. -
Horrorshow's in!
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Heroditus had been silent a while, taking everything in. He'd almost said something at Leroy's comment (why is he trying to interpret my words?), and while Dalekos' words were laced with venom, it wasn't a bad question. Her presence here is easy enough to understand: she's trying to smooth things over between the Surface, Atlantis, and Lemuria, to foster communication and cooperation. Speaking to Atlantis would be near-impossible, in the current climate, but speaking up here, while difficult, was possible. But has she spoken to her people about these grand ideas? Do they reject her as much as the other two do? Is she an outcast among her people? Is she seeking someplace where she belongs? He shook his head. He was not accustomed to thinking on such weighty philosophical or sociological matters. He knew mechano-mysticism, techno-magic. Things he could see, hold, feel, take apart and put back together. So he pivoted his next question in that direction. He took another drink of water, stood, "that armor you wear, it appears quite unlike anything I've seen before, on a Deep One, Atlantean, or Surfacer. Could you tell us something about it? Is it of Deep One make, or from elsewhere?"