Geez3r

Eli chuckled, finding that little exchange pretty darn funny. But not for the reasons one might expect. "Heh. Managed to correct me without calling me 'zippy' or making a white guy crack. That'd be a first in this house. Be careful now, keep that up and people will think you're starting to fall for my unrelenting machismo, not that anyone can blame you really." joked Eli while preparing for the onslaught of a great number of things being thrown at him. "But seriously, don't do that. Jack gives me the evil eye enough with you here as is. I do not want to have to avoid stabpunches while doing my math homework."

Vera wasn’t kidding. The place was desolate. It looks like everyone just decided to pack up and leave one day. Or more likely, they were told to move at some point. Most of the structures were still standing, so it didn’t look like it was attacked. There was a good 8 inches of snow on the ground, so Sam got out of the car and decided that he should continue on foot. He really doubted he’d be able to control the car beyond this point anyway. Snow crunching under his boot, Sam made his way through the outskirts of the town, heading towards the center. He noted that there were quite a few animal tracks in the snow, so he kept a wary eye out. He didn’t really want to fight off a pack of wild animals today. Wishing he had brought a better jacket with him, Sam stepped into what was once the Soviet surplus shop after pulling a few boards off the door. It was dank and dirty, but it didn’t look like any (big) animals had gotten in, and the roof had held up pretty well. He was surprised to see that the back room was actually quite full of jackets, hats and other clothing. They really must have been in a hurry. thought Sam as he dug around in the back.

“Well that sucks.†muttered Sam as he finished the letter. He had really looked forward to continuing his talk with Vera. He looked over the directions and the contact information she had left for him as well. Trying to figure out what to do, he looked over her note again, and was disappointed to find that she didn’t let him know when she was coming back either. He debated calling her trying to figure out when she’d be back. He thought better of it though, it really did sound like she’d be very busy today. After a quick breakfast, Sam headed out. The car she had gotten him was a clunker to be sure, but it was serviceable. Sam clambered into the car, but got in on the wrong side out of habit. Sliding over the other side, Same realize to his horror, that on top of everything else, it was a stick shift. “Driving on the wrong side of the road, in the wrong side of car that barely works, with the stick on the wrong side, and I’m driving on unfamiliar, snowy roads. And to top it all off, I haven’t gotten behind the wheel of a car for the better part of 4 months. This is gonna suck.†Despite all of this however, Sam did have a laugh at the fact that he was one of the few people in the world who could literally say that it’s be faster to get out and walk (or leap in his case). Through much grinding of the gears, a few spin outs and one ditch, Sam relatively arrived in one piece at his old hometown. He had elected to go to that rather than the state controlled area, as this one was a lot closer and it had more sentimental value.

Vera eventually manages to calm Sam down again. It wasn’t necessarily what she said, did or even what she didn’t say or do; it was just the fact that she was there for him. It was just being around her. Sam couldn’t fully articulate why it happened, but Vera helped him through it. If he had to really try to describe it, she didn’t outwardly judge him, she just let him get it all out of his system. It was exactly what he needed to do. It was sort of a personal problem, and a relatively unique one at that. As corny as it sounds, admitting you have a problem really is the first step. Sam eventually wound up staying the night with Vera. No not like that; he stayed in the guest room. After his morning how, he walked into the rest of the house only to notice Vera was nowhere to be found. He did find a hastily written note on the table however. “Dear Sam, I got called into work, they’ve got a bit of an emergency down here, and I need to help them sort it all out. I pulled a few strings and got you a car for use here. This isn’t Freedom, a giant red guy leaping all over Russia will raise eyebrows, and draw attention you don’t need right now. I’ve included directions to our hometown, you probably don’t remember where it was because you were taken so young. I’ve also directions to where they took you. Both are abandoned now. I’d think it would do you good to visit them again. If you run into trouble, call me. Be careful, and good luck, Veraâ€

"Such are the great questions in life Doc." mused Eli. "I find the mechanics of the flying ships to be a little more problematic. The method of propulsion and the method of attack are the same. Hitting a hard surface would likely cause the machine to become unbalanced unless there is some other mechanism at work. Though that wouldn't necessarily make the fact that they've got to lean forward to actually go forward make anymore sense." continued Eli. "But irregardless, it's just a show, I should really just relax.... though the shortcuts they used when animating Dash bug me." added Eli in an after thought.

"" said Atlas comfortingly. He knew it was scary to not know how you suddenly got powers far beyond those of mortal men, or in this case women. "" said Atlas eager not to have his first day back be an angst-fest, he had gone through enough of that as is. "

Actually she's just there to watch Atlas in his Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini ;)

"" replied Atlas. "" said Atlas a little ruefully. Shifting his weight to the other leg and crossing his arms, he continued "" said Atlas a little tentatively. He didn't want to force the issue if she didn't want to pursue it.

Eli was immediately reminded of a stand up routine by Chris Porter: "My dad could be talking to my mom, face to face, piss her off and have no idea how it happened. Eli felt this was one of these scenarios. This was also one of the problems with super-speed, sometimes, no matter how hard you tried, something was just outside of your reach. He tried walking through the conversation over and over again. He had figured out what had caused that weird vibe, but he didn't get why. Yeah Grim was a fairy, but wasn't that like public knowledge? I mean, she turns into a pixie like daily. Did Colt not know or something? I'm so confused. thought Eli in exasperation as he looked back and forth between everyone trying to get some context clues.

In case you guys didn't pick it up, I've been listening to the Science Channel a lot recently :P

"Oh I did not mean to insinuate that humans were ignorant. Humans actually have a frighteningly powerful ability to learn and adapt. Take the example of Eunice Sanborn human for example. You do not know the name. Relatively, she has done no act to cement her place in the time line. Save one: she was born July 20, 1896 and is still alive to this very day. She was 7 years old when her parents read about an amusing prank story that somehow had made it to the front of their newspaper page "Wright Brothers fly like birds!" They had a good laugh about that incident that day. On Eunice Sanborn human's 73rd birthday Lance Armstrong human walked on the moon. It has been 41 years since that day. It is only upon reflection does Eunice Sanborn human realize how far humanity has come during her life time. Like every other human, she has never been truly overwhelmed by the changes that happen; she merely takes them on one at a time, as they come. Learning is a process that comes one step at a time, and it is a process humans rarely ever realize they excel at because it comes so intuitively to them. I came to this world knowing nothing of humanity. I will never be able to learn all there is about humanity. But I try. I know there is more to it. I know I can better my understanding. So I try. I think that is what being human is. The desire and capacity to improve one's self."

Atlas chuckled at Lady Winter's suggestion. "" said Atlas trying to put her fears to rest. "

"Yeah...." says Atlas rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "The Grue did some experiments on me, making me a Grue/human hybrid. I took to the process better than any of the other "candidates". Because the Grue are a hivemind, the Meta Mind was able to mind control me into attacking the city and leading the Invasion force. But I'm still me, I've always been me, with the exception of that one day." explained Atlas. He had come to terms with what had happened during the Invasion during his trip abroad. It felt weird to discuss it out in the open though.

Atlas didn't really know what to say to that. Sure, he knew ice was slippery, duh, but he always thought that superheroes with the ice powers didn't slip on the ice they made. Perhaps it required lots of practice that the average guy didn't see? Atlas knew that it took him a very long time to get the distances right on his leaps. And he had always braced for impact, even out of sheer instinct and habit. Maybe regeneraters were just reckless? "No it's alright. It's what we do right?" replied Atlas modestly. "Though actually I've been meaning to talk to you." continued Atlas deciding to not put it off any longer. "Nothing specifically, I just wanted to meet another Russian superhero. So, hi."

"...You just fell?" repeated Atlas, a little unsure that he had heard her right. "Were you trying to do a trick or something or...?" You heard a lot of stuff in Freedom. Heroes falling out of the sky on their way to and from a scene was rarely one of them. He didn't want to accuse her of anything because god knows there could be a half dozen different plausible explanations and a good 3 dozen implausible ones that would explain this state of affairs. "You didn't seem to be trying to save yourself either. You bullet proof or something?"

And some things never change... thought Atlas he saw his first super hero literally 30 seconds after he had been back in Freedom. He had really forgotten how many of them there were. He recognized her as Lady Winter, another Russian superhero. He had been meaning to talk to her, but things had come up and he'd been putting it off. Right now, it was getting his cat back. He hadn't taken more than 3 or 4 steps, when he heard gasps from the crowd. Turning around, he saw Lady Winter falling out of the sky. Something had to be wrong. Atlas leapt into the air, shifting from his human form to his larger form in mid air. Using a maneuver that had seen more than it's fair share of uses in Freedom City, Atlas scooped Lady Winter up, and held her close, cushioning her as much as possible. He finished his leap on one of the nearby rooftops and set Lady Winter down gently, before reverting to human form. "Are you alright? What happened up there?" he asked concerned.

It had been months since Atlas had seen this shore. His trip to Russia had been eventful to say the least, and things got pretty complicated for a while there, but he had finally gotten a handle on things. It had been a struggle, but he had come out of stronger than when he had gone in. For that he was grateful. But it was really good to finally be going home. He could sleep in his own bed, in his own house, comforted by his own cat. Stopping off at Mrs Jones' was the first order of business. As he stepped off the pier and back into Freedom City proper, he felt quite glad to be home again, and also wondering how much had really changed.

Lady Winter and Atlas meet up. Things Happen! Probably!

After that I just sort of break down. The last time I cried that much was when my parents were taken away and I was shipped off to parts unknown. Though I guess that kind of makes sense. It's whenever I'm at a crossroads in my life and don't have any idea where I'm headed. Kind of scary to know you're lost, regardless if you're 7 or 37. Truth be told I couldn't really sleep for a few weeks after the Invasion. To be betrayed by your own body, or rather have your body effectively stolen from you, I don't think it's something I'll ever truly get over. It wouldn't be as scary if I knew it couldn't happen again, but there's always that chance. I know the Grue can't do it again. When I... died.... no, no that's not right. When I killed myself, I could feel the connection to the Meta Mind snap. Now I'm not an expert on the field, but I know the Meta Mind can't reach me now. At least without coming after me personally. But there is more than one telepath on the planet, I should know, I'm one of them. I've experimented with my metal powers since I've developed them, which was immediately following the Invasion. Relatively speaking, my mental powers are quite limited. All I can do is brush aside your mental defenses and dig around for some information. I can't lift up objects with my mind, or make you do things. And the further away from me you are, the harder it is for me to do anything to you. But if I can get someone in my grasp, I can crack their minds open relatively easy. It scares me because I know the other psions don't face such restrictions and I know I couldn't stand up to my own psionic probing.

Yep. You need another one of these: :approved:

Ok, the crunch looks quite good. The fluff however has a few minor. The May 7th Gruevasion, occurred in 2010, it was the 3rd Grue Invasion. It was a thread that was just recently ended. The 2004 one was the 2nd Invasion. I don't think we've ever decided on an exact date for when that one occurred. I figured I would just clarify that point for you. When you asked about the Grue Invasion in chat, I assumed you were talking about the most recent one, forgetting that you wouldn't actually know about it.

KD, I can't make the changes you want to your Array. The Array as you have it written is a "nested array" meaning you have an Array inside of an Array. That will never, ever be approved by anyone.

Atlas +2 Enhanced Strength This will change his effective strength to the following (located under his Super-Strength in the Protean Might Array) Effective Lifting Strength 104 (Light: 7,600 tons, Medium: 15,000 tons, Heavy: 23,000 tons, Maximum: 46,000 tons, Push/Drag: 115,000 tons - Heavy Load example: ocean liner, large bridge) [b][u]Abilities:[/u][/b] 14+0+14+0+0+4=32PP Str: 24/36/44 (+7/+13/+17) Dex: 10 (+0) Con: 24/38/42 (+14/+16) Int: 10 (+0) Wis: 10 (+0) Cha: 14 (+2) [b][u]Combat:[/u][/b] 8+4=12PP Attack: +4 Base (+3 Large AltForm, +5 Small AltForm), +9 melee (+8 w/Growth, +10 w/Shrinking) Grapple: +16, +21 w/ Enhanced Strength, +29 w/Growth, +17 w/Shrinking (+11 to any with Full Super-Strength) Defense: +6 (+2 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +5 w/Growth, +7 w/Shrinking, +1 Flat-Footed Knockback: -3 (no powers), -13 w/ Powers, -18 w/Growth, - 9 w/Shrinking Initiative: +0 [u][b]Saves[/b][/u]: 0+5+8=13PP Toughness: +18/+16/+14/+7 (+16/+14/+7 Con, +2 other) (Impervious 10/0) Fortitude: +16/+14 (+16/+14 Con, +0) Reflex: +5 (+0 Dex, +5) Will: +8 (+0 Wis, +8) [u][b]Skills:[/b][/u] 72r = 18PP Diplomacy 8 (+10) Disguise 0 (+2, +32 Morph) Gather Info 8 (+10) Handle Animal 8 (+10) Intimidate 15 (+17, +15 w/Shrinking, +19 w/Growth) Knowledge: Streetwise 8 (+8) Language 1 (English, Russian [Native]) Notice 9 (+9) Sense Motive 8 (+8) Survival 7 (+7) [u][b]Feats:[/b][/u] 21PP Accurate Attack All-Out Attack Attack Focus Melee 5 Dodge Focus 4 Improved Grab Interpose Last Stand Luck 3 Power Attack Startle Takedown Attack 1 Ultimate Toughness [b][u]Powers:[/u][/b] 13+12+14+2+12+1+31+17=102PP [b]Comprehend 2[/b] (Languages; Speak/Understand Any) [4pp] [u]LINKED[/u] [b]Communication 4[/b] (Mental, 1 mile, [i]Extras:[/i] Two-Way) [8pp] * [u]AP[/u]: [b]Mind Reading 16[/b] [i]Flaws[/i]: Range 2 [Touch], Requires Grab [4pp] [u]LINKED[/u] [b]Drain Wisdom 16[/b] [i]Extras:[/i] Alternate Save (Will) [i]Flaws[/i]: Requires Grab [8pp] [b]Enhanced Strength 12[/b] [12pp] [b]Enhanced Constitution 14[/b] [14pp] [b]Immunity 2[/b] (critical hits) [2PP] [b]Protection 2[/b] [i]Extras:[/i] Impervious Toughness 10 [12pp] [b]Regeneration 1[/b] (True Resurrection 1 [1/week]) [1PP] [b] Protean Might Array 12 ([/b]24PP, [i]Feats:[/i] Alternate Power [Dynamic] 3, Dynamic 4[b])[/b] [31 pp] * [u]BED[/u]: [b]Super-Strength 11[/b] ([i]PF[/i]: Freeze Breath [Cone Snare], Shockwave) {24} Effective Lifting Strength 104 (Light: 7,600 tons, Medium: 15,000 tons, Heavy: 23,000 tons, Maximum: 46,000 tons, Push/Drag: 115,000 tons - Heavy Load example: ocean liner, large bridge) * [u]DAP[/u]: [b]Healing 11[/b] ([i]Feats:[/i] Persistent, Regrowth, [i]Extras:[/i] Total, [i]Flaws:[/i] Personal) {24} * [u]DAP[/u]: [b]Leaping 24[/b] ([/b]x100,000,000, 20 rounds[b])[/b] {24} * [u]DAP[/u]: [b]Morph 6[/b] (+30 Disguise, any form, [i]Extras:[/i] Duration [Continuous]) {24} [b]Growth 4[/b] (Large; +8 Str, +4 Con; [i]Extras[/i]: Duration/Continuous) (PF: 1 Alternate Power) [17] * [u]AP[/u]: [b]Shrinking 4[/b] (Small, +1 Attack, +1 Defense, -4 Grapple, +4 Knockback, -2 Intimidate, +4 Stealth, 3/4 Strength [Carry Capacity], [i]Feats:[/i] Normal Movement, Normal Toughness, [i]Extras:[/i] Duration [Continuous], Normal Strength) [14PP] [u][b]Drawbacks:[/b][/u] 0pp DC Block: [code]Unarmed (unpowered) ------------- 22/Toughness ------------------------- Bludgeoning Unarmed (Small/Medium size)------------ 28/Toughness--------------------------- Bludgeoning Unarmed (Large Size) --------------------- 32/Toughness -------------------------- Bludgeoning Shockwave (120ft cone) ------------------ 23/Reflex, 28 Toughness ------------- Bludgeoning Freeze Breath (120ft cone) --------------- 23/Reflex, 28/Reflex ----------------- Snare Costs: Abilities (32) + Combat (12) + Saves (13) + Skills (18) + Feats (21) + Powers (102) - Drawbacks (00) = 198/198 Power Points Sandvich'd, er, Doktor'd

Thread Achievements: Chatty Cathy: Complete a two-person thread of 100+ posts. Damn You All To Hell: Run or participate in a story where either the Sentry statue is decapitated, or the heroes find the decapitated remains. Godzilla Threshold: In the course of a battle a city block is leveled, and it's considered good that this is all that's happened. I'm One Of Sneerg's Solo Threads: Get knocked to dying three times in one thread. Like You Just Don't Care: Conduct a thread involving combat without using die rolls. Lucky Day: Burn 10 HP in a single thread. Necromancer: Revive a thread that has been stalled for at least four months. You'll Go Blind: Complete five solo threads of 10+ posts. You're In The Wrong Thread: Make a dice roll with every post in a social thread. Character Achievements: Agony Beam: Make a pun so awful it makes everyone who reads/hear it facepalm IC and OOC. Consolation Prize: Have 5 of your threads stall and never be completed. Disarmed: Lose a limb. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night: Die. But have a CMoA in the process Evil And Crazy: Have your PC go evil and crazy, albeit temporarily I'm Naked: Have 5 shirtless scenes, with at least 2 being in the same thread I Meant To Do That: Burn at least three HP on a single attack that succeeds. Just A Flesh Wound: Die and Resurrect KISS HIM/HER YOU FOOL: Kiss him/her, you fool. Little Gods: Get a character to max pp. Long-Runner: Go from PL 7 to PL 15. Ninjas Can't Catch Me: Fight while on fire Pablum Picasso: Be in on the intro threads of five new characters. Pimp My Ride: Spend 10+ PP on a single Vehicle. : Refute real-world science with comic-book science. The Hub: Get five entries on The Chart for one character. The Poopsmith: Thread with a now-banned character more than once Unlucky Day: Burn at least three HP on a single attack that fails. Vacation House: Own at least two headquarters. Villain Achievements: 50 Cent: Get critted by Orion Now Go Wash Your Hands: Defeat Doc Otaku Riding the Town Bicycle: Beat Up Fear-Master

(13:24:37) Geez3r: kay (13:24:43) Geez3r: also, there was an error on the sheet (13:25:07) Geez3r: someone hit the wrong button when adding up the point total apparently, after the edits are done, you have 123/127pp (13:25:46) Raveled blinks. (13:25:47) Raveled: YAY! (13:25:59) Raveled has... 16 skill ranks to spend! (13:26:09) Raveled: I might actually get her looking something like she should. (13:27:20) Ecalsneerg: Arrowhawk sez "Fat, sedimentary, and overly dependent on her armour"? (13:27:32) Raveled: Sedimentary? (13:27:35) ChatBot: AvengerAssembled logs into the Chat. (13:27:43) Raveled: Hey, AA. (13:27:46) AvengerAssembled: Hey all, just here momentarily. (13:28:16) ShaenTheBrain: If she was made of compressed layers of stone, what would she need armor for? (13:28:35) AvengerAssembled: To have some STYLE. (13:29:17) Raveled: AA> You should get on the STYLE patch. I hear it's pretty good these days. (13:29:27) Raveled: And you know what mainlining STYLE does to your hair. (13:29:49) Ecalsneerg: Sedimentary is a common expression also used to signify someone is like a rock (13:29:55) Ecalsneerg: i.e. grey, round and lumpy (13:29:56) Raveled: ? (13:30:06) ChatBot: Aoiroo has been logged out (Timeout). (13:30:12) Raveled: Ironclad is blond, tall, and thin. (13:30:38) AvengerAssembled: Sedentary? (13:30:47) ShaenTheBrain: Wow, Ecal. That's the best misspelling backpedal I've ever read. (13:30:53) Geez3r: heh (13:31:15) Ecalsneerg: (13:31:18) ShaenTheBrain: It was so well-executed, it made me almost believe that you didn't know that "sedentary" and "sedimentary" are in fact two distinct and different words. (13:31:31) ChatBot: Fox logs into the Chat. (13:31:39) Ecalsneerg: (13:31:45) Ecalsneerg: I know what I mean