Raveled

Staff bearer stunts Teleport 5 (Extra: Straight to the Action). Feel free to start rolling stuff, now.

The white witch's words reverberated through every building on the campus, and the maroon sorcerer's head jerked up and around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. He moved away from the teacher he was terrorizing, retreating back into the hallway. "I am the great Bearer of the Primordial Staff," he yelled, clutching the device in both hands. "Show yourself, ghost, and face my power!" He gave a scream and struck the ground with the staff; there was a flash of particolored light and when it cleared, the robed sorcerer was standing in front of Equinox. He took a look at the heroine and his eyes widened. "That's all," he sneered. "I was hoping they'd send a real hero, not some girl in a coat."

Jessica's shoulders shook as she sobbed into Blake's chest. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm crying." She wiped her eyes on her boyfriend's shirt, but the tears kept coming. "I'm so happy. Last year I met you and Mara. I should be laughing, not crying." She sniffed, the tears starting to slow down. "Oh, god. Everything's happening at once, and I'm just worn out." She was pressed up tight against Blake, and he could feel when her breathing started to slow. It wasn't long until her eyes started to droop; within minutes, she was sound asleep, her head resting against Blake's chest and her lips parted just slightly.

Jessica grew quiet for a moment, then reached up and cupped Blake's face. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips, not pressing hard but not taking her time either. She put her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him, listening to his heartbeat. "I never want to lose you," she said, her voice quiet and tone suddenly serious. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you anything had happened to me as soon as I knew." She felt tears in her eyes and turned to bury her face in Blake's shirt. "I never want you to go away. I never want this to end."

Jessica spread her legs straight-out until her full length was pressed up against Blake's. She pressed her face into the curve of his neck, inhaling the scent of his skin and his sweat, not to mention the no-small amount of her sweat that was on him after their activities. "I got that you liked it," she said, her voice muffled. Her hands stroked down Blake's shirt, tracing the ridges of muscles developing there. "Especially when you started jumping like this." She curved her hands suddenly and jabbed her boyfriend just below the ribs, which she knew -- now -- was a fairly sensitive spot.

Because it's the cool thing, and let it never be said I don't bow to peer pressure. Also lets me tinker with stuff and keep track of important things. All of these should be considered as works in progress. Character Builds I. Blue Jay II. Maelstrom III. Nexus WIP IV. The Stranger V. Network WIP VI. Pioneer WIP VII. The Hound VIII. Prism IX. Stealth Spaceship X. Corona A.) >The Nomad XI. Cassandra WIP XII. Miras A.) Raqisa's Ring XIII. Starlight XIV. Reactor WIP XV. Dream Knight WIP XVI. >Brigandine WIP XVII. Flashfire XVIII. Lexicon XIX. Flux XX. Critical XXI. Stronghold NPC Builds I. >Psychic Cop II. Nacht-Kreiger III. Hooded Menace IV. Phantasmagore A.) Europa Crystal Palace V. Toy Soldiers A.) Soldiers B.) Tanks C.) General VI. Section 13 VII. Snowball Monster VIII. Generic Tentacle Monster IX. Jolly Regina WIP X. Black Vulture WIP >Reflecting on Deflecting Oddballs I. Patriotic Power Armor II. Sorcerous Power Armor III. Mimic Power Armor IV. Psychic Power Armor V. Costumed Adventurer Power Armor VI. Gravity Controlling Power Armor VII. Powerhouse Power Armor VIII. Time Controlling Power Armor IX. Fire Controlling Power Armor X. Spider Power Armor XI. Shrinking Battlesuit

So folks in the chat have been kicking around the idea for a tech-centered team for awhile, sort of an analogue to the Midnighters. Ironclad would be a shoe-in for a team like this; most of the Lab would, in point of fact. Anyone else interested?

Jessica's expression cleared as recognition dawned. "Oh, yes! You gave Dragonfly a good spill!" She chuckled at the memory. "Well, it's good to see you getting settled in, in the city!" She pressed against Blake and grabbed the construction hat, setting it on her head at a jaunty angle. "So, apparently we have to work for dinner? Then let's get to it!"

Jessica stepped forward and shook Powerhouse's hand warmly. "Hello, Mister Powerhouse. I'm Jessica." She shook Push's hand more slowly, giving the mana long, searching look before stepping back to Blake's side. She slipped an arm around her boyfriend's waist, still watching the kinetic controller. "I think I've met you before," she said, "but I can't place your face, Mister..." She left the name hanging for Push to fill in; it wasn't often that she got a feeling of deja vu like this over a person, and she'd be lying if she claimed it didn't make her a little suspicious.

Ironclad Okaaaaay. Edits for Ironclad this month. Lots of fluff changes, so let's do those first, shall we? :arrow: Description first. Reworking how her suit looks/works, so it should look like this now. [b][u]Description[/u]:[/b] Jessica Parker is a tall, slim girl, her body build of straight line and long, lean limbs. She usually allows her wavy, strawberry-blonde hair to grow past her shoulders, before cutting it into a short crop or pixie cut. Her pale blue eyes shine with intelligence, and her thin lips curl readily into a smile. The Ironclad suit is a solid piece of green and gold metal, albeit segmented to allow full freedom of movement. While the suit generally follows Jessica’s body structure, it’s bulkier and beefier almost everywhere. It’s a necessary trade-off to fit all the sensors and machinery in a man-sized package. Jessica doesn’t wear makeup or jewelry as a rule, but she’s rarely without two specific pieces. The first is a silver ring, part of a set; Blake has the mate. The other item is a slim titanium wristband that at first glance just seems to be a digital watch. In fact it’s the ‘anchor’ or ‘beacon’ that summons the Ironclad armor from its extradmensional storage space. :arrow: History's next. The following paragraph should go at the very end. Towards the end of 2010 Jessica’s life changed quite a bit. She met a number of other heroes and expanded her social circle. Most notably she started dating Blake Salazar, better known as the hero Warlock. Her world was shaken when her grandfather passed away, but she came out of the crisis stronger and with a closer relationship with her boyfriend. At the very end of the year she survived a chemical attack underneath Jameson Airport. As a side-effect of medical treatments, she developed technopathic powers. :arrow: And now personality. Again, just put this paragraph at the end of it. Jessica is a compulsive fixer. Whether it’s machines, people, or events, when she sees that something is broken she tries to sit it to rights. On the one hand that means she tends towards optimism, and doesn’t let herself get disheartened by failure. On the other hand it means she butts into other people’s business, a habit that can range from rude to lethal. Okay, now on to actual mechanics! :arrow: Edit a Complication. [b]Responsibility:[/b] Jessica feels that she has to protect Dawes Tech and the Lab. Attacking either is a sure way to get her to show up. :arrow: Two points go into her saves, bumping her Will by 2 points. :arrow: Change the Improved Crit feat on her Drain Toughness to Slow Fade [1 minute]. :arrow: Give her Mental Quickness the Innate feat, and remove the Mutant descriptor. Turns out she's just that smart. :arrow: Give her the following Super-Sense. She can't talk to machines yet, but at least she can hear them. [b]Super-Senses 1[/b] (Radio) [1PP] :arrow: Get rid of her Normal Identity Drawback. After some consultation, it's not what I want, and next month (hopefully) it'll be inapplicable anyway. Edits done by Geez3r, but the pics you linked to are down apparently. Left them in a code box, so you have access to the URL's, even though they don't work anymore. Upload the pics to the wiki then link them here.

So, wait. You want an illusion, but not an illusion? Can you give us an example, Sand?

:P Then how about Create Object w/ Alternate Save (Will)?

Illusion (Tactile). 1PP/rank.

Clad and Warlock celebrate the New Year by making it to third base.

The maroon-robed sorcerer hunted through the halls of the building, banging open doors and smashing display cases in a vulgar display of power. He didn't know exactly where he was going, but he knew what he wanted, and in no short order he found it in one of the drawing rooms on the upper level of the building. The room itself was a wide, open space, with drawing easels set up around a central, raised platform; Most of the students had evacuated at the first sign of super-powered trouble, but an old, gangly man with a fringe of white hair was still there, throwing a protective cover over a set of geometric shapes on display. He looked up with the staff-wielder banged open the door with a blast of air and strode into the room. "Remember me, Professor Schmidt? Does this look amateurish and not worth your time?" He swung the staff in an arc and released a thump of power through the floor, making the tiles rise in a spreading wave that caught the art teacher and knocked him down. "What do you think of me now, hm?" The old man scooted away from the mad sorcerer, staring at him in terror. "What do I think of... Do I know you? Who are you?"

Jessica sat up, brushing her hands down the front of her shirt, looking at the floor. "I... I didn't say I didn't like it, Blake. I just think we might be going a little fast." She scooted over until their knees were in contact again. Her hand came up and rubbed at Blake's stomach through his shirt. "I really liked this," she said, smiling. She leaned in and kissed him again, slowly pushing her boyfriend back until they were horizontal again. "I think we can still do some things." What Jessica had in mind took most of an hour. At the end of it, the pair of teenagers were (mostly) dressed and under Blake's covers, limbs entwined. She lay there happily, facing her boyfriend, a slight smile on her face. "That... that was nice," she said, a blush touching her face again. "Didn't you think so?"

Jessica lay back on the bed, feeling a blush start behind her ears and spread over her face. This was the closest she had come to doing -- well, anything with Blake, and the fact was they could now. This was his house, and as far as she knew there wasn't anyone else there to stop them. And then Blake was leaning over her, and the heat spread down into the rest of her body, and it didn't matter so much what would happen. Her hands wandered over his back, noting the new muscles there, even as their tongues and lips wrestled against each other. She broke off suddenly, arching her neck until she was staring straight at the opposite wall. "Oh god, Blake. Oh, do you think this is going, a little too fast?"

Jessica stared at Blake, suddenly shirtless and next to her. Her lips started twitching at the corners, and suddenly she burst into laughter. The young woman collapsed onto the bed, holding her face in her hands. After a few minutes, she managed to get the laughs down to giggles. "Not like that," she said, grabbing Blake's arm and pulling him down until he was sitting next to her. "More... more kind of like this." She closed her eyes and leaned in, kissing him softly at first and upping the heat quickly.

Jessica followed Blake through the opulent rooms and up the stairs, running a hand over carefully carved wood and eying windows with plush curtains drawn. Part of her had to wonder: if she pulled those back, would she be looking out the windows of the boarded up home in Freedom City's Southside? Or would she be seeing a different world entirely? She pushed those thoughts out of her head as they finally came into Blake's room. She gave the bubbling hot tub a glance and giggled. "You keep a jacuzzi on tap all the time?" She walked around the circumference of the room, running a hand over the furniture. "Doesn't it get distracting at night? All bubble-bubble while you're trying to sleep two feet away from it?" She finished her walk near the foot of his bed and let her gaze wander over to her boyfriend, grinning at a notion that had nothing to do with hot tubs -- or, depending on how things went, maybe everything.

Jessica pressed up against Blake, returning the kiss with heat. She enjoyed being close to him, especially with the recent food filling her stomach; she began to feel a familiar spiky heat settle in her belly, and slowly begin filling her limbs and head. After an interminable time in the close embrace she pulled away, finding that at some point she'd wrapped her arms around him and practically crawled into his lap. She blushed and pulled away, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Um. It's a, a very nice house. A very big house, Blake. Why don't you show me some more of it?"

"Oh! You... taught yourself magic! That's good!" Jessica glanced around the kitchen. "I thought if you were going to build your own home from the ether or something, you would've picked something more Southwestern, not the set of Mary Poppins, but it looks good." She turned back to Blake and reached her hand over to stroke his cheek. "I am glad that you're not going to stop protecting people. Even though you know I'd totally stand by you if you wanted to." She scooted her chair around until her knees were brushing against Blake's, and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Whatever you want to do, baby. I'll be here for you."

The OOC for this thread.

The campus of Freedom City University was surprisingly green and free of snow. Several days of unseasonably warm temperatures had melted most of the powder lying on the ground, and a sharp rainstorm had whittled down the mounded snowbanks until they were barely speed-bumps. With so much green in evidence it felt much closer to spring than it was, and with the view of Liberty Park across the way the student body was considerably chattier than might otherwise be expected, after coming off Christmas break. Freedom City being the home of so many superheroes (and villains_ most of the students didn't spore more than a glance for the short, bespectacled man in the long maroon robe, striding across the commons. The staff he was carrying got a lot more looks; six feet long an apparently made of solid gold, it was covered in swirling patterns along its length. At the base was a short, wickedly pointed spike, and the head was a bulbous setting for four gems, green, red, blue, and crystal clear. The man stomped up the stairs to the campus' Fine Arts Center, a low building made mostly of red brick. He set himself before the doors and pointed the staff at the wide, double doors. There was a sudden crack of expanding air and a bright fireball, which caught the doors and blew them into the building, scattering safety glass down the hallway. The staff-wielder didn't seem too bothered by the fact that he had just destroyed two unlocked doors, striding into the building with a manic grin fixed on his face. "Professor Schmidt," he called out in a sing-song voice. "I've got a new work to show you!"

Design journal 6.15. I've been looking at redesigning my wrist blasters lately, with an eye to replacing them. The charged particle design works fine, but I'm worried that it's limited. Blasting things is pretty much all it does – if I want something more exotic, I need to improvise. I’m good at improvising, but it’s time I learned from my mistakes and prepared something. Going back through my journal, I came on a glue grenade design I put in front of the Braniac Bunch back in August. The design had the glue compound contained in a can, which detonated when it got near the target. I could fill the can with plasma and hold it in place/together with a magnetic field. A radio detonator would collapse the field and release the plasma, destroying the shell and harming the target. As a bonus, I should be able to carry around cartridges with other loads, like glue bombs, that could fit specific scenarios.

New Design Journal 18.1. I've given the matter of language a thought. It's natural division between different peoples. I'm not so idealistic as to believe that removing the language barrier will instantly bring about world peace, but it can't hurt. If nothing else, there should be a commercial market for it; companies spend mondo bucks training employees in different languages. If they could buy a few of these devices and sidestep all that training, I think they would. the design is giving me some trouble, truth be told. If it was a purely audio system, I could probably fit it into a set of ear buds, but reading would be hard without a visual component. Hm, I could make it into a glasses contraption. I already have the specs for the set I designed for Blake. No shame in using an old design as a base.