KnightDisciple

"It's more the issue of a lot of my books won't be in e-book form. Coursework is easy, though. Not like a laptop would be too heavy. Heck, I could probably juggle a couple of Crays without much trouble!" He chuckled, until Jessica brought up the looming duality of his future. He winced and fell silent, staring down at his hands. "Well for what it's worth, neither of my parents are CEOs...No, that's not relevant. Ugh." He ran a hand through his hair, nervous. "I can't do what they do, and do what I want to do, not at the same time. I mean, I'll take the classes, in case archeology has a recession and I can't get a job. But if I do get what I want? The most I'll do is some careful investment on the side. I can get all the head knowledge, but I'm not sure I'll ever have the...talent, I guess, for business leadership. I could lead a hero team, maybe, once I figure out how to not screw it up like I did Young Freedom. But business? Probably not."

Corbin sank down to the point he was just under the water as well. He didn't like the odds, even without Argo there. With Argo in the mix, it was even worse! Then Sharl blurted out a plan and was racing off before Corbin could speak. "...Blast it, Sharl. You don't need to run off." He sighed. Sharl seemed to be letting his power get to his head a bit. Which was worrisome, considering the nature of the Blue Ring. Best to get things done quickly, then, and get Sharl back to his normal self. Sighing, he closed his eyes and opened the link he had with Indira a bit more. --Indira. We've got a problem. Someone else got the Bauble. Larceny, Inc. They got mixed up, too. Worse, Argo the Ultimate Android is here. Everyone needs to get ready for a fight, ASAP. Sharl charged off instead of just letting me send you a message. Someone will need to intercept him; everyone else should probably head here directly. I'm going to observe and report. If one of them ditches the Bauble, I'm going to make a break for it.--

History is always relevant, so... 25 Know: History.

Builds forthcoming, but I'm going to include 5 Reserve Members as well. Arkansas Insect Controller. Wichita Battlesuit. Illinois, possibly a Paragon. Dakotas, I'm not sure. Minnesota, also not sure. I'll be trawling through our character threads later and linking builds that work well.

Gabriel didn't really mind the rain. The fact that he was wearing a heavy water-proof coat with a hood likely contributed, but he'd always enjoyed these gentle rains. They gave him a deep sense of peace. Assuming he wasn't busting up a budding gang fight or a half-dozen drug deals; then it was just one more thing to tune out. Right this moment, he was slowly flying along rooftops in his recently-widened patrols. He still concentrated on Southside a fair bit, but he figured that his membership in the League gave him increased responsibility to the city as a whole. And since he knew the bars around here were closing down, he was keeping an eye on things in case trouble stirred. So far it hadn't. But just as he was about to gain altitude, he notice something...off...about the man on the sidewalk below. After a few moments of focusing, Gabriel realized he looked, well, demonic. Something which immediately put him on edge and made him suspicious. That said, so far the demon-man was simply walking down the sidewalk, perhaps a bit inebriated, and about to smoke. Not necessarily healthy, but not immediately dangerous. His instinct to fight the Enemy warred with his dislike of unprovoked attacks. In the end, the latter feeling won out. So he settled for following the being on the sidewalk from the air, staying close to rooftops to perhaps stay out of sight...

On AA's suggestion, I'm thinking "Stormchaser".

....*Unprintable words*

Well, like I said, I can fluff them all fine. I'm wanting an Oddball or the like that someone could pick up. In theory this group could be used as an origin point or something similar. I do like the "fiery steed" angle, though. Hm. If I could get an element controller build that I could swap in Fire for, that might work... As for Kansas, that's what Kansas City is for! St. Louis is technically there for both Missouri and Illinois, in fact. Also, my only ideas for Kansas were "Weather/Air Controller" and "Plant Controller", and those are taken, so hey. I like most of these names, though. I especially like "Maverick". Maybe I'll make him ex-Air Force, too. "Barnstormers" has a nice ring; it also hearkens back to old-time piloting daredevils!

You do realize that Colorado, Missouri, and Texas have large portions of their area that aren't "prairie", right? I think I kinda like "Cloudbuster" for the Weather Controller. "Thunderbird" is...just a wee bit too "native-y", and while she's ethnically Native American, "culturally" she's more...mainstream, I guess? None of those feel like a good fit for luck controller. "Hotspell" has potential. "Tremor" is nice and straightforward. "Deluge"...maybe. None of the Plant Controller or Cowl ones grab me.

So, in a labor of love, I'm planning to make a Wiki entry for a new NPC Team. This team will be based in the US Midwest, with each member being based out of a major city in each state. This team will be professional, successful, powerful, etc. They won't be a joke team. I envision them spending as much time fighting natural disasters and such (tornadoes, floods, drought) as they do villains. In the future I might work up their Rogues Gallery, which will draw heavily from Flash's Rogues. That is, villains mostly about "business", so making money via robbery or more subtle means. No crazy face-murderers here, and most would be reluctant to take non-hero/police/soldier lives, or even take life at all. I've got a rough draft of the membership mapped out here: Native American, Female, US Air Force Pilot, Oklahoma City, Weather Controller. Janet Herrington, Stormchaser. Leader, Luck Control/Leader, African-American, Male, Kansas City. James Parker, Maverick. Fire Controller, Male, Dallas. Dusty Clayton, Brand. Female, Earth Controller, Denver. Jessie Peak, Stanchion. Water Controller, Female, St. Louis. Tina Evans, Aquifer. Plant Controller, Female, Des Moines. Sarah Cassidy, Granary. Cowl, Male, Omaha. Richard Blake, Thresher.

"I haven't pushed my limits, the ring's limits, in a while. I might start changing that soon, though. And thanks for the encouragement." At her next question, he was thoughtful for a few long moments. "A couple reasons. I would only know Quo-Dis out there; no other friends out that direction. A bigger reason is that while there are some decent history programs on the West Coast, the best archaeology programs are here on the East Coast. And that's what I want to get into, archaeology. Besides, I have a feeling my parents won't want me to stray too far. I'm 18 now, so they're going to cautiously open up a couple of accounts for me. I've got to at least minor in Business, if not double-major. Interesting times are ahead." He shrugs with a short laugh. "Heck, if we're on opposite coasts, that means an excuse to take a break from schoolwork. Having to actually fly over the whole country means I have a better reason to not take my term paper with me."

CT got 7.

Gabriel kept pace with the shuffling pack of Grue, righteous fury on his face. He continued his sermon as he slowly paced forward, his spear keeping time by tapping against the floor. "I am Gabriel. I am a shepherd, a watchdog against the ravening wolves. You are the wolves. How dare I? How dare you!" He stops and points an accusing finger at the cluster of Grue, even as subtle waves of sound begin to emit from his body and creep forward, soon engulfing the subconscious minds of the motley group, driving them into a pit of despair. "You, who came here to steal, kill, and destroy! You who seek to unleash even more destruction! You who pervert the holy words and rites of the Lord! You dare ask why I do this? You should be on your wretched knees, begging for forgiveness for your mountain of sins! Vile curs! Vipers! Thy words sound holy, but their intent is vile! Thou art like whitewashed tombs! I rebuke thee! I adjure you, treacherous serpents! I adjure you! Tremble! Wail! Gnash thy teeth! Thou face not my wrath, but the WRATH OF THE LORD OF HOSTS!" At that, the sound waves he'd been sending out surged, and a sudden sense of all-consuming, soul-crushing despair gripped the Grue. The full weight of what they and theirs had done to this Earth, and countless worlds, slammed down on their minds all at once, a terrible sense of guilt of their far-reaching crimes.

I'll post mine: 24 Especially since... Free Action: Switch Array Standard Action: Emotion Control: Despair, plopping down a cube on each Grue. DC 22 Will Save That...probably starts the fight for us. EDIT: Also, incoming Ham. Salted Ham. 8-)

Gabriel floated forward, stopping a few feet in front of the (real) Captain. He slammed the butt of his spear onto the floor, the sound ringing out clear as a silver bell. "I dare! I declare this place unholy! False prophets! Pretenders! Usurpers of worlds! Destroyers of life, of love, of freedom! For your crimes against the people of this world, of all the worlds whose skies you have darkened, past and present, you face judgement Almighty! Your time has come!" He leveled an accusatory finger at the Captain, but his gaze and his words struck the whole group of twisted Grue in front of him. His voice was like thunder as he continued. "I am a servant of the LORD Almighty! Weilder of the mantle of the Archangel Gavriel! Your twisted powers shall not avail you, Grue invaders! Get thee back! Get back, I say! Cease your evil doings! Face Justice! Face Judgement! Tremble!"

Right, so, going to split the difference... Moving up to just 5 feet between Gabe and Real!Captain. Spending 1 Hero Point for Ultimate Intimidate. I'm in super-charisma mode, so that's a check of 60. Group Intimidate, and after considering what that can and cannot do, I'm going to say that his goal is to get them to listen to his very straightforward instructions. Which are "pay attention to me" and "everyone move away from those two pods".

So...I was gonna actually toss out a combo attack of Intimidate followed by Emotion Control: Fear, spending a couple HP on the mix. But...didn't know if you wanted to get some init rolls going. Either way, I suppose we should gird ourselves for an epic battle.

Corbin nodded at Trevor's words, but it was a cautious move that betrayed a fair bit of confusion at some parts of the analogy. Erin's words were more direct, and easier to understand. "You've got a point there. I guess...I dunno. Today was just going to be a casual day with friends. I guess she and I are both just very..."passionate" feels close to correct. "Feel emotions strongly" might be a good phrase." He smiled a bit as he turned and looked in the direction she'd traveled. "That's one reason I care about her so much. Oh, I asked her on a date because she's the only girl even close to my size, and no offense to any of you Young Freedom girls, but for me having a foot-plus in height on a girl would be a bit awkward. But it's more than that." He turned back and gave a chuckle. "If nothing else, she always seems to enjoy my drawings and paintings, even the bad ones."

"Perhaps we should move a short distance away? I could send Bowman a message through my usual discrete means, and let him know where we've relocated to. Do you think the two of you could bury the ship or something? Or cover it in rocks and plants for a bit? That way if something does come through, the ship's not as obvious, and it's not immediately vulnerable to attack." Gabriel's gaze had strayed to the area of the portal for a moment, but he was clearly still paying attention to Steelgrave, as if he didn't need his eyes to track the man's location. Still, his steely gaze returned to the strangely cooperative Annihilist. "As for your information handed over...Perhaps I will offer my services to the League and the courts in helping assure that whatever is spoken is the truth, instead of lies. We do so discourage dishonesty when discussing such...weighty...matters."

The two Hughes men nodded in sync at the instructions, before stopping and giving each other sidelong looks. They then returned to their own conversations for a few moments while the last steps of work were completed. "So. Um. Mom and Dad still kicking around in your world?" His double blinked at the random question, then spoke cautiously. "Yes. Are they not...around...in this one? What about Catherine?" "No, they're still around, they got some jobs out here in Freedom City. Who's Cahterine?" "What do you mean, "Who's Catherine?"? My, our, sister." CT stared blankly at the Inquisitor for several moments before answering slowly, uncertainty in his voice. "I don't have a sister. Never did." The Inquisitor frowned, then shrugged. "I would wager our worlds are different in many ways, Mr. Hughes." "Somehow that feels like an understatement."

Corbin received the message and looked toward the kitchen, though he didn't catch a glimpse of Quo-Dis. He thought back almost immediately. -Okay. I'll be here.- There was a sincere double-meaning there, but it seemed the only words he could muster up. After sending them, he sighed and slumped in his chair, his eyes closed. He asked a question to no one in particular. "Why is love never easy?"

Gabriel was still worried. They had 2 children with them, the Captain was not entirely reliable, and Stesha's powers were impeded by the very thing they were hunting in this bunker. He feared no amount of stealth would help them. Not unless something else distracted the enemy... He stopped and stepped to Gaian Knight's side, speaking softly enough only GK could hear him. "Keep an eye on Fleur, and be ready to pull her and the kids out if things get too bad." He then spoke to the rest of the group. "You all keep heading for where the twins likely are. I'll make sure they don't pay attention to you." Before anyone could object, the air shifted about Gabriel, and he suddenly seemed to fill the hallway despite not growing at all. His very presence had increased. He began walking forward, his pace not quite that of a jog, before he suddenly rose a few inches into the air and swept down the hall, his coat billowing as he shook his spear with righteous anger, his voice booming down the halls. "Invaders! Defilers! Murderers! You hide here in your caves beneath the earth, claiming your foul rites are holy! Perverting all that is good and right, threatening all life on this world that you did not destroy lo so many years ago! Thou art unclean! Thou shalt be struck down this day! Thunder shall roll, and this world shall be delivered from your dark schemes! Fear and tremble, for Judgement and Justice come to you now!" Gabriel continued moving down the hall as he bellowed, working his hardest to be incredibly noticeable so that the others could, hopefully, get to the Twins as quickly as possible while the twisted Grue went after him.

In that case: Diplomancer Powers, Activate! FORM OF: +20 CHARISMA BONUS! POWER OF: LOOK AT GABRIEL DUDES! IGNORE EVERYONE ELSE AND LOOK AT HIM! Post up shortly! ;)

"I'm a history major, not a literature major. If I ever write a history book, I'll hire a couple editors." A smile and a shrug followed that comment. "We're...hm. A few days ago, when Erin and Trevor came over for lunch, we talked some things out. We're still together. Just...figuring out our new dynamic. She's joining the Champions out West, so we're not going to see each other quite as much. I imagine we'll be busy enough we won't miss the time terribly. Not like I can't just fly out that way when the need arises. Guess it's not different than if 2 non-supers were going to college in different towns, right?" Corbin seemed only mostly convinced by his own words.

"You guys beat up Superior? Wait, how did you know who her dad was?" He ran a hand through his hair. "I...I dunno, Erin. I mean, I'm not totally repelled by the idea. Honestly kind of the opposite. But...I mean, yeah. I'm just now out of high school. I'd like a bit more time before taking that step. I plan to keep our relationship going. Maybe we can just make it a long engagement or something?" He stared at the ceiling, trying to process all the feelings rolling around in his head, and only having some success.