Jump to content

KnightDisciple

Guides
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5,528

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

Forums

Freedom City Guidebook

Freedom City PBP: A How-To Guide

Gallery

Events

Everything posted by KnightDisciple

  1. KnightDisciple
    Carson sighed and took a fortifying sip of coffee. "You've been to one before, so you know how crazy they can be in general, yeah? Well, I'd just done one of those speaking panels, and was headed to the floor to "meet and greet", sign some of those charity photos, take photos, and so on. Nothing major, right? I've even got a couple of "handlers" who mostly just help me not get lost in the blasted convention center. So there I am, on the floor and mingling. This was just over a year ago, so I'm all shiny and silvery and white and stuff, right? Stick out like a sore thumb. Well, I'm signing a couple pictures for these cute-as-buttons little kids, one of whom's in a wheelchair-" Because of course he was. Stesha can just picture it, and picture the PR department for the League faintly drooling at the good press that sort of imagine conjures up. "-When I hear this...chorus of squeals. Sound like as much to make a hardened veteran freeze or the hairs on a banshee's head curl. Suddenly I'm standing alone and there's this corridor of frightened people at least 20 feet away to either side of me. I turn and look, and there's this group of women. Not, like, 5 of them; I'm talking probably 50 or so. Some were barely old enough to drive or vote, others are older than my mother. But they're all wearing tshirts or waving signs and banners that say "I Heart Gabriel" or some such, a few of them said things that shouldn't be said in polite company, and several were holding those damned plushies. They all had seen me. Not that it's hard; a stealth hero, I'm not. They zero in on me and start running. And of course I'm in a space with a ceiling low enough, and with enough random tall things, I can't just fly up and away. Too crowded to fly low. I try to just kind of casually back up, but suddenly they're all around me. Fastest I've seen non-speedsters move." He shuddered, even as he blushed a bit more. "They're all screaming and chanting. Declaring undying love, praising me as the greatest hero, asking me for...well, all sorts of things, a couple asked to "have your baby", they're all waving photos and notes and trying to grab and pull me. It wasn't the most lethal situation I've been in, but there's a certain level of raw panic when you're packed in that tightly with that many people making that much noise. I ended up pulsing out a few sonic waves that left them gently stunned. A couple cheered at being sonic-ed by the great Gabriel. Basically, a total disaster, PR-wise. It took me weeks to convince the papers I hadn't instigated the whole thing." He seemed insulted by the idea.
  2. KnightDisciple
    --You're right, I'm sorry. It's not all right, not yet. This isn't your fault, Cho. Please, we're here to help, just keep talking, I'm going to come over-- And then Phantasmo managed to completely freak her out. In a blur of motion, Thoughtspeed was in front of Cho, crouched down to eye level. The other heroes were treated to the sight of his slightly curly black hair being exposed as his helmet folded away. Phantasmo briefly heard a voice in his mind that sounded just like the boy. --Dude she's in shock, back off! Give me and Glamazon space, Rampart knows us better.-- Then the "line" cut off. Glamazon got a quick "tell" next. --Glam, get over here, now. I'm trying to calm her down but if she starts to blow we may need to drag her further away or something. Bossy Lady and Zombie Man are just going to freak her out more; Cho knows us, at least.-- Finally his mental voice switched to talking only to Rampart, sounding as soothing as possible. --Cho, Cho! Hey, look at me. Look at me, Cho. Focus on me. Just me. Not the weird zombie guy. Just me. Cho, you have to calm down a bit. This whole thing is weird and stupid and it sucks, but you have to breath. Come on. Breath with me.-- Thoughtspeed began slightly exaggerated breathing that nonetheless set a much calmer, more controlled pace than Cho's current panic. --In. Out. In. Out. That's it, Cho. I'm here. You're here. Just breath. Calm down, and breath.-- Panic was dangerous right now.
  3. KnightDisciple
    Carson gives a humble shrug. "I do have a bit of a way with words and people at times." The sheer level of understatement makes it clear this is a joke. At the question of a convention, he actually...becomes uncomfortable. "Ah, yes, I've been to a couple of the "superhero conventions" in town. The League likes to use them for better Public Relations, and guess who one of the official Ambassadors of the Freedom League is?" The man who's superhumanly good at making people like him is, yes. What a shock. "But after the Fangirl Incident I kind of cut back my non-speaking-panel appearances. The plushies are kind of cool, though." The way he blushes when mentioning this "Incident" suggests it's embarrassing.
  4. KnightDisciple
    "You aren't out to cause pain or hurt people, even Derrick. It's not nagging to wonder where your husband, the man who swore oaths and promises to you, is when he's gone from home for months or years. When he is, through neglect, essentially abandoning those same vows. Perhaps he has been busy saving whole worlds. But if that effort of heroism means that he cannot find the responsibility and time within himself to be part of a family, he should never have tried to start one in the first place." The words are harsh in themselves, but Carson's tone is caring. "And you aren't stupid for loving him. For wanting him to be around, or for not foreseeing the future. And there's nothing wrong with wishing he could have been around like he was before this all happened. I don't believe you wanted to hurt him, not really. I think you did what you felt was best for all three of you. And whether people disagree with you about it being the best choice or not, anyone who tries to extend any sort of disagreement to Ammy or Sanctuary is wrong." The force behind that word is jarring considering how quiet he'd been. "If it is within my power and skill I will do everything I can to assure that nothing changes for Sanctuary and our aid to it-" And here she knows that "our" means "Carson and the Church". "-and that anyone trying to lay so much as a smudge of metaphorical soot on Ammy's nose is instructed on proper journalism."
  5. KnightDisciple
    Thoughtspeed had made it past the cordon and was actually about to say something to the police when the bossy lady in an armored suit started talking like she owned the place. Then she didn't even try to coordinate with the rag-tag group they had here or anything! 'Geeze she's got a lot of nerve, acting like she's the only hero here or something. I know she's not League; she's not on the flashcards Mom and Dad make me memorize, and she's not an Atom.' The last bit was thought with a slight sense of relief. The sight of his boisterous classmate from Atlantis being on-scene helped buoy his confidence and mood a bit, and the zombie magician dude seemed friendly if a bit eccentric. Hopefully between the three of them they could keep Bossy Lady from messing it up too bad. So Thoughtspeed put his brain to work, sending a mental message to Glamazon while having a verbal conversation with the cops. --Psst. Hey, Glam, it's me, Thoughtspeed, in the black and green next to the cops. Listen, whoever that lady who just stormed in there is she's probably going to make a mess of things. If Cho's in there we have a better shot of talking her down or calming her down or helping her and believing her, whatever. Get the zombie magic dude to come in with you and we'll try to sort this out without Bossy Lady getting punched out a window by Cho.-- Thaelia could tell the thought wasn't entirely terrible to Will but he objected to the idea on principle. Meanwhile, his physical mouth was talking to the cops. "Officers, my name's Thoughtspeed. I know Rampart; she's a fellow hero, and she works with the folks in the Rescue Movement. Some of them are a bit odd but they're good folks. Whatever's going on in there, we'll try to help sort it out. But you should probably put a call in to the League; none of us here are with them. I was, ah, just on my morning run when I saw the commotion. I'm here to help, though. Me and the others will do our best. Look, I can talk to folks with my brain; if things get bad in there I'll give you guys a shout." Without waiting for a response, Thoughtspeed was a blur of green-and-black motion as he sped into the building, his eyes going wide behind his helmet as he took in the carnage. He said a couple Yiddish words his mother was probably going to scrub his mouth out for later, and then turned to Terrifica. "Hey, lady, I don't know who you are, but if there's other heroes on-scene it's considered polite to try and coordinate with them." Meanwhile, his mental voice reached out as gently as possible, trying to find Cho and speak to her. --Cho? Cho, you there? Look, I know we're not, like, best friends or anything, but it's me, Will. **** Cho, just tell me you're alive and okay. Then let me know where you are. It's okay, I'm here to help, all right?-- He hoped his rocky relationship with her wouldn't make this worse...
  6. KnightDisciple
    Gabriel shrugged at the story. "One of these days remind me to tell you the story about the bishop's lawn. I'll know what it means, and you'll get a kick out of it." His slight smile went away soon as he considered the situation. "I could make a couple discrete inquiries. I know a few people who are very good at discretion. If the forms are signed and valid, which I would think they are, I'm sure they'll know the most private way to do things. I'll make sure to be as general as possible and name no names. There's nothing wrong with wanting your privacy, Stesha. I'm not saying we involve 30 people; this would, hopefully, be maybe a half-dozen folks beyond ourselves. Counting the person or persons the papers are filed with."
  7. KnightDisciple
    Carson frowned at the thought of the gossip rags having a go at his good friend. Whatever his personal thoughts or convictions on this terrible situation, that wasn't the sort of thing Stesha should be put through. "Does it have to be one of you who puts the papers in? Or can a third party file them? A lawyer or something like that? I mean, okay, the League probably has a good idea of what's going on, but they won't yap to the press, especially not the ones worth less than the ink or pixels their words are printed on." His voice unconsciously dropped a half-octave and lost any trace of an accent, as he slipped into his Hero Voice without meaning to. "And if you can't, and they do try to turn this into bread and circuses, the League will make it clear to them that the private and personal affairs of our members are just that: private and personal. Besides, you're just as much a hero as Dark Star, and frankly, you've actually been around Freedom City consistently. You've been involved in a lot of major rescue and hero efforts. It's not like you're some meek housewife who never leaves her home, Stesha. This whole thing sucks but it doesn't automatically make you a villain or anything, and if the bottom-feeders out there can't see that, then to the deepest levels of Malebolge with them."
  8. KnightDisciple
    When the magic-using zombie guy disappeared in the dramatic burst of red smoke, Thoughtspeed just sighed and shook his head. "And I thought that Set guy was over-dramatic." With that proclamation, and a silent observation that he was glad his helmet was even partly sealed against the odd smell that smoke likely put out, he turned and gauged the direction the emergency vehicles were heading in, spotting the shining building several blocks away. He recognized the logo, faintly. "Great." With that, he was a blur racing the streets once more, only this time, he was moving with a purpose beyond exercise.
  9. KnightDisciple
    "There's always more room for crying, I've found. There isn't anything wrong with tears, Stesha." He sipped, then continued. "I will make sure everyone knows you're taking a couple of days of personal time, to be disturbed only by absolute emergencies. That's all they'll know." He shook his head at her question, then listened to the story. By the end, he was staring at his own cookie and not really seeing the counter. "You hadn't told me, no. And I don't see why you would have. In a lot of ways that sounds even worse than what I went through. I saw death and suffering, but...well, I didn't really know any of them. To face the possibility of a future like that...I am sorry, Stesha. It is difficult to comprehend; I can't say I'd have done anything different from you. Those portals were funny things; it's easier to just push it all in the background." He chewed on a bit of cookie for a moment.
  10. KnightDisciple
    Carson opts for one of the more artful pieces, taking small, clean bites as he waits for Stesha to speak. After she's done, he takes a few moments to consider his next words. 'What all of us feared and few of us hoped for.' He washed down his cookie with a swig of coffee before speaking, his voice soft, his whole person reflecting empathy. "I cannot say I understand what you feel, not really. I haven't walked that path. But I can understand that this decision wasn't easy, and it wasn't something you enjoyed. And I can at least grasp that the loneliness of the last few years was painful for you, even if I cannot ever understand the full measure of that pain." Of course the whole situation left him feeling uneasy. Suspicions were one thing, but outright admittance was another; the whole relationship between Derrick and Stesha had been wrought with problems, from what he gathered, but still his heart and soul ached that this was seen as the best response. He was sure some others in her life had been pushing her to choose this for months or more. But something told him that enthusiastic cheers weren't what she needed right now. "What I can do is offer to help you out with little things around Sanctuary, and offer to be a friendly ear whenever you need it. I hope you reach out to a few others, when you feel more comfortable; I believe sharing this pain, even with just a select few, will help reduce it. I can't claim to be able to offer much advice." He gave a sardonic smile. "After all, I've had all of two serious relationships in my entire life, and neither one is with me today. But if nothing else, I know a small glimmer of what it's like to be left alone and aching in the heart, even if my pain will never be yours. If you ever, at all, need to talk, tell me, and I'll do my best to be there. If nothing else I'll make sure to get attacked by super-ghouls again, then you'll have a captive audience." His attempt at humor regarding the terrible state he'd been in a few years ago probably fell flat, all things considered.
  11. KnightDisciple
    Gabriel had just finished fighting soulless cybernetic abominations. In his past, he'd fought giant insects, armies of fae soldiers, demons, mad sorcerors, and plenty of other terrible foes. He'd once fought his way out of a rioting super-prison filled with completely insane inmates all on his own. Somehow, he felt more afraid now than at any other time in his life. But fear was meant to be conquered and overcome. So he walked inside, studiously not looking at the pile of photo albums, though their presence just deepened the sadness resting like a rock in his stomach. instead, he walked to the kitchen and set the two liquid containers on the counter. "I love cookies. Here, let me have those." He deftly took the mugs and quickly poured out two cups of Irish coffee, the liquid in the cups giving off a wonderful aroma. The leftovers were left in their bottle and thermos on the counter as Carson picked up his own cup, closed his eyes for a quick sniff test, then took a sip. "Mmm. I can see why Brother Lawrence guards his secrets well." He opened his eyes and looked at Stesha, compassion beginning to shine through. "Stesha...what's wrong? Is there anything I can help with?"
  12. KnightDisciple
    Having slept, Carson's features were more easily schooled, and so he didn't even raise an eyebrow at Stesha's disheveled state. Instead, he simply offered his friend a smile and a gentle shake of the head. "No, nothing that dire. We're still off-duty for a while; things are as calm as they're going to get, it seems. Though the Stephensons were wondering if they should plan for another night or two of sleepover? Ammy's having a blast, so there's no rush. And Brother Adams wanted to talk to you about a few minor administrative things, but I guess that could wait." He paused, internally bracing himself, before pressing on. "Say, do you want to split this coffee?" He held up the thermos with a small smile. "Some of Brother Lawrence's best work in months." Said monk was considered the local patron saint of coffee, a title he took on with humility and humor, though considering the eclectic beliefs of the residents of the world, that title might end up outlasting him.... "I'll get the jitters if I drink it all. Plus I just wanted to make sure you were okay. No, like, injuries or anything. We all figured you had some important business to attend to, but there were a couple of things I can catch you up on. If that's okay?"
  13. KnightDisciple
    May your birthday be happy and overflowing with good food and good times.
  14. KnightDisciple
    Stesha's House, Sanctuary December 26, 2014 12:30pm Local Time Between the late hour of the Communion's attack on the Lighthouse, the time the fight had taken, the cleanup, the debriefings, and a quick power nap, it was well into the day after Christmas before Gabriel had a chance to head to his second home. He'd debated coming immediately after the debrief, but he needed a shower, and when he got to his apartment he ended up sleeping for a fair bit of time. The up side was that not only did he come out of it more rested...Stesha would hopefully have had time to calm down. He'd missed all the "drama"; he'd been in the medbay getting patched up and looked over for his collection of minor wounds. There had been a metahuman healer present, so he shouldn't get any scars. From this fight, anyways. No way to ditch the other scars at this point, not without actual surgery, and he didn't care enough about that. But as soon as he'd walked into the debriefing and seen Dark Star in his energy form, a complete absence of Fleur de Joie, and the incredibly awkward atmosphere in the room as the meeting started, the young Irish man knew something bad had gone down. It turns out, no one else knew many details, either. So that is how he found himself, dressed in civilian garb, with a thermos in one hand and a bottle of Bailey's in the other, knocking on Stesha's front door and deciding if it would be blasphemy to curse being the most gifted diplomat on the planet when your ability had been granted by an Archangel. Even if it would be it was starting to look mighty tempting.
  15. KnightDisciple
    Maybe it could be "Attack Specialization: Improvised Thrown Weapons"?
  16. KnightDisciple
    Is her mother a Martel by birth, hence the hyphenation? If so, any reason her father didn't hyphenate as well? Probably need a space between power description and history, for formatting. Maybe clarify if she's pure French, or, like French-German-Swiss, or whatnot. Caucasian's fine, but it's more fun to get specific! I'm trying to remember, does M&M have the equivalent of the "Throw Anything" feat or is that just assumed, hence just giving her Attack Spec Thrown? And I take it she can switch to ARMORED UP FORM with a Free Action? Also, Impervious is presumably on the docket in the future when she's not PL7 and strapped for points? Maybe give her a couple grappling-related feats, to use that size and strength better. Also maybe boost her Will by 1 or 2; even if she doesn't really have telepathy it would make sense for that to be better than her Reflex, at least.
  17. KnightDisciple
    Sun Walker had reflexively moved very slightly when he felt Set leaning on his shoulder, but it was quickly curbed and stopped before he took to standing there, choosing to simply look down and raise an eyebrow at the godling. "Wouldn't the more appropriate term be "scholars"?" The edges of the martial artist's mouth quirked upward. "Besides, I get to work on a nuclear reactor. Your mockery is invalid." When the young archer woman came storming over, Sun Walker just stepped to one side. However, when Miras noted transportation difficulties, he nodded and spoke up. "I would most likely be able to run and reach civilization eventually but it would take far longer than I would like."
  18. KnightDisciple
    I keep forgetting taking 10! Let's go with the +4 Attack, meaning his Defense is +8.
  19. KnightDisciple
    Few people ever seem to grasp just how fast a speedster can move, and how fast their perceptions are. So by the time Phantasmo has gotten to the second syllable of the word "greetings", Thoughtspeed has already run past, at a pace roughly equal to a fighter jet just barely below the sound barrier. He'd seen the raised hand and the rather distinctive appearance of Phantasmo, though, so the macabre magician would see the black-and-green blur speed a bit down the street before turning, running up the side of a building, and making a quick turn-around. By the time Phantasmo was saying "that's me", the lithe speedster in a black bodysuit with glowing green highlights was standing there, looking more like a morning jogger than a superhero as he went through a couple stretches and bounced in place on his feet every now and then. Of course, that smooth, featureless helmet made his appearance a bit odder still, but all things considered he was positively mundane next to Phantasmo. "I'm taking a morning run. It's a beautiful day, man. Just 'cause I'm a speedster doesn't mean I don't need exercise, you know? Anything I can help you with, ah, Phantasmo, wasn't it?" His helmeted head turned as a cop car and an ambulance sped by in rapid succession. His nervous energy ceased then, and he seemed to be focusing on the movement of the emergency services vehicles. "Hm. That's weird."
  20. KnightDisciple
    Gabriel grit his teeth as his stomach protested the sudden lack of gravity. Even when he flew with his powers, he still had a sense of up and down, still felt the tug of gravity on his body, making the thrill of defying that gravity all the sweeter, even when it was routine. Losing that sensation, even simulated in the Lighthouse, threatened to throw his entire system off-balance. Thankfully, he was able to assert control over his body, preventing a situation that would be awkward for the technicians and station residents later on. Thankfully, while it was a bit strange moving in the air with no gravity, he was able to keep himself stable and oriented thanks to his natural flight powers and years of practice with them. He used that stability to help point himself toward one of the drones, though even as he floated away from them he knew his exaggerated movements were leaving him open to attack. It was the only way to guarantee a hit, though. With a wordless snarl, he unleashed another barrage of sonic force, though the conditions seemed to be affecting his aim, and the assault only barely struck the drone. 'I need to finish this fight, and soon, so I can help the others. At this rate the station's going to be in big trouble.'
  21. KnightDisciple
    Gabe's going to trust his armor at this point.... Move Action: Fly away a bit more from the drones (singe full move action's worth of movement with Flight 1). Free Action: All-Out Attack 5. Defense is now +7, net attack (after the -4 from Zero-G) is +13. Standard Action: Ranged attack versus closest Drone: 18. That should hit, but probably not invoke Autofire. Base DC is 27, plus any autofire, if it happens.
  22. KnightDisciple
    Thank you all for the well-wishes.
  23. KnightDisciple
    When William Cline wanted to clear his head or get some fresh air, he ran. Now, for most folks, that would involved sweaty jogging for an hour or maybe two, with a total distance in the single-digit miles, unless they were one of the top tier of world athletes. And even they took it easy when it was just a morning run on a nice Saturday. Then again, none of those people were capable of casually breaking the sound barrier on foot at the drop of a hat. William Cline, or Thoughtspeed as he considered himself when in costume (and it wasn't an emergency so he was definitely in costume), was more than up to the task of doing a couple laps around the city and then beginning to work his way down major thoroughfares in the various districts. At the moment, he was zipping down along one of the main drags in Ashton and Greenville, his speed and reaction time meaning he was easily avoiding the cars and people who looked like they were moving in slow-motion through cold molasses. He'd stop a purse-snatching and saved three people from tripping into the street so far, and even taken the time to slow down and help a sweet elderly couple across the street. They'd tried to offer him money but he'd managed to politely refuse and excuse himself. All in all it was a pretty good day so far.
  24. KnightDisciple
    Dirty rotten cheating Communion. Fortitude Save: 23. On the plus side he's pretty much been floating the whole battle.
  25. KnightDisciple
    ...Best one out of two?
×
×
  • Create New...