• The site has now migrated to Xenforo 2. If you see any issues with the forum operation, please post them in the feedback thread.
  • Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
  • For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
  • Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
  • Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.
  • The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.
God damn cliffhangers just when it was getting good. Can't wait for our mc to kick ass.
 
Bend & Break 2.2
Taylor
Sophia thought she'd put the final nail in my coffin with one last taunt

"That fucking hick boy you came in with? He won't be coming to save you, guess he pissed off the ABB enough to have them gang up on his ass in the bathroom. He'll be leaving here just like you will; in a fucking body bag!"

Walt was in trouble and the only person who knew and cared in this hellhole would be me.

That thought alone brought me back into consciousness.

The steel walls closing in, the rot, the damn bugs?

Cleared from my thoughts almost entirely.

I never thought I would say this, but somehow a wind instrument technique taught to me by a rich and flamboyant dunce is actually helping me keep myself from having a panic attack. I lost consciousness for only a moment, but some of the tricks Donnie taught me for circular breathing helped calm me down. Even with the stench of rot filling my nose with every breath and the buzzing and chittering of the bugs crawling around me and the filth, I was focused!

That awkward, socially fucking inept, dorky cowboy was in trouble and nobody was going to save him. Nobody was coming to save me either, I had to do something to get out and then get help, he'd do it for me!

I used what little space and leverage I had in this coffin. Rocking back and forth, putting every ounce of effort and strength I had into slamming the door open. I could feel the door starting to give but slamming it wouldn't do it good any more. Ignoring the sensation of the filth and bugs creeping further into me from behind, I went as far back as I could to get my back against the wall and put my legs up against the door. Out of all things, Lily's color commentary from that party gave me the idea with her story about how grasshopper legs worked and why their kicks would be the ultimate weapon.

Well I had some long legs, may as well use em!

The creaking metal motivated me of the locker door's own cries of pain were pushing me forward, egging me on to give it all I had and more.

With one last squeal of warping metal, the door came free of its hinges and I slid out to freedom feeling cool and clear liquid. Clean air filled my lungs and purged the stench from my nostrils. I opened my eyes and rinsed the filth from my glasses as I staggered to my feet.

The halls of Winslow High School were not there when my eyes adjusted, instead I found myself in a shallow pool of water with nothing but a sinister screaming and swirling crimson vortex descending around me. I could hear Sophia, Emma, Madison and the rest of their posse's taunts, the cry of pain and shattering glass that filled the nightmares of my mother's death, my father's weeping at her funeral all on within the howls and wails of that terrible thing. I could do nothing but stare at it, seeing the twisting and distorted faces of those voices warp across it's body, and watch as it came closer and closer.

With a deep breath I rose up and ran straight through it.

With every step the vortex tore at me, first at the remaining filth, then at my clothes, then my flesh, and then even my bones.

I ran and ran, enduring every cut and tear from the vortex until it parted and I found myself at a ledge overlooking an endless starry void.

From the void came two figures; writhing flesh things that looked like nothing I had ever seen and bore only a passing resemblance to a pair of worms. Even though I knew they were at the very edge of the void I could tell that they were massive, larger than what should be possible for any living and organic creature. I saw them twist and collide in some horrible mockery of a dance, sparks and shards coming loose from their horrid flesh. From edges of the void came two more figures; one was another worm-thing, the second a small and almost imperceptible flash of iridescent light.

The third worm twisted and coiled, colliding through one of the dancing pair and sending it falling through the void. The iridescent flash blinked in and out of view, leaving craters and crags across the remaining of the paired worms while the interloping third twisted away. Both worm-thing and flashing light fought with even greater vigor and ferocity

The void rushed towards me showing the battle closer and in greater detail; the worm-thing was larger than I could possibly have imagined, mountains of flesh and viscera seemingly going on for eternity, and the iridescent flash's source danced away from the tendrils and warps the worm sent its way. The light was coming from a mane of rainbow feathers flowing freely from a golden headdress, acting as a crown of a man with green skin. This green man held a physique found only within the carved marble of some renaissance statue and was naked save for a loincloth, bracers, and greaves made from gold.

The worm-thing flailed and whipped hoping to strike the green man who merely danced and weaved his way past the creatures fierce-some flurry. The man struck with swiping elbows, hammered fists, sweeping kicks, and flying knees all tearing through the worm creature who only twisted and wiggled as its wounds slowly closed into maws of teeth or hardening into an impervious shell. The man was undeterred, merely rolling his shoulders or taking pensive poses as he dodged his prey's counters.

Soon, the green man stood still and his flesh began to ripple and warp, his golden garb and rainbow headdress shattering away as his flesh bubbled and grew. His head stretched and twisted, becoming that of a hound with teeth like knives and long ebon horns piercing from his brow, massive leathery wings like that of a fruit bat tore free from his back and spine, his left arm bursting open into a teeming nest of massive vipers with eyes of blazing crimson haze, his right growing into a gruesome three fingered claw, his legs becoming horrible mockeries of a large feline, and finally growing a long tail constantly sprouting twisting and curving blades made of bone.

From there the fight was no longer a warrior pummeling a mountain, but a snarling beast ripping and tearing at prey.
[DESTINATION]
Where the serpents struck, the worm's flesh melted away now diseased and necrotic.​

[AGREEMENT]
Where its horns pierced, the worm's blood flowed freely​

[TRAJECTORY]
Within all of this carnage a strange piece of the worm broke free and span away from the two combatants…​

[AGREEMENT]
…and began flying right towards me!

I scrambled back to my feet, not knowing that I fell to my knees watching whatever those things were, and braced myself to run through the vortex again. To my surprise, the vortex was gone and only an endless flat and cracked stone field remained. I ignored the pain and agony the adrenaline or shock had masked, hoping to escape whatever that shard-thing had in store, getting three good strides in before tripping and falling.

Rather than the pain of hitting the ground, my face hit something gold, sticky and warm. The dried cracked earth broke away, revealing more of the gold and sticky substance and dragging me further under, eventually bringing even my head within the now shining gold. I flailed and thrashed, hoping to reach the surface while I held what precious little breath within me. A panicked reflex had me breathe in this substance, only to find oxygen filling my lungs and my tongue tasting the sweetest and stickiest honey. My wounds felt full and warm, the pain melting away as I sank deeper into the honey. I felt something dive in this golden ocean and prick at my head, then nothing but warmth and comfort.

In the distance I swear I could hear Mom humming a lullaby and further then that, Walt shouting for an ambulance.

My eyes felt heavier, and heavier, my breathing steadied, and then I drifted off to sleep.

Alright this one is a short one and I do not know how I could have done this any better, either way an early holiday gift since I had one last burst of energy before I start packing up to move. I hope you all enjoy, DM me questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability (either within spoilers or in DMs) in the meantime im gonna lurk while doing dishes and getting my trash ready to be tossed in the morning. Have a good one, feel free to comment even if its reaction gifs of WTF.
 
I'm not entirely sure which God that was, but after that transformation my mind can't go anywhere but Bloodborne. (Though I have to wonder if that means Zion is The Good Hunter in this scenario? Because that God couldn't be any boss other than Gascoigne.)

Fun chapter though, helps build the foundations of how exactly The Gods and Entities interact, which is always nice.
 
Been brainstorming and conceptualizing stuff for 2.3 further, nothings been outlined quite yet on account of me moving in to a new place on the 16th. Thanks to Mal-3 over on the Spacebattles Thread , the fate of Taylor and Walt has been decided (Thanks dude!) and another location we will be getting in to is now 99% fleshed out. In the meantime, how about we do some more audience participation eh?


Remember that poll I put up on who's gonna get a brush with the supernatural?

I do, the top three then was Amy/Panacea in first, Daddy Laborn in second, and Parian in third. Since then the conceptual of what these three unfortunate souls encounter is more or less finalized. Keep in mind, when I say supernatural I am not including Scions/Gods I'm talking what the game refers to as Denizens or Monsters. I'm also cribbing a lot from both the Classic/Old World of Darkness and its sequel/successor the Chronicles/New World of Darkness. So expect a few nods to that and I'll probably pepper in a few reskinned PCs of mine.


As for audience participation, it's gonna seem a little weird but this strawpoll will determine a character's growth, just some added flavor to spice things up.

This Strawpoll is gonna determine what exactly dear sweet Amelia will encounter. The other of the top three I already know since boredom is a great time for conceptualizing.
 
Just some clarification; you can probably get an idea for what the choice is but I am being vague on purpose.

Amy's Choice will determine the nature of her encounter and what she encounters. After determining the choices and posting it I realized something that you should all know. All four choices are a type of Undead. How does each choice determine it? Well each corresponds to one of the four humours in some way (and not just what liquid).

The Path of Growth Choice you can kind of get a feel for by their names alone but a bit more information I shall give;

Vanilla is just that, Vanilla. The Character's Path will follow their initial Powers. Ping! will - well - ping off of someone else's power and thus get a secondary power based on it. Familia they will get their powers plus a secondary based on a family members. Wyrd is where it gets interesting let's just say that it'll be a curveball for everyone and actually require me to think long and hard on what they will get.

I think this kinda thing, the audience participation and feedback is why I still love fanfiction and why I decided to cannonball back into this pool. I think it helps me as a writer and helps make the story a bit more engaging and interesting.

Thanks to all who humor me.
 
So while I'm moving I'm brainstorming stuff for the fic and i'm coming to the startling conclusion that tbe najority of my ideas and plot threads involve; Fae, Possessions, or Undead. I don't know if its because thats the easiest "that's why nobody notices this wacky shit" because this stuff be subtle or maybe i just gravitate towards it natch.

Which brings me to a question i ask of you guys;

What mythological/legendary/urban legend/cryptid stuff would fit in a major metropolitan area like Brockton Bay that could reasonably be there and still go unnoticed by the authorities?

I can do it dead simple with Fae (they drag people off to their place from dark corners), Possession (easily justified away), and Undead (no witnesses and plenty of easy pickings). Other stuff I start scratching my head
 
So while I'm moving I'm brainstorming stuff for the fic and i'm coming to the startling conclusion that tbe najority of my ideas and plot threads involve; Fae, Possessions, or Undead. I don't know if its because thats the easiest "that's why nobody notices this wacky shit" because this stuff be subtle or maybe i just gravitate towards it natch.

Which brings me to a question i ask of you guys;

What mythological/legendary/urban legend/cryptid stuff would fit in a major metropolitan area like Brockton Bay that could reasonably be there and still go unnoticed by the authorities?

I can do it dead simple with Fae (they drag people off to their place from dark corners), Possession (easily justified away), and Undead (no witnesses and plenty of easy pickings). Other stuff I start scratching my head

That's... a difficult one to be honest, basically anything that messes with peoples heads or would stay in the grimier parts of town/target only groups like The Merchants would work, but I'm not really familiar with anything from real world myth that fits outside of what you've already mentioned.

I doubt any of us would complain if you, ah, "borrowed" ideas from something like the SCP Wiki or other such sources. An interesting example from SCP would be SCP-1155 "Predatory Street Art" which might be something that works. I'm not very familiar with Scion though, so I have no idea if it would make sense in-universe for something like that to exist.
 
That's... a difficult one to be honest, basically anything that messes with peoples heads or would stay in the grimier parts of town/target only groups like The Merchants would work, but I'm not really familiar with anything from real world myth that fits outside of what you've already mentioned.

I doubt any of us would complain if you, ah, "borrowed" ideas from something like the SCP Wiki or other such sources. An interesting example from SCP would be SCP-1155 "Predatory Street Art" which might be something that works. I'm not very familiar with Scion though, so I have no idea if it would make sense in-universe for something like that to exist.
You could say it's Tinker made.
 
Height/Build Chart I guess.
Because i don't really know how to put this in without it being forced but here's the heights of the Band (so far)

Taylor: 5'6" (as per canon's WoG posting)
Walt: 5'9"
Donnie: 5'7"
Lily: 5'5"

Build Wise;

Taylor y'all know
Walt is average build leaning towards stocky and athletic
Donnie is very much in shape and has got the male model physique (without being extreme)
Lily is very athletic and has a build similar to a soccer player

When I get to rewriting Origin I'll do better descriptions in prose.

Just kinda thought of the cover of Usual Suspects with the lineup and cards while reading another story and it commenting on a height difference.
 
Bad news from the zone tumbleweeds.

It looks like my computer is having issues I can't solve myself (not sending video to any monitor i use and yes I checked the cables and the RAM) due to something happening in the move and I will have to get it serviced. No update for Band for a while.

Please note: IT AINT DEAD! I'm still brainstorming, plotting things out. It's just on hold till my computer trouble is over, and even then I've still got some unpacking to do.

I sincerely apologise for the delay
 
Bad news from the zone tumbleweeds.

It looks like my computer is having issues I can't solve myself (not sending video to any monitor i use and yes I checked the cables and the RAM) due to something happening in the move and I will have to get it serviced. No update for Band for a while.

Please note: IT AINT DEAD! I'm still brainstorming, plotting things out. It's just on hold till my computer trouble is over, and even then I've still got some unpacking to do.

I sincerely apologise for the delay

All good, but thanks for the heads-up and I hope your computer problems can be fixed quickly and efficiently.
 
Good news, everyone! Tomorrow my pc gets serviced and we will get one step closer to Band getting back on track.

To celebrate I will be using my old laptop (as big of a POS as it is) to start a short sidestory bit while my desktop gets serviced that is canon with Band and I want you guys to decide what it is.

Originally i was gonna have Amy's brush with the supernatural come later (as the end of chapter interlude along with the second Traffic report). But as I brainstormed off of the leading vote (Sanguine) I realized that it may be suited to showing up sooner and perhaps even pre-Locker.

Would you guys like that bit or something a bit more off the cuff?

Either way it will come with homebrew!
 
...my computers fine

The thing that was wrong with it; i plugged the HDMI into tbe wrong port...

Repeatedly...

On my way back to have complete my setup and get back to work.

Give me ALL the L's people.

Well then... that's a new one. Reminds me of that time I thought my headset had given up on me and I'd just managed to turn it off by moving.
 
Special Chapter #1 - The Sanguine Fool
The Sanguine Fool

11/13/10​

Amy walked out of the crappy chain coffee house, dissatisfied and roughly $2.50 poorer.

"Whoever said that 'Dunkies' was in any way the end all be all of coffee needed to have their tastebud privileges revoked." She thought to herself as she trudged down the alley shortcut back to Brockton Bay General.

She had been forced to take an hour long break by damn near anyone with any authority in the hospital, telling her that she was working too damn hard and that even if she wasn't technically an employee she should still have taken several breaks and rests by now. Hell, an anesthesiologist even said if she didn't take a break she'd be sedated, powers or no.

Despite the sentiment and concern behind such an action, Amy couldn't help but resent the staff for it. Especially because they told her that she needed to take her break away from the hospital. She assumed it was so that they made sure she couldn't just sneak off and heal people anyway.

Granted she had done so in the past so to them it would have been a better idea for them to force her on a break off site.

Amy muttered curses and grumbled about meddlers and busybodies as she brooded down the alley, paying no mind to the dumpster with shaking trash and a strange moaning coming from its open lid and even less mind to the bum slouching down a few feet ahead of it.

That is, until she reached him and he asked in a strange and gravelly voice

"Gotta light?"

Rather than ignoring him as she usually would, Amy stopped and let out a sigh of frustration.

"Sure." she breathed out, her hands rummaging through the pockets of her costume trying to find the disposable lighter she bought a few nights ago. Not noticing the risen bum with a brandished knife.

In a flash of movement the bum pinned her to the wall by her neck, his free arm across it choking her while his knife hand held the blade up to her cheek.

Amy reached wildly for any exposed flesh or anything biological, hoping for a vector for her powers to help deal with and only finding surprisingly clean clothing covering him head to toe. By reflex, she threw her knee into the attacker's groin and despite finding her target, the man showed no reaction beyond a wet and foul giggle. She looked into the eyes of the assailant, finding manic tiny beady eyes that seemed to lead into a never ending abyss. The knife in his hand was being traced around the underside of her jawline as this assailant wheezed out a sinister chortle.

The assailant reeled back his knife hand, preparing for a thrust into her abdomen but was torn away suddenly and violently. The bum had been thrown into the wall across, a man in jeans, sneakers, and a letterman jacket her apparent savior.

The man stood tall and lean maybe six-foot-two, his breath ragged and showing no fog of condensation with his exhales, and his eyes red as blood and with a strange shine of animalistic hunger within. As the knife wielding bum began to rise, the red eyed man sped down and took a bite into the downed man's neck. Rather than a howl of pain, the beady eyed bum cried out in ecstasy as his eyes glazed over in rapture. Amy could only watch, her body paralyzed in shock as she slid down the wall and on to the cold pavement.

Soon as it began, the tall man seemed to come to his senses and quickly scrambled back along the ground backwards and ending up sitting right next to the still shocked Amy, all the while gagging, hacking, and screaming like a frightened woman. Turning his head and seeing the shocked expression on Amy's face, showing her his now brown eyes filled with shock and disgust. After a beat, the man once again shrieked and shot up to his feet prancing about as if he were an old housewife trying to avoid a rodent that had gotten in to her kitchen.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joesph!" He shouted before retching up enough blood to have killed someone and then pointing at the still dazed out bum "You tasted like liquid ass!"

Finally finding her voice Amy called out to the man, who was still shaking in disgust and frantically checking himself and muttering about "Those asshats who drink junkies are full of shit."

Soon the man stood still, let out a quick breath and then spat out a drop of blood on to the face of the downed bum before walking down the alley the way Amy had come down, muttering and cursing about how disgusting the blood he had just drank and then vomited was.

The healer looked to her left, seeing the light of Brockton Bay General and the entrance to the ER, then to her right down the dim alley and to what could only be described as a very strange cape with vampiric abilities.

Her decision came surprisingly easily

She rose to her feet and caught up to the man, grabbing one of his arms as she practically lunged and cursing both her poor cardio and her smoking. Whatever words she planned to say stopped in her throat when her hand grabbed his.

Dead.

That was what her power was telling her.

The man who had saved her, moved faster than what was possible, the man who otherwise looked completely normal.

Was dead.

No organ function whatsoever, the only thing that seemed to be close to "alive" was the strange substance in his veins. Despite the similarity, it was most certainly not human blood. Then there was the matter of the man's brain, despite brains being a hard line she refused to cross she let her power touch the dead thing and found it completely dead and, even more surprising, without either Corona.

Her thoughts became frantic, her eyes grew wide with fear, trying to justify the paradox before her. A Man who by all amounts seemed to be alive and well even warm to the touch and had a semblance of a pulse had absolutely no living tissue within him.

The man raised an eyebrow and ran his free hand through his black hair, while his mouth turning up into a bemused smile, his thoughts no longer on the rather unpleasant drink he just had.

"You uh, gonna let my arm go kid?" He asked politely.

Amy's mind was locked into a circular loop, trying to justify or reconcile how a man could look alive even taking breaths but still be very much dead. Which meant that the man she was hanging on to could freely poke her cheek and nose while asking her if she was ok.

Seeing that she wouldn't be letting go, the man pried her fingers off with just enough force to do so without breaking off her fingers with that strange strength he had giving Amy a look at the blood-like substance quickly flowing into his hands and doing something that gave him his enhanced strength.

"Sorry kid, but I gotta find my car right now." He said apologetically and with a friendly chuckle "Hope I don't have a ticket or got booted…"

Before he could turn away, Amy looked in to his eyes and asked

"What the fuck are you?" the fear and shock present in her voice

The man's smile left him replaced by a somewhat surprised but still amused pout before returning with a wide grin showing off his teeth, and the fanged canines among them.

"Just your friendly neighborhood vampire, kiddo!" he said truthfully and transparently.

"Bullshit." Was all Amy could say, the fear and shock that gripped her replaced with a desire for answers

The supposed vampire simply gave a friendly laugh and a pat on the shoulder before waving goodbye and continuing his car quest, Amy not far behind and asking him several questions after checking the downed bum and finding him only slightly anemic and high on some new drug she didn't have the time or focus to figure out quite yet.

"Where did you come from?" she stared

"California originally, but if you were asking about where in the alley I was at the bottom of a surprisingly clean and tidy dumpster hiding from the sun."

"How are you able to move or speak while your muscles are not functioning in any way?" she asked

"I dunno." He replied cheerfully and unhelpfully

"Why did your bite make that guy with the knife look like he was having an orgasm?" she asked, this time with the bite of irritation in her words

"No clue." He said, his face twisting in disgust

"What the hell is in your veins, because it sure as hell is not blood." she stated more than asked

"Its called Vitae and before you even ask, I dunno how it works." He said, his face returning to that same friendly expression that seemed natural on his features.

Amy's fourth question was never uttered, the supposed vampire turned around and held a hand up to stop her, between his index and middle finger was a business card.

"Listen kid, normally I'd be down to play twenty-one questions but I need to make sure the Ranchero is ok, I gotta let my landlady know I'm ok and…" He chuckled to himself and his smile grew wider, once again showing his fangs almost glistening in the half moon's light "…quite frankly I need to catch some actually restful Z's in my coffin tonight."

Handing her the business card, Amy took it carefully. The main face of it read;

Logan's Mill Apartments

Guadalupe Marquez

Landlady

Along with her contact information on the opposite side, which normally would have been blank, was written in a nigh illegible script;

Johnny Whitmore

And a phone number

"Any time within two to four hours after sunset and you can reach me at that number or address. Don't call Lupe though, she's my boss not my secretary."

With that, as soon as she had met him, Johnny Whitmore walked off into the night, leaving Amy standing on that lonely street with only the dying streetlight above her head and the sparse few cars rolling down the road as company.

Soon after she would return to Brockton Bay General, going through the motions of her job-but-not-quite was rather easy when she just had to touch and slightly focus to work her power. To those that interacted with her regularly, she was no longer bitter and burnt but rather distant and determined. Many of the medical staff would call that an improvement, and the few who were genuinely concerned only grew more-so.

To her family, the reactions were a lot more mixed. Her mother Carol's side eye looks and distrust grew along with every second of contemplation, her father Mark was more content to sit on the couch as usual trying to work up the energy to say something but never quite reaching what it was, and her beloved sister Vicky? She would attempt to tease or pry, insinuate that maybe she was infatuated with some mystery man, and yet even Vicky garnered no real reaction beyond polite deflection and uttered assurances that she was indeed fine and that it was only a medical problem that she couldn't quite understand even with her power. Despite her sister's concern, she left it at that and pried no further.

Seven days of contemplation and her decision was finally made, on yet another break, although this one was a willing one, she stepped away from Brockton Bay General and made the call as she walked down the same alleyway shortcut, this time with the light of the full moon revealing all that would have hid in the shadows.

After three rings, her call was answered.

"Hello?" Johnny said groggily and with a yawn.

"Hey. It's Panacea." she says, still not quite believing that she was in fact calling a man who seemed to be a vampire.

"The fuck is that?" he replies, still groggy and voice clear with confusion

"Amy." She said, slowly before finally adding "Dallon."

A pregnant pause filled her phone and then quickly delivered

"Look, lady." Johnny said, politely and evenly "I think you got the wrong number…"

Before he had the chance to hang up and possibly block her number, Amy let out a rapid fire response

"The girl from a week ago? The one you saved from a mugger?" her voice becoming more frantic with every word "You drank him then freaked out about the taste?"

"Oh. Oh! Now I remember!" Wakefulness and clarity came to Johnny's voice "Wasn't sure if you were gonna call or not."

"Yeah, wasn't quite sure of it myself." She replied with a sigh of relief "I was hoping we could meet up and you could answer my questions. Now that you've gotten some rest in that coffin of yours."

Johnny let out a delighted chuckle "Yeah, it really beats sleeping in a dumpster. Yeah I can come and meet, when and where?"

Amy smiled to herself as she relayed the meetup point; an out of the way coffee house with a rather strange floor-plan that left one booth not only out of the way of the main window but was also open till midnight. She had made sure to do some research over the last few days to make sure she wouldn't be disturbed if/when the time came for the two to meet. She had arrived first being a somewhat short walk from the alley, made sure to get that out of the way booth, and ordered a small plain and black coffee. Thirteen minutes later, Johnny Whitmore pulled up in front of the coffee house and walked in, Amy waving him over.

Too her surprise he ordered a cappuccino and a bagel for himself and began consuming both with gusto

"Dollar coins, dollar coins…" he muttered in between bites and sips "So annoying they make you wish for bills again."

Amy's initial plans of simply asking him her questions after a short greeting were dashed upon seeing him actually consume food and remark on the taste.

"So you can still eat?" She asked

"Uh-huh." He replied with a mouthful of bagel

"How the hell does that work?"

Johnny shrugged before responding

"Every lick in my bloodline can do that according to my Sire." He said, pausing to take another sip of cappuccino "Vitae can break it down even, no barfing it up at the end of the night like other Dracul do, at least the ones I've met anyway. Not that we get anything out of it except being able to taste it, I think it even makes us have to drink blood a little sooner too, emptying the tank I guess."

Amy shook her head in confusion, her hood falling down and revealing her features in full to the vampire.

"You mind explaining the terms you keep using? Vitae, Sire, Lick?"

Johnny leaned back into the vinyl booth seating, taking one last sip of his drink

"Lick's a slang term for vampire, Vitae is the vampire juice in our bodies, Sire is who turned you into a vamp, and Dracul is the type of vampire I am, with my bloodline being the long line of vampires that are starting to drift off into their own thing but are not quite there yet."

Amy was reasonably sure that the implication that Dracula was a real vampire that this smiling jackass in front of her was related to was utterly bullshit and yet somehow she believed it. Rather than asking for confirmation, she continued on to another line of questions

"So there are other's like you?"

Johnny sighed and winced

"I mean, I've met at least a couple dozen in the past." he said, finishing off his bagel "But I haven't seen any in a couple years, hell I may be the only vampire in the tri-state area."

Johnny looked over the white and red robes Amy wore, and pointed to them as he asked a question of his own.

"You called yourself Panacea over the phone, what are you like one of those cosplay girls that LARP in public as their OC or something?"

Amy, taken aback by the seemingly lack of knowledge of who she was least of all in Brockton Bay, slowly replied

"I'm a cape. Panacea is my cape name. I'm a healer."

Johnny quirked up an eyebrow

"What like a superhero? Thought you guys all wore masks and shit?"

Amy shook her head and let out a sigh before taking a sip of her now cooling coffee "Not in New Wave."

"The fuck is New Wave?"

Amy's brow furrowed in confusion

"You have never heard of New Wave? We're capes that don't bother with secret identities."

"First off, that sounds like the dumbest idea. Second, I ain't from around here kid, only been here about three weeks and there's a lot I don't know."

Johnny held up a finger, putting a pause on the conversation to wave over the lone barista who was far more interested in the music coming from her earbuds than any part of the conversation they were having. Nonetheless, the barista seemed to have a sixth sense for customers and came by asking what she could do to be of service. Johnny simply ordered another cappuccino and thumbed out a couple five dollar bills from his wallet and telling her to toss it in the tip jar or in her back pocket, whichever worked out better for her.

In the thirty seconds it was out, Amy caught sight of what she thought was a few one dollar bills, an impossibility, sticking out of the bill pocket and even more interesting a small Polaroid photo of Johnny and a group of seven kids to teens sitting in front of a big rig truck. The group of youths were a dusky guy about the same height as Johnny's six-foot-two with long dark hair and a hooked nose, a rather attractive blonde with delicate features, an auburn haired girl in a wheelchair, a brawny and jock looking guy with a snub nose, a short and dumpy blonde kid with a really bad haircut that he somehow made work, a guy with a beanie that was taller than long hair and shorter than the jock, and a kinda cure girl with straight brown hair, her lower half covered with a large quilt.

Johnny clenched his hand, snapping the wallet shut and getting Amy's attention.

"My kids. Found 'em while I was bummin' around Wisconsin a while back." He said simply, his voice filling with nostalgia "They got in over their heads and I couldn't just leave 'em out to dry."

Johnny ran a thumb over his closed wallet before pocketing it

"Got two other photos from those days I kept, let them keep the rest for a scrapbook that they started. Stuck with them up till September, this year."

Amy saw sadness mar the nostalgia in his face and heard it creep into his voice. She had to ask.

"Why did you leave them? They seemed pretty happy in that photo."

Johnny simply shrugged "I had my reason, 'sides Frank, my fellow beanpole, was ready to take over and lead em properly. Shouldn't have a dead man be their crutch anyway…"

A single crimson tear fell from Johnny's eyes, wiping it away, he continued

"Sorry. Tangent. You have other questions about vamps right?"

Sensing a wall in that line of conversation, she returned to her many questions and got mostly unhelpful answers. Despite this, she didn't find the conversation irritating and soon the conversation went to other topics. What he did for work, what she did in her spare time, actually getting to know another person. Despite experience telling her otherwise, Johnny was completely open, transparent, and genuine. Something she found quite refreshing, so much so that she actually answered his own questions mostly truthfully.

The night flew by, and soon the barista came by to point out the time; 11:30 PM and that she was going to close up early for the night. Johnny simply let out a friendly laugh.

"It's OK, I gotta be somewhere soon anyway."

He handed her a twenty this time and reiterated her tossing it in her tip jar or back pocket whichever worked better for her. The barista smiled and simply said that he would always be welcome in her cafe.

Amy followed him out the door and caught side of his car; a beat up Ford Ranchero that somehow seemed much tougher and more loved than one would expect from such an ugly car.

"Hey, you wanna lift?" Johnny asked, his arm stretched out to the passenger seat "I can give you a lift home or to work or whatever."

Amy gave him a shake of the head and a smile

"Sure."

The drive was quiet and short, the car's stereo was playing some Aleph 90's pop, and he made sure to park a bit a ways from the ER's entrance.

As Amy got out of the car, she asked Johnny one last question her voice filled with a little hope;

"Can we hang out again sometime?"

Johnny gave her one of his winning smiles and shrugged

"Eh, why not kid? Anytime between two to four hours after sunset, remember?"

Amy nodded and turned towards the ER, listening to the old and most certainly wise for a car's engine grow quieter as it drove off into the night.

Those that cared enough to notice would say that Amy Dallon began smiling a bit more and walking a little taller that full moon night in mid November. Even with a sudden surge of hits on gang activity from a mysterious vigilante bringing in more people for her to heal.

Whew! I almost could not start this for the life of me, like I could not figure out where I was going with this. Outline your stories first before you write something it helps out a fuckton. Lemme know how I did and if shit's kosher.

I did say this would come with some homebrew right? Well here it is, a new Follower for people who want a Vampire enforcer fot their Scions!

Vampie Enforcer

"A Vampire to be your extra fist in the night"

Follower (4)

Tags: Heavy, Savage (Vampire Strength), Access (Vampire Society), Unruly (Vampire Arrogance), Tough (Vampire Fortitude)

Just a little simple thing, I couldn't come up with anything that wasn't already in the books.
 
As i sit here with my roomate, doing my JFK from Clone High impression to shoutcast as he plays some xenoverse 2. I have come to realize that I havent asked the thread how ive been doing lately...

...plz tell me how ive been doin, plz thx thank you....

Aside from that, some trivia; the other choices cor the special chapter;

Choleric would have been Amy encountering a special type of Revenant based on the Aggro Zombie in Yakuza Dead Souls. The encounter would be a near death experience and lead Amy down the path of paranormal research and investigation. For reference to the... reference; imagine some guy in a sleeveless hood walking down the street with this music turned so loud you can hear it past his big ass headphones, hes got douchey tribal tats on his arm, his hands in his pockets, and his head down and unexposed. You bump into him, you see his face is crackex and dusty, his eyes are glowing red, and hd starts growling like an animal. Then you get your ass kicked while he busts out some martial arts. Nothing you do is working and hes even doing dashes to avoid your counter hits. The thing that saves you; the light of the sun making him dissappear.

(I totally will use this later...)

Melancholic would have been a much less dangerous, but no less deadly encounter. Amy would run into a Yuki-Onna causing a freak batch of blizzards. The encounter would be Amy visiting her and trying to help her, eventually reuniting her with her (now quite elderly) husband and help her pass on. This would also lead to Amy wanting to seek out and help ghe supernatural out of binds and keep both the magical and mundane worlds safe. Rekindling what was left of the fire of the healer within her.

Phlegmatic would have been quite sad. A series of dreams where the ghosts of Amy's paternal grandparents visited and comforted her, telling her that she is not naturally evil and that she is more than her power. Sappy shit and i would have cried writing it ngl. Their names would have been Elijah and Cecilia Laverre.

Yeah... the end result wojld all be a butterfly leading Amy down a path that would lead to her a much different fate. Choleric shed start doing Research and Investigation as a hobby, Melancholic shed start healing and playing crisis counseler for the supernatural (the fact that its far more interszting stuff helps the power and her mentality of cojrse), phlegmatic shed become far more closer to self actualization and able to begin getting through 90% of her issues rsther well. If she were to encounter Tattletale at all in a scenario like the Bank Heist shed be unaffected and ambivalent. Also probably just go "Kay, so?" To eevry secret reveAled and a gag about "No shit i find Vicky hot, have you seen her?"

Yeah it wouldnt have gone as well now that i think about it.
 
Honestly it seems unbalanced, the Scions seem to have all the power and agency while the Worm characters are to be blunt their bitches. And I am confused as to how and why these godlings have kept themselves secret and if there was a conspiracy to keep them hidden what has changed to allow the Scions to reveal themselves so recklessly, or if their actions are not reckless then again why did they keep hidden?

All the Worm characters seem to just be there to be victims that the scions and other magicals can save or destroy as they choose. Taylor cannot act to save herself, Dragon is cyber-bullied, Nilbog is destroyed as if he was just a plaything, Amy has no agency in her defence; while the magic and magic-adjacent do whatever they want and feel no threat from the human or parahuman.

Why set it in Worm at all if parahumans are powerless and have no affect on the story.
 
Honestly it seems unbalanced, the Scions seem to have all the power and agency while the Worm characters are to be blunt their bitches.

That is a very fair and valid criticism, and Scions plus some Denizens have a higher floor than many Parahumans.

I am confused as to how and why these godlings have kept themselves secret and if there was a conspiracy to keep them hidden what has changed to allow the Scions to reveal themselves so recklessly, or if their actions are not reckless then again why did they keep hidden?

This will be addressed in story. I assure you

Taylor cannot act to save herself

To be fair she didnt save herself before her trigger anyway

Dragon is cyber-bullied

Trust me, Dragon's getting payback and I have plans for DoktorD

Nilbog is destroyed as if he was just a plaything

That is fair and I admit that Nilbog and Heartbreaker get yeeted from the picture mostoy because i hate them on a conceptual level and as antagonists. Also the more i read about Nilbog, Ellisburgh and how it went down I became more and more livid.

Amy has no agency in her defence;

Yeah not my proudest bit, I couldnt really come up witu any other way for her to encounter Johnny the Friendly Vampire in a way that didnt seem contrived. Then i threw her in a contrived fight encounter.

Why set it in Worm at all if parahumans are powerless and have no affect on the story

Mainly because I wanted to give the setting an enema after being comstantly bombarded with people gushing, reccomending, and shoving shit like The Boys, Brightburn, the injustice comic, Dark Knights Metal, Irredeemable, etc in my facr and I just got tired of grimdark superhero fiction. So I took a truly Heroic and Noblebright and at times Nobledark setting/game and combined the two.

I was frustrated at the state of one if my favorite childhood mediums, the state of the world, my own issues, etc and decided to actually write again. So I decided to write something where for once the Good Guys are Good, the Bad Guys are Bad, and at the ens of the day after all is said in done will (hopefully) end in a way that leaves people satisfied, feeling hopeful, and is a Good End both on paper and in practice.
 
I can sort of understand the frustration that Miller At The Wash has expressed (not that I personally feel it, I've rather liked the way things are going) from what's been put to the metaphorical paper so far, Parahumans have been seemingly powerless in the situations they're meant to shine in.

In that same vein however these are people that live in a world where the supernatural has, seemingly, been totally disproven for decades at the least because of the scientific method turning up nothing in that front beyond "It's probably not real." (Though I am curious about how Scion handles that, is it just that science doesn't have the tools yet to realise that Gods and the like are actually real? Or is it more a situation where science just can't do that kind of stuff?) So they're in situations that are about as Outside Context as you can get, on top of being totally blindsided by actual magic in ways you've already said before that they can work around or discover counters to when they try.

Though to be fair I'm in the same boat as you in that all Grimdark fiction from the stuff that's been an escape from reality for much, much longer is getting rather grating to me, so part of my enjoyment of this story could come from my own frustrations with "morally ambiguous" fiction being basically the only thing anyone focuses on anymore. The occasional "What if?" can be refreshing as a thought experiment, but when it practically became the standard things got stale fast.

But you've still got me as a reader, and I don't plan on going anywhere. Keep up the good work, Noblebright is something this world needs more now then ever, so it's much appreciated. (And thanks for coming to my TEDTalk :V)
 
Parahumans have been seemingly powerless in the situations they're meant to shine in.

Again, valid criticism and soon Parahumans will actually stop getting blindsided and fight back on more or less equal footing. Then theres cats like Eidolon (Turbo-Virgin) who could roflstomp a LOT of stuff that wasnt demigod (where hed have to out effort into fighting) and god (where hed be the one out of his depth) and if/when I write a liece fhat involves such a heavy hitter they will be able to fight back and even win. Not a guarantee of course.

Also i count Miss Militia among those hitters because Gun solves many problems

is it just that science doesn't have the tools yet to realise that Gods and the like are actually real

In 1e's setting its more along the lines of if being hidden by magical and divine means. If someome were ti encounter it they woukd try to rationalize it as something else, and if tjey ckukdnt? Well thats how we get stories about bigfoot and shit

2e its the worst keot open secret ever and somehow EVERYRHING is true, even the stuff that contradixts the each other

Or is it more a situation where science just can't do that kind of stuff?

Way I put it? Any sufficiently advanced yadda yadda yadda. You could probably make stuff that xkuld do some of what the gods can do eventually, just with far more steps and points of failure. As for detecting magic and the divine through Science! Theres probabky something that could do it somehow, some BPRD style shit but I dont really have the effort to write it out rn
 
PHO Posts: Ancient Aliens? The Correction and a DM
■​

Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.
You are currently logged in, XxVoid_CowboyxX
You are viewing:
• Threads you have replied to
• AND Threads that have new replies
• OR private message conversations with new replies
• Thread OP is displayed.
• Ten posts per page
• Last ten messages in private message history.
• Threads and private messages are ordered chronologically.
■​

♦ Topic: A Correction for "Mythology Exposed!"
In: Boards ► Conspiracy Theories ► Ancient Aliens
Procto the Unfortunate Tinker
(Original Poster) (Not a tinker)
Posted On Jan 9th 2011:
Alright, so my Sarah (my sister in law) said I got a lot wrong on my post, here's my corrections;

First off regarding what I said about good old Thor;

"Wields a hammer that only he can lift"

Yeah that's not the whole story.

See, Mjolnir's deal wasn't that only Thor could lift it, but that he was one of the few people who could handle it without its awesome power presumably frying them to a crisp. Hell, Thor couldn't wield it proper without a pair of gloves called Járngreipr (Iron Grippers) since the handle was shorter than it should have been due to a gadfly biting the smith who made it's eye mid creation. Fun fact the gadfly is just assumed to be Loki dicking around. Thor also had another magic item; megingjörð (Power Belt) which just doubles Thor's already awesome strength.

Let me reiterate; Thor doesn't need the belt that makes him twice as strong to use Mjolnir, he needs the gloves that let him hold on to things better to wield it. Thor's a pretty cool guy he fights giants and doesn't afraid of anything

...Thank god there isn't a downvote feature on this site because you all would no doubt smash it to Helheim for saying that old meme...

Moving on to Adonis Rhodos, yeah I got A LOT wrong on this one and was the main reason I'm even posting this on its own.

Let's start with "Adonis Rhodos is the only member of the Hellenistic pantheon to have a surname"

Yeah he isn't unique in this regard, they all have surnames or an epiteth usually involving where they're being worshiped or in what regard they're being revered (I think). Here's some examples;

Zeus Olympios would be Zeus as king of the gods of Olympus and Zeus Panhellios is his name as he is worshiped everywhere in ancient Greece, Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin), Aphrodite's most common epithet was Aphrodite Philommeidḗs (Aphrodite Smile-Lover) and in Sparta she was venerated as a war goddess (because all gods are war gods in Sparta) by the name of Aphrodite Areia (Aphrodite the Warlike, because Sparta).

Here's the interesting part I found out while I was researching my corrections; Adonis Rhodos is ALWAYS known as Adonis Rhodos no matter where he was worshiped. Why is that significant? Because unlike the rest of his kin, no matter where he was worshiped he is always Adonis Rhodos. Never anything else. No matter where his cults sprouted up, he was always worshiped as Adonis Rhodos. It is often debated that it was the main reason why they tried to burn down the city of Rhodes, because the worship of him was becoming a problem. Supposedly he descended from the heavens and whipped up a storm that doused the flames before they got out of control.

This is the main reason why I did this because I missed this key bit of info. While I was researching this, I dug up another thing; Donald Rhodes Jr's mother is Greek. There is only one known photo of her and that's because Don Sr. used his considerable assets to unperson her in the media. The only photo that remains is a candid photo that has her face heavily blurred by nature of the shitty camera work. There are a sizeable amount of people in this conspiracy circle that claim that this woman is Aphrodite who for some reason decided to shack up with Don Sr, Adonis Rhodos decided to incarnate within his mother's womb (again) and be reborn as Donald Rhodes Jr.

For some reason.

Personally I find that kind of stupid. Moving on

"once apon a time there was Ra, king of the gods. One day he got old as shit and is retired. He says to his son Osiris" this is wrong on so many levels. There is a story here that involves the birth of the Goddess Sekhmet and/or Bast, and Osiris is his great grandson through Osiris's Dad. Set is not Osiris' brother, but Ra's. Now his bitch fit makes more sense.

I got the emperor of japan/amaterasu connection wrong too. Grandson not son.

No further corrections (on account of not having much to go on in the first place) but I did find something interesting on the Aztec side of things;

So. The Last King (Tlatoani) of the Aztecs was a guy named Cuauhtémoc (good luck pronouning that). That is not his original name, his original name has been lost to history supposedly. He was given this name by the last priests of the religion during the lovely reign of one Hernan Cortes. See, the priests predicted Cortes' arrival and just told the people that he was in fact Quetzalcoatl when they friggin knew that he would be the downfall of the empire, and that their last Tlatoani would be known by the same name as a primordial and OLD AS SHIT god; Cuauhtémoc, his epithet (which is impossible to type correctly so you get the translation) is "Herald of The End Times, Father of the New World"

According to the diary of Cortes, he did everything in his power to try to save the Nauhat peoples. I know, "White Savior" alarm is going off right now I bet. But here's the thing, there is archeological evidence that suggests that the Aztec Empire was trying to assimilate into Spanish culture and stuff by order of the priesthood and Montezuma. They knew that they wouldn't survive as they were and only under Spanish rule and Catholicism would they continue. According to the translated texts of some recently discovered (like 1995 recent) Aztec ruins, it's because Cuauhtémoc witnesses the end of all cycles and that he knew the Spanish were coming, so when they did come the Nauhat peoples would live on even if their empire didn't.

Why would he tell them this? We do not know. Scholars have been debating that for decades.Not even the ruins found in 95 showed any answers to that.

(Showing page 1 of 4)

►Deimos
Replied On Jan 9th 2011:
Uhhh...

Ok. Good on you for the correction. I have learned some shit. My time was not wasted for once.

►Morgan Sinister
Replied On Jan 9th 2011:
Yeah that Aztec story's a trip. My nana told me that story (she's catholic but likes to tell the old Aztec Stories that her nana, and her nana's nana, and so on told)

►Forgotten Creator
Replied On Jan 9th 2011:
Yeah, Cortes' Diary is kind of a sad read. Throughout the whole thing he comes off as a guy who's dreading every action he's taking. Apparently he treated his Aztec wife and mixed child very well (despite portrayals in historical fiction saying otherwise) and killed a man who tried to lay hands on his baby mama. Hell he tried to write down every damn Aztec story, had people document as much as he could, but the church didn't like that and had it burned. It was only some of his own diary and some of the writings being hidden by some confidants of his that we even have them today.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4

♦ Private Messages: Greg - It's Madison, ANSWER NOW!

Specific_Protagonist: It's Madison from School, I know this is your PHO account, no you aren't subtle. I don't care what you think of the shit I do at school or what I've posted online. This is important. Something bad is going to happen at school tomorrow, and I can't stop it. I have tried. I am leaving you this zip file. If something happens to me, if I go missing. Take a copy of that to the police.
Attached File: NUsinsofthedallonsisters1.zip (1.7 GB)
XxVoid_CowboyxX: WOO DAMN! You are so lucky that I don't buy what you're selling. I am not beta-ing your newest bit of degeneracy Madison. Can't wait to tell the whole school! Not that they'd believe me, but hey.

Specific_Protagonist: Listen to me dammit! I know I am a collossal bitch, I know I have done some fucked shit. But what Sophia and Emma have planned is too fucking far! Take the fucking file. Read it if you want or don't, just please! If Something happens! Just give it to the fucking cops.

XxVoid_CowboyxX: Even if I did believe you, why me?

Specific_Protagonist: Because you are probably the only person who would give a shit about Taylor even when you don't have the balls to stand up for her. Because they wouldn't expect me to send ANYTHING let alone evidence to you.

XxVoid_CowboyxX: You're really in over your head aren't you?

Specific_Protagonist: Just promise me you will give this to the cops if something happens.

XxVoid_CowboyxX: I promise.



Just a little something for you guys that I shot off the top of my head. Have a good day!
 
Madison reaching for Greg's help, on the basis that Greg's the mist likely to act.

Yeah, I mean the only otther potential named character for her to reach out to would be...

Sparky.

I mean I have something planned for him but nothing so important, also I doubt he has social media.
 
Alright, i'm gonna be real with you guys. I think I painted myself into a corner with the inclusion of Donnie III, be real with me. If you got more than what youve seen so far of him, like say a full length chapter, would you think hes overstayed his welcome?
 
Alright, i'm gonna be real with you guys. I think I painted myself into a corner with the inclusion of Donnie III, be real with me. If you got more than what youve seen so far of him, like say a full length chapter, would you think hes overstayed his welcome?
Depends on what else you decide to do with him. Personally I think his accidental douchiness is fun. Don't know much else about him, so that's all I can really say.
 
I just found out the perfect title for if I ever wrote the original idea for Band;
"My Manic Pixie Edge-Lord Neighbor just made me his sidekick!?"

Probabky be NSFW for violence and grabass
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top