Epithet Erased - A down-to-earth modern adventure with funky powers

[Rockin Strings]

@Lugubrious Alright, let's see my list...

[Crimson Raven]

I find myself in need of a list, good sir

[Expolar]

I am quite the fan of Epithet Erased and of your ideas. The interest is there, but with how busy my is schedule, my activity would likely be as very minimal. Although I do not know if there is a player limit as it was not mentioned, I would likely be keeping an eye. But in the case that I somehow find myself have enough time to post a bit more frequently, I would be happy to see a list of 5 random words to at least have something to play around with now than later. That and I am a fan of random stuff and letting the creative juices mix to think on their possible uses.

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

I don't want to build my character entirely because I want to see what scenario they'd be in, but I have two powers I'd like to run past you.

Absolutely Superb! ~ With a single compliment the entire world may change. Whenever an ally succeeds at anything they may be complimented, and when they are complimented reality reorders itself so the greatest success possible under the circumstances was achieved. To put it in RPG parlance, he can change any allies ordinary success into a critical success. The ally must be able to hear the compliment for the effect to go off, and he can not apply this effect to himself.

A For Effort! ~ While his first ability is a success magnifier, is one is a failure minimizer. When any ally fails at something he can tell them they were just doing their best and the consequences of their failure are retroactively minimized to the smallest degree possible under the circumstances. If his first power is changing 1 into 10, this one is changing -10 into -1.

[Dark Light]

@Dark Light

While I agree that snail powers are top tier, Deviltry covers black magic, wickedness, mischief and deals with the devil.

@Gentlemanvaultboy

If you want to play on the Devil aspect or vague witchcraft but escargot has so much more!

There’s the lubricant, crawling up walls, ability to lift ten times their body weight, the obvious shell. They also can carry leathal parasites but are immune to them themselves.
Or maybe I could take on the cooking process and generate heat.
The snails need to be removed from the shells so I might have magic that removes things from their protections.
It’s a delicacy to some but the thought deters others. A repulse attract angle.

Oh! And nearly forgot, the obvious snail pace power but on enemies :D

[Crimson Raven]

I am quite the fan of Epithet Erased and of your ideas. The interest is there, but with how busy my is schedule, my activity would likely be as very minimal. Although I do not know if there is a player limit as it was not mentioned, I would likely be keeping an eye. But in the case that I somehow find myself have enough time to post a bit more frequently, I would be happy to see a list of 5 random words to at least have something to play around with now than later. That and I am a fan of random stuff and letting the creative juices mix to think on their possible uses.

@Expolar

AHAAA! A GHOST!

[Reflection]

Anybody else interested in making a member of Bliss Ocean? If so, it'd be neat to get a few of the bad guys together.

[Lugubrious]

Here's what came up:

For Rockin Strings

Jingle
Stride
Schiamachy
Descriptive
Neo

For Crimson Raven

Highfalutin
Comb
Kettle
Sisterhood
Hornsnake

Expolar

Aries
Panda
Itemizer
Liver
Gyte

[Lugubrious]

I don't want to build my character entirely because I want to see what scenario they'd be in, but I have two powers I'd like to run past you.

Absolutely Superb! ~ With a single compliment the entire world may change. Whenever an ally succeeds at anything they may be complimented, and when they are complimented reality reorders itself so the greatest success possible under the circumstances was achieved. To put it in RPG parlance, he can change any allies ordinary success into a critical success. The ally must be able to hear the compliment for the effect to go off, and he can not apply this effect to himself.

A For Effort! ~ While his first ability is a success magnifier, is one is a failure minimizer. When any ally fails at something he can tell them they were just doing their best and the consequences of their failure are retroactively minimized to the smallest degree possible under the circumstances. If his first power is changing 1 into 10, this one is changing -10 into -1.

@Gentlemanvaultboy

Sorry taking a while to get back to you. I like the ideas, although their strength and the whole rewriting reality thing bring to mind another aspect of epithets: epitomes.

Epitomes are the flat-out most powerful use for any epithet. They go beyond the meanings of the word for the user and touch the core concepts related to the word--superset rather than subset. They are extremely rare and can be developed only by individuals with the toughest constitutions, sharpest wits, and creative minds after countless hours of training and use.

For instance, the epithet Sundial might just be able to tell the time of day, and the weather. But the epitome of Sundial can control the progress of any ongoing process with a beginning and end, accelerating, stopping, or reversing.

This isn't to say that I want any epitomes running around, of course. I mention it because maximizing successes and minimizing failures through rewriting reality is pretty incredible. Could be broken.

Other uses of superb could avoid that risk. It can mean excellent, impressive, splendid, top-class. It could be used to improve the quality of materials or devices, refining them, or just making them look better or flashier. I personally have only ever heard people say the word in reference to really good food, so that could be an example. Maybe the character is a chef who can make food so good it confers miraculous, magical effects!

Just spitballing here, of course. But hey, it's fun.

[Crimson Raven]

For Crimson Raven

Highfalutin
Comb
Kettle
Sisterhood
Hornsnake

@Lugubrious

>Highfalutin

Gesundheit

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

See, this is why I asked because I was developing this whole back story based around it seeming like he's a useless brown noser because he can't prove he's actually doing anything.

I'll re-work something.

[Rockin Strings]

For Rockin Strings

Jingle
Stride
Schiamachy
Descriptive
Neo

@Lugubrious

For Jingle, all I can think of is it makes him a good musician.
For Stride, easily a speedster word.
For Sciamachy, since it has to do with shadow boxing, I was thinking something like melee from a distance.
For Descriptive, all I can think of is changing the physical appearance of something.
For Neo, there's the Matrix dude and the chick from RWBY.

Too bad we can't have more than 1. I'm gonna go with Stride. If he had his epiphany when he was 13 and he's 23 now, with practice every day, how much control would he have over his speed, how fast would he top out, and would speeds passing terminal velocity have negative effects?

[Lugubrious]

Keep in mind they can encapsulate any meaning.

For jingle: bells, clear sound, cleansing, peace. Christmas, snow, giving, cheer, belief, and wonder (Santa and so forth). A rhyme or tune for advertisements, a slogan, loud and frenetic and attention-grabbing. Repetitious, unforgettable sounds. Ring any bells?

For stride: long stride, heavy stride, a lot covered or done with little effort or simple movements. To take something in stride means to weather, acknowledge, or confront it without problem or distress. You're taking it to mean speed because you want someone with superspeed, but that could also take the form of blinking or flash-stepped, moving a distance in a single stride.

Neo means new, an iteration or evolution of the old, the future. Such an epithet could allow a character to upgrade objects to futuristic versions. Shoes to rocket boots, water gun to a laser blaster, and so forth. Or the character could exhibit hyper-adaptation, able to adjust and grow stronger in response to new stimuli, with the new changes reverting when not in use.

Epithets should not be viewed simply as superpowers, but as powersets or suites of magic stemming from one's conception of the word. When one thinks 'stride' would one really jump to 'super fast'?

See, this is why I asked because I was developing this whole back story based around it seeming like he's a useless brown noser because he can't prove he's actually doing anything.

I'll re-work something.

@Gentlemanvaultboy

That could still apply. Maybe your character doesn't have a strong command of his epithet yet. As long as he's not at the point where its too powerful I'm down.

[Crimson Raven]

Dropping some of my thoughts here.

Highfalutin - Meaning "(especially of speech, writing, or ideas) pompous or pretentious." Pride. This person is so wrapped up in themselves and impressing others that it is their own source of power. They get stronger/faster/smarter or have another ability that grows the more highly they think of themselves, but the downfall is that if their confidence is broken, then their abilities decrease proportionally.

This is my favorite, and I love the synergy with the complement-based power already suggested. With every compliment their head (and power) would swell.

Extra: Devil's Pride. The first sinner, Lucifer, fell for his pride and those who share his ambition to overthrow God are able to call upon his powers. Devilry will be afoot. (because they refuse to learn the metric system. Also probably invented the imperial system.)

Comb - in particular, "to search carefully and systematically", also "to untangle or arrange (the hair) by drawing a comb through it." Their power is to find things they are looking for and to make sense of complicated things through careful study. Think Sherlock Holms. Could be a hair stylist or a barber for extra laughs.

Kettle - Either "a container or device in which water is boiled, having a lid, spout, and handle." Easy, steam/water powers with a signature 'waterlock' that puts the target in a container of water/steam.

Sisterhood - Kinda tough. Major Sex Appeal? Hah.

Hornsnake - Simple. Danger noodle person or danger noodle whisperer. Vanilla but workable. Sadly, hornsakes are specifically a harmless snake so um oof. If stretched, I could take it to mean a 'horned snake', which is a type of desert viper. Or, really far, a Basilisk or Cockatrice, both often depicted with horns.

[Majoraa]

Im just kinda debating on the nuclear fire manipulation thing for my character. Kinda op, since it's bound to set a building or two on fire. .-.

[TruthHurts22]

I might actually back down from this. Sorry, but I don't think I'd enjoy it as much as I hoped .3.

[Lugubrious]

@Crimson Raven You've got some good ideas rummaging around!

For Highfalutin, I love the idea of a character getting stronger the more his or her own ego rises and the more others think of him or her. As an added bonus, instead of just general stats increasing, it could be a specific ability. Since people who're highfalutin put on airs and thinks themselves above others, the person could have wind-based powers that increase in intensity with ego, but if the person gets knocked off his or her high horse, the power blows in a different way. I do think getting Lucifer and devilry out of it might be a bit of a stretch.

Comb also means to make more presentable, particularly in terms of appearance; to make more glamorous. That could take an illusionist turn, with the user able to cast glamours over him/herself or others. Or, it could just confer hair-related techniques. Would definitely be an ace for a stylist!

Sisterhood brings to my mind predominantly female groups like nuns and witches. That could lead in holy or unholy directions, with connotations of community, mutual support, and bonds either way.

Im just kinda debating on the nuclear fire manipulation thing for my character. Kinda op, since it's bound to set a building or two on fire. .-.

@Majoras End

Nuclear fire manipulation might be taking it a bit far. No epithet is by its nature OP. Just keep it on a less-grand scale, if that's the one you want. Moderate flashes of light and temperature would be both effective and appropriate.

[Majoraa]

@Lugubrious

Hm, so flashbangs and body temp stuff? I can work with that.

[Lugubrious]

Since this has seen so much awesome interest, I'd like to put up the OOC in short order. The main thing left to decide is our scenario event. I have four choices, one supplied by Haeo. If there is no strong preference among you all we'll go with the first one, which I personally like the most and think is the best. Let me know if there's one you like.

A) Lunch Rush at Celluloid Studio - months' worth of filming for a highly-anticipated action movie starring a celebrity inscribed as the hero has been going well, but at last a nefarious plan is afoot. On a day like any other, while most of the actors and staff are out to lunch, chaos breaks loose. The Banzai Blasters appear and start causing chaos, and a small team from Bliss Ocean -having orchestrated the Blasters' arrival as a distraction- infiltrate the studio, their target being the A-lister dedicated to bridging the inscribed-mundie gap. But the person of interest, their bodyguards, and the small security team aren't about to take this lying down. Caught in the crossfire are a few staff members, actors, and even young fans who snuck onto the set in hopes of an autograph. But hey, that's showbiz, baby!

B) High Steaks - it's the grand opening of a new penthouse restaurant in downtown Sweet Jazz, courtesy of a young politician giving a little back to their hometown. Gourmet cooking, finest wines, and delightful atmosphere abound, surrounded by a sky-high view nobody could ever forget. In the spirit of uniting folks across divides a number of people from all walks of life are present, allowing a whole host of people the evening of a lifetime. Yet, all is not well. Despite all his efforts that politician has enemies, be they local mooks looking to cause a ruckus, or a professional hit team out to ensure an early end of term. It's feast or famine at the top of the world!

C) Rock of Ages - today's the day of Sweet Jazz City's first-ever rock concert, featuring the inscribed band Gilt By Association, to be held in its very own Lozenge Park. The venue's mostly set up, but with a good few hours to go, things aren't quite ready yet. That's why some young adults are on the scene, led by their wacky mutual friend on a plan to bury some food and booze on the soon-to-be concert grounds so they can dig it up during the event and either have some or sell it to eager attendees. Unfortunately, they're not the only people around with purpose, and I don't mean citizens playing with their kids, selling tacos, or walking their dogs; someone's sabotaging the stage, leaving a little something to give the show later on an explosive finish. Even worse, there are Banzai Blasters around, looking to make off with the band's characteristic golden instruments. Whatever the odds, the show must go on.

D) Workman's Holiday - nobody comes to Otter Point to have a bad time. Whatever their walks of life, whatever their dealings and identities, business as usual is off the table as this seaside resort. Business isn't exactly booming at this time of year, but it manages to attract a steady stream of people, and today is no different. Except, that is, for the sudden appearance of an epitome. A kid washed out to sea by a riptide and on the verge of drowning, desperate to survive, produced a breathtaking invocation of their epithet, plunging the resort into chaos. Everyone whose vacation's just been ruined is left with the choice to weather the storm, stop it at the source, try to escape, or make the most of the opportunity. We hope you enjoy your stay.

I'll most likely decide by the end of tomorrow.

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

D appeals to me, but not enough to go against somebody else.