yoshua171

WOTW or GFFNR

WOTW!

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

I return home on the 18th and should be pretty available for a while after that, though forewarning, I am working on moving cities...so yeah.

A question for my beloved guild colleagues

@Bishop This...this isn't a roleplay though.

Yoshua171's Project Storage

Draetstan
Aghkar’i
Tchaermasei

World name: Astoņiae [Combination of the latvian word for “eight” (Astoniem) and the latin word for form/forms (Formae).] In the languages within it, Astoniae means “Bound by the Eight,” or “Made of the Eight.”

The Nexus: An individual capable of wielding all Aspects.

The Mechanics of Magic

Hider

In the world of Astoniae, almost every living thing has pathways that transmit lifeforce, mana, spiritual energy, and the “Will” of the mind through the body. These pathways are aligned with the nervous and circulatory systems of the physical body. However, those who utilize magic are different, for their pathways possess different numbers of “Nodes” (working name) throughout, which allow an individual to access the essence of life and magic that flows through them by harnessing, and then binding their will into the nodes, and then using them to infuse the energies with those aspects to which they have access.

As such, the process of using magic is called Unition and magic users are called Termini.

Unition has several steps, which are as follows:

Unition Steps

Step One - Channeling: Once one learns how to do so, they essentially focus/expand their physical awareness into the aforementioned "pathways" and "nodes" in their body. Without this awareness one cannot use magic consciously. The Termini sinks some of their awareness into the "Will" component of the energy in their pathways.

Q: How does this feel?
A: Heh, like you weren't paying attention to your body, and then you start paying attention, except it's a bit deeper than that since you start to feel almost a "river" of energies flowing through you. Feeling the essence of life coursing through you. Like being able to sense the beat of your heart, and the movement of all the blood through your veins. Those who are just learning how to do it would describe it as disconcerting, but also...mystifying.

Step Two - Locking: The Termini (what mages are called in this world) takes the process of channeling a step forwards by not merely using "Will" to become aware of their internal network, but to assert a measure of control upon its flow, which they then use to draw Ether into the "Nodes" along their pathways. Whilst the Ether is within the Termini's nodes it is "bound" to whatever aspects the user chooses (that they have access to). This limits the potential things that the ether can do, narrowing its purpose and allowing the Termini to decide more concretely on how to formulate their casting/magic into what they want in a given instance

Step Three - Weaving: The Termini releases the ether from their nodes and back into their pathways, but maintains control of it, sending it (usually) down the arms and into the hands. During this process the Ether is again exposed to one’s Will, allowing the Termini to mould its purpose more clearly, weaving in specific traits from those aspects they infuse into the ether. Occasionally Unition stops at this step as people will use the ether to infuse their body by "weaving" it into their body to infuse it with given properties till the ether "burns out," causing the effects to cease.

Step Four - Casting: Ether is released into/onto the hands (typically), which are then used to physically mold the ether into shapes or to mold it before release--typically by way of specialized movements of the hands and fingers, though these movements really only act as a mnemonic tool to make working ether easier and more efficient. Once this is done the ether is released, or “cast” out where it manifests as magic proper.

The potency of one’s lifeforce, and thus magic, can be affected by their physical fitness as well as some other attributes such as strength of mind and personality. Adrenaline and physical movements can help to amplify the strength and/or accuracy of one’s magic.

The nature of internal energies

Almost all living things in Astoniae have a system of pathways in the body that run along similar lines to the nervous and circulatory systems in the physical body. These pathways carry three notable things:

A person's Lifeforce/stamina: Which in this case is the energy that allows their body to continue functioning. Draining a normal amount just makes you physically tired. Draining too much can start causing certain bodily systems to shut down or be damaged to some degree.

A person's "Will": Which in this case is that which is transmitted from their spirit/mind through the body to allow them to sense and move as well as be aware of the energy in their pathways.

Lastly, these pathways contain Ether (which I may rename), which is a malleable, largely traitless semi-liquid energy-like substance. Ether is used for magic, as well as a measure of one's lifeforce.

Now some people have nodes (which are kind of like nerve bundles, but are instead bundles of ether, lifeforce, and "Will," that can form or come into being sometime during the person's development) along their pathways. Some have more nodes than others, some have none at all. People without nodes cannot use magic, though there is always the possibility that someone will develop/form them later in life. Those with nodes can use magic.

When magic is "cast" a measure of the lifeforce is expelled, which is why magic users get tired. It's a small amount, but it's a set amount proportional to the amount of ether used.

Additionally a Termini’s physical fitness, mentally agilility (and willful personality) can increase the accuracy and/or potency of one’s magic. This is due to the fact that a small amount of lifeforce is expelled and integrated into ether when it is cast from the body. Additifionally, those whose mental fortitude and passion are strong--whose minds are agile--gain more potent manipulation of the “Will” aspect of their energies, thus allowing them to manipulate ether with greater proficiency. As with one’s fitness, adrenaline has similar effects on one’s magic, making it more potent by packing more lifeforce into less space, resulting in a greater amount being expelled when the ether is cast. However, this also means that a Termini is likely to tire at a much steeper rate than normally.

As such it is not uncommon for termini to work up adrenaline before casting. Some even imbibe various drugs to amplify certain aspects of themselves to in turn make their magic stronger--though this is more often than not a temporary effect with possibly long-lasting repercussions.

It should also be noted that once the ether is outside of your body it has two "states." The first is its base state, where it still contains "Will" in it (which requires it still maintain a connection to the Termini's body), thus allowing the individual to continue manipulating the Ether. Ether in the second state is that which has lost the aforementioned connection, and the "Will" aspect either retracts into the body or is lost (when it is lost, it makes a magic user mentally a bit more tired/taxed, which is why some spells are more mentally taxing than others).

Side notes/Drawbacks: The mixture of high adrenaline and varying loss of vitality can--especially over time--be very dangerous. This is because Adrenaline causes a lot of stress to the body, and chronic stress can be damaging, which may be compounded by the loss of lifeforce. As mentioned previously, adrenaline packs more lifeforce into less space causing more of it to be vented when ether is cast. However, when this lifeforce is vented, the adrenaline is not, essentially resulting in the termini having less awareness of how tired they really are, due to the intensity of physical sensations caused by adrenaline coursing through the body, making any damage taken less noticeable to the termini as well.

In addition to the above one must keep in mind that the use of magic tends to have more long term drawbacks if it is used too often without giving the body time to recover for while ether is not exactly lifeforce and not exactly “Will,” the continued venting of it from the body without giving the body time to replenish it will eventually wear at the body causing permanent damage that can eventually leak into the physical form causing trauma and damage to necessary systems (muscle, tissue, nerves, and blood vessels more often than not, though organ damage can occur if magic is grievously overused).

Aspects

The Aspects of Reality and Magic

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These aspects are that which formed all of existence in the past and that which will continue to create and destroy more in the future as well as what stabilizes each present moment. Similarly, these aspects are also directly tied to the use of magic, for mortals are born aligned more closely with some aspects than others even if they are not capable of magic.

It should be noted that, in Astoniae, each aspect is revered and looked to almost as one might a god. The aspects each have philosophies associated with them (these are pending) that tie into their nature. The actual nature of the Eight is somewhere between God and Fundamental Force in that Gods are sentient beings of divine or infernal origin, who choose to make reality, but are often more closely tied to the material realm in their behavior or by way of their power whereas Fundamental Forces just are, and they have no will.

The aforementioned reveals that while the Aspects do have “personality” in a fashion and even consciousness, that they are not truly “gods” and are closer to fundamental forces than anything else. It is unknown if the Aspects arose from some other force, it is only known that--as far as mortals are aware--they have simply always been.

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Time's Trinity

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Absence.
Associated with emptiness, nothingness, the unknown and death. Absence is both the state of total lack of substance in any form, and the uncaring apathetic void that slowly eats away at any given thing, reducing anything it touches from a state of wholeness to a state of non-existence. Often known as the Forbidden aspect.

Movement.
It is the prime force that keeps reality changing, in motion. It is like the kinetic energy that your muscles use to drive movement, but it instead is the energy that drives the universe forwards.

It is often thought as synonymous with life. “Forward” flowing transmutation uses this, meaning magic that improves something or brings it into a more developed or complex state.

Suspension.
The state of stasis, a frozen moment of the present time. Making something persist in a single state for a period of time. However, suspension is never permanent. It is the aspect of the fleeting moment, a snapshot of the current state of reality in an instant. This is used for sealing or preservation magic.

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The Middling Mediator

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Concord.
Harmony, treatise, the agreement to cooperate. This aspect can link or attune things to one another, it is what unites the other aspects, and while it is essential, it is not quite as potent or necessary as the aspects held within the Trinity. This aspect has no true and proper opposing point.

It is the middling aspect which helps to unite or harmonize the others, maintaining balance and the connections even between those disparate aspects who revile their own interactions with one another. Concord is connection, harmony, and while it is sometimes balance, this may not always be the case. Concord possesses no opposing point among the aspects, 'cept the oft opposing points of all aspects: Absence.

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The Quantum Quatra

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Adamancy.
Representing that which cannot be changed, altered, or moved. This aspect is unyielding, immovable, and solid in the most literal sense. Adamancy is what allows the existence of solid substances and it governs defense, durability, and along with its counterpart, the manipulation/control/creation of any non-etheric manifestation. It is resolve and stability, the physical world in its least malleable form.

Mages with the aspect of Adamancy are those who focus on defenses or reinforcement of existing structures. They might preserve something--in a more permanent, lasting fashion than a mage of Suspension might, for the act is one of material rather than one of time, whose nature is to ever flow. Similarly this magic might be combined with other aspects to embolden and empower the mind, making people more willful and certain of the validity of their actions and thoughts.

Inconstancy.
It is the fickle, the malleable, and the easily influenced. Inconstancy is an aspect tied to the physically malleable substances and states of existence. It is hesitance, it is impressionability, it is the easily affected winds, and most of all it is the unstable and ever changing physical state of existence.

Mages with the aspect of Inconstancy are those who reduce, but not through deterioration like those of Absence, but rather through shifting physical substances from more complex states into less complex or more easily malleable ones. Combined with other magics it might make one more impressionable or easily influenced and manipulated. Additionally, one might use Inconstancy magic to make work something that--through conventional methods--would never be worked due its sheer durability.

Dynamism.
An aspect governing those forms of ether which often interact with physical reality, Dynamism is something that allows physical motion, heat, electrical energy, light, and even life and magic to an extent. It is the more tangible of the two etheric aspects, and the translating force of the mind. It is the seat of perception.

Abstraction.
The realm of ideas and concepts, of that which hardly ever tangibly interacts with the physical realm/aspects of reality. It is knowledge, philosophy distilled. It is the the intangible, insubstantial aspect of the mind. It is the seat of comprehension.

Naruto: Yoshin (AU)

Anzen-sei, Kikuë

---

Her attention shifting from the Totem to the goings on in the room, Kikue noticed Riku’s actions and reached out--as if to direct something at the arrow, only for Yuhi--one of the Tsuchikage’s bodyguards, to beat her to the punch. She pulled the arm back and straightened her hair and clothes making sure she was in order. She did a mental checklist--and then a sensory one--to see if all was well with her physically.

It was.

Shifting her focus, she spoke up, firing a glare at Riku, which she followed up with bits of crystallized chakra--with specific bumps in the fashion of braile--slipping nigh invisibly through the air and against the blind archer’s skin.

The braile read as follows:

Think before you act you imbecile!

Braile Crystals

It would be clear to him that she was not particularly pleased with his actions, do she did understand his suspicions. Luckily, Yuuhi excused the offense after which Kyoko acted promptly, essentially arresting Norio, if only to assuage concern and ascertain any involvement he might have had.

Kikue glanced out one of the holes in the council chamber and immediately saw Kujira doing as she’d prompted earlier, still assisting in the location and extraction of people from rubble as well as supporting structures with her companion’s chakra.

While she felt the drain it was really not very much given the sheer depth of her chakra pool, so she put it on the backburner and instructed Kujira to stop well before she used even 1/4th of Kikue’s chakra. Who knows, she might need it soon, and it would not be good to be caught unprepared.

She turned her attention to Kyoko and spoke, “What of me? Is there anything I might do to stabilize the situation? I have already bid Kujira to extricate any she can and stabilize any structures damaged by the attack. Is there anything further I might do?” Her words were only faintly hurried, though her tone was level and calm. While normally Kikue would be concerned with her own, here well…this was a matter of the Bijuu, and they were a thing that had taken two great women from her clan, two women who had meant much to her, even if she had never truly met her grandmother. As such she had every intention of minimizing their damage to all others she could, in addition to making sure that should they somehow escape…that her and hers would be prepared to deal with them.

This was not just a matter of pragmatism, but rather something more personal, for it was something that the tailed beasts had taken from her, it was a matter of family and so it was something that Kikue took very very seriously.

---

Sanryōkyō, Meirō – Mushoku

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They’d finished acquiring sustenance and taken it elsewhere to eat, out of the sun, and into a building. However, oddly, Meirou hadn’t really noticed the presence of their senior…um, Han’you, until the explosion. The man’s movement--and eventually works--had brought him into the genin’s awareness, and he stayed there.

Barely reacting, aside from bracing himself and then looking to his friend, Meirou’s expression changed ever so slightly, shifting from deadpan to the slightest of frowns. The only reason he hadn’t been affected by whatever that blast had been, was pure coincidence…luck, but Toudai had been hurt, though it didn’t look too bad.

Han’you said something about flashiness and the Bijuu being the natural enemy of shinobi, and then Meirou properly tuned in to the man’s words, looking him in the eyes. Though Han’you would not have the connection that Toudai had with the young, often quiet and hard to read Meirou, he would nonetheless see the tells of worry, tension, and…was that anger, in the young man. It appeared that he did not like that something had hurt his best friend, or…perhaps more like he couldn’t believe that something had dared to do so.

It was odd, like he was taking the action as a personal attack.

Han’you asked him to tell him everything he knew about the Bijuu, and in response Meirou’s gaze intensified…and he narrowed his eyes, if only fractionally. A strange sort of darkness settled in Meirou’s gaze, and he spoke “Fix Toudai,” the boy said, and it was not a question or a request, but an order.

Having been around the two for some time, Han’you would know that Meirou had an understanding of the pecking order in the village, and that he was beyond intelligent enough to comprehend that what he’d just done was not just rude, but a sort of insubordination. Yet he would also know that Meirou did not treat anyone, not even his own clan, squad mates, or teachers, with as much respect and care as he did Toudai. He would know that the usually quiet, somewhat subdued and even apathetic Meirou was acting through emotion--not logic--and he would know that even given Han’you’s superior skill and power, that denying Meirou this would not benefit him.

What the man perhaps would not realize, however, was that Meirou had already considered all of the above before he’d opened his mouth. It was a scary truth, that beneath the seemingly tactless exterior of the genin’s actions was a mind sharp enough to calculate all that in the space of barely a few seconds.

A question for my beloved guild colleagues

Well isn't this an interesting little corner of the Guild :3

I will say preemptively, I have a tendency to ramble, so...bear with me.

Hmm, I'm sort of not in any one "camp" in regards to this subject, but I must say that I definitely agree on some of the points made and definitely disagree very strongly with others.

I agree first and foremost with Odin and Innue I'd say. I, most of all, feel that in RPs with more than 5 people (in particular if they have more than one character each) wherein are not in a single tightly knit (or multiple closely related) group(s) that people should not be forced to read every post. For much the same reasons as were stated before, because yeah those characters may never even come across eachother, their stories might remain separate and if they do come across one another it is more likely than not an intentional act or plan by the players (or the GM) in which case their physical state (appearance etc) and other details ought to be described in their posts anyways. I'm not saying that, in a situation where characters A and B are in a room and characters C and D are in another room far away, and character D leaves and walks passed the open door of the room A and B are in that character D's player should have to describe what they're wearing in every post to make sure people don't miss details like that. However, I am saying that if you transition from one interaction into a new interaction involving more characters (in particular if it was not planned beforehand) that people should be describing in their posts what the other characters are going to be seeing.

If it's a situation where character A enters into a scenario with characters C and D, then the player of character A should be reading the posts AT LEAST just prior to their entrance, OR should be COMMUNICATING with their fellow RPers so that everyone is on the same page.

Also, please don't come to me and say "well that's in an ideal world Yoshua," because all this requires is that people communicate, and if you can't take a few minutes to throw people a message--or don't have the patience to wait for someone to get online to respond to you--then guess what, you need to change because you're missing the point.

If you're that impatient or unwilling to cooperate/communicate, then guess what the whole "you should read all the posts," applies to you in particular.

Also, I'd like to bring up something @Lady Amalthea and co. You said it's necessary for people to read ALL the posts in the RP before posting. I've seen your RPs before (which always seem to be very successful by the way, it's impressive I must say) and some of them are huge, but they're not usually as big as, say something like...oh, I don't know Phoenix Wing. Would you say in the case of a RP like the aforementioned Phoenix Wing, that it is in any way reasonable to ask someone to read all the posts in the IC thread (at the very least)?

For a bit of context for anyone who doesn't look at that link. Phoenix Wing's character tab alone (which is usually the smallest tab in RPs in my experience) has 160 posts. The OOC thread? 53,240 posts. The IC thread is an insane 7,286 posts.

For further context, there are 20 posts on any given page of the Guild, which means the Character Tab is 8 pages; the OOC is 2662 pages; the IC is 364.3 pages all at current time of posting. Additionally I can tell you--having briefly been in that RP--that the characters are distributed amongst several different guilds and do not always interact nor do they necessarily know of eachother in the least. I can tell you that many of the characters may not have even been posted in the CS tab, and I can tell you that many players have joined and left since the RP began roughly 3 years ago meaning that there are any number of players/characters that are almost certainly NEVER going to be relevant to your experience or your character's knowledge base in any way.

So yeah, I'd definitely say that a RP needs one of two things, preferably both. These being either very good and consistent communication and/or people to read all the posts. If you can't do either...I don't know what to tell you.

Oh yeah, and I totally disagree with the whole "put internal monologue/character thought process and "fluff" in hiders or just don't have it exist at all," thing that Bishop put forth. Frankly if you feel that way maybe you would enjoy Free more, or maybe you should run RPs where that is the case, because honestly only giving the bare bones actions/dialogue of your characters is just...well, boring unless the writer really knows how to make less more (which most people do not know how to do it seems, not that that is really a problem at all in my opinion).

So yeah, small tightly knit groups? Read the posts or cooperate a bunch, but DEFINITELY read the posts. Large group RPs, sorry, no, communicate and coordinate with your players and the GMs, because reading all those posts...not terribly viable for people who have lives of any sort--even if it's just high school or the like. I also feel like reading all the posts in a RP prior to the time that you joined is ridiculous, if only because it ought to be the GM's responsibility to integrate new players, rather than the player's. Mind you, I am not at all saying that a player should not be doing their utmost to figure out what they want to do/where they want to be.

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

Yeah a collab could be pretty helpful with this sort of thing.

Naruto: Yoshin (AU)

Anzen-sei, Kikuë

---

Somewhat relieved by Kyoko’s response, Kikue leaned back somewhat, though she remained attentive, gaze sharp and discerning. When there was a knock at the door, she raised an eyebrow, and then a man entered. A certain ‘Norio’ apparently, a representative for his country, and with some experience on the sea it seemed, interesting. He offered new opportunities, she smiled at the man. She would make time to speak with him later.

Then, as she moved to rise, Kujira called out to her telepathically. Her eyes widened then as something ripped through the wall. Immediately she sent invisible tendrils of her chakra outwards invisibly and rapidly in all directions.

Tsukekomu Meirei – Tengoku Kaizen(_{付け込む命令- 天国改善} 'Imposed Order – Heavenly Refinement').

As that finished Kujira notified her of the strike before it came, and in an instant there were a system of crystallized barriers, as the strike came and the rubble flew in her direction it broke some layers, but not them all. She kept spreading her chakra throughout the room. While the others recovered she already began removing rubble out of the way and sending instructions to Kujira.

The Great Spirit Whale dropped in altitude drastically and began providing support, moving rubble away and stopping any additional structures from falling by sending her chakra through Kujira and into the structures reinforcing them with crystalline structures.

She turned her attention back to those in the same room as her and noticed the absence of the Sankage. Her eyes narrowed, “Well, it appears that we have been cursed to live in interesting times,” there was the faintest tinge of perverse amusement in her voice as she said it. Yet, at the same time she knew that this was not at all good. Who knew what the future held.

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

Chatterbox

---

Watching as the others positioned the man formerly known as Gamble in a chair and kept him restrained. He smiled at the declawed parahuman with a sort of smug arrogance, he was going to enjoy this. When the fool spoke of revenge, before he could even speak up, the new addition to their team did so. The man’s presence reminded him of Arsenal’s departure and he thought a moment, considering how intelligent Broker had been to have a plant among them, to test things out properly.

It was good that he’d had someone to replace the man although, he had to admit that it annoyed him slightly that they’d had to go ‘recruit’ Arsenal when it had been a ploy all along. After a moment of contemplation, which hadn’t shown on his face in the least, he laughed, his gaze still locked with Murdock’s.

“It really is quite funny that you think you’ll be getting anything. After all, when I’m done with you, you won’t even have a will to do anything by yourself, but enough of that, let’s talk.” He said, his grin still present, each word almost mocking. All he needed was to speak and for Murdock to hear him, he didn’t even need to talk to their captive.

“So, Thunderbolt was it? Interesting choice for a name I must say. I’m Chatterbox,” as he introduced himself he did a flourish with his hand, reached over, and then tapped Thunderbolt on his shoulder.

“Master, Trump” he began, “…power works through my voice, I can slowly induce a highly suggestive hypnotic state in people who listen to me. Don’t worry, touched you to make you immune, boss said I wasn’t allowed to use my power on you lot. A shame really, I could make our teamwork perfect and leave all of you otherwise unaffected, but oh well.” He didn’t mention that he could also make them do almost anything he wanted them to without them ever knowing he’d made them do it, or them even remembering they had done anything at all and that was really just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

He continued, “I can tune my power to make people less affected than normal, or outright immune, oh…and once people are fully hypnotized I can gift a weaker version of my power to them if I want to. Sadly though, not nearly as useful in a fight, but I’m good with planning, so there’s that.” He shrugged a bit, still smiling, before he turned his attention to Murdock.

“So friend,” he said, his power having been working on him every time he’d spoken, “…I’m going to tell you, not ask, for you to relax. Oh yeah, and drop the scowl, no reason to feel so frustrated with us. After all, who got you captured to begin with?” He smiled at the idiot, a measure of arrogance and self-assurance in his eyes as he did so, he was clearly enjoying this.

He let Murdock get to the point of realizing what he was implying, then spoke again, driving the dagger in and twisting it, “Oh, that’s right, it was you, because you did something stupid just to see if you could. Guess you didn’t have luck good enough to win that particular Gamble did you. Of course, you won’t have any luck from here on out, not really.”

When he finished hypnotizing the fool he was going to make him totally aware of his actions, but totally unable to control them and man, he was going to enjoy it. Once he’d had his fun he would probably make Murdock think he was mute, and then implant a series of suggestions to help him remember false memories, or to create them by thinking they were things that had actually happening.

After all, it wasn’t that Chatterbox didn’t want Murdock to talk, exactly, it was that he wanted Murdock to say only what they wanted. He wanted to make him mislead the PRT, feed them lies about their powers and perhaps about their numbers. Any leg up would do really, and he planned to take all of them.

---

Outsider

---

He wondered why G4M3R was being so hesitant about picking a plan, they’d suggested some good ones already. Then, before he could speak up, a stranger interrupted them…a stranger equipped in the garb of someone associated with the Rockers. He narrowed his eyes as he turned bodily towards the individual.

Then Celia sprung into action, charging the man. He braced himself, just in case he needed to activate his power—though he really doubted it.

“Well, it looks like we’re about running out of time to plan. So I say you guys go in, try to get them out of the building, and I can ambush them out here or deal with anyone who heads out.” He said it with confidence, fairly sure that the plan would work.

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

Chatterbox

---

Watching intently the interaction, Chatterbox didn't bother trying to do anything, figuring their boss could handle himself, still, he winced as the alcohol was wasted.

Of course, then it was over...and then it got more interesting as one of the strangers in the room decided to lay a little beatdown on their friend. Of course, it was a little frustrating, after all they'd lost one of their members capturing Gamble and dealt with quite a few complications, and now he was apparently just trash.

Yeah, they did need to make him pay. Walking, he placed a hand on the shoulder of, what had it been? Ah, Thunderbolt. “Actually let's not kill him, it'd break the unspoken rules. You know, the ones that keep many of us alive,” he said with a smooth smile, “However, if you would,” he said, even as he grabbed a chair and sat it down near the cape, “I would just love to brainwash him properly, that way he won't be leading anyone back to us. Of course, it will take me...some time, but I think it will be worth the investment. We can have him spouting any lie we want in thirty minutes or so.” He grinned, a certain maliciousness in him even though he was suggesting the more humane option. After all, surviving as a thrall was certainly better than dying, wasn't it?

The truth was, Drake didn't care either way.

---

Evelyn Chambers – Tulpa

---

As they arrived at the interrogation room, bad news was made worse as more details were piled on to the little they'd learned before. By the end of it, Evelyn was gritting her teeth, and had had to make an effort to keep her fists from clenching. All the while her projection's shadow had been scanning those nearby. She was managing to keep her breathing somewhat calm as the villain flirted and attempted to give the PRT guard as much trouble as possible. She didn't like this 'Lovecraft,' already, and while every part of her wanted to volunteer to go in there just so she could beat the bastard...bitch(?) up, she didn't.

Then Ira spoke up and her eyes widened a bit as she glanced over at her teammate. Before she could stop herself she'd spoken, “Can we go in together?” She said, her outrage softening somewhat as she was reminded of Protean's little 'lesson'. She ammended her statement, “Actually, I will be going in with her. That way we can't be caught off guard no matter what.”

Then, remembering the Director's words she smiled a bit, feeling useful. ”Oh and before we go in, let me scan their powers.” She took in a deep breath, steadying herself, and extended her projection's shadow through the floor—unseen-- and then up and through a part of the villain's body. It was an imperceptible thing.

Swiftly a rush of information fell upon her, but she could handle it. The more times she did it, the easier it got to understand and the faster she could process the information by virtue of practice.

Physical form alteration, limitation: prime organ. Fine control. Limitation: Personal. Eliminates unwanted mutation. Nervous system alterations. Rapid changes.

Then, oddly, the process finished, the power apparently not terribly complex in nature...at least not on the surface. She took another moment to process the information then she opened her eyes. “Definitely a shifter. Seems to possess fine control over their own physical form and only their physical form down to micro scale. Probably can't alter their own brain I don't think. This is theory, but based on the fine control and the fact that it presumably extends to all organs, tissues, and structures other than the brain, this...Lovecraft, probably has a brute rating too. It might be good to have them restrained in...what did you call it? Containment foam. Anything that makes movement really difficult, but everywhere.” Finally done, she quieted down and waited, hoping she'd done a good enough job, and hoping she could get a crack at the villain. Of course, she was also sort of counting on Ira's presence in the room to make her not get violent.

For some reason she just hated the injustice of it. Hated it to her core. It was a little disturbing....

---

Outsider

---

While he didn't much like the whole waiting to see if he was needed part, Outsider nodded at staying outside, but decided to speak up about the rest, “I'm with Kyoshi here, blowing a hole in the roof isn't a great idea. Both because of property damage, and well, we don't know how stable that building is. Better to play it safe, we are the heroes after all.”

He shrugged a bit, still a bit anxious to get things going, though the feeling was muted and...sort of far away. It would have been annoying, but that emotion was just as distant. He suppressed a sigh.