Virtue Is Its Own Reward

[Morganite]

As another one of those people who is uncomfortable writing other's characters, I'm beginning to wish you hung out on IRC... '.'
Parts of this are based on the assumption that there is a fight while at the mall, and it happens in a way that I can work in an idea for something I've been thinking about. '.'

---

As it turned out, the Schroecks *did* have a sewing machine, and didn't mind me borrowing it for a while. It may have seemed like an odd thing to do under the circumstances, but I wanted some time to think over the days events.
One obvious thing was that several of my assumptions about how I'd changed had been wrong. The biggest one, wrong in a way that turned out good for me. But I also had a lot more Alexis in me than I'd at first realized.
At some point I'd decided that several decades had passed between the events of the IRC RP and Alexis showing up in Paragon City. It wasn't *that* much of a stretch that Confusion could do an aging freeze on her, and that would give plenty of time for any continuing RP, not to mention the whole "Morgan & Antares" business.
But now, I was feeling the impact of those decades. I'd never detailed what happened there, so I didn't have real memories. What I did have, though, was some of the skills accumulated during those years... and some of the emotions too. Not necessarily very much depth to any of it, but the sheer breadth of it had an impact.
It wasn't just my previous RP and my pretty straightforward desire to be a part-time girl that caused me to take this all in stride. Mind you, I don't think I'd have totally flown off the handle if I'd ended up as, say, Anire Goldenfeather, but it'd at least have thrown me off balance for a bit. But Alexis didn't just have experience at being a girl, she had experience of changing genders once or more a day for the majority of her adult life.
(And now that I thought about it, there were some damned good reasons to do it every day too. Bweh. Another thing for the morning routine.)
I didn't really 'feel' that much different as a girl than I did as a boy. This wasn't too surprising. When Morgan was going around casually zapping everyone (including himself) with the Gender Buster, it was mostly being done for comedy. Thus, it ended up being pretty much a hot swap - instant change, no downtime, no hormonal surges, all the signals going right to the places they should. I'd never even imagined it working differently until I read "I Was A Teeenaged Dummy Plug". And of course there's no reason for magical starlight transformations to make biological sense anyway.
The downside I was discovering to this was, basically, that all the signals were going right to the places they should. Specifically, the ones telling me that I was really, really horny. What did I think, that I'd *not notice* that a critical element of hundreds of my fantasies had suddenly come true? Nor did it help that Alexis had been sexually active for those decades, and as of the 'present' in CoH, in a relationship. (I'd pretty much known from the start that Alexis would give in to Mirami's advances... Maybe not the way she was at the start, but more and more of Confusion had been seeping into her as time went on. Sometimes I wonder what that says about *me*...) It was probably not going to help matters that neither I nor Alexis had ever been involved in a normal relationship, with things like *dating*... but that was getting a bit ahead of things.
What mattered for now was that I was in a house that wasn't my own, full of people I wasn't that close to, and in general it wasn't the appropriate time or place to go off and know myself. (I didn't even want to think about the possibility that somewhere in here might be someone who could actually smell my hormones...)
So. For the most part, appearances of my female side where my being female mattered could be broken down into three categories. Smiting evil, we had done earlier, and it undeniably had it's charms, but there wasn't any evil available just then. H, not an option at the moment. So I was focusing my energy on the third.
One of my other fiction avatars shared a house with an alternate universe version of Tomoyo Daidouji. Alexis did not have such a resource available to her. And so, instead of just having a somewhat irregular skill for quilting, I was now very good at making clothes... for myself. I didn't think I could do it for anyone else, since I was relying almost entirely on that strange sense of what would and wouldn't fit me. I didn't have to measure, or even really plan. I just held the image of what I wanted in my head, and I could see what I needed to do to make it happen. It made the process go surprisingly quickly, and kept me from being too distracted by... well, me.
(I would later realize that this plan had one critical flaw in it, but by that point it had ceased to be a major issue.)
Time passed. I supposed I wasn't being a terribly good guest by now, but when I get going on a major project, it takes a lot to tear me away from it. Besides, I should still be finished by dinner.
The trickiest part was the ribbons. Not even magic can help you when you aren't sure exactly what you want to happen, but I eventually worked out something that looked decent. Besides, perfection would be boring.
Finally, the time came for the fun part - showing off!
"So, how do I look?"

---

This may be revised some when I've, oh, had sleep... I know I put some things in a totally different order than I'd originally thought, I just have to figure out if it's a good idea...
-Morgan, cosplay!
"Would God I were the tender apple blossom
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage.
To be made honest by an act of Parliament
Call up the bloody Territorials."
-Steven Matuchek

[Foxboy]

Looking good, Morgan! Just watch out for Ninja Glomping...
And a great deal of jealousy from the other Neo-girls that you can switch genders easily. We're not ignoring you, we're just a little further back in the timeline, is all.
And thanks for the shout out to IWATDP!
That said, I need to put in some stuff for NOT!Legendary/Infamous characters:

---

"Hello?" the flying man in "spandex" said into his Bluetooth headset. "Is this the FAA?" He waited for a response as he skirted the waves in San Francisco Bay, throwing up a plume of seawater in his wake.
"Yeah. I'd like to let you know you're going to have a man-sized object in your airspace." The spray seemed to deflect around his blue-and-white clad form, yet his blonde hair ruffled in the breeze and his red cape stuck straight out behind him. He frowned. "Yes, I'm serious. Look, I'm just trying to keep everything above board here."
He paused and hovered over Alcatraz, taking in the view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the skyline of the cities around him. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his handsome features twisted into a tired grimace. "I'm one of those 'Virtues' like those guys in New Jersey on Saturday." He listened as the unbelieving functionary yelled at him.
A blur of yellow motion on the Bridge caught his attention and his breath caught in his throat. A school bus was caught teetering over the edge of the Bridge. "I'll call you back. I've got something to do."
He flew at speed to the bridge and paused, hovering underneath it as he considered where to grab hold. Deciding, he flew up to the side of the bus and knocked on the driver's window. The driver's pale face blinked owlishly at him, the middle aged woman appearing to be in shock.
"Don't worry, Ma'am," he said in his best assuring tone. "I'm here to help." He descended to below the bus and grabbed onto the visible frame members. Exerting himself and bunching his mighty thews he began his ascent, bringing the bus level with the roadway.
Assured that things were going well, the hero turned the bus about on its rear axle and set it to face the proper direction in traffic. He moved to one side of the frame and lowered it gently to the road. Children were peering out of the side windows, and chattering excitedly. One little boy was shouting his heroic name and holding out a comic book.
The hero smiled and fulfilled the autograph request, and several others, making sure everyone was all right. The bus driver, though was still shaking.
"The woman," she muttered. "Is the woman who ran in front of us all right?"
"I didn't see anyone, Ma'am," he replied cautiously. "Do you need any help?"
Any response she may have made was cut off by the ringtone of his cellular phone.
"Hello?" he answered. "Mom? What can I..."

---

The Latina in red leathers turned to her benefactor. "Aren't you gonna fight him, boss?"
"I don't need to," Ghost Widow replied. "I just needed to discover the heroic response to common ploys." She turned from the Blood Widow in training and spoke with her current Second in Command, a Wolf Spider Huntsman in improvised regalia. "Marshall Silver, step up the training regimens and keep me apprised of the intelligence your WebSpinners have gathered. Arachnos will return to its proper position in World Affairs."
She did not tell them of her worries about some of the villains she'd been Patron to. She knew two of the faces that had been spotted fighting alongside heroes in New Jersey. One of them had betrayed her at Lord Recluse's behest and proven herself too powerful for Project Destiny.
She had also noticed others here on the West Coast of the United states that she'd been patron to working to their own schemes. Five had immediately joined her new version of Arachnos. She had been more surprised to have registered heroes from Paragon coming to her banner.
Nevertheless, she would proceed with caution, allowing the fools that had not joined to reveal to her the level of opposition she would face.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Morganite]

Glomping by ninja, glomping in a ninja-like manner, or glomping by ninja in a ninja-like manner? '.'
Alexis: ... So, miss author, have you decided just how much Confusion is in me yet?
Ano... ^_^;;;;
I've been thinking that Alexis might not actually have *mentioned* to anyone yet that she's capable of changing back. Another one of those emotional assumptions... she's used to changing genders being easy. (For that matter, it wouldn't be that unreasonable if she could make a new Gender Buster, given the materials... Whether it'd be good for the story for her to get those materials is a different matter.)
But I think I'd expect them to be more jealous of her not having a menstrual cycle... If that's ever the topic of discussion. (Actually, it resets every time she changes genders. It's nice if you think you'll want to have egg cells left a hundred years from now.)
And here I was, trying to get in before the timeline passed me by. ^_^;;; I'm beginning to wonder if some kind of wiki approach might help this story out as well, just to make it easier to put everything in order.
I do hope the timeline catches up sometime though, I've got a fight scene I've been wanting to write. ^_-

---

And thanks for the shout out to IWATDP!

---

It seemed like the right thing to do. ^_^
I really do often think in references to various things. And what Alexis thinks in the story is literally true - I'm pretty sure I hadn't run into a story where gender changing threw people off in that way until IWATDP, and it still startles me when I do. Once this occurred to me I actually did some things with intent to be a constrast to the shower scene, though like many other things I'm not sure it came out exactly the way I wanted it to.
(newRanma covered some similar ground, but the cause wasn't really the gender changing, it was the brain surgery...)
(... Dammit, now I want to read newRanma again. >.> )
This would also explain the Street Fighter:Warrior's Legacy and Tenchi Muyo references. '.' (Even if they're kind of vague.) And that's just the beginning...
-Morgan.
You know, I'm afraid of heights, the dark, and now I feel like I'm starting to be afraid of people.
What!? Why is that?
You're the one who's making me fight in battle with just a dress shirt.
-From "Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia"

[Bob Schroeck]

---

(... Dammit, now I want to read newRanma again. >.> )

---

If you really want, it's here.

-- Bob
---------
The Internet Is For Norns.

[Sweno]

considering my earlier plea/request for someone more talented then myself to adopt Clank in future writing, I figured it would be the least I could to give you something to start with.
so here is a short look insides Clank's head:
The main driving force in Clanks existence is to get back to Agatha, preferably with reinforcements. The last memory Clank has of home is a battle with The Other. Said battle took a decidedly bad turn when a strange weapon was fielded by the reveants, a weapon that apparently projects dimensional rifts.
Clank doesn't know if the weapon can be used more than once (likely), how often (probably quite some time), and if it was meant to send her someplace in particular (unlikely) or just tear her apart as the portal collapsed (most likely). What she does know is that Agatha is down at least one general (maybe more) during a time when such a disadvantage is a very bad thing.
Her priorities break down as follows:
1c) Get back to Agatha
2c) With a significant force to aid in battle
3c) With a new supply of reinforcements to arrive at regular intervals
Terry's Priorities break down to:
1t) A sustainable source of income, preferably doing something enjoyable
2t) A place to live
3t) A social group that can interacted with on a regular basis
It has yet to be seen how these will be prioritized, and very likely that priorities will shift over time as the unification settles down.

Because the events that sent Clank to the CoH-verse and to earth didn't stick around after the fact she has build her own means of getting back home. Portal technology is both expensive to acquire and operate, meaning that she needs a significant monetary base to work with. In the Rouge Isles this meant rising though the ranks until she had enough leverage to start manipulating the portal tech behind project destiny (Unfortunately She didn't have the necessary influence to start really searching for a universe so different from what project destiny was interested). Here it means that she will need to start such research from the ground up. At the beginning she assumed that her past affiliation would mean that any legitimate attempts to build such a powerbase would not be permitted by either the local authorities or other displacies.
The perceived need to stay below the radar lead to the targeting of other villains as resources for her bots and research materials for portal tech. If her local area was seen as a low risk area for super-related activity, there would be less chance of a patrolling hero running into her operation. Her time in the CoH-verse has taught her that heroes are much more likely than villains to band together against a perceived common threat. Terry's influence has led her to believe the (already overtaxed) local police force is much more inclined to look the other way for someone stopping a robbery, than someone committing it.
The possibility of joining the heroes has several immediate benefits to Clank:
1) research collaboration with to others knowledgeable in advanced tech/magic.
2) almost immediate legitimization of efforts to consolidate a powerbase. (we need a base with medical facilities, transporters, and a communication hub don't we?)
3) semi-legitimate opportunities to gather more resources/tech. (Clank first response to any conflict would be to field superior firepower, crush the opposition, and then scavenge them for parts)
4) possible allies to help with priorities 2c, 3c, 2t, and 3t
5) limited protection from local authorities (being part of a superhero group greatly reduces the risk of arrest in pubic).
In the end it boils down to the fact that Clank can be classified as sociopath. She recognizes the social constructs of law and morality, but feels no compulsion to abide by them. The extent to which she will obey the law is a risk analysis (chance of getting caught * impact getting caught would have on current operations vs. benefits breaking the law would bring). Surrounded by a powerful group of allies with a strong moral compass, Clank is very likely to adopt a similar set of values (at least on the surface). Her actions in battle when she is not being observed swing heavily to brutal, fatal, and violent. This is especially true if the conflict is against someone who she views as valuable salvage.

The Event has both frustrated her and overjoyed her. She's frustrated because she lost all of her powerbase and access to fairly advanced portal technology. She's overjoyed because it has shown that transition between such disparate universes is possible. If she can get from CoH-verse to earth, then she can get from earth to Agatha. The fact that she has a known and valued position with Agatha means that there is very little apprehension over an eventual return. Going from a shaky legal/social status to begin a valued member of a powerful House is not that hard of a decision to make.

If anyone has questions about specific circumstances/motivations feel free to drop me a line at [boardhandle]+decurns@gmail.com-Terry
------
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Antoine de Saint Exupery
"Luge strategy? Lie flat and try not to die." - Carmen Boyle (Olympic Luge Gold Medal winner - 1996)
Mary Sue's theme music
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

[Rod.H]

hmm, I can't even remember if I was even current with my subscription 'round the 19-20th of jan or even playing CoX back then. If it was I'd have been with me blaster Shadow Cyclops on Justice.
Still, if I was playing BU-33CTP on Virtue during the pulse. I suspect that something similar to Ed Becerra's Xanadu character would occur. As BU's a telepresence boomer with a martial arts package installed and a Knight Saber knockoff secondary costume. It would be something to have that pop up beside me. Don't know about the doubled sensory inputs though....
--Rod.H

[Joe Littrell]

I have to start checking these boards more often. I'm not sure what I'd do if I was trapped inside the shell of my primary - TaxiBot 13.

[Morganite]

I don't think CoH was one of the games I was actively playing around that time either, but it's not that big a deal. For that matter, there's always the "say you remade character Y on virtue at some point" if you think it'd be the most interesting. (I probably would have been playing Eri Silverwing on Infinity if I'd been on then, but she wouldn't be anywhere near as much fun as Alexis...)
*Now responding to sweno*
I'm becoming even more convinced that Alexis and Clank meeting could be interesting, since they have some distinct similarities in their short and long term goals. As well as a tendency towards brutal, fatal, and violent if she thinks someone's earned it. (Not to mention messy...)
As far as writing talent goes, I think you're doing just fine. '.'
-Morgan."Mikuru-chan molested me! I'm... so happy!"
-Haruhi, "The Ecchi of Haruhi Suzumiya"
---(Not really)

[Foxboy]

The shop was everything one would expect of an Asian imports store in a typical mall. At least from outside of it. I turned to the blonde kunoichi in the orange jumpsuit beside me. "You have done well, Uzumaki-chan. You and the rest of the genin may maintain a perimeter."
"Of course, Nogitsune-sama! Dattebayo!" She took off and rejoined the pink-haired Shima and the brooding Hebi, maintaining their cover as younger teenagers, hanging out in the mall. Only a trained eye like this one's or Misao's would see how alert they were. Akai and Kuroi were keeping an eye on the others, and Kareshi was still searching for just the right shoe store. This one still needed to complete her wardrobe, and the current outfit, though elegant, was still missing something.
"Shall we, Misao-chan?" I asked. Hearing her agreement, I stepped across the threshhold. I felt something like cobwebs brush across my face, and heard shattering porcelain. I turned my head to the shopkeeper's checkout and saw the shards of good luck charms across the top of a computer monitor. The only charm left was a maneki neko. The girl at the checkout was confused, but her grandmother behind her was looking directly at me and paling.
I smiled gently and made my way towards the apparel section. I found that I was to be disappointed. Yes, there were cheap cheongsams and martial arts uniforms, but the shop only had yukata for more normal Japanese wear. The Hanbok were exquisite, but not something I would wear.
While Misao also browsed, I let myself wander, trusting my senses to guide me to something interesting. I found myself drawn towards the register... No, I was being drawn to the wall between this shop and the netcafe next door.
The grandmother flinched as I drew near and began speaking rapidly in Korean. I found that I now knew a few words of it, but not enough to completely comprehend what she was saying.
"Be at peace, grandmother," I said in English. "This one is not here to harm you or yours." I reached to touch a small crystal horse on the counter next to the computer and was pleasantly surprised to feel the mana stored within it. I bought it and waited for Misao to finish. The mana flow from next door was piquing my curiosity.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Merior]

Umm this may be a stupid question, or something that has already been addressed in the thread but which I'd missed, but what about those who wouldn't have had access to the Virtue server normally? By that I'm refering to those of us who play on the European servers, Defiant and Union.

[Foxboy]

This is one server only, to keep the "supers" population manageable. This does not mean that someone from Europe would NOT eventually become a super: there are plenty of folks who still have the imported US-server-keyed release of COH/COV. Also, we're allowing for a slight change to the laws of physics from the origin event.
Magic and Natural origins would show up first, of course. Mutants probably won't show up for a few years, and Tech and Science... those are the iffiest. Even without the Event affecting someone directly, they can still be bathed in the mana from the new leyline system connected to the Internet, and Stonehenge and other similar places are beginning to pick up some of the overflow.
Think of it this way; the internet is like a series of irrigation ditches and the old ley lines are river beds. The Event was a flash flood that drenched the Virtue players as it overran the banks of the ditches and sought out the river beds.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Drenivian]

The more that i think about it, the more I come to realize that all malls are the same. The Mall of America, West Towne Mall , this mall, all the same. Same stores, same Food court, same Taco Bell. Though making the cashier jump by letting him know my order telepathically was fun, but the fact that the mall is busy is also a pain. Random thoughts, fantasys, shopping lists, even a petty crime or two all brush past the edge of my personal thoughts. I blame my own urge to play the game that night. I was shifting from Infinity server over to Virtue server so that I could put my new veteran reward to use. Purple wings for my main character, Shizuru.

The costume change had gone fine, it was during the test flight that everything went wierd. The monitor flashed and I must have blacked out. I don't really recall what happened next, but my friend Daniel told me that I had passed out at the computer desk in what I usualy had listed as my Costum Slot 4, or my Fuka Gakuen Uniform. I'm guessing my twelve hour blank spot was induced by my mental power to let my mind acclimate to its new abilites. Telepathy, Flight, Pyrokenisis, and those two fun little powers that I'd picked up along the way. Daniel also told me that after I'd awoken, I'd done the "Squish Squish" and dropped like a rock again. It was noon on January 20th that I can actually remember anything from. It was reassuring to find that Daniel's mother was worried but, figuring it out from a different room was just odd. I'd made my way downstairs and let her know I was fine before stepping outside. Now, I had a strong front, but on the inside I was full of questions. I'd spent the next three hours experimenting with a large chunk of my abilites. I made the young kids across the street sleep and develop headaches, I caused two squirrles to fight each other over a nut, I was able to create flames in my hands, and I could fly. Though I should bring up my watch. I'd always imagined that Shizuru had her costume change crystal somewhere normal, so I'd noted that it was in her watch. It was an el-cheapo electric watch, though now it had four new buttons. Each one was set to one of my costumes, I found later in the bathroom. The only one that I didn't have was my street clothes. I gave Daniel my car keys and dropped infront of his computer. What I found, decieded my next course of action. Friends of mine in the Legendary had also transformed and we were meeting at Bob's. I made sure I had a small map of his home town and loose directions on how to get there before I took off, with one pit stop at home. I grabbed three things. My iPod, my borrowed laptop to charge the iPod, and my roleplaying satchel. Time just kind of flowed during my flight. I never went to fast, but I got to where I'm kicking back after a bit. I'm just glad that small applications of my powers are letting my have a small ring of space. The closer someone is the harder time I have in blocking out their mental noise. Though the iPod helps. Sighing, i look down at my glass. Hopefully, when I get to my destination, they will have the proper cookware for me to brew a proper cup of tea.
(Now if I remember right, when this started, I'd just hit 50. I hit it about the same week as I get my 15 month Vet reward. So I'm doing this with Shizuru being a Mind/Sonic/Fire Controller)There are two eras or Talk Radio: BA and AA
Before Art Bell and After Art Bell.
*********************
In the epic rage of furious thunder
legends create their tales
when the twilight calls and the dark lord falls
our glory will prevail

[Morganite]

Possibly to be edited in the future to fit in with the framing scene, when someone writes one (which I don't feel up to). But I wanted to get this written down...

---

Sometimes I really wonder about these people. I mean, sure, there's stores in the world that I wouldn't mind making unprofitable. But this? Good god. Even someone whose powers aren't subtle ought to be able to find a more effective way to steal than this.
But in any case, here we were.
Fighting this guy felt really strange. Strange even beyond the new reflexes and impulses
I'd already felt in the past couple days. It was almost like looking into a mirror...
Dark melee/regen. I'd spent a lot of hours at my computer playing Eri Silverwing, looking at just those special effects.
In a way, I was lucky. A few of the better tricks Eri had, he didn't have. (I wonder if I'll wish I'd been playing Eri during the event whenever I'm in a fight. That girl had something to pull out of her nonexistant sleeves for every situation...)
I wasn't, however, very lucky. I could outlast and wear down most opponents; it was my nature. But that's also the nature of regen scrappers, and they're better at it than I am.
It wouldn't be too obvious to someone watching. I was good at not getting hit, and he was good at recovering when he got hit. (And besides, the way my defense fields work, I don't look much different at full power than when my shields about to collapse.) But I could tell. It would take a while, but I was steadily losing ground, and I couldn't bet on getting help in time.
Everything from both my lives told me to never give up on any situation. But as I was now, I couldn't win this fight.
As I was now...
Suddenly, I flashed back to when I was writing a profile for Alexis. "Other forms are sealed and cannot be used within Paragon City."
But we were not in Paragon City...
A mental command sent my sword to Someplace Else and put my henshin baton in my hand in it's place. My opponent wasn't expecting the change in weaponry, and I got him pretty hard in the face with it. Even though it was pointy, it was just a small injury, but it threw him off balance long enough for me to jump back.
With a shout of "Lexi Flash!", my clothes shredded and reassembled into a different form.
My opponent paid attention.
His mistake.
"Converge, magical powers of justice! Pretty... Coquettish... INTERCEPTOR!!!" A huge black and neon pink star of energy flew out of the baton, slamming into him. And down he went.
I had to stand there for a second and catch my breath, but I was already feeling an odd sort of triumph, and it wasn't just from winning the fight.
Pretty Lexi was back.

---

See Logan, I told you there were already Cutey Honey homages. ^_- (Well, okay, the reasons it happened in the RP were a bit more involved than that... and it looks like it does mostly because the character has seen Cutey Honey. '.' )
Writing fight scenes is difficult when the viewpoint character doesn't have a name for who they're fighting. I'm not entirely sure of how to handle this. (It'd also probably help if the person Alexis is fighting actually *said* anything, but I'm not sure what to do there either. At least Alexis remaining silent except for command words is in character...)
Note on previous post that is chronologically after this one: The character Alexis makes a costume of is Mikoto Amagasaki, from the anime "Operation Sanctuary". I realized while writing this that it could be a bit unclear if you don't know hiragana...
-Morgan. "Mikuru-chan molested me! I'm... so happy!"
-Haruhi, "The Ecchi of Haruhi Suzumiya"
---(Not really)

[Valles]

---

GOODS and BADS, read the sign over the shopfront, in a font that looked, to me, like it was modern but trying to seem gothic and old-fashioned. The windows beneath it were full of velvet, leather, PVC and ruffles. I hesitated as Fox and Misao went in.
On the one hand, I was enjoying spending time with friends I hadn't previously been able to meet in person, I was mildly curious to find out how I'd look in some of that store's wares, and intensely - and not, I admit, innocently - curious to see how they'd look. On the other, it seemed a little dishonest to go riffling through their stock when there wasn't the slightest chance of my actually buying anything and the larger share of my mind's socialization subroutines greeted the idea of being seen in public in something like the fishnet garter/black tutu/faux-whalebone (at least, I hope it was fake) corset ensemble with a very loud mental 'ARE YOU NUTS?!'
I'd just about decided not to take the plunge and started to turn away when someone asked me, "Aren't you going in?"
She was blonde and pretty and a touch taller than me even without the heels (grr), and dressed trendy and flashy even to my oblivious eyes. "Ah? Oh, no," I said, and tried out my - Nathan's - 'self effacing' grin. "Not really my style - too bold."
"Really?" Something about her expression bothered me. "Were they your boyfriend's idea, then?"
I blinked. "Huh?"
She waved at my... chest... Oh. "I don't even have a boyfriend!"
"Then why did you get them?" she asked, as though the question were perfectly reasonable.
"I didn't," I told her, as patiently as I could. "They just... grew." Which was true. And nevermind how long they'd taken to do so, or the other circumstances surrounding said growth.
The self-important little twit put a hand on her hip and condescended to say, "Really, girl. If you were going to use that story you shouldn't've gone so big."
I glared.
"Anyway. You should go with your friends - even if you got your money's worth, you're hardly gonna get any customers unless you dress to advertise the goods."
In retrospect, I'm pretty sure she was joking. At the time, though - well, I'd never really believed that old cliche about 'seeing red' until then, and I actually was able to think about how fascinating it was to see that ruddy shade creep into the mall's lighting with some disconnected corner of my mind.
Turn slightly, weight to the back foot an-wow, that's a really nice kiss.
Akai said later that it had seemed wisest to go with a tested and proven way of defusing me before I did something regrettably permanent. I suspect that that's hardly all there is to it, but it's hardly as thought I'm complaining. "C'mon," she said. "I found the bookstore."
I checked my memory of this mall, then tried to orient myself. "That way?" I asked, pointing towards the end I remembered the Waldenbooks being at.
"Aa. I mean, right, that way." Then she reached out and took my arm and started to pull me away and I completely forgot about the bitchy high-schooler standing right next to us. I had to check to make sure that the giddy feeling in my stomach wasn't because I'd started floating and not noticed, or something.
My life was definitely looking up!

---

===============================================
"Reseeestunce ees fiutil. Yoo weeel bee Useemooletud. Borg Borg Borg."
===========

===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."

[Logan Darklighter]

Eh? Er... what just happened? Did I just miss something blindingly obvious?
(Edit: It occurs to me that the above is perfectly -in character- for Lora'Lai/Logan to say as well, should she have been in proximity.)-Logan
-----------------
"Wake up! Time for SCIENCE!"
-Adam Savage
-----------------

[Valles]

---

Eh? Er... what just happened? Did I just miss something blindingly obvious?

---

Sorry. An idea bit me mid-scene. I'll edit and continue it. ^_^

===============================================
"Reseeestunce ees fiutil. Yoo weeel bee Useemooletud. Borg Borg Borg."
===========

===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."

[Morganite]

Personally, I'm like "'they'? They what?" '.'
-Morgan.
"Mikuru-chan molested me! I'm... so happy!"
-Haruhi, "The Ecchi of Haruhi Suzumiya"
---(Not really)

[Valles]

---

"Okay, so," I said, once we'd won free of the press and the police and gone back to Bob's house, "We talked about, y'know, the 'concentration camp' idea and what the government's gonna do and what we're gonna do, right?"
And, since we had, there was agreement.
"Right, so... I'm thinking... this is the biggest opportunity any of us are gonna get. We just got up on national - hell, global - television and said, 'Hey, we're the good guys.'
"And whether or not they believe it, yet, the whole world knows that.
"What I'm thinking is... let's be the Warriors. I mean, let's get together, form a company or corporation or whatever the legalese is... go to the UN and say, 'We want to do good stuff for the world, and we're willing to do it at cost.'"
"The UN?" Misao spluttered. She'd been... critical of the organization when I mentioned the germs of this idea earlier, so I was kinda expecting it.
"Well, whatever they end up being, the UN is supposed to be about making the world a better place, right? Says so in the charter. And I think that the deliberations of the Security Council and Assembly - at least the formal ones - are public record, right? That limits what they can do outside of that principle, at least if its anything they don't want attention called to.
"And a superhero group? Can you get more attention than that? And if you just wanna get ahead for your own sake - or on top of doing good stuff, which nobody'd be able to blame you for - think about how that'll look on your resume."

---

The kinda pause-ridden tempo of this is both reflective of the way I talk and intended to give people a chance to speak up with their own opinions/arguments/foo.

===============================================
"Reseeestunce ees fiutil. Yoo weeel bee Useemooletud. Borg Borg Borg."
===========

===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."

[Morganite]

Is this before or after the trip to the mall? '.'
-Morgan."Mikuru-chan molested me! I'm... so happy!"
-Haruhi, "The Ecchi of Haruhi Suzumiya"
---(Not really)

[crimsonsun]

((*ducks the +2 Whip of Inspiration* Ok ok! You win Muse!))
While almost everyone dreams of being able to fly without a plane at one point or another, I have a strong feeling that no one thinks about what would happen if the gift was taken away....
For me, I didnt have to think about it. Flame had shut down and my gift was taken. As the water drew in closer, I thought "I wonder if Cities physics transfered into this world along with the other changes. You can't die from a fall in Cities, no matter what. Am I still subject to those laws? Or will Flame break apart on impact?" I didn't have much time to find out. We hit the water hard and I blacked out.
I woke up on the edge of a very tall building. Looking around, I saw many other tall buildings, at least... 30 or 40 stories tall. Many of them had neon light tubes on them. A large pyramid was off in the distance, and the faint odor of sea water was everywhere. This could only be St. Martial... except it didn't really exist... did it?
Then I noticed her. Corrupted Flame, sitting on the edge and dangling her legs over. She was... smiling? Yea, a little bit, but not much. I watched her for a minute, and then decided to risk talking to her.
"This is St. Martial, right? But, this doesn't exist...."
She turned finally and smirked at me. Her hand reached up and tapped her temple. "In here, it does. Positronics standard OS included a personality restoration utility, similar to the way humans dream when they're seriously injured. Helps keep me myself." She grinned ferally at that... and I was not happy to see that grin.
Standing up, she ran over to me and slammed me against the wall. That grin again... "Now, little man. You're going to explain whats happening, otherwise, I'll see if you can fly on your own."
Quickly, I told her again everything I knew about the incident. The game of City of Heroes/Villains, the computer problems, the other "players" changing... and of course, about what happened to us. As I talked, I notice the scenery flicker and waver, and her mood darkened. Eventually, she let me down, but not gently.
"I don't like it, and I'm not sure I believe you. We'll see what happens once I wake up. Hell, for all I know, you're some Crey spy program those bastards installed, trying to figure out how I tap into the Underworld..."
We stared at each other for quite a while. Well, more her staring and me trying to stare, more like looking and shifting my gaze elsewhere. Oddly, I heard a loud oven timer? The hell?
Ah. Flame said, her smirk appearing again. I still really didnt like seeing that pointed my way. Repairs are complete. Hopefully, youll be gone when I wake up.
We woke up floating in the Atlantic Ocean. I felt Flame raise her head and look around. She activated her gravity negator and hovered on top of the water.
Are you still there, worm?
{Yes. Im here still.}
You said Paragon wasnt built in this world. So that means no Statesmen and his cronies, right? No heroes, right? No Zig?
{Yes} I said nervously.
Everything else is the same though, right?
{As long it doesnt relate to superheroes or their accomplishments, yes}
She grinned ferally again. Good. Were going to Fort Knox!
I gulped.
((Ummm guys? Help me out! >< Flames run amok! I'm thinking its going to take her a few days to get from RI to Kentucky (yay for slowness of unslotted Fly)... say Mon/Tuesday after the event... what temporal point are you all at? This may be how you know of Flame...))

[Ebony]

---

((Ummm guys? Help me out! >< Flames run amok! I'm thinking its going to take her a few days to get from RI to Kentucky (yay for slowness of unslotted Fly)... say Mon/Tuesday after the event... what temporal point are you all at? This may be how you know of Flame...))

---

Nice idea. Two things:
1. Fort Knox itself is a United States Army Base. The United States Bullion Depository is a different facility that is nearby.
2. The Depository is defended by "numerous layers of physical security, alarms, video cameras, armed guards, and the Army units based at Fort Knox, including the 194th Armored Brigade, the 16th Cavalry Regiment, and the United States Army Armor School, totaling over 30,000 troops, with associated tanks, armored personnel carriers, attack helicopters, and artillery."
(Sourced from Wikipedia)
Of course, Flame doesn't KNOW any of this. But YOU might.
Ebony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[crimsonsun]

((Nope, I didnt know that -_- So *I* wouldn't know it either. Besides, with all the crap Flame went through with Longbow and Arachnos, I don't think she's going to have to worry about the army! ))

[Foxboy]

--- Guru mode ---
In COH, conventional troops top out at around sec. level 40, but that's special forces loaded for bear, with contingencies for super-powered opposition. Real-world forces probably top out at 20-25.
--- end Guru mode ---
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Ebony]

CoH troops don't have armored assault vehicles or helicopter gunships except as window dressing. I think a 105mm or a heatseeker is going to hurt, level 50 or not. Plus... 30,000 troops. I think the numbers would at least count for somethingEbony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[Bob Schroeck]

Dogpile on the Rabbit!
-- Bob
---------
One of the primary differences between the Left and the Right is their attitude toward the Future. The Radical wants the Future to have gotten here yesterday. The Reactionary wants the Future quietly shot and the corpse buried where no one can find it.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.