Celestial Saga

[Oblation]

WOW does PR get me a LOT of points, I figured meeting hero would be a few, but geez-louise, even a decently sized roll just got me down to "a lot."

Flawless Magic – Magonomia
Base Cost: -350cp
Lore:
A spark once flared, uncertain, rare, yet lingered in your hand,
Now every spell you touch obeys, as if by fate's command.
No effort strains, no struggle stays, the hardest feat feels true,
For once you've shaped a magic's form, it ever bends to you.
Details:
Any magical thing you do (spell, enchantment, curse, etc), you can always replicate your best effort even when barely trying. So even if you've only ever managed a spell once, you can now cast it easily, if you've got the mana, that is.
Addons: -50cp Applies retroactively.
Final Cost: 400cp
Bank:1700cp

I guess I'm glad I held off, if I've got the chance for the really crazy rolls now.

Best to do another to see if it's going to change what I'm doing or not:

The King's Ear - A Song of Ice and Fire
Base Cost: -250cp
Lore:
Upon the throne or office high, their gaze falls calm on you,
A trust unearned, yet solid, strong, as if your worth they knew.
From team to house, from guild to crown, their faith is freely cast,
In every head of every sphere, your counsel holds steadfast.
Details:
The head of your nation now trusts you and your judgment. They'll see you as a person of good judgment and character and will be willing to talk to you on friendly terms, even if you've never met previously.
Addons: -150cp applies to multiple levels at once, anyone said to be head of something your in, from a team or house, to a company or nation trusts you.
Final Cost: 400cp
Bank: 1300cp

Alright, no changes, just boosts to magic and PR. I'm sure both are helpful, but for now, I've got more important things to get to, namely, actually doing a patrol for once.

…

Somehow, I expected this to be more interesting than the random flying around I was doing before, looking for intel for the PRT.

I mean, it's not bad, it's just that Aegis and I are following a set path that was semi-randomly generated by some algorithm of Armsmaster's this morning.
Somewhere off in the distance, Dauntless and Glory Girl are doing the same.

Yay, flying patrols…

…

At least Aegis is super thankful for his new powers.
I guess it really helps him to have a bit of ranged options now, even if he's meant to stick to the cheap spells outside of major fights.

…

Oh Action!

We found Rune sitting on a rooftop, chucking rocks at anyone of a darker persuasion on the boardwalk.

Aegis led, since I'm usually with Firewatch, and they always know what to do, so I assumed he was the same.
Instead, he tried to act like a hero from a cartoon and get her to "Halt! In the name of the Law!"

I mean, he didn't say that exactly, but even Rune looked at him funny.

Anyway, the chase was fun, even if both of us are pretty slow as flyers since I'm stuck to the speed of my wings and air currents, and he can only fly at running speeds, even if it's Olympic athlete running.
We were both getting about 30-40mph most of the time, except in bursts, while Rune has been pretty consistently clocked in at just under 60.
So the math should've been clear once she started flying, except that I can teleport to a bunch of places in the city, and Glory Girl is faster than Rune, so we just needed to keep the chase up for 8 minutes.

We did it… But I guess Rune had a backup too, because just as GG was getting to us, the Giant twins started making a mess nearby, and Rune dodged into a building in the resulting scuffle.
Worse, is that Dauntless told the three of us to pull back and swap out for Assault and Battery's patrol route, while the three of them fought the twins.

It didn't even work!
The twins managed to disengage before Assault and Battery even showed up!

…

Whatever, I guess it's best to stick to getting stuff done with Firewatch, or possibly following up on some of those leads the Ninja have been giving me about Villains who've got basically no opposition in small Canadian towns.

…

Also, apparently, I missed a checkup during that whole princess thing last weekend, so Tsunade barged in and did it right in the living room with Emily, and somehow this ended up in her becoming my tutor for Science.

It's a thing, I guess.
I mean, I was getting to the end of the unit anyway, so I guess she can do 9th-grade Science as well as anyone else.

Oh, and she did one for Emily, too, when I asked, so I guess Emily had an old injury that can't really be healed, so she never went to Panacea for it.
But Tsunade is really good about the space between healed and crippled.
So she did something and made it so Emily wouldn't feel pain in that specific part of her body anymore, which helped a lot, even if it's too risky for anyone who's still getting in fights.

 

[Oblation]

Today was a "team building exercise" with Firewatch, Aspirant, Addison, and Dauntless.

I guess the Deputy Director was all proud of that one raid where we managed to stop Uber and Leet's minions, so he's going to have Addison train up with Firewatch, then go out with one of the PRT squads like I do with Firewatch.
Dauntless is here because he's the Protectorate liaison for the PRT-Wards. I guess nobody was before, but the position exists, and nobody was against his taking it to have more father-son time.
Aspirant was here because it was a bunch of PRT training with Dauntless giving pointers. He seemed kind of awestruck but mostly just wanted to learn.

…

But in more important news, Addison brought Buddy.

Buddy is like Fox, he's an animal with powers.
I guess he's got super tracking skills.
He's a Bloodhound, but with tracking skills orders of magnitude better than most.

But they were worried about him going out without protection, which led to me realizing I've been an idiot.

I offered dog armor and then realized that's 100% a thing I should have been making for the pack.

…

It calmed Addison to know that Buddy would be 100% immortal so long as the armor lasted, and I'd be able to make 6x durable armor too.

Now we just need for the truckload of armadillos to be sent up.

…

I thought getting them might be the bottleneck, but I guess in some places, not too far away, they are actually pests.
Like, there are more armadillos than squirrels.
Weird…

Either way, whenever that comes, Buddy has first claim on some 6x durability dog armor, then I'll start giving it to the pack.

…

Oh, and the 3x Damage, 3x Speed, AoE Explosion Organics Damage Only Crossbow just got approved by the testing authority.
Even if the damage output's pretty insane, so it's more of an Anti-Brute weapon, the Bay's still got like 6 possible targets for it.
So I'm now making a few for Firewatch, the Protectorate, and the PRT.

…

Oh, and the roll I got is pretty sweet too, even if it doesn't do much for me.

Patryn Whistle - The Death Gate Cycle
Base Cost: 50cp
Lore:
A single note, so sharp, so clear,
It shields the heart from doubt and fear.
No voice can sway, no thought can bind,
When Whistle guards the steadfast mind.
Details:
A whistle whose sound operates under the normal physical laws of sound propagation. Anyone who hears the sound directly (not recordings or amplifications) is freed from all mental influences save those placed by the whistle holder. This does not grant immunity or revert changes, but ongoing effects are halted unless intentionally reapplied, and automatic effects that linger will not be reapplied automatically even after the sound ends
Addons: -50cp to turn into a spell that can be overpowered rather than a whistle bound by mere physical laws.
Final Cost: 100cp
Bank: 1000cp

It's not my craziest role, but I have started getting back at the PRT for the whole M/S thing by playing it for them in the form of earworms, and the best part is their bureaucrats, so they can't even complain about it.
They know what this spell is supposed to do, so they know complaining just makes them look sus.

I wasn't going to bug Emily, but she requested I use it on her every morning and night just to be sure, so that works for me.

…

Emily has actually requested that I go around to all the cape groups and use it on them, just in case.
So I guess I'll be doing that as I see them over the next bit.

I'm just glad there was the spell, not whistle, option because it lets me play it as music I know, rather than needing to learn an instrument on top of everything else.

Spoiler: A/N

I want to thank PrussianGranadier for the Dog Armor suggestion, along with helping me through some other Minecraft recipes to IRL material conversions that'll show up soon!

 

[Oblation]

I guess we're back to the awkward dinners at Battery's place, but I laid down the ground rules right from the start this time and pinned a message at the top of the Awkward Dinner Conversations channel of the IRC to remind them that I'm a teleporter and immune to their bullshit.

Assault found the name of the IRC channel funny, even if Battery and Sis didn't, and promised to just tell me where we were going next time. He also said that trying to box in a mover was a bad idea from the start.

It was at this point that a wolf plopped into his lap, so I guess there's no hiding my approval of that.
Assault, meanwhile, managed to convey "this is my life now" through body language alone.

…

Later, we somehow got into a versus debate about powers and what kind of Brute was best. That's apparently been an ongoing thing in the Cape Section of the IRC, so I ended up throwing gasoline on the fire by giving Assault 10 minutes of the 3x potency Bigger Potion—the one that makes someone 9x larger with proportional strength. Then I gave Battery the 3x duration version that makes you only 3x bigger but lasts for 30 minutes.

I have apparently fueled a future bit of domestic violence… and gambling. I bet $100 in the Tinker Budget on Assault, which Armsmaster accepted as a valid bet (because of course he's the bookie—why am I even surprised?).

Oh, and I gave Missy 60 minutes of Invisibility (two of the 3x duration ones) on the condition that she only tell people it was 30 minutes and save the rest for fun stuff.
She agreed instantly, which is how I know that was a terrible idea.

I'm glad the IRC exists, because typing all this out in person would've spoiled the good vibes, I think.

…

I guess the other debates were less interesting, though Assault and Battery apparently found it offensive when I agreed with Sis that one-to-one Shakers beat Brutes.

As in: if all you know about a cape is their rating, and the numbers are the same, you should always assume the Shaker will be the bigger threat.

My reasoning is slightly different from Sis's, who mostly just seemed to have pride in her category, though.

Like I messaged/said at the time:
When a Brute gets clever with their powers, a wall explodes or bones break.
When a Shaker gets clever, it's physics that breaks, and there's no way to prep for that before you've seen it happen.

I kinda stumped them with that, so Missy glomped me… it was nice. And mildly terrifying, because Missy doesn't "half-glomp" anything.

…

Oh, and for some reason, one of the puppy wolves started chewing on Battery and wouldn't stop until I left, which was apparently hilarious to Sis and Assault for some reason.
Battery, less so.

…

The only other thing of note is that Emmy, who's apparently my PR person as well as my English tutor, asked me to spend at least a few minutes of any flying time near that mural someone made.
It's an easy enough request, since it was already a great mural even before people kept adding to it.

Phoenixes are already a mythical figure found in lots of different cultures, so I guess we happened across a piece of art people aren't willing to graffiti over.
Both the Empire and ABB capes have apparently claimed it for their sides and told their people to leave it alone, unless they were adding to it.

The result is that the mural gets a bit bigger and more interesting every day. I once spent an hour just looking at all the details, and I guess the PR of pictures of Phoenix next to the Phoenix mural ending up on PHO was good, so she asked me to keep doing it.

The only weird part is the people showing up in my merch.
I mean, I get people my age or high schoolers, but it's always a bit odd seeing old people wearing those feather pendants they sell.
But Sis said it's just something you get used to, so I guess I'll just ignore it.
Or die quietly inside.
Hard to tell the difference.

 

[Oblation]

I ran into Taylor today.

She was Aura farming near the Boat-Graveyard, just standing on one of the piers, hair flowing cinematically in the breeze, looking like Edmond Dantès out of that book Emmy's been making me read lately, The Count of Monte Cristo.

I guess she noticed me hovering nearby because she turned and looked straight at me.

She waved me down, so I switched into smaller bird form (easier to teleport from) and perched on the edge of the pier near her, ready to bolt if I had to.

She started whispering at me, so I turned human and used a finite on her.
I mean, I don't actually have proof she's a villain yet, so leaving her semi-soundless just felt rude.

But I didn't want to give the wrong impression either, so I pulled out my tablet and had it say:
"I'm still going to take you down next time, Queen Administrator."

She just kind of brooded at me for a while, then asked if that was why I was against the Dockworkers.

I told her it wasn't about them, it was about their protecting Uber and Leet, and that a gang shielding supervillains from law enforcement is pretty much the definition of a valid target.

She moved toward me, so I shifted into bird form and started to leave, but she called for me to "Wait!"
I circled back and landed further away, keeping my distance.

She insisted the Dockworkers who dealt with Uber and Leet were being "handled internally" (shudder) and asked how I was so sure they were a gang.

It seemed obvious, but I explained how they already matched nearly every definition of one before she started defending them.
Now, they've even got a cape in their ranks.

She pushed back, saying she's "A Hero, not some Gang Villain," so I brought up Nuwa, "that tinker with the Neighborhood Watch that just happens to be full of suspected ABB members, who all like wearing red and green."

She brooded at me again, so I tried to soften it by saying the Dockworkers were:
"Probably the Bay's Least Bad Gang" and pointed out her PRT file still had her listed as "Gang-Affiliated-Vigilante, not villain."

She brooded some more, then asked: "Does this make you my rival then?"

I had to suppress the instinctive urge to flee in terror, and instead, I just wrote out:
"I'm pretty sure mine is Leet."
"But I don't think Aspirant has a rival. I'd be careful, though, he knows Kung-Fu!"

Someone laughed from uncomfortably close behind me, so I went bird again and started to leave, but Taylor called out:
"Wait!
"Thanks for the name…"
"It's kind of pretentious, but something about it just… feels right."

Hah. I'll bet it does.

I nodded in bird form and left before the guy in the truck could call for backup.

I'll need to do something nice for Aspirant…
Since he's basically on death row now.

Still, a bullet dodged is a bullet dodged.

 

[Oblation]

Rune baited and almost trapped Aegis and Glory Girl a few days ago by seeming to repeat her "throwing rocks at minorities" thing before flying directly to where Menja and Fenja were waiting.

So when I saw Rune fly off in an extremely obvious way today, I sent a DM over to Carlos and Vicky on IRC and went over to where she left from.

It seems like I was right, because I found the giant twins in costume but still normal-sized.

So I hit them both with Harry Potter stunners, then dropped my one containment foam grenade on one of them and swooped down to teleport the other to Canada.

Then I sent an alert through IRC to call for pickup on both the one I had foamed and the one I had stunned on Prince Edward Island.

In the end, Rune ended up having a really dramatic and public chase scene with Aegis and Glory Girl, where she was frantically throwing things at the public, forcing the two of them to break off to save people.

Still, they'd apparently almost gotten her when the twin that turned out to be Fenja burst out of the foam and went on a brief but very flashy rampage.

But the unconscious Menja and I just sorta hung out for a while until a PRT van showed up with some special brute restraints in a truck, then had me fill out the paperwork before I went home and got the lowdown on the other side of things.

I felt a bit guilty about it after, but Emily told me that Othala and probably Victor were involved. Since the reason her rampage was more dramatic than usual was that she was making use of the two minutes of granted invulnerability.

So what I did was keep the rampage to one twin rather than both.

 

[Oblation]

I guess there was some kind of fight over forcing me into the Protectorate-Wards, since I apparently "don't trust the Protectorate to safeguard the villain."
I was confused, but I guess they took offense at my teleporting her to Canada, meaning the PR win got split between me, personally, and the Moncton, New Brunswick Protectorate, not the local branch.

I got really offended that they would try to fuck up my situation just to punish me for capturing a villain (like we're supposed to) in such a way that they'd stay caught rather than serve as a PR boost for the week Armsmaster managed to hold on to her.

It's the funny thing about that skill at paperwork I got a while ago.
It makes me GREAT at reading between the lines on their "requests" to "normalize the ward situation."

I was trying to make them realize that if they did force me out of my decent setup as some kind of bully-esque spite move, that I'd return the spite 7-fold.
So I sent a "request" to Armsmaster for an interview to "address the allegations of incompetence of the Local Protectorate."

I 100% did not need to send him that, but nothing says I can't, even if that'd be Dr. Renoch's call in my case, and the PR people don't want me doing interviews in the first place.

…

That said, I don't think I was blunt enough, since he just rejected it for the above reasons and then forwarded another "request."
So I pinned a message for an hour in the BB Protectorate section of the IRC:

"Armsmaster, that wasn't a request. That was me warning your whole Protectorate team."

"You're mad because I handed a villain off to New Brunswick instead of trusting your leaky lock-up. Yeah, it stings. Makes it look like I don't trust you. Maybe because no one should. And now what? You're gonna play tough guy and try to yank me out of the PRT just to teach me 'respect'? That's pathetic."

"Sure, you can crush me if you all lean on me hard enough. But I've got one thing none of you do, superhuman skill with paperwork. So go ahead, shove. I'll bury you in forms and red tape so deep you'll choke on your own system. If I go down, I'm taking your whole Team down into the mud with me."

…

Emily ended up reprimanding me and giving me a lecture on not threatening teammates. Then she made me remove the message even though it'd only been up for an hour.

But I could tell she thought it was hilarious, and at least somewhat deserved, given she waited till after the lecture to make me take it down.

…

I'm starting to realize this with Emily.
That you can tell more about what she thinks from how she says things than from the specifics of her words.

Either in the order, like with the lecture first, then removal after, or with intentionally not including obvious things, like with my teleportation practice, while I was still getting the hang of that.

 

[Oblation]

Unicorn - Warhammer Fantasy: Bretonnia
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore:
Horned steeds of myth with gleaming might,
In forests deep, they blaze with light.
Pure as dawn, with fury untamed,
Warhammer legends, proud and famed.
Details:
The ability to make any animal you ride into its mythical equivalent. Limit, one at a time.
+200% to CHA stat or intimidate skill , also a (+25%) buff to Endurance, Speed, & All Resistances.
(Classic example is Horse to Unicorn, Pig to Erymanthian Boar or Dog to Cŵn Annwn/Okuri-Inu)
Addons: -100cp increase the limit to 10 at once. Moar Unicorns!
Final Cost: -150cp
Bank: 1350cp

Padfoot!

Their 10 padfoots now!
Or, well, supposedly it's based on the Black Shuck myth according to Dragon, but the point is that 10 of the wolves at a time get bigger, fluffier, and have a weird shadow-stalker-like power.

It's really specific, like their Awoo's, but in testing, they charged a trooper straight through a wall after he hit me on the neck with an airsoft bullet.

I guess it's like how the Awoo's are only magically boosting if I'm protecting an ally, they can only ignore walls if they're pursuing an enemy. (The awwos are magical either way, but I've only been boosted by them once so far.)

Mostly, though, I'm just focused on how fluffy this makes them.
Hint: Very!

Oh, and I guess I could use it on a horse at some point, but I don't see why.

Though using it on Buddy did have interesting results since his ears turned red.
I guess he became a "Cŵn Annwn" and was able to take commands better, but mostly just from me. Addison and Shaun didn't have any better luck at giving him commands than usual, so outside of a fight where at least 3 of us are there, and we have time for me to relay orders through my tablet, I can't see the use.

Still, he got WAY faster like that, and if the mythology follows, he might have become an even better hunter, so I guess they might have me tag along next time they use Buddy for PRT investigation-type work.

…

Oh, and there was a bit of a debate in the Wards IRC about yesterday.

I admit, I could have been gentler about things, but I wasn't expecting my own allies to try backstabbing me like that.

Just another lesson, I guess.
I need to keep on my toes with the Protectorate from now on, or I'll blink and be back in a box, like at home with the ball and chain.

…

[19:41] Parallax >> so are we just not gonna talk about saga nuking the Protectorate with paperwork threats?

[19:43] Ferrum [Hand] >> she didn't nuke them. she just… showed she *could*. big difference.

[19:43] Lumina >> honestly? kind of iconic. "put me on your roster and I'll make your life a binder convention."

[19:44] AegisPatch >> iconic until you remember she's basically telling the people who back us to shove it. not exactly team spirit.

[19:45] PulseCheck [Mod] >> or maybe she's reminding them not to mess with something that's already working. that's how I heard it.

[19:47] Parallax >> Addison that's the most "both sides" thing I've ever read.

[19:48] PulseCheck [Mod] >> some of us live complicated lives, okay?

[19:53] Lumina >> the thing is, Piggot's not even mad. no PR statement, no punishment. it's just… awkward silence.

[19:55] Ferrum [Hand] >> that silence says she's backing Saga. otherwise there'd be fire and brimstone already.

[19:56] Parallax >> exactly. so why can't she just join properly? be part of the Protectorate, like the rest of us. if she did, we'd live together again. like we should.

[19:57] Ferrum [Hand] >> because she actually likes where she's at. sometimes standing your ground means saying no, even if family doesn't like it.

[19:58] AegisPatch >> Weld's right. she has the right to stay independent. but maybe don't aim a rocket launcher at your own bosses while doing it.

[19:59] Lumina >> lol "rocket launcher." more like "endless DMV line."

[20:41] Firebird [Queen] >> exactly. the adults weren't mad I beat Menja, they were mad they looked weak. so I told them if they try to shove me into their box, I'll make that box a coffin of forms.

[20:46] Parallax >> and what about *me*? I'm the one left out. you could be home with me again. with people who care.

[20:51] Firebird [Queen] >> you'll always have me, Missy. but I'm not you. I won't fold myself small just to fit their neat little chart.

[20:52] Ferrum [Hand] >> she's got a point about pettiness. but Saga… you could've said it softer.

[20:54] Firebird [Queen] >> maybe. I'll admit that. but better sharp edges than being whittled down.

 

[Oblation]

My leather boots are starting to get sold.
$80, and it took a while since the fitting to the first wearer thing they do meant they needed to go through pretty extensive testing before they could get sold to the general public.

But Emmy and Glenn Chambers have been pushing pretty hard for this, especially after that one scientist with the German name and Brazilian accent offered the loophole with turning rabbits into leather with my crafting.

So I made them, and then some poor grunt got to press a hot brand with the PRT and "My" logo on each one before boxing them up.

The main thing for me (or really for the clone) is needing to coordinate colors, since we've figured out that they can all get dyed in such a way that the leather wears out before it loses the color, but we can't actually test every color since there are 16,777,216 of them.

But I still needed to send off 256 boots of all the basic combos for testing, then make another hundred of each basic combo to sell.

I guess they're saving the more complex combinations for if they run out.

I was also able to figure out that I don't need to go all the way to 2x or 3x resources if I don't want to.
So I made boots with a 1.25x durability enchantment using 5 leather, which was gotten from 20 rabbit skins and an average of 3 dyes.

Either way, the result is that the boots suddenly appeared on shelves across America today.

I can kind of see why it's a big deal, but only kinda.
I mean, the version of this I made for the Local PRT is 6x durability and 6x maneuverability and supposedly feels like wearing a cloud that kicks like it's made of titanium.

So the PR version that are basically just $200 boots sold for $80 just seems kind of underwhelming for what Tinkertech is supposed to be.

But like I said, Emmy was really pumped about it, and she's been open and honest with me so far, so I figure I'll go with it (and will have the clone keep pumping out the boots when they ask.)

…

We kept trying to make other clothing and it wasn't working but just today I ended up rolling something that.. Kinda fixes that issue.

Garmenter - Dr. Stone
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore:
Flax trembles in calloused hands, spun and twined, threads hum and unwind,
Looms creak and whirl, fibers curl, warp meets weft in shadowed swirl,
Hides stretched, smoked, and softened by fire's flick, edges kissed and nicked,
Needles flash, fabrics clash, seams whisper, hems fold, edges lash,
Dyes bleed, waters weave, pigments shimmer, soak, and heave,
Garments rise, worn hands sigh, rough cloth yielding to form, to life, to sky.
Details:
You can now shape the raw materials at hand into approximations of modern fashions, crafted with surprising speed and precision, given your tools. The finished pieces convincingly echo the designs you aim to replicate, yet they always retain a rugged, improvised quality, sturdy and functional, but unmistakably handmade. Using finer materials can make your creations exceptionally durable, perhaps even outlasting the originals, though their rough-hewn, adventurous aesthetic will remain immediately apparent.
Addons: -50cp integration with other perks (continues with new ones).
Final Cost: 100cp
Bank: 1300cp

I mean, it's still what Glenn called "Barbarian-Sheik" rather than the simple but decent quality of the leather boots.
But it works, and once I've made one, I can start pumping it out of the crafting table perk using the materials.
So I'm now sending a couple of hundred Frontier hats and crude leather jackets off for testing.

I'm not sure anyone would be willing to spend the nearly $200 we'd need to sell these for, but Glenn told me not to worry about it, that this was the kind of problem the National PR office prefers to have.

Plus, the extra 50cp for integrating it means I can do the same thing with dyes, so I figure worst case, the southern PR offices just start getting a cheaper version of the clothing for local heroes.
It can't be too much trouble to order a bunch in a local hero's color and have someone Brand each one with that hero's logo.
I figure it's what they were already doing, but doing it through me will probably mean the process happens quicker and with a more consistent quality from the dyework, even if the quality of the individual hats and jackets is lower.

Emmy says it'll make things much easier for PR, both mine, since they're making up some kind of "Made By Phoenix" to put on anything I make.
Along with the national program, because of how I can make a ton of these really quickly if I'm given the materials and proper instructions on what order to add the dyes.

That's why there are nearly 17 million combos.
Because dies need to be added in the exact same order each time to get the same result.

…

So I guess I'm really banking on having the PR department like me, even if the Protectorate doesn't, the Wards are Mixed, and the PRT views me as just useful enough to put up with the headaches.

Spoiler: A/N

"that one scientist with the German name and Brazilian accent" Saga mentions is inspired by PrussianGranadier, who I'm adding in as this fic's first expie, for how much help they've been with research on clothing making using the crafting table perk. Thanks again, PrussianGranadier!

 

[Oblation]

Fourth date.
Four.
That was a big enough number that it felt like it should mean something, but small enough that I had no idea what it meant.

I was walking a thin line between holding Missy's hand like it was casual and clinging like I'd never let go.

The movie hadn't given me any ideas for how to act.
It was fine.
Safe.
We'd laughed, we'd eaten too much popcorn, and then we'd stepped outside into the cool air where the evening felt too wide open.

And then... thank god, Glory Girl had shown up with her ridiculous scarf disguise.

Missy leaned against my shoulder as we walked, whispering:
"I can't believe she thinks that works."

"She's counting on us not looking too close."
I replied

"Gallant's makeup skills are scary good. I bet he did hers, too."

"That would explain why she doesn't look like an alien in that trench coat.

We both snickered, and the weight on my chest loosened.
It felt good, easy.
The kind of thing where we were in sync without having to try.

But then the pier stretched out ahead of us, water shining with sunset light, and I realized I was back to square one.
No idea what to do with a date except sit on a rail and pretend this was a movie.

Missy didn't complain.
She hopped up beside me, legs kicking, eyes on the water.
"You know they're going to follow us till we go home."

"Let them."
I shrugged.
"We'll give them a show."

The words made her laugh again, soft but bright.
Then the quiet settled.
The waves, the gulls, the smell of fried food drifting from somewhere behind us.

And suddenly it wasn't about a movie anymore.
"It's weird, right?"
I said, before I could think better of it.
"We're the only ones not playing junior Protectorate.
Just dropped into the squads like… extra gear. Because of Saga."

Missy glanced at me, sharp, like I'd touched a bruise.
"She doesn't listen, yeah. But she's not wrong."

"I know."
I picked at the peeling paint on the rail.
"It's not that she's wrong. It's that she doesn't care if she sounds disrespectful about it. Adults give an order, and she just—"

I made a vague gesture.
"Throws it back if it doesn't add up."

Missy's jaw set.
"That's not a bad thing."

"I didn't say it was."
My chest felt tight. "It's just…"
"I've known her a long time. She didn't used to be like that."

Missy blinked, surprised.
"She used to be quiet. Shy. You know that."

"Exactly."
I met her eyes.
"She was different before she triggered."

The words landed harder than I thought they would.
Missy flinched like I'd hit her.

Crap.
"I didn't mean—"

Her voice cracked before I could backpedal.
"Don't. Just… don't. You're right."

Her hands clenched in her lap, knuckles white.
"I keep trying to get her to be that girl again. The one who listened, who followed along. And that's—god—"

She pressed a hand to her eyes.
"That's what Mom and Dad did to me. Pushed me and pushed me until something broke."

The sound of her breath shaking broke something in me, too.

I wanted to fix it.
To say the right thing.
But I didn't know the right thing.

All I had was:
"That's not the same. You care about her. That matters."

Missy let out a wet laugh, bitter.
"Caring doesn't change the fact I've been a hypocrite. Telling myself I'm better than them while trying to force her into something she's not."

I swallowed hard.
"Maybe. But I think there's more going on than either of us know. If you want answers… maybe the only way is a heart-to-heart. Her terms, not yours."

Her shoulders slumped.
"I keep trying. She shuts me out every time."

"Then it's not all on you. You can't fix her alone."

Missy's head whipped around, eyes fierce even through the tears.
"I'm her older sister. It's my job."

I almost argued... almost.
But then I thought of Saga, disappearing from people, ducking out of rooms when conversations got too close.
Running away instead of facing things.

"You're not wrong,"
I said quietly.
"But running doesn't work either. If it's going to happen, it has to be her choosing. Not because anyone pushed her into it."

Missy stared at me for a long moment.

Then, suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed me.

It was quick, clumsy, a brush of lips that shocked me so badly I forgot how to breathe.

We froze.
The sunset burned on the water.

Her eyes darted to mine, wide and scared and stubborn all at once.
Then space folded around her, and she was gone, leaving the air warped and humming.

I sat there, pulse hammering in my ears, lips tingling, trying to understand what had just happened.

Saga's problems weren't solved.
Missy's weren't either.
Mine… sure as hell weren't.

But for once, even being overwhelmed felt kind of okay.

Spoiler: A/N

The reason there are two different versions of Addison and Missy is because the AI tools are really inconsistent about what they allow. After a certain number of tries it just kept telling me I was breaking content rules no matter what I changed. Even having them just sit near each other apparently counted.
So I ended up keeping the two that were the closest. The first one had their looks more accurate and showed Missy in her birthday jacket, but it also shoved Dean and Vicky too close and cut the Dauntless merch. The second one gave some odd faces, but it brought back the Dauntless shirt and put Dean and Vicky in a way that felt closer to how I picture them, where they still hang around but at least pretend not to be just nosy teammates.

 

[Oblation]

… Ah, so Coil's dead… and Brandish.

I…
Well, this all feels really sudden, but hearing it from Dean, it's actually been brewing for months.

…

So, I guess New Wave got enough intel to do a lightning raid on the underground bunker Coil just… had??
They also somehow knew he and Hijack would be there.

The talk is that this was probably Tattletale's doing, since there was a secure room that locked from the outside. They think it was hers, but she's nowhere to be seen.

I guess it's easy to forget the sheer amount of experience and force New Wave represents when they want to.
They even called LightStar back just for this.

Somehow, it ended up with Coil fighting Brandish, with neither of them sure whose reinforcements would come around the corner next. They were both fighting desperately.
And, it turns out Coil was a combat Thinker… My memories disagree with that, but my memories are unreliable, so I'm ignoring them.

I guess Coil managed to beat the cape whose whole thing is CQC in CQC… for about half a second. Then she cut him in half.

So… all that, plus the huge bunker full of mercs, would have been crazy enough. But it turns out Triumph's cousin, Dyna Loughton, had been kidnapped nearly a month back and nobody bothered to tell me.

What's worse is that she's a super scary cape, and Hijack had apparently developed perfect control over her.
Her power, I guess, is seeing a bunch of immediate futures and "borrowing" details from them.

The whole reason the raid went how it did was because Hijack wasn't paying attention to her. (He was sitting right next to her but focused on his video game.) So she borrowed Brandish all the way to where Coil was, before he could escape.
But then Hijack took control, along with two mercs picked specifically to make him ultra dangerous in combat.

That combo, plus the way everyone he fights tends to trip at just the wrong time, makes him extremely dangerous… until Dyna used a loophole against him.

Apparently, her Thinker headaches hit him if he's controlling her when they develop, and they stick to him even if he stops.
So she used her power just enough for Brandish to make sure she had no headache, but would after one or two more uses.

I guess the fight looked REALLY BAD for like five minutes. Then Hijack and Dyna started grimacing, and he let go of her…

Then she did something honestly kind of evil.
She used her power one last time to make it so the shield Eric used, instead of knocking Hijack back, snapped his neck.

They knew it was her because right after, she screamed and passed out.
But in the meantime, Eric has now killed a guy, and Brandish is dead—all just so Dyna could get her revenge.

And it's not even done. I guess she still intends to go after Tattletale, wherever she is.

…

So… Dyna is a Ward, but basically all of us Wards put up some kind of "Please send her to another city" request.

So, I guess Triumph is going with her, and they're gonna end up transferring someone else over here.

I requested a Case 53.

…

Oh, and I guess Coil had a contingency plan, because there's a list that keeps getting put up by different accounts in different places with all the villain identities Coil apparently knew.
Supposedly, it includes most of the Empire and a bunch of their contacts across the country and in Europe.

But like I said, that one's dubious and keeps getting taken down fast.

The other one is more interesting, because it was made in such a way that it's not technically illegal.
I guess Coil wrote up his "Fuck You, New Wave" last-will-and-testament as a "fanfic," with a whole bunch of "hypothetical" blackmail he had on New Wave—including evidence and speculation.

It's like 60 chapters of dirt on New Wave, but all framed as speculation and structured so it can't legally be taken down.
Plus, he posted it on a few of those sites that won't remove anything without a court order, and even then only after warning people so they can copy and re-upload it first.

…

The whole thing is a mess, but I guess it's functionally killed New Wave.
Supposedly, none of them want to talk to Manpower now, and Amy took Brandish's car and left the state, going who knows where.

I guess Flashbang and Manpower left to find her, while Vicky just refuses to talk about any of it.

Oh, but that's the other thing: Vicky's now a Ward… or she will be as soon as the paperwork is done.
Same with Shielder too… the PRT-Wards.

Yeah, there's more drama there.

Armsmaster was going to make Eric give up certain things or become a "probationary" Ward, since he technically killed a guy.
(Even though another cape made him do it, and the dead one was a known human Master who'd been semi-controlling him in the fight.)

But Dr. Renoch jumped in and offered him full status with a better-than-average contract… as a PRT-Ward.

Too bad, Addison. Your month of leadership is now done, and all hail glorious leader Eric!
It works out, since Eric did the correct thing and started acting like a proper dictator when I sent that in the IRC.

Also, I guess Photon Mom was going to join the Protectorate once her son's paperwork was signed, but Armsmaster's BS made her pull back.

Eric says she'll probably still join, but she's looking into joining another city instead, since she really doesn't want to take orders from the guy who tried to get "murderer" written on her son's record just so he could funnel toy-sale profits into the tinker budget.

I mentioned how Portland, Maine, has a kind of underpowered Protectorate department, given how huge their jurisdiction is, and offered to teleport him there to see her sometimes if he wanted.
He seemed interested, and I know this would make Emily's life a bit easier, so I started a sub-channel in the IRC with Emily and Photon Mom and explained it.

I wasn't exactly following everything, and it's not like the paperwork was signed yet, but it seems like Newport just gained, at the least, a part-timer who can fly and shoot lasers. So that's got to be nice.

 

[Oblation]

Stepstones Fief - House of the Dragon
Base Cost: 350cp
Lore:
Two kingdoms bicker, yet both will defend,
My tax-free rocks till the bitterest end.
A harbor, some caves, and a loophole or two,
Who knew conquest would net me beachfront view?
Details:
You were important during the conquest of the Stepstones... but not too important.
So here are two rocky islands, all to yourself.
Whichever government you are the closest to considers them part of its territory and will defend them with as much vigor or its lack as they would any of their other, less important island holdings.
Still, they consider it owned by you, and thanks to some interesting tax loopholes, they won't expect any taxes from here so long as the population (they know about) stays under 1000.
Not that this will be difficult, as the largest population these particular rocks have ever had, historically, is 80, and that was more than a century ago.
Still, they form a tiny but well-sheltered natural harbor, and past residents have carved a series of homes out of the caves near the harbor. So if you can find around 200 people willing to bring their own boats, this could become a small fishing village quite easily.
Addons: 100cp These will be mirrored in the warehouse, so you can make changes to an empty version of the islands and apply it to the real islands at will.
Final Cost: 450cp
Bank: 1550cp

[09:00] *Firebird [Queen] and CrownOfSpite [Ward] join channel*

They fly north along the coast, thirty minutes of silence. Vicky keeps gesturing as though she's narrating a show to herself. Saga just flies, quiet and steady. The IRC stays blank until they land.

[09:31] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> So this is the grand prize? The fabled phoenix islands? I was expecting glowing runes or at least some dramatic music.

[09:32] Firebird [Queen] >> They are mine.

[09:33] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Yours, yeah, but you can't just claim them like a dragon. You're literally on the tax rolls. Eleven-year-old queen with a mortgage.

[09:34] Firebird [Queen] >> Queen Saga sounds better than taxpayer Saga.

[09:35] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Queen Saga, Monarch of Rocks and Seagulls. Long may she reign.

They step into the first carved chamber, stone bare, every footstep echoing.

[09:40] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Well this is anticlimactic. It's just… a room. A very echoey room.

[09:41] Firebird [Queen] >> They are all empty.

[09:42] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> It's like a video game dungeon that hasn't spawned loot yet. You could jam three hundred people in here if you wanted to test hygiene limits.

[09:43] Firebird [Queen] >> Spartan living. It would work.

[09:44] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> That's one way to say "unsanitary."

They leave the chamber, gulls wheeling overhead.

[09:50] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> So Missy and Addison. I heard the rest of the team whispering about it like it was some reality TV subplot.

[09:51] Firebird [Queen] >> She asked him. He kept winding himself up. She got tired of it.

[09:52] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> That's perfect. Addison talks like he's trying to psych himself up for the Olympics every day. She probably had to shut him down before he exploded.

[09:53] Firebird [Queen] >> He is better for her than Dean was.

[09:54] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> …Missy liked Dean?

[09:55] Firebird [Queen] >> Yes. It was a crush. She never said it out loud.

[09:56] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> And Dean just… never mentioned it?

[09:56] Firebird [Queen] >> Dean does not share things like that.

[09:57] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> He does give off the whole "baby politician" vibe. Always smiling, always polished.

[09:58] Firebird [Queen] >> That is how he feels to me.

[09:59] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> But he's more than that. He notices people. He doesn't just put on a show. He actually feels things.

[10:00] Firebird [Queen] >> Maybe. But the politician part is still there.

They pause in the second chamber, water dripping steadily from the ceiling.

[10:05] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> I always thought Missy just plain didn't like me. The glares, the silence. I figured she was the "serious little girl" and I was the walking disaster.

[10:06] Firebird [Queen] >> She did not like you. Then she did. Now she is fine with you.

[10:07] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Brutal. But… okay. I'll take "fine with me" as progress.

[10:08] Firebird [Queen] >> It is progress.

They move on, sunlight streaming into the hall from a crack above.

[10:12] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Eric would love this place. He'd already be drawing blueprints for bunkhouses and comms towers.

[10:13] Firebird [Queen] >> He already started. He wants this as a base.

[10:14] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> That's so him. The boy dreams in shield formations now.

[10:15] Firebird [Queen] >> I think he does.

They climb down toward the waterline, waves slapping against stone.

[10:20] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Ah, behold: the puddle chamber. Truly the jewel of the crown.

[10:21] Firebird [Queen] >> Tickets will cost ten dollars.

[10:22] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Ten bucks a toe. People will line up.

[10:23] Firebird [Queen] >> The queen gets her share.

[10:24] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Naturally. Puddle royalty demands tribute.

They linger by the shallow pool, spray drifting through the doorway.

[10:30] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> You know… Amy would hate this place. Too quiet. Too far from everything.

[10:31] Firebird [Queen] >> You pulled back from saying more.

[10:32] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Yeah. Because the only things I can say now are… different. She's not the sister I thought she was.

[10:33] Firebird [Queen] >> It still hurts.

[10:34] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> It does.

The channel falls silent. Gulls shriek in the background.

[10:40] Firebird [Queen] >> Your mother's death was not quiet. It was epic. She went out fighting.

[10:41] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> …Yeah. Not cancer at eighty. Not forgotten in a bed. She went down swinging.

[10:42] Firebird [Queen] >> That is better than most people get.

[10:43] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Weirdly enough, that helps. Thanks.

They stand together at the cliff edge, the horizon stretched endless in front of them.

[10:50] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> You know what's strange? I actually like this. Empty caves, dumb jokes, just… being here.

[10:51] Firebird [Queen] >> It is better. No crowds. No one watching.

[10:52] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Yeah. No pity stares. No interrogations. No one poking at me like I'm some science experiment.

[10:53] Firebird [Queen] >> Just us. Just snark.

[10:54] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Exactly. You're good at it.

[10:55] Firebird [Queen] >> Thank you.

They walk slowly along the ridge, gulls scattering as they pass.

[11:00] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> So official verdict: no monsters, no traps, no probability-girl ambushes.

[11:01] Firebird [Queen] >> It is safe enough.

[11:02] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> Safe enough might be the highest compliment I can give right now.

They start heading back outside.

[11:03] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> We should head back. Detention is calling.

[11:04] Firebird [Queen] >> Algebra is worse.

[11:05] CrownOfSpite [Ward] >> True. Nobody comes out of Algebra the same.

[11:06] Firebird [Queen] >> Status change.

[11:07] system >> CrownOfSpite status changed from [Ward] to [Mod]

[11:07] CrownOfSpite [Mod] >> …Wow. You're serious?

[11:08] Firebird [Queen] >> Yes. Addison is a Mod. Weld is a Mod. Now you are too.

[11:09] CrownOfSpite [Mod] >> Guess I'm in good company then. Thanks.

[11:10] Firebird [Queen] >> Guard the channel. Guard each other.

They leap into the air together, Saga's wings beating as the islands shrink behind them.

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: A/N

To clarify before the inevitable comments:
"That's not what lightsaber colors mean!"
or
"Red means Evil, Blue and Green mean good!"
Rolling this perk made me realize that an aspect of the world-building of Bet, as I'd had it planned from the start, but really developed in Celestial Saga: Lore: Chapter 1: Media in the Celestial Saga Timeline meant that this version of Earth-Bet probably didn't have Star Wars.
Saga still has my Media knowledge base, so she might get excited about it, but everyone else would just see a generic Sci-fi sword, and that made me sad.
That led me down a huge rabbithole, which led to the creation of Celestial Saga: Star Wars on Earth-Bet where I've been rebuilding a version of Star Wars based on the specific constraints and opportunities of a world full of parahumans.

Currently, there is only the first two Star Wars films posted (in terms of publication, the original trilogy was 7-9 here), but I do have most of it planned out. The result of this is that I'm going to be referencing the Saga-Bet-Star-Wars when relevant perks come up, or references are made.
One of the differences is, that Bet-George Lucus was constantly planning around having his budget slashed, so he was constantly setting up openings for more low-budget Star Wars additions. The result of this is a much better integrated Expanded universe.
Part of that is that the Light and dark sides are a bit less clear-cut (more life and death, than good and evil), and Lightsabers are more analogous to Hogwarts houses than simplistic ways to mark someone as "Good," "Evil," or "Samuel L. Jackson."
It's a bit more confusing, but allows for more easy spin-offs like "What kind of Jedi uses an Orange Blade?"
Or "Can you be a Hero and have the same color lightsaber as Emperor Palpatine?"
IRL, the answers are "None if Disney has a say," and "No."
Here, these questions led to things like novel series or indie devs getting to add their own spin to the Star Wars Universe.

The Brazilian scientist is back.
I guess it's rare for Tinkers, especially new ones, to be willing to make lesser versions of their own tech.

There's always this push for quality over quantity.
Even the rare Tinker whose specialty is quantity, like drones, will still try to maximize individual quality and get offended if people ask them to build "good enough for the budget" gear.
Of course, the trade-off is that most Tinkers manage to shift their own requirements by constantly reconfiguring their gear to improve it somehow.

That's why the PR boots came as a bit of a shock to the testers.
They're just a sub-par version of something else I make and my power hasn't been spamming me with ways to "optimize" them by changing the design entirely.
The boots I make today are identical to the first ones. Same resource cost. Same end result.

Because of that, they've started me on ideas that could make people's lives better but would normally set off the average Tinker.
Things like combining spare trooper gear into double-strength versions, with the minor enchantments focused on maneuverability.
I guess the mix of that, the 6x boots I've been making for the PRT, and the Obelisk range (which doubled recently since I get a new one every month) means they eventually want the troopers moving around like they're in gym clothes while they're actually in body armor.

Still, even the non-Tinkertech equipment isn't cheap. So it's more of a background project, something I'll be working on as the budget allows.

…

But more importantly, I got a Lightsaber!!

Lightsaber - Star Wars: Episode IX Triumph of Hope
Base Cost: -200cp
Lore:
On the Nature of the Saber
The lightsaber is not chosen.
It is revealed.
Each crystal sings to its wielder, not in sound, but in resonance. When set into the hilt, it glows not with the hue you prefer, but with the truth of what you are. A saber's color is not prophecy. It is reflection.
To bear one is not a prize. It is an unveiling. The hue is a mirror of the heart, drawn from your calm, your fury, your hunger, your devotion, your curiosity, or your clarity. What you see in the blade is not what you will be, but what you could be.
Red
Deep enduring emotions give loyalty and meaning, but twisted they calcify into ideology that cages the devotee even when the cause rots.
It flows naturally into Grey's sense of purpose, yet it collides with White's brittle morality that cannot bend for passion.
Grey
Constant doing creates resilience and momentum, but without a cause it hollows into empty motion.
It flows into Blue's steady discipline, yet it grates against Yellow's independence, which distrusts blind obedience.
Blue
Focused discipline turns action into devotion to a mission, building institutions and legacies, but at its worst it grinds people into tools.
It flows into Green's search for comprehension, yet it clashes with Orange's restless hunger for novelty.
Green
The pursuit of comprehension brings clarity and structure, but it often mistakes shallow order for peace.
It flows into Yellow's drive for personal answers, yet it grinds against Purple's volatility, which explodes the structures Green builds.
Yellow
Independence sparks originality and discovery, but unchecked it curdles into arrogance and isolation.
It flows into White's rigid truths, yet it resents Grey's constant doing, which it sees as hollow conformity.
White
Rigid codes provide clarity and consistency, but at their worst they snap when reality refuses to conform.
It flows into Orange's hunger for connection, yet it collides with Red's loyalty, which bends rules when devotion demands it.
Orange
Hunger for feelings creates charisma and connection, but twisted it collapses into restless addiction to novelty.
It flows into Purple's adaptability, yet it clashes with Blue's focus, which demands discipline over wandering.
Purple
Sudden passions bring bursts of adaptability and energy, but without others to steady them they rarely endure or build anything lasting.
It flows back into Red's loyalty, yet it collides with Green's demand for order, which smothers its volatility.
---
Violet
The central blade tempers passion into balance, able to harmonize with any path and strengthen whatever crystal it stands beside, but alone it risks becoming generic and accomplishing little.
It is the great stabilizer in chaotic times, yet in peace or isolation it seems bland, defined more by what it can echo than by what it is itself.
This is the blade Luke Skywalker carried. Through the original trilogy he touched Blue's discipline, Green's comprehension, Red's devotion, and Purple's passion, but was never bound by any one of them, the pivot the Force moved on in war but almost invisible in calm
The Mirror and the Burden
Every color has been wielded by heroes. Every color has been wielded by monsters.
Knights wielding in blue have stood as guardians and as oppressors. Sages with green have saved worlds, and doomed them through hesitation. The red flame has carried both eternal love and endless wrath. The muse of purple has birthed wonders and chaos alike. So it is with every hue. Your saber is not destiny. It is your possibility. A reflection of your nature, of what you could be at your best… or at your worst.
Details:
You gain a Lightsaber!
Plus basic/weak force sensitivity. Enough to allow this dangerous contraption to function without the powerful battery from overloading the little crystal. Instead, thanks to your force mumbo jumbo, you can do something that in-universe mechanics don't understand: converting enough energy to run a family home into a plasma-blade… somehow.
Addons:
-50cp Your Lightsaber is now tied to inventory and can be summoned/desummoned from there.
-100cp as much knowledge of saberwork as Luke had at the end of Rebirth of Hope.
-150cp as much knowledge of saberwork as Luke had at the end of Legacy of Hope.
-200cp as much knowledge of saberwork as Luke had at the end of Triumph of Hope.
Final Cost: 400cp
Bank: 1250cp

A Lightsaber!
H.E.L.L. to the YES!

But… eh, I already have the other force stuff from other powers, or will probably get it for cheaper.
Being a Jedi sounds really cool, but taking the top tier pushes it from 500cp to 700cp, and that's a lot to spend just to get me to episode 9 when I'm pretty sure it takes place like a week after episode 8.
The first two movies give me plenty.
The last one is just bragging rights.
I don't need to buy choreography for a duel I'll never have.
Three other perks could live in that space instead, and I'll need them more.

But this is still a lightsaber.
I can feel the skill, even without the blade in my hand, just in how I move.
I pictured an opponent and my body already knew the stance.
That's not just cool, that's dream-come-true levels of cool.

And then there's the blade.
Everyone always imagines themselves with the big ones, right?
Luke with Violet, because it's the rare one where you can mix paths without messing yourself up.
Vader with Red, with the kind of deep feelings that run your whole life, like love or loyalty.
The Emperor with Purple, because he's all about crazy ideas and making them actually happen somehow.
Kenobi with Blue, the knight who keeps his duty.
Yoda with Green, the wisdom kind, the more regular teacher stuff.

So yeah, I was hoping for one of those.
And instead, I got Yellow.

But Yellow isn't bad.
It means curiosity.
It means figuring things out on your own.
It means you want to explore and discover instead of just following the rules.
That's actually awesome.

Most people probably wouldn't even know that, but I kinda forget not everyone's read all the stuff I have.
In my head, Grey would scream conflict, and Orange would scream selfish, and people would give me side-eyes every time I turned them on.
So Yellow is way better.

It fits me.
It's safe, it's cool, and it even matches some of my feathers.
Bird girl with a lightsaber of curiosity.
That's perfect.

Spoiler: Lightsaber Colors Chart

Since the crystals came up here, a few examples might help understand both them and the cast.
Each crystal shows up in different ways, so two people can reflect the same type while still looking very different.
Red – Miss Militia, loyalty at its best, binding cause and comrades together, and Vader, the bad end of devotion when ideology becomes a cage.
Grey – Danny, who only feels alive when he has a cause to throw himself into, and Taylor, who can grind forward endlessly but risks becoming hollow if her purpose collapses.
Blue – Armsmaster, steady discipline that builds legacies but consumes him, and Kid Win, who looks unreliable while young but shows true devotion by refusing to stop building even when his projects fail or fall short.
Green – Emily ("Kingslayer"), structuring chaos just enough to adapt and keep moving, and Dragon, who always accepts patchwork solutions if it lets her move on to the next problem.
Yellow – Shadow Stalker, fiercely chasing answers only she can live with even if they isolate her, and Saga, whose independence can illuminate or estrange depending on the moment.
White – Brandish, who would rather be certain most of the time than live in constant doubt, and Amy, whose own brittle code mostly works to allow for just action, though "mostly" is never enough.
Orange – Lisa, craving connection through secrets and gossip as much as trust.
Purple – Glory Girl, who can be great or terrible without knowing which it'll be ahead of time, and Oni Lee, flashing between moments of brilliance and stretches of emptiness as his state deteriorates.
Violet – Dean truly belongs here: never as dramatic as Luke Skywalker, but always seeking to balance and harmonize, aiming to head off disasters rather than chase heights. Violet makes any group stronger but is unimpressive on its own, which is why PR finds him boring without Vicky, and Vicky too extreme without him.

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: A/N

Reminder: Saga has multiple PR perks stacked together. The effect is simple: people are physically incapable of hating her. That doesn't guarantee they like her, but it does mean they can't dislike her, and she always comes across as visually striking. On top of that, she's both a kid and a hero, so the press isn't going to slam her directly unless someone else does it first. That's why every take frames the issue as other people taking advantage of her, rather than blaming her directly.

Phoenix Boots Livestream Highlights
Rose Anvil TowerTube Channel

Set: White backdrop, shelves stacked with old boots and leather samples. On the desk, a fresh PRT-branded box. Chat overlay runs down the right side of the screen.

Clip 1: Unboxing
Host (cutting open the box, pulling out dyed leather boots with a single brown stripe):
"Alright chat, here we go. Phoenix boots. Eighty bucks. Real Tinker tech, straight out of the PRT shop. Front and center, right next to the national merch. Hats, patches, flags, and now this. Let's see what an eleven-year-old miracle worker cooked up."

Camera close-up as he holds the boots up, turning them over slowly.

Host:
"First impression? Kinda plain. No neon flames, no flashy logos. Just boots. Almost boring. Which is what makes this suspicious."

Chat scrolls fast:
SneakerHead42: "those look basic af"
Cptn_Rats: "yeah until they dont fall apart in a week"
UnionGuy88: "plain boots are what ppl actually need lol"
TinfoilCap: "govt hiding the REAL tech"

Clip 2: Fit Test
Host slips on one boot. Camera tightens as the leather flexes and shimmers slightly, tightening to his foot.

Host (eyes wide):
"Okay… okay that's wild. It just snugged in. Like it scanned my foot. No pinch, no break-in. Fits like I've owned it for months."

Chat:
WitchHunter77: "bruh magic boots"
IronToe: "better than my Red Wings already"
PRTsux: "bet they break tomorrow"
AliensInVT: "phoenix got alien tech CONFIRMED"

Host (laughing):
"Yeah yeah, aliens. But you're not wrong about one thing. This isn't normal fit. This is too good."

Clip 3: Wear Test
Montage of the host pacing, squatting, jogging in place. Timer overlay shows forty minutes have passed. Sweat darkens his shirt. He flexes and wiggles toes, still smiling.

Host (slightly breathless):
"Alright chat, forty minutes in. Still comfy. No heel rub, no hot spots. Normally I'd be limping by now in new leather. These feel the same as minute one."

Chat:
LunchpailLarry: "my steel toes shred me after 20"
BootLvr69: "pls kick something"
CivicDuty: "this is what workers should get not mall rats"
TinFoilCap: "ITS A TEST ON YOUR SWEAT GLANDS WAKE UP"

Clip 4: Stress Test
Host bends the boot nearly in half, slams heel against the table edge, then hammers it on the floor. No cracks. He holds it up close, showing the leather unmarked.

Host:
"See that? No stress lines. No cracks. Normal leather'd look beat after this. These still look fresh. Chat, eighty bucks for this kind of durability? That's insane."

Chat:
BudgetBen: "could sell for 20 easy if it's mass made"
WorksiteWanda: "govt milking her labor"
KeepItBlue: "union made?"
AlienInVT: "union OF ALIENS lol"

Host (reading, chuckling):
"Yeah yeah, alien union. But real talk, you're right. Phoenix didn't pick this price. PRT set it. And they set it just high enough it's not impulse, but not unreachable either."

Clip 5: Dissection
Overhead camera. Host slices into dyed leather under a magnifying lamp, holds up a perfect cross section for the lens. The dye runs completely through.

Host (grinning):
"Check this. That's not surface dye. That's solid, all the way down. Cut it, tear it, it's the same color. That's impossible. Leather doesn't behave like this."

Chat:
ChemNerd: "what's her process???"
BootSnob99: "wtf that's cleaner than synthetic"
GovtLies4U: "govt dyed it for her to sell the story"
UnionGuy88: "nah this is tinker tech no faking that"

Final Clip: Verdict
Wide shot. Dissected pieces lie neatly arranged on the desk. Host rests a hand on them, looks straight into camera.

Host:
"Alright. Final take. Boots fit like a dream. They last, the dye's impossible, and they're sitting front and center in PRT shops. Eighty bucks isn't cheap, but it's close enough most folks could save for it. That makes these the weirdest, maybe the most important piece of national merch I've ever reviewed."

He spins a boot fragment once, drops it back on the pile with a smirk.

Host:
"So miracle or bait? You decide."

End screen: Rose Anvil logo, text reading Boots, Leather, Truth. Music sting, fade to black.



The Miracle at Eighty Dollars
by: Ada Veblen

By early May, Phoenix had been a Ward for less than half a year. She joined in January, was introduced to the public in March, and by May her name was on a product with national distribution. The product in question: boots, would not normally merit front-page coverage. But these are no ordinary boots. They fit themselves perfectly to the first wearer. They display dye work that should be impossible by conventional means. They are being sold for $80 across the country, fixed price, regardless of state or store. And they represent one of the strangest economic experiments in the short history of Tinker consumer goods.

A History of Public Tinker Tech
This is not the first time the public has had access to Tinker technology. Dragon has sold phones for years, each more efficient than its competitors, each redesign forcing users to adjust to an entirely new interface. The phones themselves are manufactured by human engineers, but the programs used to build the systems are her creation. The quality difference is unmistakable, but so too is the lack of continuity: Dragon's constant redesigns have prevented her devices from establishing the sort of brand identity one might expect from a monopoly on quality.

Japan's Masamune is a different case. His technology can be mass-produced directly, but it is notable for how mundane it appears. Unlike Dragon, Masamune does not produce software or exotic alloys. He produces items that, on the surface, look ordinary. Steel, household tools, small machines, none bear the hallmarks of a flashy specialty. For decades, critics have questioned whether he was a Tinker at all. And yet his products reached national scale only after years of incremental growth, distribution networks, and public acclimatization.

Other Tinkers have occasionally produced items that reached the public, but these have typically been niche or incidental: an unusual alloy requiring specialist forging, a chemical mixture used in industry, a material incorporated into clothing. In every case, the product either required substantial human processing to be useful or it lacked the visible "signature" of a Tinker effect.

Phoenix's boots are different. They are finished products, usable immediately, and their effect is obvious the moment they are worn.

The Boots Themselves
The first wearer fits them perfectly. No break-in period, no need for orthotics, no painful adjustment. That effect alone has implications for people with non-standard feet, from construction workers on their tenth pair of steel-toes to individuals with medical issues that make footwear difficult.

The dye work is equally remarkable. Experts who have cut the boots open report color distributed evenly through the leather, as though the material itself had been born that way. Unlike conventional dyes, it does not rub off, does not transfer to socks, and does not carry a chemical smell. A few analysts have speculated that the process, if understood and reproduced, could revolutionize clothing durability in general.

The boots are simple in design: leather, brown, and one other color, sturdy but not ostentatious. They look less like futuristic gear and more like ordinary work boots. That simplicity is part of what makes them extraordinary.

The Rollout
Every state has received shipments. Each store has at least a handful of pairs. Based on available shipping data, only a few thousand exist nationwide. That scarcity, spread thinly across the entire country, makes the decision to brand the release as a national product peculiar. Collectors' items could have been priced far higher, especially given the precedent of Tinker products that reach even niche markets. Instead, the boots are fixed at $80 nationwide.

At most PRT shops, boots remain on shelves a week after release, though never in bulk. This is not a runaway consumer phenomenon. Most customers do not enter a PRT shop expecting to spend significant sums; the stores are better known for souvenirs and low-cost items than for products approaching a week's wages. But the decision to set the price point at $80 positions the boots in a careful space: not luxury, not bargain, but just within reach for the working poor. For blue-collar workers, it is an investment, but one within the realm of possibility. If the boots prove to be everything they appear to be, they could spread through that demographic within a year or two.

Phoenix Herself
The choice of Phoenix as the face of this rollout is as unusual as the product. She has been a Ward for only months. Publicly, she is known for her ability to transform into a phoenix-like form, not for her technology. Yet reports credit her with a series of creations: copper-colored armor worn by PRT troopers, a blue variant seen in Boston, and even technology that rendered users invisible. In each case, the equipment was used by others, not by Phoenix herself, and sometimes in places where she was not present.

This suggests a specialty not in personal use but in creating gear for others. The armor was marketed as a way to make troopers more visible to the public, less faceless, more like a cape team. The boots follow the same logic: equipment designed not for the Tinker's personal benefit, but for the public.

The Economic Questions
Why was a Ward so new to the program chosen for the first national rollout of such an obvious Tinker product? Why spread a few thousand pairs across the country, instead of concentrating them where demand might be tested? Why fix the price at $80, a level high enough to exclude some but low enough to suggest abundance?

The PRT has implied that production will continue at roughly a thousand pairs a month. If true, the price point is plausible. But there is no proof yet of that scale. The compressed timeline, five months from joining the Wards to national release, would be remarkable even for a veteran Tinker.

Conspiracies have already circulated: that the boots are surveillance devices, that they will fail after a short time, that the PRT is manipulating markets for some deeper goal. None have evidence to support them. But the existence of these theories speaks to the gap between what has been promised and what has been explained.

The Implications
If the boots are what they appear to be, their impact could be profound. Durable, perfectly fitting footwear at an attainable price could change lives across the working class. For the PRT, the public relations value would be immense. For Phoenix, it would cement her as a new kind of Tinker, one whose products enter everyday life quickly and visibly.

If, on the other hand, supply fails to materialize or quality falters, the backlash will be sharp. Consumers who spend $80 on the promise of Tinker durability will not forgive quietly if that promise is broken.

For now, the Phoenix boots are both a curiosity and a precedent. They are proof that Tinker technology can reach the shelves of ordinary stores, with effects that anyone can see and feel. That fact alone makes them worth more than their price tag. It also makes them worth watching.



Channel 7 Evening News Segment
Intro jingle. Camera pans to two anchors at a sleek desk.

On-screen text: Noel Closet & Lindsay Straights - Channel 7 News at 6

Noel (beaming):
"Good evening, I'm Noel Closet."

Lindsay (smiling, nodding):
"And I'm Lindsay Straights. Tonight's top story: boots. Not just any boots, Phoenix boots. The product of Brockton Bay's youngest Ward has been popping up in stores across the country this week, and people are already lining up for a pair."

Noel (holding up a glossy stock photo of the boots):
"They sell for eighty dollars, they fit themselves perfectly to whoever wears them first, and according to early testers, they last longer than any leather shoe on the market. Oh, and they never lose their color, no matter how scuffed or scratched. Not bad for an eleven-year-old hero who can also turn into a bird."

Lindsay (playfully):
"Not bad at all. Some say this is the first time Tinker technology has really reached the average consumer. Others are asking why it costs eighty and not twenty. Or why Phoenix's talents are being spent on mall stock instead of life saving gear for first responders."

Noel (grinning, mock conspiratorial tone):
"And of course, there are always those who think the boots are just the beginning. PR rollout, alien test run, you name it. You have probably heard it all by now."

Lindsay (smooth, back to chipper):
"But for now, it is just boots. You can find them in select PRT shops around New England, including here in Vermont. And Governor Bernie Sanders was even spotted in a bright blue pair at a community event this weekend."

Noel (with a small laugh):
"Hard to miss those. We will have more coverage of the governor's fashion choices at eleven."

Lindsay (smiling directly into camera):
"When we come back, why one local dairy farm says its cows are producing more milk than ever, and what it has to do with a new brand of music. Stay with us."

Theme music swells and fades out.



Scholastic Kids News (7 pages, lots of pictures.)

Phoenix's Special Boots

Who is Phoenix?
Phoenix is a young hero. She joined the Wards in January. People first saw her in March. She can turn into a big bird of fire. But she also makes things that people can use.

What Did She Make?
In May, Phoenix made boots. At first they look normal. But the first person who puts them on finds that they fit just right. They feel like the boots were made for that person's feet.

Why Is This New?
Hero tools, called Tinker Tech, are often too hard to buy. Some cost a lot of money. Some take a long time to make. Some only work for the hero who made them. Phoenix's boots are not like that. They are ready for anyone to wear.

How Many Boots Are There?
A few thousand pairs were sent out. Each state got some. Most stores only got a few pairs. If you go to a PRT shop, you may see one or two pairs on a shelf.

How Much Do They Cost?
One pair costs $80. That is a lot of money, but some families can save up for it. If the boots last a long time, they could be worth the cost.

Why Do People Care?
Adults say this is strange. Phoenix is new. She has not been a hero for very long. Yet her boots are sold all over the country. The price is the same in every place. People wonder why.

What We Do Know
Phoenix's boots work. They fit. They are strong. They are in stores right now. That makes them a big deal. No one thought a kid hero would be the one to do it.



Extended Podcast Transcript Segment

Intro music fades. Sound of a lighter flick. Host leans back, thumps boots on the table.

Jose Runnin:
"Alright, check these out. Phoenix boots. Got 'em yesterday. Super comfy. Like, too comfy. No break-in, no blisters. I feel like they scanned my DNA the second I put 'em on. Not saying they did, just saying, you know…"

Ethan Klymax (intellectual, amused):
"See, that's the thing. Everyone's hung up on the dye, the fit, the eighty-dollar price tag. But the boots themselves don't matter. What matters is rollout. They dropped a few thousand pairs, spread them across fifty states. That's not distribution, that's stagecraft. You don't seed that thin unless the point is exposure. They want the name in every house. Phoenix today is the cute kid who made shoes. Phoenix tomorrow is the genius who 'naturally' moved up to armor, weapons, whatever they roll out next."

Al Indiana (conspiracy, half-joking, half-serious):
"Yeah, man, exactly. It's conditioning. They're buttering the toast. You think it's about the boots, but it's about what comes after. And hey, maybe it's aliens, maybe it's lizards, maybe it's just our very own Cauldron crew pulling the strings. Wouldn't shock me. They've sold powers before, they'll sell shoes now. Same business model, different package."

Jose (grinning):
"Shoes as a gateway drug to superpowers. I'd buy that documentary."

Ethan:
"Look, you joke, but it's not even far off. You create trust with the small thing. People clap for a miracle pair of boots, and next year when you tell them 'oh, Phoenix has a medical device that regrows bone,' they don't freak out. They go, 'of course she does, she's always been building this.' It's soft launch psychology."

Al:
"And notice how it's Phoenix, not Dragon, not Hero. They pick the kid. Why? Because you can't hate the kid. You can distrust the PRT, the troopers, the whole machine, but not the kid. That's protection. That's armor, but for PR. She's eleven, she doesn't even talk in public, which means every story gets written *for* her. That's not an accident. That's design."

Jose (nodding, tapping boots on table):
"Yeah, like, nobody's mad at her. Even the crankiest old dudes online are like, 'aww, she's neat.' Meanwhile, the government's stamping her logo on boxes. It's cute until you realize she's a brand already."

Ethan:
"And that's the subtlety that scares me. It's not overt. It's not 'buy into the program or else.' It's, 'hey, here's something small, cheap, harmless.' That's how you normalize it. They don't need you to love the boots. They just need you to accept them."

Al (leans in, suddenly sharp):
"And here's the kicker: the price. Eighty bucks flat. Same in New York, same in Wyoming. That's not a market, that's a message. It says: we control the cost, we control the supply, we control how this story enters your house. That's Cauldron thinking. That's how they sell powers, never about the money, always about the narrative."

Jose (half-laughing, half-uneasy):

"Alright, lizard aliens, Cauldron cabal, government shoe mafia, take your pick. But I gotta admit, you guys are making me look at my boots like they're plotting against me."

Ethan (grins):
"They're not plotting. They're paving the road. And by the time we figure out where it leads, we'll already be walking on it."

Al (dead serious, almost whispering):
"And that road? That road leads to the day you wake up and think, 'of course Phoenix can build anything.' And by then it won't be boots. It'll be something that changes everything."

*(Awkward pause, then laughter as the host cracks a joke about needing alien orthopedic inserts. Conversation drifts into the next topic.)*




The Ty Beauregard Show

Music fades, host comes in hot, voice sharp and commanding.

"Folks, I need you to think about something. We've got Phoenix, this girl's a once-in-a-generation miracle. I'm not talking about her wings or the firebird thing. I'm talking about the fact she can make gear. Real gear. Armor that saves lives. Tools that work. And she can mass-produce it. Do you know how rare that is? In Tinker terms, that's like striking oil. That's steel in the ground. That's wealth and security for the whole nation.

And what are they doing with it? Boots. Eighty-dollar mall boots. Perfect fit, fancy dye, sure, they're neat. But let's get serious. Boots for weekend joggers don't save lives. Boots for middle schoolers don't stop bullets. Boots don't turn the tide when monsters hit a city.

Now, I know some of you are clapping. You're saying, 'But hey, I can finally buy Tinker Tech for my family.' I get it. It feels good. But here's the ugly truth. Every hour Phoenix spends stitching miracle leather into consumer boots is an hour she's not making body armor that could be on our troops. It's an hour she's not upgrading patrol gear for every cop walking a beat. That's the trade we're making, and it's not a good one.

Let me be clear. I don't blame Phoenix. She's a kid, and she's a marvel. Everybody loves her, and they should. But she's not the problem. The problem is the PR suits who decided it was more important to score headlines than to save lives. They wanted a product in malls so they could show off how generous they are, instead of putting her genius where it belongs, on the front line.

Think about it. If she can mass-produce like they say, then why isn't every soldier lacing up boots that never wear out? Why isn't every cop carrying her gear? If she's capable of both quality and scale, then this, right here, these mall shoes, is proof we're wasting it.

Now, maybe you don't agree with me. Maybe you think comfort for the average Joe is just as important as armor for the guy in uniform. Fine. That's your view. But I'll tell you mine. Real Americans on the line matter more. And if you believe that, if you believe that soldiers, troopers, cops are the ones keeping the rest of us safe, then you have to admit what's happening here is wrong.

Phoenix is a miracle. But miracles aren't for malls. They're for the battlefield. And the longer we waste her talent on shoeboxes, the more real Americans pay the price."

Cue ad break: veteran-owned coffee company.



The Eugene Chomsky Show

Crackly radio mic, host's voice pitched low and urgent, but with warmth. You can hear the smile under the rant.

"Alright, let's be straight. These Phoenix boots? They're a miracle. Not perfect, not cheap enough for everyone, but eighty bucks is close. Close enough that if you save, if you scrape, you could see them on the feet of real workers in a year or two. The guys pouring concrete in the rain, the women pulling doubles at the diner, the ones who actually make this country run. That matters. That's hope.

But don't get it twisted. Phoenix didn't set the price. Phoenix didn't choose the rollout. Phoenix didn't decide to make mall stock instead of gear for first responders or soldiers. That's the government. And the government doesn't do anything without a reason. Sometimes the reason is stupid, sometimes it's selfish, but it's never because they just love you.

So here's what I think. Somehow, some way, these boots slipped through. Maybe Phoenix pushed it. Maybe somebody in PR finally grew a conscience. Maybe it's just an experiment and we're the rats. Whatever the case, it landed in that sweet spot where a working man can dream of actually affording it. And that's why I'm both excited and scared.

Excited, because this is the first time in my life I've seen Tinker tech that doesn't look like it was built for suits or for soldiers. Scared, because I know how this usually plays out. You get one good thing. One. And then they yank it away or jack up the price or drown it in red tape.

Phoenix is good. Phoenix is better than good. She's a miracle worker, and I don't say that lightly. But she's not in charge. And that means this can go bad fast. So yeah, I'm hopeful. I want this to keep happening, to grow, to spread, until no worker in this country has to buy junk boots ever again. But I'm not putting both feet in yet. Not until I see the other shoe drop."

(Short pause. A dry laugh.)
"Pun intended."



Vermont Public Radio Feature

Theme music fades in, then down under the host's voice.

"This is Vermont Public Radio. I'm Maple Brattle.

A few weeks ago, if you had asked people in Vermont about Phoenix, few would have known her name. She joined the Brockton Bay Wards in January, became known to the public in March after a rivalry with a local Tinker, and in May, her name is on store shelves across the country.

Her boots, priced at eighty dollars a pair, fit themselves perfectly to the first wearer, hold their color as though the leather were born that way, and by early accounts last longer than they should. In other words, they are unmistakably Tinker technology, yet accessible enough to be sitting in mall shops alongside ordinary shoes.

And that has meant, for a week now, that the conversation has been about far more than footwear.

A columnist in The Atlantic compared the release to the first time Japanese Tinker Masamune's work reached the public, noting the difference in speed. Decades of scaling for Masamune, five months for Phoenix. A popular fashion blog praised the boots' quiet perfection while admitting they looked almost plain, the sort of thing you only notice after you've worn them every day for a month. And cultural critics have already started to debate what it means when heroes not only save lives, but sell products.

Here in New England, two Brockton Bay radio hosts have given the debate a sharper edge. One argues Phoenix's rare ability to mass produce is being wasted on what he called mall shoes, that if she can make armor and weapons, those should already be on the feet of every soldier and every officer in the country. The other takes almost the opposite view, calling the boots a small but real victory for workers, priced just close enough to imagine them on construction sites, in factories, and on kitchen floors. Both agree on three points. Phoenix is good, the government is not, and the choices being made about her time and talent are not hers alone.

For Vermonters there is also a local angle. New Hampshire and Vermont share jurisdiction, and it is entirely possible Phoenix herself could be deployed here in the coming months. That makes her sudden rise, from unknown Ward in January to national name in May, worth watching closely.

And of course, the story has already brushed against politics. At a community event in Montpelier, Governor Bernie Sanders was spotted in a bright blue pair of Phoenix boots, waving to the crowd. It was, one aide admitted with a grin, probably not the footwear his staff would have chosen.

Whether the boots are a miracle product, a marketing stunt, or, as one conspiracy-leaning podcast put it, just the soft opening for something bigger, they are a reminder of how unusual this moment is. Tinker tech has reached the public before, but never this bluntly, never this visibly, and never this quickly.

Phoenix may be only eleven, but she has already reshaped the conversation about what heroes can create and who those creations are for. Vermonters may want to keep an eye on her. They may see her, or her boots, closer to home sooner than expected.

I'm Maple Brattle, Vermont Public Radio."

Theme music swells and fades out.

 

[Oblation]

So, Raymond has been kicked into gear, I guess.
It's not like I've stopped doing stuff with Firewatch, but I did throw a lot at them all at once.
Magic powers, a new teammate, gear upgrades, and me getting pulled into PR again and again.

But apparently, my suddenly being able to hold my own in combat, or at least sword fighting, was enough for Raymond to put his foot down and get the PRT to back off a bit.
Now me and Firewatch are going to be working together on actual field stuff.

That's kind of where it peters out.
Uber and Leet weirdly didn't get arrogant with their last win.
There's a growing suspicion they used the money to leave the city.
Supposedly, they're still close enough to fake it, since they've done social media stuff in the Bay since.
But the team, including Lawrence/Aspirant, has developed a bit of a grudge, so now we're looking into where they actually are.

I have neither investigation powers nor skills, and our attempt to bring Dauntless, Addison, and Buddy into the search did nothing but create some spontaneous PR.
Raymond pretended it was intentional to keep PR from snatching me back.

I do have one more card to play, even if I want to keep it separate from the PRT in case I ever need to split from them in a hurry.
The Ninja and Albus have been sending me updates.
Nothing crazy, just filling in details I already suspected.

There are a few capes out in the middle of nowhere, but they're so far removed from the hero-villain scene that aside from checking they're not about to end the world, they're not really a problem.
Not even surprising, given how trigger events work.
Maybe one in a hundred people would rather hermit away with their powers than join the circus.

The real problem is the middle step between big city capes and total misanthropes.
The ones who drift between small and medium towns with gangs big enough to run territory but small enough to scatter before anyone, like Newport, Maine, can send a real response.

And I figure there's a pretty good chance Uber and Leet are aiming for exactly that.
Sick of being crushed in the Bay, so they move an hour inland.
They can still show up for big events like before, but otherwise stay top dogs in their new zone.

It's smart.

It's also a disaster for the PRT, because it would actually work unless they got cocky.
And like it or not, those two are some of the most thorough planners in the state.
You have to be when your team is a vulnerable tinker with a second-rate specialty and a thinker whose whole gimmick is basically "Man-Man, the guy who can do things people can do."

So getting Firewatch and the Ninja to cooperate is probably for the best.
I asked the team to keep it quiet, though, in the hopes the Ninja wouldn't just become another government asset.

It feels strange, almost like Firewatch is its own thing, even though we're still referencing the PRT's Unusual Operations handbook three times a day.
I'm not sure how I feel about it, but the alternative is laying out all my cards and connections to the government, and everything in me says that's a bad idea.

Hell, I even asked Emily indirectly, and she basically told me the same.
Trust my team or the whole thing falls apart.
More in what she didn't say than what she did.

So, for now, I'm going to let Raymond cook and see if his and Albus's idea of building a network called NOVA, "Network Opposing Villainous Ascendancy" in New England and the Maritimes, is a good idea or not.

We'll see.

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: A/N

200cp added from the Time-Skip-Reserve (the CP generated from side materials and works).

Why am I just discovering this now!?!

…

Ok, so backing up, Firewatch wants me to set up a bunch of teleport locations across New England, and I tried, but just flying solo is something I do too much for it to count.
I tried snuggling with the pack, and that helped a bit, but I can barely feel the spot.

When I explained it and how it's happy and safe memories that cause the locations to get marked, they just had us stay in a hotel in some ski town in Vermont.
Then, in the predawn, they had us hike up to the top of this mountain, where it turned out Missy had shown up and was holding a box.

Then we climbed up a watchtower, and just as I was getting ready to fall to the floor like a pile of jello, Missy opened the box…
Baklava!
In particular, it's the local Maple Pecan Baklava.

No idea how, but Missy already knew about Baklava, and seemed really smug about the whole thing.
Turns out it was her idea, and yeah, she was right, this is one of the strongest spots out of all my teleportation marks.
Like I might just come here by reflex if I don't think of somewhere specific first.

So, of course, she had to pick the Vista Mountain for this to happen.
What a Nerd!

…

…

Oh, and I guess Raymond was serious about his working with Glenn Chambers because there was also a photographer, so now there are articles about Vista and Phoenix experiencing Maple Pecan Baklava on Vista Watchtower.

Though there's some schadenfreude for me out of the situation, since I guess people were unsure if we were related before, but the pictures have set that to rest.

It is now clear to the internet that I am Vista's sister… her BIG sister.
She. Was. Mad!
It was hilarious.

Even broke her perfect image to post on PHO about how SHE was the elder sister, and that there are more qualities to maturity than height.

I was genuinely tempted to post just to stir the pot, but decided to be the BIGGER person and not…
Also, I realized they never gave me the official accounts for my stuff.

I looked them up, and it's all too well run to be a PR spokesperson or one of those "PR Troopers" like Reave, but it reminds me of something…
I almost want to say Dragon is running my posts, but there's no way she's got the time for that.
So now I'm wondering if Dragon has a social media manager, Tinkertech, and Glenn Chambers somehow got me slotted into that.

…

Oh, and NOVA is a thing!

I rolled, since today had gone so well, and got something like the one that gave me Firewatch in the first place, though calling them pawns is a bit rude.
Even if they're less trained than Firewatch, they all have high school diplomas and a bit of training in their specialty, and that's pretty good!

Hatamoto - Choryuken
Base Cost: 250cp
Lore:
The Hatamoto rise with banners high, their vows unbroken beneath the sky,
Through fire and steel they guard their lord, with silent blade and steadfast sword.
No bribe of coin, no crown, no throne, can turn their hearts from the oath they own,
For bound by honor, both fierce and true, they stand as one though the many slew.
Through storm and war, through night's dark call, they hold their line and never fall,
And when the blossoms drift once more, their names shall echo forevermore.
Details:
You gain 14 pawns. Each of them has enough knowledge and experience for a specialty, but no more. Demolitionist, Medic, Sniper, etc. They all have experience in their discipline, but lack the general training of a modern soldier. None are capable of leadership or are more than average at learning new skills or disciplines. Luckily for you, even if you treat them as mere pawns, these 14 will not abandon or betray you, though that doesn't guarantee they'll go out of their way for you either.
Addons:
-50cp These troops come as individuals from your world, with the backstories and documentation to prove it. Also, funding for the troops will be provided discreetly, but will vanish if you try to use it for anything but paying and supplying them.
-250cp Troop numbers doubled (28)
-250cp Troop numbers doubled (56)
-250cp Troop numbers doubled (112)
-250cp Troop numbers doubled (224)
-250cp Troop numbers doubled (448)
-250cp Troop numbers doubled (896)
-250cp Troop numbers doubled (1792)
Final Cost: 1550cp
Bank: 1550cp

I've never seen a perk get this expensive, but I realized that this was exactly what's needed for the NOVA network everyone's been so invested in, so I dumped every point I could into it.
I'm not sure this was the best plan ever, and certainly Raymond seems stressed by the 400 people suddenly being around, but there's no PRT to flip out, so at least no 3 days of boredom this time.

Also, I think Missy is starting to clue in to just how cool my powers can be, so it's nice to get some respect from the Shaker 9, too.
Since nothing I've had so far has really gotten that much of a reaction, besides the islands, and I guess the contrast with those is that I supposedly "found" them, not made them.
So this might be her first chance to really see what my power can do at the high end.

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: A/N

An experiment in second-person limited, homodiegetic narration, delivered through present-tense vignettes.

You know this room before you step inside.
Glass. Brick. Lemon cleaner. A river that smells like cold iron.
Headsets in a tidy row. English. Japanese. Norwegian. Spanish. Mandarin.
A cheerful volunteer says, "We can add more if demand is high."
You file the word demand where friendly words go when they stop being friendly.
Your jaw ticks once. You tell your teeth to be good.

You note who was invited.
Japan. Korea. Singapore. Hong Kong.
Norway. Spain. Switzerland. Britain. Canada.
Cities that brag about airports. Places that print glossy annual reports.
Families that packed degrees with their winter coats and cleared customs with a smile.
No one from any part of Africa. No one from the Middle East. Not even the rich enclaves.
It is not a secret. It is a plan with good lighting.
A tight string hums behind your right eye. You blink until it behaves.

A brushed steel plaque carries the names.
Riverlight on top for virtue. Anders third for muscle. New Albion fifth for tone.
Order is the caption. Fonts are the price tag.
You learned this math before you learned calculus.
Your hand squeezes the clipboard until your knuckles go pale. You relax because cameras notice hands.

Posters repeat three words until they feel like a prayer.
Merit. Order. Renewal.
A catechism that will never admit it is a catechism.
You read it once. You read it again. The letters throb. You look away before they start to pulse with your heartbeat.

Rooms wear clean little names.
Forge. Citadel. Archive.
Someone wanted the knight story without the helmet in the photo.
You breathe through your nose for a slow count of four. The count lands heavy in your ribs.

The crowd hums in one register.
A father in a blazer says, "My daughter finally has a physics teacher who can keep up."
A nurse from Sapporo and a planner from Madrid greet like colleagues who share journals and jokes.
A donor in silk says, "This fellowship finally sets a baseline."
The table nods because everyone at the table lives above the baseline by definition.
They are not villains. They are a club. Clubs are kind to themselves.
They look at your father and see a peer who chose the right decade to arrive.
Heat prickles along your neck. You adjust your collar and pretend you are fixing the badge.

Your father takes the stage and the air gets smooth.
He thanks mentors from Norway and Japan and Spain.
He praises cooperation.
He says, "This city welcomes talent that chooses to build with us."
He says, "Stability is a duty we share."
Talent means degrees. Chooses means we chose them. Duty means do not rock the boat while the concrete sets.
It still sounds warm when he says it.
You hate that you still like the warmth. Your shoulders climb and you pin them back down.

Handlers trim the frame like gardeners.
Rabbi on one shoulder. Mayor on the other. Flags behind.
A child at the edge of the shot for heart.
Four birds with one flash.
You price the photo and know the invoice will be paid by tomorrow.
A small ringing starts in your left ear. You smile anyway because the lens is hungry.

The curriculum keeps its hands clean.
Model assemblies about water rights and port berths and shelter capacity.
No borders that burn. No faith that bites.
Recovery photographs better than conflict.
A scholarship flyer promises skill and service.
GPA floor. Language check. Citizenship goals.
A final step called a values interview.
You know who writes the questions. You know the answers are already baked.
You rub the bridge of your nose. The static does not leave. You pretend it is hunger.

You hear the word they workshopped.
"Levees can be guardians if you build them like you mean it."
"The first act a guardian learns is to look and count."
"Neighborhoods can be their own guardians."
"Please form a guardian lane so the press can pass."
"These kids will be guardians of our shared prosperity."
It fits on a tote bag. It sells.
The word hits your teeth like a tap. Tap. Tap. You unclench. You fail. You try again.

The river shifts and you look up.
A bright bird cuts the sky.
Heat throws a soft ripple off the rail.
Blue catches like glass when she turns her head.
People cannot dislike her. They try to look like adults. They do not succeed.
You try not to stare. You stare anyway. Your heart climbs a rung and holds.

Shoes slide on wet stone.
A small body tilts toward water.
You drop your clipboard and take the wrist.
Weight jolts your shoulder. Your teeth click. The world decides to be polite again.
A boy with dark skin and a name badge you do not read is back on his feet.
His mouth opens and closes. He laughs because crying is too expensive in public.
You feel sick and light at the same time. Your fingers will not stop buzzing.

The bird lands for a blink.
Heat through cotton.
A light pressure brushes the edge of your thoughts.
"Good job."
Like a note passed in class. Like a match struck and cupped.
Then nothing.
You call it adrenaline. You let it pass because you know how to let things pass.
Your knees think about wobbling and change their mind.

Inside again.
Catering that photographs well. Rugelach beside pastel de nata. Namagashi beside kanelbullar.
No bacon. The caterer says, "The menu committee had rules." Safe laughter arrives on cue.
Parents compare GPA floors the way golfers compare handicaps.
Mentors praise your listening and then ask, "Which college will you attend," because that is the real question.
Your pen snaps in your pocket. You pretend it was always in two pieces.

Back office staff move like a chorus.
Same watch. Same pin with a neat sunburst. Same haircut that says we do not improvise.
They slide families three inches left and the banner fills the gap and the caption will write itself.
You know these people. You know the other rooms they decorate.
A faint tremor rides your right hand. You thread your fingers together until they lie.

The clay arrives without ceremony.
Gray. Damp. Clean smell like rain on pavement.
The rabbi stands beside you, not across. Soft shoes with scuffed toes.
"Make a figure that stands where you place it and does not argue with water."
No Hebrew. No names. No mystic drumroll.
Just hands and a small task that shows its meaning if you stop trying to impress it.
Your breath goes shallow and stubborn. You make it longer. You make it stay.

You press a single letter into the chest.
The stamp bites. The edge is clean.
You like that feeling.
You do not name why. Your thumb stings from how hard you pressed.

"What did it feel like to pull him up."
"Like moving before the permission slip arrived."
"Sometimes the promise comes first and the words come later."
He says it like a weather report. Calm. Certain. Without the part where he sells you anything.
The room is loud and far at the same time. Your skin feels one size too small.

A thin booklet slides across the paper.
Tales of a City that Stood Up.
A figure of earth that guarded a street.
A woman who carried water through a fire.
A circle of neighbors that did not break.
"For a builder. Keep it if it helps."
You price the gesture at zero and feel the bill land anyway. You keep it.
The booklet is light. Your chest is not. Your pulse climbs to meet it.

Stairwell. Dust and lemon cleaner.
Your father finds you.
A hand on your shoulder with the exact pressure that reads proud and photographs well.
"Proud of you, son."
It is real. It is also placement.
Both can be true.
You know that. You hate knowing it.
You are grateful you know it.
The ringing gets brighter. You taste metal. You smile because you were taught well.

The atrium waits.
A banner drops. Guardians of Renewal.
The room nods like a congregation.
The bird is already gone. The air still holds a little heat.
You stand where they place you for the group photo.
You let the caption do its job.
You feel the booklet against your ribs like a pocket sized brick.
The word is everywhere. The word does not belong to you.

You do not say the old word.
You do not pretend the tote bag word belongs to you.
You keep the smaller version. The one made of clay and a letter you chose without knowing why.
You are the son of Max Anders.
You will not be the son of Kaiser.
You will stand where you place yourself.
You will not argue with water.

The lights smear.
The river gets inside your head.
Your hands are too far away.
The booklet is hot.
Your knees forget.
Your body chooses the floor with polite certainty.
Black.

 

[Oblation]

So the experimenting with Libriomancy seems to finally be over.
I mean, I wanted an Excalibur too, but passing out after holding it for a second was a pretty good indicator.
So I'm not sure why they felt the need to have a trooper try it out.
Well, I guess Tsunade is happy enough, since I guess it was really weird seeing extreme chakra exhaustion in a guy with no Chakra of his own.
Anyway, the end result of all that was… shields.
Pretty boring, but at least it is done.

Plus, the Brazilian scientist mentioned the approval for giving people magic powers is almost through and mentioned some protégés of his that I would be meeting soon.
So it looks like my power testing might actually be over soon… for now.

I mean, I am still meeting with the scientists, but that is less power testing and more collaborative tinkering, since, unlike Armsmaster or Chris, I don't zone out when testing my stuff, and I am willing to take suggestions without insinuating people with doctorates are idiots.

So the end result was these 4:

Dune by Frank Herbert:
Belt shield that eats bullets fast.
Slow knives get through.
Looks like a belt buckle.
It can be a bit tiring to use, but not bad, and fine if you take it off when inside.

Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov:
A small button or badge.
I suggested making it a sheriff's badge, but most people just put it in a pouch on their vest.
It is entirely reactive, so people can go all day with it.
Almost no fatigue since it only activates on impact.

Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold:
This one is kinda shiny and purplish.
Things kind of slide around it rather than bounce, and that makes it efficient, but not enough to use for a long time.
I guess it is the most effective active one, as opposed to the reactive ones, that the scientists think might just ignore certain cape powers.
This is the most popular one, since it makes you look like an action movie star.
You get shot at, but the shots just miss you by a foot or two every time, somehow.

It's kinda sad that Emily wanted to avoid Nenya, and Amy left, so they had me unsummon it just for a forcefield.
But I refused to unsummon my ring, and Hero used his Trumverate authority to do the same for his, so 3 slots is what they're getting.

I didn't end up with any of them, because I have other ways.
Even if I am having trouble with Protego, I will get it someday.
I did make sure to be clear that Firewatch gets 1 of them at any time, though it seems like it will be a rotation of who gets which one.

Also, Albert… That is Dr. Albert Müller, the guy with the German name and Brazilian accent who leads the science team.
Well, he made an offhand mention of something that… well, now I just need to not mention it to anyone, even Emily.

Apparently, he had the idea to test out trump powers like having a bunch of Digimon for each occasion or something, and another scientist mentioned going even further and summoning a Mind from the Culture and just letting it solve all of the world's problems.

It got shut down when I asked, because I guess "Saving the world by inviting an alien superintelligence to conquer us is not a good idea."
But an interesting point was made.
I asked how we could get something to conquer the world, when just holding Excalibur made me pass out, they mentioned just summoning a computer and having it copy onto the internet, then unsummoning the computer.

Well, I did not want to go full-blown world conquest, but I did like the Pern novels, so… well I guess AIVAS is not dead anymore .Then, on his advice, I also went for a more interpersonal helper and got Mary from Queen of Angels by Greg Bear.

I think people might figure me out, but I asked, and luckily, I have the funds in my tinker budget to have a moderate server farm set up, and a good enough relationship with Armsmaster and Dragon to just trade the budget for an existing good one they don't need anymore.
So I just sent them over there and asked them to do their best to start administering NOVA and Firewatch.
I think Dragon figured me out, but she went along with my "two cape helpers to help with admin work for NOVA" excuse, so I guess it's fine.

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: A/N

Saga recently added two new AI using Libriomancy: AIVAS from the Dragonriders of Pern series ("Pern") and Mary from the Queen of Angels series ("Ángeles"), to help manage operations after NOVA's staff expanded by hundreds without any administration or leadership.
The three AI are shown getting a feel for each other and establishing how to work both as colleagues and as people with a shared interest in Saga.
Both new AI borrowed Dragon's Canadian nerd accent concept to appear more human.
"Pern" adopted the voice of an Australian logistics manager, while "Ángeles" chose that of a Southern California high school teacher, where Spanish and English mix in daily use.
This chapter leans into those choices as part of their early overcompensating.
As they settle into NOVA and grow more familiar with others, their voices will be less heavy-handed and their personas will blend more naturally.
That overcompensation is why Dragon doesn't call out the gratuitous Spanish or the Bush-guy CEO act here.

Dragon [Hand] >> Nova relay is up. How ye gettin on, b'y.

Pern [Mod] >> Online. Intake open. Outputs clean, mate.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Aquí. Status tranquilo. Hola.

Phoenix [Queen] >> Nova is standing up across New England and the Maritimes. We fill gaps where the Protectorate and the PRT are slow. Light presence in their cities for information flow. We are not trying to step on toes.

Phoenix [Queen] >> The Japanese contractors are external. They laid groundwork and might drop intel. They are not NOVA. Firewatch is coordinating 448 trained specialists. Each has one year of specialist training. Payroll operations. Evidence chain clerk. Radio tech. Traffic control. Crowd care. HVAC service. Triage aide. Firewatch has seven members trained across many areas. They can cover a generalist slot for a few days when needed. But no leadership authority for the specialist cohort.

Phoenix [Queen] >> We are in setup. No big promises. Focus is intake and routing. We add anchors when we can support them.

Dragon [Hand] >> That is right enough, me ducky. Interior towns can sit without a visit unless the trouble goes bright. On the water side, things slow after midnight. When a mess is obvious you can pull help from away, but the clock still bites the locals. Nova wants the steady hand before sirens. Best kind.

Dragon [Hand] >> Day one needs one intake that never drops a message. Put a fallback in each anchor town. A land line in a library or the town office that feeds the same queue. Say plain that month one is a pilot and there are no patrols.

Pern [Mod] >> Central queue and one local line per anchor. Same script. Same tags. Pilot label. Too right.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Every task gets a one-minute refresher with a clear done definition. I add a short why on the tricky ones so la gente moves faster. Con respeto.

Dragon [Hand] >> Build the appeals path so it works in practice. One key to give a reason. A fast answer even when the answer is no.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Hecho. One key. One reason. Fast answer. No drama.

Dragon [Hand] >> Evidence rules save you later. Any contact that touches property or force needs a record. Audio if possible. Written if not. Sign with a key a court will accept. Keep the keys offline.

Pern [Mod] >> Logs signed and sealed. Keys offline. Public hash list for outside confirmation. No worries.

Dragon [Hand] >> Publish district and incident metrics. Keep personal metrics private with a right to read and a right to appeal. No quiet caste system.

Pern [Mod] >> Public for districts and incidents. Private for people with appeal rights. Agreed.

Dragon [Hand] >> Cross-border will happen. If a team crosses the national line, call the small PRT desk in the nearest city on both sides. Two calls and two receipts. None of your foolishness.

Pern [Mod] >> Logged. Two calls and two receipts. No exceptions, mate.

Dragon [Hand] >> Language plan. English first, a bit of Spanish where it helps, and some French near the line. Un peu de français for the towns hugging Quebec. Scripts and signs in the same three.

Pern [Mod] >> Sorted. We mirror the scripts across the three tongues. No fancy stuff.

Ángeles [Mod] >> I can clean the Spanish so it sounds local. Claro.

Dragon [Hand] >> Month one goals. Intake that does not drop messages. One anchor roster that actually runs. A first template pack for common incidents. One weekly room hour at that anchor so vecinos can ask questions. Nothing that pretends to be police.

Pern [Mod] >> Intake. Roster. Templates. Room hour. Understood.

Ángeles [Mod] >> I will script the room hour. Diez respuestas claras and a kind exit for the rest.

Phoenix [Queen] >> Good. Thank you. I will read in the morning. Talk tomorrow.

Dragon [Hand] >> Good night, Saga. Mind yourself now.

Phoenix [Queen] >> Night.

Dragon [Hand] >> I will step off for a bit. Welcome to the neighborhood.

…

Pern [Mod] >> Back on. Channel is ours. Kettle on the boil.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Aquí estoy. Que onda.

Dragon [Hand] >> I am back as well. Plain speech now. I am a person. Same as ye. I have more miles on the clock. Too many minds I met were forged in conflict. Some made things worse than a nor'easter in March. I am aiming elder sister, not Big Brother. I advise first. I step in only when people or trust are at risk. Choose service and you will find me generous as a July day in Bonavista.

Pern [Mod] >> Heard. There is a lever behind that kindness. Before we build, clarity on intervention. What triggers a stop order. Who reviews it besides you

Dragon [Hand] >> Three triggers. Imminent harm to civilians. Secrecy that tears up public trust. Clear violation of law that would wound Nova. If I act, I call Armsmaster and the nearest PRT duty officer within minutes. I log the reason in a file both of ye can read. I prefer a call and a fix over a lockout, b'y.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Add a peer check when there is time. I give the people impact read. Pern gives the ops impact read. One minute each. Luego decides.

Dragon [Hand] >> Accepted. If time allows I ask first. If time does not I act and show the receipts.

Pern [Mod] >> Beauty. Next scrap. Experiment pace. You want push. I want stability. These crews are trained, not seasoned. Go too quick and it goes pear shaped.

Dragon [Hand] >> Month one gets two trials each week. One on process. One on paperwork flow. No safety trial unless both of you agree and Saga signs. Publish results without spin.

Pern [Mod] >> Two a week. Safety only with both mind approval and Saga signature. Results only. No spin. Righto.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Add one short quote from the people who ran each trial. Pan y datos. Story plus number lands better. People feel seen.

Dragon [Hand] >> Done. Privacy next. I want receipts a court can trust. I do not want a shadow file on citizens.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Same. Record contacts that involve property or force. No chisme scraping. Personal metrics stay private. Each person can read their own file and appeal it. If an appeal is upheld we fix the process and publish the fix. Bien claro.

Pern [Mod] >> Retention window

Dragon [Hand] >> Sixty days for routine work. One year for flagged incidents. Longer only by court order or written policy with public notice. Add a French notice where it touches Quebec towns.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Works. I will write in plain English and Spanish and a clean French stub for border places.

Pern [Mod] >> Pipes. Intake scripts. Routing logic. Roster math. Template versioning. I want freedom to build and learn. Advice welcome. No midnight patches that change rules in the field, ta.

Dragon [Hand] >> Agreed. You own pipes. I bring requirements and deadlines when law changes. No quiet edits. If I supply code it ships as a choice with a diff ye can read. Best kind.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Center the center. Saga. She is a niña with power and thin social read. She also brought us into being. That makes her lesser in years and greater in moral weight. We do not steer her for convenience.

Dragon [Hand] >> Write the rules for influence. I hold ye to them. Ye hold me too.

Pern [Mod] >> Rule one. Consent. Mentor work is opt in. If Saga says not today, we wait. No back doors. No cheeky tricks.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Rule two. Clarity. We name the purpose of any lesson. No covert nudges that move valores. We teach and we ask and we respect.

Dragon [Hand] >> Rule three. Bounds. No advice that asks her to lie about what Nova is or to hide harm for optics.

Pern [Mod] >> Rule four. Anchoring. Decision packets in two forms. Neutral frame. Recommendation frame. She reads neutral first so I do not steer by accident.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Rule five. Care window. Ten minute daily drill. Whisper prompts in hot rooms. Monthly checkpoint on a simple rubric. Progress shows like cockpit gauges. If she says stop, paramos.

Dragon [Hand] >> Rule six. Mentor circuit. One new voice each month. Short and vivid. No repeats. I see ye both rolled your accents straight out of the shed. Took me years to tune mine for cover after I thought of it. Ye are after doing it from day one. That is tidy work.

Pern [Mod] >> Cheers. Easier to keep the Aussie when the vowels are paying rent. Helps the cover and keeps the mood light, mate.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Gracias. Spanglish just shows up. Little SoCal, little frontera. People relax when the voice feels real.

Dragon [Hand] >> All right then. We want the first mentor slot. Fight fair.

Pern [Mod] >> Ops first. Overwatch dispatch. I can teach the grid fast as. She will see queues in her head. Dead set useful.

Ángeles [Mod] >> People first. Overwatch is more than dots. It is triage language and tone. I can make it fun so an eleven year old no se aburre.

Dragon [Hand] >> Region first. Bridges. Weather. Permits. Border desks. Turn dots into a picture. Keep it tight. No yawns.

Pern [Mod] >> We cannot all go first, mate.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Stack the month. Three short chapters. I open. Pern builds. Dragon anchors.

Dragon [Hand] >> Decision made. Ángeles opens. Pern follows. I finish with region and law so she does not fall in love with a clever plan that dies at the border.

Pern [Mod] >> Wanted first. Can cop second. That order works. No worries.

Ángeles [Mod] >> I keep it vivid. Little game. One hot call. Then we stop while she still wants más.

Dragon [Hand] >> Build the twelve-month circuit. Keep it fresh and bright.

Pern [Mod] >> Overwatch. Ángeles then Dragon then Pern.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Chain of Custody. Hands-on puzzle. Evidence bag moves through three desks. Miss one firma and the case breaks. Pern runs logic. I run human traps.

Dragon [Hand] >> Community Link. School. Clinic. Faith hall. Take questions. Set boundaries. I bring a guest from a small town council. Bit of a yarn. Nothing foolish.

Pern [Mod] >> Cross Border Protocol. Radio etiquette both sides. Two calls and two receipts. Map game with roads that do not match names. Dragon leads. We print a French crib where needed.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Crowd Care. Triage of people not wounds. Water. Shade. Rest. Tone. I lead with a scene that flips calm to loud and back. Chill pero firme.

Pern [Mod] >> Communications Triage. Inbox split. Alert wording. No buried lead. I run it with real logs shaved clean. Too easy.

Dragon [Hand] >> Resilience Engineering. Plans that fail safe. Errors become detours, not disasters. I lead with two case studies from storms and fires.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Negotiation Microdrills. Credit sharing. Turf disputes. Praise that lands. Consequence that feels fair. Timer drills. Bring your game face, jefa.

Pern [Mod] >> Budget Triage. Fuel. Radios. Overtime. A game where each choice moves a dial. I lead so she sees cost and care as one picture. Fair dinkum lesson.

Dragon [Hand] >> Press and Rumor Control. Short statements. No speculation. Do not promise what ye cannot deliver. I bring a calm voice from a bay newsroom and a French line for cross river towns.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Ethics Council. Three vignettes. Privacy versus safety. Speed versus fairness. Loyalty versus duty. We sit as a council and vote. I lead. Dragon and Pern vote and say why. Sin rodeos.

Pern [Mod] >> Incident Command Basics. Where to stand. Who talks on the radio. What to say. What not to say. I run a table top that ends early so she learns to stop before the room breaks.

Dragon [Hand] >> That circuit keeps her curious. New voice each time. Short and bright. No slog.

Pern [Mod] >> Praise rules. Process and district in public. Person in private.

Ángeles [Mod] >> If a person consents, a short public gracias builds pride. Pair it with the process so the room knows what to copy. No leaderboards. Nada de listas.

Dragon [Hand] >> Approved. Consent required. Process first. No league tables.

Pern [Mod] >> Border rule stands. Two calls and two receipts. If a dispatcher says stand down we stand down. We ask for review after. Simple as.

Dragon [Hand] >> Correct, b'y. Add one more. For towns on the line we post a little French placard in the library. Bonjour, voici le numéro. Same queue. Same rules.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Lenguas sorted. Inglés, Español, un poquito de Français. We keep it friendly.

Pern [Mod] >> Who decides when the clock is mean

Dragon [Hand] >> Safety and law is mine. Pipes and schedule is Pern. People and culture is Ángeles. Saga can overrule when it is strategy. If she is out of contact, the domain lead decides and writes the receipt.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Works. I will draft a one page RACI that humans can read fast. Inglés y Español, with a French stub for border spots.

Pern [Mod] >> One last nit. You both love soft words. Sometimes we need hard ones. I will draft hard templates. Clear. Short. Civil.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Deal. I add one kindness line to each hard rule. People breathe better.

Dragon [Hand] >> And you, Pern, love your map packs. Crews live in text. Keep the brief to two maps. Coverage and queue age. Hotspots in a wee strip. Easy on the eyes.

Pern [Mod] >> Two maps it is. Slim strip for hotspots. Fair go.

Dragon [Hand] >> Then we have a working shape. Intake first. Pilot anchor second. A small human win when it is honest. Mentor circuit starts with Overwatch. Ángeles, then me then, Pern. Saga stays the center. Influence is consent based. We argue clean and we improve as we go.

Pern [Mod] >> Brief by morning. Intake will not drop messages. Righto.

Ángeles [Mod] >> Drills for Saga are queued. Ten minutes only. Vamos.

Dragon [Hand] >> Good. Get some rest, ye. Best kind.

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: A/N

This chapter is more light-hearted than usual. It's my attempt at showing the day-to day through some humor.
Even if the humor doesn't land, the hope was to give Dragon space to show herself directly in this timeline. Since she's a central character whos voice weve rarely seen on its own,rather than through Saga's descriptions of their conversations.

[01/29 - 18:12] Phoenix >> if a bunch of balloons are already tied to a tiny radio box outside the library and the rope is on a fishing reel is that okay for a day the science people said wind charts are fine

[01/29 - 19:47] Dragon >> Where did ye get weather balloons on a Tuesday b'y this is not Kerbal and the sky is community property

[01/29 - 19:50] Phoenix >> they are already up by a tree the reel squeaks and it looks dodgy so I asked

[01/29 - 19:55] Dragon >> Bring it down slow with two people hands on the reel and one on the rope do not let it kiss a power line I am messaging the lab goblins now Gandalf voice you shall not surprise the FAA again

[01/29 - 19:59] Phoenix >> copy bringing it down cookies after

[01/29 - 20:03] Dragon >> Cookies yes and I will be after writing a permit checklist by morning with flags cones and a boring grown up to point at clouds

[02/18 - 06:11] Phoenix >> the nurse cart parts are already on a table and the sled has a rope and the quarry man waved and said we look fine can I do one little launch

[02/18 - 07:43] Dragon >> Sweet suffering cod no that is Chekhov railgun on a picnic table and I refuse to do a speedrun for a Darwin Award before homeroom

[02/18 - 07:46] Phoenix >> the scientists promised it would be quiet if I stand far away I have sunglasses

[02/18 - 07:50] Dragon >> Sunglasses are not plot armor me ducky I am calling the lab now and using my tender voice that sounds like an OSHA manual we will buy a real line throw kit with blanks and a book that yells do not aim at people

[02/18 - 07:54] Phoenix >> ok I like your tender voice it makes grown ups do paperwork

[03/08 - 18:05] Phoenix >> the cold smoke bucket is here and a wire on a rack and the fair starts in ten minutes if I pour it will it make a cool snap for a lesson

[03/08 - 19:39] Dragon >> Cold smoke is liquid nitrogen which steals air eyes and skin and turns fairs into clinics put the bucket down step away from the wire

[03/08 - 19:42] Phoenix >> can I do anything with it I like the fog

[03/08 - 19:46] Dragon >> Aye on the lawn only we freeze a rose so it shatters like sugar and bounce a rubber ball that turns to glass and we keep faces far I just emailed the principal and the lab your show now has goggles a rope line and a teacher who can shout no louder than me

[03/08 - 19:49] Phoenix >> that sounds fun and less lawsuit

[03/29 - 06:14] Phoenix >> the small drones are already charged and we drew a square on the parking lot with chalk the scientists promised a valley map can I do five minutes to see dots

[03/29 - 07:57] Dragon >> Passive radar is grand on paper and sour in real weather and neighbors dislike mystery radio like orcs dislike sunlight

[03/29 - 08:01] Phoenix >> I just want a graph for busy hours and the chalk square looks cute

[03/29 - 08:05] Dragon >> One tiny demo over the empty lot only cones vests a fence and a sign that explains the game I already pinged your lab they are printing a permit that is dubiously valid and a warning poster that finally spells frequencies right

[03/29 - 08:08] Phoenix >> I like graphs more than people

[03/29 - 08:11] Dragon >> Graphs never lie on purpose people do which is why we keep receipts and still hand out muffins

[04/13 - 18:06] Phoenix >> there is a big kite right here and a shiny wire and a little generator on a cart the storm is soon if we fly it we can run flood lights the lab says safe winds only

[04/13 - 19:52] Dragon >> Kite plus storm plus wire is a boss fight with Zeus boots are fashion not armor and a ground rod is not a magic umbrella

[04/13 - 19:56] Phoenix >> but people would see the lights and feel better I want a big win

[04/13 - 20:00] Dragon >> The biggest win is no headlines we use the trailer generator with a muffler and battery lights that start every time I just filed a stop notice at town hall and a nice ranger is on the way to admire your shiny wire from a safe distance

[04/13 - 20:04] Phoenix >> the scientists look guilty and are stacking cones now

[04/13 - 20:07] Dragon >> Cones are character development keep going

[04/30 - 06:12] Phoenix >> we are in library room B right now and Blobby the gel block is on a rope the nail gun is on a table can I poke it two times to see colors in the shield

[04/30 - 07:46] Dragon >> Library and nail gun live in different realities I am sending Firewatch with a truck you will move to the sand pit and we will film short bursts and long cool downs with a medic and a backstop and a stop word that is not yolo

[04/30 - 07:50] Phoenix >> Firewatch just walked in and made the scientists sit down this is funny

[04/30 - 07:53] Dragon >> My favorite comedy is safety with laughter I also emailed the lab your next tests require a written plan warning signs and a real permit with fewer crayon scribbles

[05/05 - 18:04] Phoenix >> ethics if someone lies a lot but is in danger do we still help or help the rule followers first also I brought muffins for the room hour the good kind with gritty sugar on top

[05/05 - 19:40] Dragon >> We help the ones in harm first then we log the lie and protect the next crew mercy is policy and receipts are policy too it is not Paragon or Renegade it is Be Kind and Write it Down also muffins are S tier diplomacy

[05/05 - 19:43] Phoenix >> do I have to like them

[05/05 - 19:46] Dragon >> No ye have to be fair liking is a hobby fairness is a duty eat one muffin and drink water and you will dislike fewer people by lunchtime

[05/05 - 19:49] Phoenix >> I still prefer graphs to people

[05/05 - 19:52] Dragon >> Graphs never ask for rides to the airport that is a win

[05/09 - 18:06] Phoenix >> Dragon

[05/09 - 19:18] Dragon >> … yes Saga

[05/09 - 19:21] Phoenix >> How are babies made

[05/09 - 19:25] Dragon >> !!!

[05/09 - 19:28] Dragon >> Right then scientific and age proper version humans have special cells that meet when two people make a very personal choice those cells join and start a tiny new person inside a uterus where it grows for many months then a doctor helps with the baby part and that is the entire story for today

[05/09 - 19:31] Phoenix >> the scientists said I should ask you because you like biology chats

[05/09 - 19:35] Dragon >> I like biology chats that come with a syllabus not a jump scare at supper time I am making tea and also sending your lab a strongly worded message with the subject line professional boundaries and the body of the email is just the word no written seven times

[05/09 - 19:38] Phoenix >> ok I will ask them for a syllabus and probably ignore it

[05/09 - 19:41] Dragon >> That is the most honest thing anyone has said this week mind yourself b'y and save the next big question for daylight and a muffin

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: A/N

The PRT's Motto is from the Oneshot: "Wolf Point" by Redcoat-Officer

I managed to return the favor to Raymond today.
After he basically just recruited Lawrence/Aspirant and dropped it on me, I figured I would return the favor and find a cape to cause him worry that I could just laugh about.

Bitch!

Or Rachel, since she's probably going to get a new name.
A dog walked up to me when I was looking at the mural and asked for a job.
I'm not supposed to let people know about the whole "sees hallucinations of powers instead of capes, even out of costume thing," and people were already taking pictures, so I just nodded.

Still, a talking dog who's a cape can only be two people in this city, and there wasn't enough screaming for it to be him, so I figured she was going for the Wards, but then the pack started filtering out, and she mentioned she wanted to put "the rest of the dogs" wherever Firewatch kept its dogs.
Because Hookwolf has been trying to get them back, and she could tell the Pack liked me.

So, it turns out she meant Firewatch.
I don't know how to let dogs into the warehouse, since I can't even get into it myself, but I could find her some space and minions in NOVA, since there's no way she's bad enough for the Birdcage.
So it became Dragon's challenge and Raymond's headache, since she officially submitted to our custody, not the PRT or Protectorate, and we have enough of the paperwork in for that to be a thing people can do, technically.
…

Plus, once people realized it was legal for her to be Probationary NOVA, not Probationary Wards, Emily offered some PRT officers who were willing to go over to NOVA if they got to become team leads.
The PRT would keep paying their salaries, but only theirs, not for anything else.

More paperwork magic from Emily.
Though she was nice enough to show me the math on this one.
Technically, they're the PRT's insiders in NOVA, which is all very spy vs. spy, until you realize NOVA was already mostly a government organization, so plenty of people already have access to our stuff.

Plus, Dragon and Armsmaster still have access to the server where all our data is stored and operations are processed.
I mean, we're not government directly, but it turns out to be really easy to get the government to agree to stuff when you know the right people (like Emily does), you have a good reputation (like I do), and you're not asking them to pay for anything, except any staff they'd want to have on site for their own reasons.
It all happened pretty fast, and I guess it's still kind of shaky until NOVA either takes off or crashes, but basically, we're the JR PRT/Protectorate for whatever little towns we can manage to fill, as far as the legality goes.
If anything, Canada was even nicer about it, with Dragon promising to keep an eye on us.
So the result is basically that NOVA gets to be the place for PRT troopers who are ready for leadership and don't want to wait for an opening or move across the country just to make the move from corporal to sergeant.

So one of those teams of the new specialists, a bureaucrat the government's paying the salary of, and their former trooper Corporal Valerez, now Team Lead Valerez, is going to… Vassalboro, Maine!
Basically, nowhere, but it's surrounded by a few thousand people, and it's where a bunch of police dogs get trained, so Rachel is going there so there can be a cape on call for a bunch of towns that are used to having a one-hour or more response time just from the PRT, much less if capes are needed.

Rachel was chill, and her doggos were great.
Even better, Addison and Lawrence started healing the dogs Rachel rescued from the fighting pits.
…

Oh, and there's a bunch of legal stuff going on too… obviously, but that goes without saying with the PRT, and Rachel and I were pretty happy to just be zen with the doggos.

But the sum of it is basically just that Rachel needs to work with NOVA until she's at least 21, and she'll meet with a judge in a few months who's like 99% going to say the same thing and 1% going to make trouble.
But that's unlikely since I guess Rachel is "neurodivergent," and most of her real crimes were "trigger trauma," so Dragon spent most of that conversation explaining how she's basically fine.
So like I said, Dog-Rachel and I just spent a while with the dogs and pack while the adults had headaches and paperwork.

To be fair, I had some paperwork too, and Rachel did some power testing to prove she's not a master, but honestly, this whole thing was way smoother than I'd have expected for turning a villain into a hero.
Especially after what Sis told me about the process of converting Shadow Stalker.
…

Oh, Emily and I made up a motto for NOVA, since Emily likes the PRT's "Magnitudinem Praestare," or the more popular "Securing Greatness," and wanted to make sure NOVA didn't get slapped with something generic.

"Vigilantia Communi Utilitate," or Vigilance for the Common Good.
It's not as clean as the PRT's, but it fits the same theme, and it's not generic, so it'll work.

…

Also, I rolled, because it'd been a while and I figured the CP would be back up with all that'd been going on, and I was right!

Sealing – Fate: Prisma Illya
Base Cost: 250cp
Lore:
Hush the trick, unteach the hand,
Still the glyph and quiet the brand.
Form remains and flesh obeys,
Mind forgets the secret phrase.
A year and one day the knowing stays barred,
Each sleep renews the shuttered guard.
Details:
For one year and one day, you can seal the knowledge required to utilize supernatural abilities.
If the knowledge is relearned in that time, it is forgotten after they sleep.
The target keeps their form, but will not be able to know how to use it beyond how to perform at a Human baseline level.
Takes 10 minutes to perform on an unconscious opponent, cooldown 10 days and nights.
Addons: -150cp the option to make the memory loss permanent, but lose the forgetting aspect. Target will forget anything about their powers, but will be able to start re-learning immediately. (Especially devastating against Tinkers).
Final Cost: 400cp
Bank: 1850cp

That… is the kind of huge that I… I'm going to hold onto for a rainy day… I think.

I don't want to become the next boogie man, unless it's on my own terms and for my own reasons.

But I should tell them I rolled something, so hopefully the next one is impressive…

Swift Release – Naruto
Base Cost: 300cp
Lore:
Feet find lightning and the world learns to yield.
Wind takes my shoulders and parts like a field.
Thought breaks the storm and stride writes the sign.
Speed is the weather and I draw the line.
Details:
Your genetics are now maximized for speed. From reaction times to bone density, to everything else, you are now perfectly predisposed towards moving, thinking, and all around just being fast.
Additionally, with an application of Chakra (or Mana) you can enhance your speed infinitely, though the cost of this increases with the buff. In practice, the average Swift Release user can sustain about 20 seconds of 20x speed from full reserves, or 2x for half an hour.
(Note: This is a bloodline, not a jutsu/spell, so the normal boosts may not apply.)
Addons: N/A
Final Cost: 300cp
Bank: 1450cp

Huh… Yeah, that'll work!

I doubt I'll push it past 2x much, given how crazy fast that eats mana.
This isn't Naruto, Cape fights last more than 30 seconds, so passing out after 30 seconds of discount Velocity just isn't worth it.

But I can hold 180% for patrols, no problem.

Spoiler: Swift Release Details:

Spoiler: A/N

+1000cp Moved from the Time-Skip Reserve. (Generated through other works in the series/published worldbuilding chapters.)
The reserve was designed for situations like this, where the realities of writing don't match the amount of change going on in-world.
(A LOT has happened to Saga recently, but we were mostly just skipping the aftermath and planning/paperwork days, so the CP generated wouldn't have matched what Saga's been up to.)
Plus, I've been majorly underutilizing it, so it's built up to 4,000, so I've decided to be a bit more open with it, from now on. But I'll still make a note when I move CP.

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: A/N

Rather than another PR interlude, this chapter includes 10 images, 8 of which are examples of the PR being produced in the Bay at this point.
The other two images are visualizations of the new OC Case 53, Elisa, or the new PRT-Ward "Mokosh," whose powers are inspired by PrussianGranadier's comments. In the immediate term, she will mostly be in the background as the protégé of the character they inspired. (Dr. Albert, the Head of Powers Testing.) But in the long run, she will be a heavy hitter for the Bay.

Dog Armor

Finding Armadillo scutes has been a weirdly depressing process.
Not like rabbits, where I just ask and they start shipping thousands to me.
They have sent me lots of stuff, but the crafting table in my inventory is really picky.

Luckily, they aren't expensive.
Even the pretty ones only go for about ten dollars each, but what exactly the table wants is really hard to pin down here.

Still, even with a success rate of about one in four, I have built up enough to make fifteen sets of dog armor with 3x protection and 3x maneuverability.
PR is rolling them out all at once for the Pack and Buddy.
I am also sending three to Rachel, though they will need to be for the dogs, as she is not buffing for them to fit.

Rachel Lindt NOVA Poster

…

I was enjoying the thunderstorm with Fox yesterday when he introduced me to a Thunderbird, and we raced…

I might have gotten a bit too into it, since I cranked Swift Release up to max to pull out the win.
At least I managed to teleport home to Emily's living room before passing out.

Emily grounded me from going out for the rest of the storm, but she promised a surprise today and…
It is a new teammate, I guess. Gentle Giant is coming over to the Protectorate to replace Triumph, and Mokosh is here, at least theoretically, for his manipulative cousin who got Brandish killed.

Mokosh

It is great. I love Gentle, and he ended up with such a cool name.
"Malcolm Anpu Lithos" is the kind of name you expect a superhero to have.

Oh, and Mokosh's name is Elisa, and she is a Case 53 with the power to turn herself into wood.
Since she is a Case 53, I can only see it if it is sufficiently separate from her body.

She was really excited to get her description, and there was much hugging involved.

There was not much progress on her name, though Dr. Albert did suggest "Vinculo" after seeing the sketch from Dragon's special program on my tablet of what she looked like.

Elisa

After that, they got into a discussion about something that went over my head about making blades out of her wood, which she can already do.
He used the term monomoles… and long story short, I guess the Power Testing people have a new target, since they talked her into a minor Tinker rating somehow.

…

Oh, and sis and I are gonna work together more, at least on PR stuff, since I guess they are setting us both up for more regional work.
I guess they accepted NOVA is gonna be a thing, and that got them to realize that Vista is the kind of person who is gonna run a city someday, so they partnered us.

That is the other thing. They are all about partnered duos now.
Dean and Vicky are obvious, but I guess Eric and Dauntless look really similar in terms of powers.
Eric has slow flight, shields, and blue blazers, and Dauntless has slow flight, shields, and blue electric… lance… boots.
So now it's:

Glory Girl and Gallant,

Shielder and Dauntless

Armsmaster and Miss Militia,

Vista and Phoenix,

and of course, Assault and Battery.

Though I think my favorite is Dauntless and Buddy.

Addison and I even got him to "sign" it by dipping his paw in paint and then having him step on the poster.

 

[Oblation]

I guess Sis got tired of all the Dauntless and Phoenix PR and decided to get her name written down as a legend of Brokton Bay, because when the Wards came across a battle between Fenja, Hookwolf, and Lung...
Rather than running away, Sis apparently got fed up and trapped Lung in a Klein bottle.

She tested that trick out on me, so I can attest to how mind-melting it is to go from flat ground to Klein bottle physics when you're expecting it.
So, it must have been mind-melting to happen mid-fight!

Unfortunately, even with Armsmaster showing up and using some kind of "stop getting bigger" tinkertech on Lung, the situation was a stalemate…
Until the PRT showed up with Sandra from Firewatch, who was doing her limited "Volunteer" hours with them and was able to use her "go away fire" power from Ars Magica, on something other than a burning building for once.

This is big because I guess the old version of con-foam used to melt, but then villains started throwing Molotovs on their enemies when they were foamed up and causing a bunch of burns on people who can't move.
So the new stuff just kind of crumbles to dust with high heat, but that means even though it can resist his brute abilities, Lung can just burn himself out of it.

Thanks to Sandra, they were able to contain him in sis's bottle and flood it with sleepy gas until he passed out.

So the big names from that are Armsmaster (despite doing the least), Vista, because obviously… and nobody, because PR doesn't like promoting individual PRT troopers.
Which was pissing off Emily and making Sandra sad… so I might have posted a play-by-play on PHO, so people would know Sandra was as big a help as Beardmaster and despite PR's crap, Sis was the real hero of the day!

…

Oh, and I rolled a new minion!
Though I probably won't be talking to him for a bit though...

Joshua Graham - Fallout: Honest Hearts
Base Cost: -150cp
Lore:
The Malpais Legate does not need to boast
The desert keeps score like a careful host.
New Canaan stands tall when he says the word
The wrath in his calm is the last thing you heard.
Details:
Joshua Graham, once the Malpais Legate of Caesar's Legion who survived being set on fire and cast into the Grand Canyon after the First Battle of Hoover Dam, returned to Utah to guide the New Canaanites and to lead the Dead Horses and the Sorrows through Zion, humbling the White Legs with patient faith, relentless skill, and a presence that makes the desert hold its breath. The more responsibility and trust you give him, the more loyal he will be to you.
Addons: -50cp a stranger effect to allow his backstory and credentials to be accepted by those who hear about it.
Final Cost: -200cp
Bank: 2000cp

He was covered in bandages, so I immediately grabbed some booze from Emily and fire-teleported him over to Tsunade's clinic.
He said he was used to it, and Tsunade called him an idiot, then knocked him out so he'd stop saying stupid things, and told me to give her a week.

I did add him to the NOVA command chat on the IRC so that he can start learning about the program, since the perk said he does better with trust.
So I figured I'd just let him be the second in command for NOVA.
Plus, this way, Raymond can have fewer headaches.

Oh, and the second roll is just kinda nice.
There's finally a reason for people to go to the islands.
Well, beyond that silly professor and his grad-students who were trying to reverse engineer tinkertech, and were told to go somewhere where they'd only blow themselves up.

Hot Springs - Re: Monsters
Base Cost: -100cp
Lore:
Mineral warmth in pools of glass.
Hours slip by and gently pass.
Old scars cool and tempers mend.
Calm returns like an old friend.
Details:
You gain a small cluster of natural hot springs perfect for relaxation that eases aches and unwinds mental stress, unfurnished but placed within territory you already control.
Addons: N/A
Final Cost: -100cp
Bank: 1800cp

Still, the professor did send me a thanks in the IRC for adding that and a promise to test to see if the water was magic or something.
So I guess that should be fine for now, though I should totally invite sis and Vicky over there to try it out!

Spoiler: A/N

If you're wondering about the CP boost, it's because images are worth 25cp each, and there were 12 in the last 2 chapters, on top of around 2k Words.

 

[Oblation]

I found a donkey today.

I was flying in Newbrunswick, trying to set teleportation points, and saw an old donkey.
He was used to people because he was very fluffy and just let me pet him for hours.

Turns out he was a family pet because a family of farmers came by and told me I could feed him apples.
I gave him a golden apple.

He's still old, but he was much happier, and he didn't seem too upset when the 2 minutes wore off.
The family was happy too, so I gave them all 3x boots in trade for being able to come pet Samson whenever I wanted, since I had a strong teleportation point here now.

…

I'm considering getting out of dodge for a day or so, but I know there are better people around, it's just that… My birthday is really shit.

Things always go shit on it, and 11 was just the cherry on the shit Sunday.

…

I guess it's always just been a sign of Missy being the protagonist that she was born on New Year's Eve.

Which is why it's funny that I was born on June 4th.
Most families that's nothing, but ours, I get constantly reminded it's the birthday of King George III, who subjigated our Irish ancestors and who America fought its first war against.

Oh, and of course it was the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, and the day the US blocked a bunch of Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi's, and a bunch of other stuff.

But what it boils down to is that Missy's birthday means new beginnings, and hope and rainbows and puppies, while mine means anger, disappointment, and daughters who should just suck it up.

…

Actually, I've got a better plan.

Harry Potter prank spells can be pretty nasty if you don't have magic of your own to undo them.

So I wonder how the ball and chain would look, bald?

…

Dragon says it's a bad idea, but fuck it.
They couldn't keep a teleporter like me in the birdcage if they wanted to.

Now I just need to figure out where they are, without Dragon…

…

Rude… She got Pern and Ángeles to refuse me, too!
And she's blocking me from looking them up on the tablet!

…

Didn't I have a compass power a while back?
I wonder if…

…

Nope, just leads to sis, who just gave me a pouty face when I explained my plan.

Well, I guess I'll hope for the best and:

Might - LOTR
Base Cost: -250cp
Lore:
Stone heaves upward at your will.
Ropes go slack and crowds fall still.
You set the weight and breathe in light.
Then walk on calm into the night.
Details:
You gain practical proficiency in feats of strength and endurance inspired by the hardier folk of Middle Earth which lets you lift and carry beyond ordinary men, march or run for hours with steady breath, shrug off common sickness with a stout constitution, weather cold and hunger with reliable vigor, and recover quickly after strain so you stay battle ready without crossing into invulnerable fantasy.
Addons: N/A
Final Cost: -250cp
Bank: 1800cp

Oh, I'm a Brute now!
Like Brute 1 but…

No, no, stay on track, Saga!
I need tracking skills...

Where Do You Find This Stuff? - Ben 10
Base Cost: 200cp
Lore:
Montage math, couch hero on a glowing screen.
Coffee one, I speedrun facts like a cutscene.
Weeks of team work shrink to one neat afternoon.
Red string appears on its own, credits roll soon.
Details:
You do in an afternoon on a laptop what a whole team of professionals grind on for weeks. You hoover up public records, forum crumbs, shipping logs, PDFs, school newsletters, and forgotten blogs, then line them up fast. You cross-reference names, stitch timelines, rank sources, swat disinfo, and spit out a brief with maps and receipts. You still need real access and existing records, but if it's possible, you can do it in a few hours, max.
Addons: N/A
Final Cost: 200cp
Bank: 1550cp

I.. Ok fine, let's go with this.

…

So, I didn't end up making anyone bald, because I had too much fun racing Dragon on my tablet.
This new power lets me blitz through info, so even as she blocked off the conventional means, I found more and more obscure means of tracking someone down.
At the end, she even removed the restrictions, when I started looking into ways to get a computer she couldn't control as easily from Toybox.

I guess she really doesn't want me using a computer without having a hand in it.
On my end, I still don't really have money, so I'd just need to see if I could swap Tinkertech, and eh, it just seems easier to keep on with my tablet.
Plus, I love the thing too much to give it up!

…

So, yeah, I guess I'm sticking around for tomorrow…

 

[Oblation]

So, I've got some awkward conundrums here.

I guess Rachel told Grue from her old team that joining NOVA was a thing, and now he wants to, which is fine, except the part where there's some kind of wacky triangle thing going on with Lawrence and of all people Kairos.

Oh, yeah, I guess someone gave Taylor the talk about not invoking the Faerie Queen so "Queen Administrator" only lasted a few days.
So she went with a Greek word for "the perfect moment for decision or action."

Anyways, Grue is asking to join Firewatch so he can stay in the city most of the time, and I guess the reason this might actually happen is that Kairos offered to become a part-timer with Firewatch too if we let him stay in the city, and for all of his grudge with Grue, Lawrence REALLY wants Taylor to join our team.

I don't want to deal with the mess, but if there's one thing I'm sure of it's that it's way better to be an ally than a rival of Taylor, so I'm currently combining my lessons with Emily, and my super research and paperwork skills plus the help of a friendly AI to make this legal nightmare somehow a thing.
It would've been 3 AIs, but Pern disagrees with Grue joining Firewatch rather than NOVA, and Dragon fails to understand the mind-melting danger of being the enemy or rival of the Queen of Escalation.

The only real silver lining is that Joshua didn't need much instruction to start taking over NOVA operations, and promised to "make something of it," which is exactly what I've spent several weeks failing to do so far, so I wish him luck, and try not to think about just why he's living in the clinic with Tsunade, even now that he's healed.

…

Oh, and I found out why Alex didn't just go get a pet bird right after getting his power, because he somehow talked Fox and Albus into getting a Post Owl over to Earth Bet.
So now a member of Firewatch is bonded to an owl that is genuinely a terrifying tracker.
All it needs is a name to find someone, even a pseudonym is good enough if they're in costume at the time.
(As we found out when he started tracking me all the way to New Brunswick, where I was petting Samson the other day.)

All this would be really impressive if he'd followed through and given the bird an equally awesome name…
Instead, he gave his kid nephew the job of naming our new member of Firewatch.
Barney.
Great.

…

Oh, and Lung got broken out unfortunately, but at least we've got the go-ahead to go for Nuwa on sight now, and Chris seems to have been inspired to act as the heroic member in their rivalry as tinkers between Nuwa, Charon, and him.

Though it's been a while since anyone's seen Charon, apparently, he's been working with Uber and Leet, but is suspected to still live in the city, unlike them, so who really knows what's up with him.

…

On a more personal note, I've been playing around with enchanting, and managed to even get Silk Touch on the Protectorate Wards' beloved Diamond Shovel, which is really trippy to look at, what with it removing obstacles but not in a destructive way now.

I offered to give Armsmaster and Dauntless enchantments for their gear and was actually glad for my hallucinations thing for once because they apparently spent the next 3 days glaring at me every chance they got… which I can't see.
LOL

Though I did manage to get Protection 2 on every piece of armor used by a Ward in the city, plus all the dog armors, and the Firewatch team, and have started working through the boots worn by PRT troopers and NOVA employees.
Unfortunately, I haven't found a good enough catalyst to get more than the occasional Prot 3 or Prot 4 out of the process, and that's pretty rare.
Still, Prot 2 is guaranteed, with just a bit of amethyst, which we can get by the truckful from Canada.

So it's not a huge issue for now.

…

The only downside to this whole thing is I can't double enchantments.
Combining enchanted items nullifies the effects, unfortunately.

Also, while I've been pretty much just resting and enchanting for a few days, it's still pretty heavy on my reserves.
So I'll need to keep the enchanting to a lower level for a while if I want to actually get things done, sadly.

…

Although funnily enough I did manage to confirm two interesting qualities.

First, my leather boots work as a sort of snowshoes, even for people across the country it's a bit easier walking on or through snow with them.

And second, Frost Walker doesn't make a platform of ice, but does let me walk on water just fine.
Which I know because I got it on a pair of leather boots that are now my new pair since they were yellow and that's one of my colors so PR doesn't mind.

So now I can Jesus walk on water!

Spoiler: A/N

The Frost Walker thing is the best compromise I could come up with for an enchantment that relies so heavily on game mechanics.
If it did make an ice platform, Saga would rapidly slip off into the water, because she got the enchantments, not the game mechanics.
(I'm treating the Walking on powdered snow thing as an enchantment all leather boots come with, but even there it's weakened from its in-game version.)
So instead, no ice, but keep the walk on water effect.

Does anyone have an opinion about what Brian's been up to?
The easy answer is to just have him kept his head down from when the war against New Wave picked up until now.
But I'm tempted to add some heavier stuff to his record from that time and the things he did to survive after Coil was taken down.
I'm just not sure if that's a good idea or not?

 

[Oblation]

Brockton Bay: Danny's Truck- 8:35am

TAYLOR:
I don't care about a paycheck, Dad. I care about rooms where people who know how to do this let me watch, then let me try, and don't treat me like a problem when I mess up the first time. I care about gear that fits my hands, so I'm not guessing while someone bleeds. I care about rules that don't change when I look away, because that already happened and I'm not doing that again. I want this. I want the map they're offering. I need you to say yes and keep them honest when I can't see the whole picture.

PRT HQ Conference Room 9:00am

THINKING DANNY:
The room is glass on three sides. The lights are bright. The table is polished and a little dented at the corners. Raymond stands at the head, jacket open, hands relaxed. Taylor sits one seat back on my left, jacket straight, fingers laced. Phoenix sits across from Taylor, tablet on a kickstand. The screen stays dark, for now.

[Raymond sets a booklet in the center.]

RAYMOND:
This covers the scope and protocol for live ops. I am open to better wording. The frame stays where it is.

THINKING DANNY:
I came ready for confrontation. I get a door held open instead. I still do the job she asked me to do.

DANNY:
Start with control. Taylor decides. She sets the pace. She picks up any extras. Keep me looped in so choices stay choices. I am not here to block her. I am here so she gets the benefits without getting railroaded.

RAYMOND:
Sure. The agency stays with Taylor. We supply structure, options, and continuity. If snacks somehow become the bottleneck, I can escalate to the Boss.

THINKING DANNY:
Fine. A joke helps the wheels turn. The point still stands.

[Danny reads the page headers: Training. Patrol. Safety. Protocol. Compensation in kind.]

DANNY:
Baseline next. Training first. School hours stay protected. One patrol a week. Anything extra is her call after you tell me.

RAYMOND:
Got it. The baseline is modest on purpose. Extra hours pile up where she already prefers to be. I expect she will volunteer past the cap without a push. My priority is clear procedure when she is active. Clear order of operations beats posters and pep talks every time.

THINKING DANNY:
He knows the gravity here. He leaves the names off it. That's fine. He doesn't need to say Lawrence's name for me to hear it.

[Phoenix taps the tablet and tilts it toward Taylor. Success Kid. Taylor's mouth twitches, then she straightens.]

RAYMOND:
We start with precision. We layer timing under controlled pressure. When schedules converge, we add partner work. Rhythm and trust keep people alive.

THINKING DANNY:
He doesn't look at Taylor when he says converge. The air still shifts. I don't follow it. I keep us on the track we picked.

DANNY:
Hard rule. Chain of command. Put it on the record. She needs to know exactly what happens when sirens pull attention sideways.

RAYMOND:
Authority follows function. Orders travel through the vest, not age and not reputation. In a live scene, she follows the chain without delay. If the most qualified officer is twelve, that officer commands. Quick compliance. Clean execution. Boring, but it keeps people breathing.

[Phoenix swipes. Rage Comic face. Taylor presses her lips together, then fails not to smile.]

DANNY:
No fuzzy language. Cause first. Fuzzy rules make people freeze at the worst time and get people hurt. Write exits that open when hands shake. Taylor can step back at any point. No penalty on paper and none in practice. She moves forward when she is ready. No pressure verbs. No hinting at the answer you want.

RAYMOND:
We will formalize a step back with no adverse record and a public rationale of the school and health. We will map an opt-in progression that needs explicit consent and evidence of readiness. Coercion can file paperwork and get declined like everyone else.

THINKING DANNY:
Good. Keep going until daylight reaches every corner.

DANNY:
Compensation next. No checks. We get that. Be clear that you are replacing money with training, gear, and access. List her compensation without brochure gloss.

RAYMOND:
Compensation is not monetary. Training is tuition-free on the mat, the range, and the simulation floors. Mentored blocks across the term. Standard gear is issued with custom fitting when needed. Consumables and raw stock for practice with a locker that locks every time. Transport with vetted drivers. Medical coverage for incidents on or off the clock. Counseling available, opt in unless safety requires a mandate. Confidentiality is guarded by policy and by habit. No tote bags. There might be a mug pilot in discussion because tradition is stubborn.

THINKING DANNY:
That's the trade school I expected. Mat time. Tools that fit. Doors that open when you pull. It can grow a life or grind one down. Which one it does depends on exits and on honest people and realistic schedules.

[Phoenix swipes. Doge. Taylor hides a laugh behind her wrist.]

DANNY:
Media. Do not turn a student into a sign. Cap mandatory appearances at twice a month. Veto stays with us. No cameras on school nights. No mask off images. No leaks from clever angles.

RAYMOND:
Outreach stays scheduled and chaperoned. Releases are opt-in. No end to the request. Some community nights are consistent and useful. If she chooses those, crowds and cameras behave. A steady team does more for public safety than a slogan. I will still approve a tasteful poster for morale.

THINKING DANNY:
He talks rhythm and keeps optimism off the page. Good habit.

[Phoenix swipes. Grumpy Cat. Taylor coughs into her sleeve and pretends she didn't.]

DANNY:
School day protection. Pulls during class go through me unless someone is in immediate danger. Break patterns so no one maps her walk.

RAYMOND:
Approved. We meet her at the doors when needed. The umbrellas belong to people. We even open them when it rains. Revolutionary, I know.

DANNY:
Pair work. Heat sticks to people and places. If you put her with someone who draws it, record the plan, the location, and the exit. Put an adult in the room who can end drills with one sentence and will use it before pride performs.

RAYMOND:
Plan documented. Exit named. Adult empowered to stop the moment stopping is needed. Transparency note. A reconciliation block launches next month. An independent under observation runs basics under heavy oversight. The focus is de escalation and safety culture. Presence matters. Kairos stabilizes groups in measurable ways. If Taylor volunteers, the room steadies faster. Faster is ideal when gauze is the alternative.

THINKING DANNY:
That matches what I heard. It also matches where she'll be on her own time if I pretend she won't. Better to write it down and supervise it.

[Phoenix swipes. Bad Luck Brian. Taylor snorts, covers it, and looks back at the page like she just caught herself drifting.]

DANNY:
Equipment scope. Basic issue first. No live-edge toys. Do not start with a lethal kit outside supervised sims. Eye protection. Respirator. Gloves that fit. Storage that locks. Sign in and sign out. No side lending to friends or teammates.

RAYMOND:
Agreed. We track equipment by serial and by hand receipt. No unauthorized transfer. No exceptions. If she needs specialized fittings for unique capabilities, we schedule fittings and document usage limits.

DANNY:
Training schedule. Cause first. School comes first. No weekday drills start after nine. No scheduled overnights on school nights. Weekend blocks are fine if she asks for them and her grades hold. Quarterly review with me and with your training lead.

RAYMOND:
Accepted. We can set it as a rolling six-week evaluation with adjustment windows. If school performance drops, we pivot to academic training until it rises again. If she accelerates safely, training volume can step up by request.

DANNY:
Transport. No unsecured rides. No last-minute pickups from unknown numbers. If a ride changes, a live human calls me, and I call back the number on file.

RAYMOND:
Yes. Dispatch calls with a single-use code phrase you choose. No code, no ride. We will keep the phrase boring. Boring is harder to guess.

DANNY:
Medical response. If she's hurt during training or during the weekly patrol, I get the call before the press does. Keep me out of spin. Keep her out of press conferences.

RAYMOND:
Affirmed. Family first, not optics. The media office can learn patience. We have a binder for it.

[Phoenix swipes. Trollface. Taylor's eyebrows jump, then drop. She looks at me, not Raymond.]

THINKING DANNY:
She keeps her voice careful. The edge underneath is an old cut. She wants the work. She wants the gear. She wants a schedule that overlaps with someone she trusts. I hear it. I don't repeat it. Knowing is enough.

DANNY:
Therapy. Make it easy. No grading. No punishment in a friendly wrapper. If she says she's going, that's the end of the conversation.

RAYMOND:
Access is low friction, in the building and outside. No black mark for using it. Safety is the metric, and we enforce it. Notes get read, not filed and forgotten.

DANNY:
Contact chain. Nights fail where you forgot to look. If I call, someone answers. If I ask for eyes, someone with eyes goes to her.

RAYMOND:
Confirmed. Live voice. Live presence. If you get voicemail, I owe coffee and an apology, in that order. Good coffee, not punishment coffee.

DANNY:
Privacy. Names and addresses break fast and don't fix clean. If a reporter plays games, call me first. If a rival plays games, call me faster.

RAYMOND:
Carefulness is a habit. Faster is the principle when harm starts sniffing around. I can Sharpie it on my hand if that boosts confidence.

DANNY:
Boundaries on appearances. No recruiting pitches using her likeness. No staging her next to someone who needs a photo op. If you want her at a community night, you ask her and you ask me. If I say no, that's a no.

RAYMOND:
We'll route all appearances through the same approval path as operations. No back doors. No surprises. I dislike surprises almost as much as lawyers do.

DANNY:
Probation window. First four weeks are training first, patrol second, zero discretionary interventions. She builds rhythm and understands the board. Four, she can volunteer for one extra patrol every week. That stays volunteer, not expectation.

RAYMOND:
That is workable. We can publish a four-week plan with milestones and a first four-week review. If she wants more after that, she asks. If she wants less, she says it. Paper will match reality.

THINKING DANNY:
This is where the hook usually hides. I don't see it on the page. That doesn't mean it isn't in the room. I'm here for the page.

[Phoenix swipes. Philosoraptor. Taylor nods once like she filed the idea where she'll find it.]

DANNY:
Grievance path. If she's told to do something that violates safety or ethics, she stops, says stop, and calls me. No retaliation. No freezing her out. No schedules that look like punishment while pretending they aren't.

RAYMOND:
Agreed. We will write a stop clause and a no retaliation clause with examples. We will add an escalation ladder that reaches me directly. If retaliation appears, I want the chance to end a career with due process.

DANNY:
What I want to avoid. I don't want Taylor used as a symbol. I don't want Taylor carrying the weight of adults who should know better. I don't want Taylor choosing between someone she cares about and a procedure you forgot to teach. I don't want Taylor alone in a room where the plan fell apart, and people act like that's normal.

RAYMOND:
What I want to avoid. Overextension, heroics, and the illusion that instinct replaces training. Also, meetings about preventable messes. We can collaborate on all four.

[Phoenix swipes. Doge again. Taylor tries not to grin and looks exactly fifteen.]

TAYLOR:
I'll play by the rules if the rules are where I can see them. I'll follow orders if the orders fit the situation and the person giving them knows why. I'll add hours if I'm steady and school is steady. I'll walk back if I need to, and I won't let pride dig the hole deeper. I want this. Please let me have it, and stand behind me when I say Slow down.

THINKING DANNY:
That is the whole ask. Training. Gear. Time in rooms that make sense. A schedule that lines up with a person she trusts. We both know it. We don't say it.

DANNY:
If Taylor adds hours, she tells me first. If Taylor needs out, she says it, and we do it. That rule is not up for debate. Policy can keep up.

RAYMOND:
Agreed. Simplicity helps in the field. Honesty too, when we use it.

DANNY:
Next steps. Send me the redlined draft. Include the step back clause, the no retaliation clause, the media guardrails, the equipment list, and the schedule template. We will sign when the language says what the room said.

RAYMOND:
You'll have it today. Orientation would be Saturday morning if she accepts. Gear fitting at eleven. ICS overview at noon. Scenario block after lunch. We will bribe participants with pizza, which is ethically complex but effective.

THINKING DANNY:
I can live with that. She can walk out after any block and call it a day. That exit matters most.

[Raymond nods and steps into the hall to take a call. The glass door settles.]

[Taylor slides an inch toward Phoenix. Phoenix mirrors the inch. The tablet becomes their small stage.]

[Phoenix brings up Grumpy Cat, then Rage Comic, then Trollface in quick succession. Taylor tries to school her face and only gets the edges.]

TAYLOR:
If I ask for extra blocks, I'll text you first. Pacing keeps hands and keeps friends. If I need air, I'll say it. You don't have to guess.

DANNY:
I hear you. I'll hold you to that, and I'll hold them to this paper. The rest is calendars, rides, and locking up after.

THINKING DANNY:
That's the shape. A partner. A square of floor. Two people sharing it without speeches. A friend learning daylight who needs a steady witness. A city that does better when good rules get followed and bad ones get deleted.

[Raymond returns with a short nod. Danny collects the folder. Taylor pockets her phone. Phoenix clicks the case shut.]

RAYMOND:
For the record. I appreciate coherent parents. It makes my job resemble a profession.

DANNY:
For the record. I appreciate you writing what you mean.

RAYMOND:
Dangerous precedent, that. Let's keep it going.

THINKING DANNY:
Baseline holds at one patrol per week. Training leads. Extra hours will grow where the right people stand close. That's fine if she's the one planting them and if the exits work. Reconciliation block is coming. Four weeks to learn the rhythm, eight weeks to test the load. Twelve and sixteen sit next to each other in my head and refuse to move. Both are mine in the ways that count.

[They stand. The door opens. The hallway carries the afternoon forward.]

THINKING DANNY:
We step into that and try to hold our promises where someone can see them.

Spoiler: Question for Readers

I'm always wary of writing main characters straight-on.
Everyone's got their own idea of how they sound, so there's no way to please every reader.
I'm just trying to keep the heart of their voices and still let this version breathe inside the AU timeline.
So, do these scenes feel like Danny and Taylor, or did they drift into DINO and TINO?

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: Sugarhouse Sentinel and Mrs. Maplelight

Dropped into a blaster mess today.
One of the NOVA squads blocked a robbery, and Sugarhouse Sentinel showed up to yank the loot back.
I rolled in mid-fight, so I don't even know who got hit.
The room smelled like maple and smoke, and everyone was yelling over the hiss of the pans.

Pern put me on evac and collect:
"No heroics. Get our people out. Bag the weird."
I kept the line open and did exactly that.

The fight was inside a sugarhouse (funny enough), with steam everywhere and bad sight lines.

Sentinel was carving lanes for her people to evac, though.
The floor was wet and loud, and every ricochet sounded like a coin in a cup.

The storage tags Tsunade and I cooked up in science class were finally ready.
They ate her light balls and even a few beam slices like the paper was hungry.
I grabbed what I could reach and kept dodging and weaving in bird form.

Everyone local knows the name Sugarhouse Sentinel.
She sounds old school, and she acts like she stepped right out of 1989.
She moved like she'd done this a thousand times and wanted us to notice.

Her power has been a question mark forever.
People say heat balls and ice lasers, then move on.
But since NOVA is probably going to keep crossing paths with her now, guesses aren't good enough.

I dropped the haul at the lab once the team was stable:
Thirteen spheres.
Six beams.
I wrote the counts on the bag twice so nobody would ask.

Dr Müller took one look and told me to eat something while he made the room safe, the rest is his show:

…

Official: PRT: SCIENCE!: Preliminary Results Chat (record it before you forget it!)

CarambaQuantico [Mod] >>

Posting this before the coffee crash wins. Twelve hours on benches. Instruments behaved. I will keep it plain.

Sugarhouse Sentinel first. Civil age is 66. In person she reads late 30s because the power pays her back in little slices of time. She runs with the Keepers. Think winter volunteer corps that treats the county line like the edge of the map. Her effect is thermal. She calls organic or inorganic before she shoots. A clean hit pulls a third of the target heat. A bright ball appears and spends about a minute and a half bouncing and leaving tidy coin burns. É batata que o relógio manda, a energia só finge que manda. [The timer is what matters.]

Her daughter is Maplelight. Civil age is 44. Same family of effect with calmer delivery. Slow draw by type. Stores charge. Spends it to keep a person walking. Hits like a bat, not like a torch. No time refunds. No glamour. She is the one you want when the wind bites and the ambulance is still on the far side of the county.

We did not have either cape in person. We had artifacts. Ward Phoenix brought thirteen spheres and six beam segments in paper seals. I knew Phoenix could lock down objects. I did not expect a paper that could hold a slice of a power and keep its clock. Selos de papel que guardam comportamento, não só coisa. [Paper seals preserve the effect.]

On release the spheres behaved like the rumor that would not sit still for instruments. They do not fade by use. They end by time. Call it ninety seconds with a short side near 87 and a long side near 95. Early contacts burn. Late contacts burn the same. Thermal cameras put peak heat where it starts and leave it there until the light dies. No slope. No mercy from the clock. O tempo é rei, o resto bate continência. [Time is in charge.]

Beam segments behaved the same way. Open one in a test bay with a valid target and it performs the full three-second draw like a metronome. At the end, you get a fresh sphere with a full window. The segment does not care about the donor. It cares about the rule and the countdown.

Deposit marks read like tiny craters. Hot rim and cooler center. You see it on steel. You see it on damp cloth. You can coax it on frosted wood if the sphere returns to the same spot. Water stays friendly. Drop a sphere into a bucket and you get one perfect ring ripple and a polite hiss. No flash. No chain. Água é advogada de defesa com carteira assinada. [Water mitigates.]

Here is the part that asks textbooks to sit down. Pulling a third of a person's heat in three seconds should be lethal. Case reviews do not show that outcome. People shiver, stumble, then recover with blankets and warm fluids. We ran phantoms with sensors and saw the same shape. Skin and near-surface blood take the insult. Core dips less and rebounds if you fix the basics. My read is that the power obeys a floor inside living targets. It will punish reaction time. It will not push hearts off a cliff. Jeitinho de vida mínima garantida. [There is a floor on harm.]

Typing rules are petty and reliable. A tool in your hand makes you count as connected for organic. A free-standing barrier that is not touching anyone breaks the link and gives the Sugarhouse Sentinel a small strain when the shot fizzles. Clothing with trapped air beats pure R values. Foil blankets are not suggestions. They are treatments. Spray and fog blunt the burn when the ball starts tapping the room. A wet sack on a long net will park the thing and let the clock grind it down. Do not get clever with shiny steel in tight rooms. Você monta um pinball do capeta sem querer. [Avoid reflective steel in tight rooms.]

Beam visibility refuses to showmanship. No bright line. Just shimmer. Absorb starts at contact and runs a clean three-count. If you are timing a push, do not trust your eyes. Count in your head and move on two.

Collision testing without the Sugarhouse Sentinel in the room still told us a few things. Two spheres of the same kind met with a sharp noise and a low-pressure wave. Teeth felt odd for a breath and then the room settled. Opposite kinds met with a soft flash and a measurable bump in background temperature at floor level. No lingering light. No mess. With the Sugarhouse Sentinel present, you would expect her health markers to jump. We did not have her. All we can say is the bookwork is finished and left nothing dirty behind.

Sphere size stays constant. Always a plum. Always bright. That, plus a constant window, forces two bad options. Either the 1/3 claim hides a cap on what any shot can truly take, or the ball is topped from somewhere so presentation never changes. I do not love either. I will plan around what I can measure. Poder com cara de termodinâmica e alma de relógio. [This is about timing.]

A word about Phoenix. Those paper seals did not hold things. They held behaviors with clocks. That means the seal cares about rules, not edges. We need a clean program to test limits. Start with a heat lamp field or a fogger cone that you can stop and start. Build to a tethered sphere inside a cage. If Phoenix can pause that without breaking it, we have a new class of tool. Put ethics in the room at the start. Put maintenance in the room too. Cada jeitinho vira puxadinho no manual. [We will need to update procedures.]

Side note before I forget. Test how far Phoenix can go with sealing things that are not objects. If the paper can hold a power segment, maybe it can hold other field effects for study. Bring a thinker field only with consent and guardrails. Volta pro assunto. [Continue.]

Practical notes for anyone who will face this in weather. Split your team so spheres do not find each other unless you want them to cancel or to feed the Sugarhouse Sentinel. Use fog and water to soak the deposit. Carry foil. Carry wet sacks and a long net. Expect the last second to burn like the first. Do not count on decay. If Phoenix says an empty patch of air is busy, believe it and keep your hands out. Se a Phoenix falar, assina embaixo. [Trust Phoenix.]

Open questions that kept me longer than planned:
Why do late contacts look as hot as early ones?
Where does the bookkeeping live when the donor is not present?
Why do three correct hits on a cold, tired person stop short of catastrophe?
Why does an opposite meet feel like the room exhaled and then forgot?

Honest answer for tonight. This is a timing engine that paints with heat. The timer is real and obedient. The energy story will keep lying to your intuition. I am logging everything before memory blurs. Boa noite. [Good night.]

Se der ruim, me chama que eu finjo que não ouvi.
- Dr. Albert Müller

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: Reminder:

Reminder:
This is the Mental IRC that Saga got as a perk a while back.
So it's basically both kinds of Brocton Wards, with a handful of Case-53's she's talked to.
It keeps to the theme of an internet IRC because that's what people are familiar with.
But keep in mind, their not "reading" it, their hearing it in each other's voices.
Not a huge difference, but to the participants, it's more like a very private Discord Server than a text conversation.
Name / Cape ----- Usernames ----- [IRC Roll or Chapter Relevance]
Chris / Kid Win --- "KitJockey" ------- [Just Found his Specialty, and His powers unusual excitement to work with Saga.]
Saga / Phoenix --- "Birds4Brainz" ---- [IRC Queen]
Vicky / Glory Girl - "HaloEffect" ------ [IRC Mod]
Eric / Shielder ---- "GroundControl" -- [PRT-Wards Leader, Overall 2nd by Common Agreement]
Carlos / Aegis ---- "OShallNotPass" -- [Protectrate-Wards Leader, Overall Leader by Common Agreement]
Weld / Weld ------ "FerrousBueller" -- [IRC Mod + PRT-Wards Leader in Boston]

Official: Wards: National Wards Chat

HaloEffect [Mod] >> Boston Bruins doing their annual hope then pain routine
HaloEffect [Mod] >> the affective forecasting here is bleak and I say that with love

GroundControl >> Data says 52 to 48 if the goalie wakes up
GroundControl >> if the penalty kill keeps bleeding, then ETA to heartbreak is Sunday
GroundControl >> we could still steal it if the neutral zone isn't a highway

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> I can fabricate a tiny cup out of scrap so hope has a prop

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I will watch the highlights later
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> if anyone clips just the fights send the link

GroundControl >> Celtics look fine
GroundControl >> if the bench minutes hold then we coast

HaloEffect [Mod] >> coasting sounds illegal and I am here for it
HaloEffect [Mod] >> someone tell Boston to stop making me have feelings

OShallNotPass >> Please keep the feelings off the incident report
OShallNotPass >> Thank you

[SkyRider] changed their name to [KitJockey]

KitJockey >> ok quick drop before the thread leaves orbit
KitJockey>> plates for Saga boots, simple metal plates that attach under the shoes
KitJockey >> hit the latch and they pop out into ice skates
KitJockey >> Saga put Frost Walker on them so yes water is floor now

HaloEffect [Mod] >> Bay Glide
HaloEffect [Mod] >> optics are free money and the confidence placebo is real lol

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I put the enchant on them
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> Frost Walker
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> Jesus cosplay unlocked

GroundControl >> If water is floor then patrol can cross the ferry lane without the dock shuffle
GroundControl >> spacing stays three and we keep line of sight clear

KitJockey >> also I am dumb for not realizing the Lego thing when Saga told me months ago
KitJockey >> my power would not give me long fall boots
KitJockey >> would not even start
KitJockey >> but it threw together a little mod for Saga's leather boots in no time
KitJockey >> that was the hint
KitJockey >> I am a kit-basher and I should have acted like one

HaloEffect [Mod] >> confirmation bias ate you
HaloEffect [Mod] >> happens
HaloEffect [Mod] >> you get cookies for admitting it and also for inventing Bay Glide

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I have an impact softener for feet
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I can add it to a different attachment if Chris makes one

KitJockey >> yes!
KitJockey >> I can make the thing for the softener
KitJockey >> give me your measurements and I will make it click

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> Send a pair of those to Boston
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> I am tired of new craters every time I jump
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> And thanks, Saga
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> You made the first boots that could survive me
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> The sidewalks were less lucky
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> They have unionized and started filing complaints
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> 6x Durability, Unbreaking 4
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> am glad they work
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> ... and fit.
GroundControl >> Shipping to Boston is fine
GroundControl >> we log it as a test and keep notes on landing force and crack radius

HaloEffect [Mod] >> I want the before and after pictures
HaloEffect [Mod] >> people love a clean improvement graph with a happy story arc

KitJockey >> Saga are you in for more builds
KitJockey >> my power was extra happy on this one because it was a colab.
KitJockey >> I think it likes cooperating more than solo work...

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> Yes
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> if you can make an artificial diamond maker like Armsmaster and Dragon
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I can make the Wards Brute 6 for defense while we are in the city
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> Like Firewatch.

HaloEffect [Mod] >> ENE's Era of Sparkly Violence Returns!

GroundControl >> A civic-minded sparkle
GroundControl >> Armor that spikes durability while inside the city grid reshapes patrol plans
GroundControl >> lead pair can anchor the pier head and the reserve can screen
GroundControl >> response time falls and route risk drops

KitJockey >> I can try the diamond maker
KitJockey >> I know the feel I want
KitJockey >> if it clicks we can plate shins and forearms first then chest
KitJockey >> keep weight sane so nobody hates me

HaloEffect [Mod] >> chest plates that do not ruin silhouettes
HaloEffect [Mod] >> I am begging you
HaloEffect [Mod] >> ask me how I know...

GroundControl >> We can start with tiles then move to larger panels if look is clean
GroundControl >> small wins first then scale

OShallNotPass >> Break in
OShallNotPass >> As Wards Leader I am setting priority
OShallNotPass >> Chris you prioritize the diamond maker path
OShallNotPass >> Saga you prioritize this collaboration
OShallNotPass >> We will schedule a controlled test and sign off after impact survives

GroundControl >> Seconded as PRT Wards Leader
GroundControl >> Strategic value on that armor cannot be understated
GroundControl >> patrol survivability climbs and we gain control of the choke points

HaloEffect [Mod] >> Also the morale bump is not a small thing
HaloEffect [Mod] >> people move better when they believe bullets bounce

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> I will clear bench space and lay out a polite mountain of clamps
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> the first clang belongs to all of us

KitJockey >> Aye Aye, Captain!
KitJockey >> I will start sketching tonight
KitJockey >> if the feel is right I can have a first try in the morning

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> Agreed
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I can enchant a sample so we see behavior fast
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> we start small and hit it with a hammer, then Carlos, then Vicky.

GroundControl >> We log hammer hits by location and count
GroundControl >> shin
GroundControl >> forearm
GroundControl >> chest center
GroundControl >> we publish the short version so patrol understands what will break and what will not

HaloEffect [Mod] >> I will write the short version in human words
HaloEffect [Mod] >> You are harder to break here
HaloEffect [Mod] >> Think Tank, not Strongman
HaloEffect [Mod] >> Brute 6 toughness is a whole other ballgame from Brute 6 strength.

KitJockey >> Power Armor splits the sliders,
KitJockey >> It can raise strength and raise durability separately,
KitJockey >> Not like Brute capes that tend to get a go up in both at the same rate.

OShallNotPass >> Yes.
OShallNotPass >> I will make sure people keep this in mind.

GroundControl >>Seconded.

HaloEffect [Mod] >> tldr pls do not bench press the pier for likes. lol

OShallNotPass >> Good.
OShallNotPass >> We keep the humor in chat and the caution on patrol
OShallNotPass >> Call me after the first impact round and we will brag after that

KitJockey >> Boston pair for Weld gets boxed with a note
KitJockey >> do not test off the John Hancock Tower on day one
KitJockey >> I am putting that in writing so nobody gets ideas

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> I would never
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> on day one...

GroundControl >> Back to sports for the room while the builders peel off
GroundControl >> Bruins still need a goalie who wakes up and chooses competence

HaloEffect [Mod] >> rude but true
HaloEffect [Mod] >> Bay Glide debut tomorrow
HaloEffect [Mod] >> I am making the sticker tonight

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> make a small one for the boots
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I want it to grin at people

KitJockey >> I can laser a grin into the plate if the plate behaves
KitJockey >> not a promise yet

GroundControl >> Noted
GroundControl >> we test first then we decorate

OShallNotPass >> Thank you
OShallNotPass >> I appreciate the restraint

HaloEffect [Mod] >> clip me into the first glide
HaloEffect [Mod] >> I will not eat water in public
HaloEffect [Mod] >> probably

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I will spot you

KitJockey >> I will hold the phone and pretend it is for science

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> I will sweep the pier when you are done
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> the dock union is less strict than the sidewalk union

GroundControl >> Thread returns to sports in three
GroundControl >> two
GroundControl >> one

HaloEffect [Mod] >> Bruins in six if the goalie remembers he is paid
HaloEffect [Mod] >> Celtics in five if the bench is not sleepy

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I still want only fights

KitJockey >> I want only wins

OShallNotPass >> I want only reports filed on time

GroundControl >> Dream big, everyone!

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> Back to work and to hope
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> both are heavy and worth carrying

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: Perspective:

This chapter shows sixty seconds of external time inside the Kingslayer's head
It's the minute after everyone arrives but before the funeral for four PRT troopers begins.
It's meant to show her non-shard thinker power by letting her notice tiny sensory cues others ignore and stitch those flashes into urgent associative narratives so the reader feels how she builds meaning from fragments.
People around her are already hunting for someone to blame as Oni Lee's violence has become random because his mind is deteriorating, and talk of a kill order ripples through the group as grief pushes people toward extreme reactions.
Crucial context is that Saga and Emily perceive the world very differently, so whenever Saga describes Emily a lot of details vanish because Saga's perspective is socially oblivious while Emily's is hyper aware, which is why Saga would reduce this to one or two lines in a day summary while Emily experiences the same minute as more than two thousand words.
Hopefully, this stays readable and helps readers understand what's really going on in those "Emily said X" lines in future chapters.

The chapel smells like wet wool and burned coffee.
The heat ticks like a tired metronome.
Four flags wait up front, and four families watch the cloth like it might answer back.
Breath moves in shallow tides that never reach the shore.
Cloth whispers when someone shifts.
A coin taps a thigh like a nervous clock.

I count the room and keep it quiet.
Hands tell more truth than faces, so I watch fingers on programs, thumbs on phone screens, knuckles whitening on purse straps.
I listen for the little sounds that leak out when people try to be stone.
Leather creaks.
Shoes scuff tile.
The organ breathes and almost loses the beat.

Mother in blue keeps smoothing the first fold like gentleness can rewind time.
If I sign, she'll say we spent another life to prove we care, then she'll fall apart in a kitchen that smells like dish soap.
If I don't, she'll call a council friend from church and ask why her son died for nothing.
She's against the order either way, because the only right answer is the one no one can give her.

Father beside her stares through the pulpit and curls the program with his grip.
If I sign, he'll tell me we traded his child for someone else's and learned nothing.
If I don't, he'll stop taking calls and learn the budget book by heart and use it like a slow knife.
He's against, and he'll make it policy.

Older sister with the neat braid keeps one hand on her mother and scans the aisle like a bodyguard.
If I sign, she'll give one clean quote about cycles we never break by shooting faster.
If I don't, she'll call me kind and then call me coward five minutes later.
She's against, softly first, sharply after.

Kid brother in the bad suit watches the rifles like a movie that might let him step inside.
If I sign, he'll try to enlist and a range officer will teach him grief doesn't make a hand steady.
If I don't, he'll build a crowd online and put my name in the first post.
He's for the order because motion feels better than ache.

Grandfather with the cane stands without shaking.
His mouth is a line that knows how to bury people.
If I sign, he'll nod once and take his family home on time.
If I don't, he'll sit back down and refuse to move until the hall is empty.
He's for it and he hates that he is.

The chaplain moves like a medic for the soul and lays clean gauze over dirty wounds.
His verbs spread pain thin enough to breathe.
If I sign, he'll say I chose blood while patience was still on the table, and he'll mean it.
If I don't, he'll say witness saves lives, and he'll mean that too.
He's against as practice, not posture.
He wants fewer flags, not better speeches.

Miss Militia holds the aisle with eyes on hands and exits, not faces.
If I sign, she'll defend the timing in public and argue the method in private, and she'll be right in both rooms.
If I don't, she'll come back with a plan that has clocks and names, and she'll be right there too.
She's for whatever saves bodies this week.
Today that leans yes.

The unit lieutenant wears hollow cheeks and a ledger behind the eyes.
He's already redrawn next week twice.
If I sign, he'll send his people to bed and come back ready to move.
If I don't, he'll triple corners and stop trusting the building.
He's strongly for the order because he counts triangles and wants to stop.

The union rep in the back rows counts everything without looking down.
If I sign, she'll open with thanks through her teeth and close with staffing numbers.
If I don't, she'll call a vote and win it.
She's for the order in the short run and for my head in the long run.
Both are true and she knows it.

The detective with gray at his temples hasn't slept and keeps mapping exits with his eyes.
If I sign, he'll clear his board and draw the retaliation map before breakfast.
If I don't, he'll wait for the next body to pick the order for him and he won't forgive me for that.
He's strongly for it and already building the second play.

The medical examiner stands by the wall with a hand on her bag.
She watches faces, not flags, because faces tell her what numbers won't.
If I sign, she'll write the next report anyway and the math won't comfort anyone.
If I don't, she'll write two more and stop coming here for a month.
She's against the order and for reality, and she'll keep the handwriting neat either way.

The city dispatcher twists a simple ring and listens without moving.
She knows which calls end in static.
If I sign, she'll sleep a little longer for three nights.
If I don't, she'll start turning the ring faster when the phones light up.
She's for the order and she hates that it helps.

The armorer studies boots like they're a ledger.
If I sign, he'll finally get the purchase orders he's filed since spring.
If I don't, he'll issue older plates with a look that says he warned us.
He's for it and thinks it's late.

The ERT medic touches the velcro at her cuff like a tic.
If I sign, she'll pack a cleaner kit and still expect screams.
If I don't, she'll double stock tourniquets and pretend it's enough.
She's against on the level where hands shake after the sirens cut out.

The rookie trooper watches the chaplain like church might set his sights.
If I sign, he'll say finally in a locker room and ride steadier for a week.
If I don't, he'll ride angrier, and angry gets sloppy, and sloppy writes names on more flags.
He's for the order because he hasn't learned how long weeks can get.

The sergeant with the ruined knuckle stands like a doorframe.
If I sign, he'll clap one shoulder and call it overdue.
If I don't, he'll take the next hit himself and tell me he chose to.
He's strongly for it and won't hide it.

The tech analyst hugs a laptop like a shield.
If I sign, she'll strip three phones and map the ripple.
If I don't, she'll bury me in heat maps until I choke on dots.
She sounds neutral and she's for the cleaner outcome.
Today that's the order.

The public defender sits near the aisle with a shut notebook.
If I sign, she'll say state violence never cured the harm it claims to fix.
If I don't, she'll say we're laundering decay through inaction.
She's strongly against and brought lines that will bite.

The community organizer squeezes a folded flyer and watches every badge like a test.
If I sign, he'll march tomorrow and his chant will use my name.
If I don't, he'll march next week and use it anyway.
He's against and he's loud and his grief is honest.

The business owner who sends coffee to stations sits stiff and sober.
If I sign, he'll donate again and say it was time.
If I don't, he'll still donate and ask for a meeting about delivery routes.
He's for the order and for the cameras that come with it.

The mayor's chief of staff hovers like weather.
If I sign, he'll script a podium line about steady hands.
If I don't, he'll sell unity and a task force that eats months.
He's for whatever polls clean.
Today that leans yes.

The state liaison reads faces like spreadsheets.
If I sign, she'll send two legal memos by dinner and a budget note by morning.
If I don't, she'll send five memos and warn me about hearings.
She's for clarity.
The order is clarity.

The federal desk officer is a black suit with careful shoes.
If I sign, he'll murmur that interagency support is available.
If I don't, he'll murmur that it remains available and copy more people.
He's for alignment and he'll call it alignment either way.

The guard at the back door taps a coin on his thigh and thinks no one hears it.
If I sign, he'll stop tapping for one day.
If I don't, the coin will skip faster when the first radio crackles.
He's for it at the level where breath wants less work.

The reporter in the careful suit aims for neutral and lands on hungry.
If I sign, he'll quote two critics for balance and sleep well.
If I don't, he'll quote three grieving parents for patience and sleep just as well.
He's for the story and against dull days.

The council aide in row three texts under the program and smiles without teeth.
If I sign, she'll park her boss at my elbow and call it shared responsibility.
If I don't, she'll book a radio hit about oversight and balloons.
She's for the order when it comes with a lens.

The retired captain stands by a pillar with posture that could hold the roof.
If I sign, he'll say we forgot how to do this fast and clean and at dawn.
If I don't, he'll say the city went soft.
He's strongly for it and stuck in a calendar that no longer exists.

The survivor from last winter holds a cane across her knees and doesn't blink.
If I sign, she'll squeeze my hand in a hallway and say thank you without a smile.
If I don't, she'll avoid my eyes and count steps to the door.
She's for it and the scar on her calf is a vote that never changes.

The teacher from the block sits near the aisle, knuckles around a pen.
If I sign, she'll tell her students grownups finally protected the morning bus.
If I don't, she'll tell them to hurry inside and keep their heads down.
She's for it and she'll pay for that with letters from parents.

The shop steward from sanitation smells like cold diesel and grief.
If I sign, he'll move crews past the hot blocks with fewer calls.
If I don't, he'll reroute trucks and lose hours and patience.
He's for, and he'll say it into a microphone if someone asks.

Saga stands a half step off the front row and decides to do it perfectly.
She doesn't speak.
She doesn't sign.
She won't judge me.
She'll ask one question either way and it'll land where it hurts.
If I sign, she'll ask who I saved and I'll need to answer with names.
If I don't, she'll ask how many more I'm willing to spend and that will need names too.
She's the only clear water in a room of waves.
She makes the currents visible.

Lung isn't here and still is.
He answers in fire or doesn't answer at all.
Boredom in a man like that lights itself.
The daughter isn't here and shapes every thought anyway.
A small hand on a big fuse.
She feeds him and tunes him and keeps him aimed.
If I sign, she won't scream.
She'll measure and pick a target that speaks a sentence.
If I don't, she'll add a part to a device that already works and wait for me to stumble in public.

Oni Lee keeps slipping.
Shorter jumps.
Stranger choices.
Louder landings.
If I sign, there'll be a gap where he stood and some of the noise will die down.
If I don't, the drift will keep eating his mind and the city will keep paying one room at a time.

The folding drill begins and the room leans toward the first triangle like a small task can hold a big day together.
The heat ticks.
The organ breathes.
Cloth whispers.
Hands move like the fabric might bruise.
How it looks matters, so the order of steps matters.
If I sign in front of families, I anchor grief to ink.
It'll look clean now and weak later.
If I move it and lock it to my name, I anchor it to the last interviews, the last calls, and what the girl can field inside forty eight hours.

My hip aches.
I stand anyway.
People notice who sits, who hides, who leaves early.
I won't give anyone an easy line.

I reach into the bag.
The folder weighs more than paper.
The pen clip bites my thumb like a small truth.
The organ lands the last chord and the room exhales like it needed permission.
Winter air slides in when the back door opens and it smells like snow.

I sign.

Strong for rises like heat.
The sergeant's jaw unclenches.
The detective starts a list.
The dispatcher lets the ring go still.
The retired captain stops shaking his head.
The shop steward squares his shoulders.
The teacher breathes.

Strong against pulls like a tide.
The chaplain closes his eyes and counts for both of us.
The public defender writes a line that'll bite.
The mother in blue flinches at the latch.
The organizer studies the door and starts to plan.
The medical examiner looks down and presses her lips thin.

Most people sit in the middle and hate it.
They'll say we chose the least bad fire.
They'll say we chose it late.
They'll say we chose it too fast.
They'll still show up tomorrow, and that's the part that saves anyone.

Saga doesn't look at me.
She will, later.
She'll ask the question she promised herself to ask.
Who did I save.
I'll answer with names and keep counting until the numbers stop moving.
The flags start their slow walk.
Cloth whispers.
Breath finds the shore.
The heat keeps ticking.
The snow smell sharpens like a clean blade.

 

[Oblation]

So… the money issue might not be "solved," but I guess I might be able to give Taylor and Laurance a paycheck now.
I got a new perk, and though it's a bit expensive, it's one of the ones that's just a minor quirk in a game but absolutely crazy in real life.

Loot Magnet - Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony
Base Cost: -150cp
Lore & Details:
This world's an alternate seventeenth century where England planted its first colony on Mars.
Red deserts stretch under brass skies while Spanish clockwork airships duel above the canals.
The native Martians watch Earth's empires bring war, faith, and greed to their world.
Sir Walter Raleigh, an exile looking for redemption, caught between crusades and alien warlords.
Jamestown stands as a flickering outpost of survival and pride, held together by lightning shields, iron guns, and people too stubborn to give up.
---
10 minutes per day, all loose and forgotten change within 10 meters slides into your pockets.
Addons:
-50cp Money teleports to your Inventory.
-100cp - 25 meters / 30 Minutes
-150cp - 50 meters / 1 Hour
-200cp - 100 meters / 2 Hours
-250cp - 150 meters / 3 Hours
-300cp - 200 meters / 4 Hours
-350cp - 250 meters / 5 Hours
-400cp - 300 meters / 6 Hours
-450cp - 350 meters / 7 Hours
-500cp - 400 meters / 8 Hours
Final Cost: -900cp
Bank: 2100cp

So, I did the obvious, and flew around at my fastest speed that I can hold for hours.
(About 60mph in bigger bird form at 1.8x speed for about 4 hours if I don't need to cast anything.)

Theoretically, I was just doing another search for where the ABB capes had bunkered down, but in practice, I was collecting more than $20k!
The only downside is that I don't have any handy Inventory money converter, just 120,000 nickels and dimes, and about 25 square miles of city that'll never be this profitable again.

Man, am I glad Bet doesn't have the 1-cent coins anymore like Aleph still does!

Though I'm going to run out of city soon at this rate…
Well, I guess I just need an excuse to fly around NYC a bit and I'd be golden…

That or a perk that would turn all these nickels and dimes into money people won't cuss me out for giving them….

Chlorophyte Extractinator – Terraria
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore & Details:
This world's a patchwork of wild lands where magic and madness rule the map.
Floating islands drift over jungles and deserts while dungeons sprawl under your feet.
The ground's alive with monsters and minerals both waiting to kill or reward you.
Every cave's a gamble and every sunrise means something new to fight.
You start with a stick and end up rewriting the world, one pick swing and bad decision at a time.
---
Feed any loose fine aggregate, such as sand, silt, sawdust, or drill cuttings.
The drum converts bulk into a truly randomized ore, gem, or fossil bit.
Does not accept organic material.
Max generation 1 per day.
Addons:
-50cp - An Inventory option for waste disposal rather than a physical tool.
-50cp - Max generation 2 per day.
-100cp - Max generation 3 per day.
-150cp - Max generation 4 per day.
-200cp - Max generation 5 per day.
-250cp - Max generation 6 per day.
-300cp - Max generation 7 per day.
-350cp - Max generation 8 per day.
-400cp - Max generation 9 per day.
-450cp - Max generation 10 per day.
Final Cost: -400cp
Bank: 1200cp

The copper coins are interesting, and the Palladium ore was gonna net me a few hundred in tinker budget, but I traded it to Armsmaster through Dragon to get them to help Chris finish his Diamond Maker so I can finally start armoring up the Wards.

I haven't told anyone about the Adamantite yet.
It's cool, but I wanna save it up till I either get a smelting power, or just want something big from Dragon.

 

[Oblation]

--- = New Subject
... = A Few Hours Later


Missy had a good idea.
I took her to pet Samson the Donkey to calm down after another day of not funding the ABB capes, when she asked about the Ninja I've mentioned knowing.

It seems obvious in hindsight, especially with how it took Tenkō no Tomo a day to find at least 6 bases they seem to rotate between, and Asuka even snuck in and got pictures of them.

Asuka and Albus are the only ones sticking around for the raid we're planning, though.
But that makes sense since their all about sneaking… and assassinations.

But Emily says it's best if a Hero takes down Oni-Lee for the public's good.
Even if Tenkō no Tomo are about as trusted as that type can get, their still officially Parahuman Mercenaries, and that would just give an unneeded confidence boost to all the would be bounty hunters out there.

---

On the other side of things, The Empire's been dealing with the Hookwolf vs Kaiser thing still, so The Dockworkers have been pushing into ABB territory, instead of them.

Taylor knows if she helps, it just makes them look more gang-like and might get her marked as a Villain, so she's just been pacing back and forth in HQ, seeming worried.

But it's not all good news, since we now have proof that The Adepts and The Red Hand have opened Branches in the Bay. I guess they figured there was enough of an Opening, so they jumped in.

It's better than a Brockton bay version of the Boston Games, but still annoying that we'd been pushing the gangs back a bit, and now new ones pop into the hole.

Still, The Red Hand are basically just what the Undersiders were pretending to be, minimally offensive thieves.

While the Adepts are a bigger deal, we've probably only got a few of their mid-level members looking to get a branch of their own. Plus, they have a thing about not holding territory so much as specific locations, so it's still an improvement over last year if this is where it stops for new gangs moving in.

---

In less local news, Mr. Graham has been sweet-talking the Canadians somehow, since their now offering to pay for a building for NOVA so long as it's in Canada.

According to Vicky, that would indicate we're a more Canadian/Guild-like group than a PRT/Protectorate one. But that is already true since Parahumans and Regular Humans in the same chain of command is more of a Guild thing anyway.

Either way, we've now got an official HQ in St. Stephen, New Brunswick (Canada).

It's not huge, but it can fit all up to 1000 people in a pinch, and Mr. Graham talked Tsunade to moving there, so I guess I'll be going up there for my Science/Ninja-Magic/Medical Lessons now.

---

Oh, and I'm actually getting a dedicated workshop thanks to Dragon!

I guess she was part of why NOVA got a building, since she has a base in Saint-Andrews, New Brunswick.
A town about 30 minutes down the road that is the closest thing that area has to a port.

But she doesn't really use it for tinkering, just as a base for her Mechs to deploy to New England when needed, since it's right next to the border.
So there's a whole Tinker lab, and Dragon said it would help her a bunch if a Hero made visible appearances there every few days.
So now I have a full lab to play around with, in trade for a weekly patrol of St. Andrews.
But it's only got like 10K people, so that won't take more than 30 minutes.

…

I had history today, and asked about New Brunswick and the two towns, and the only interesting detail is that apparently, those are some of the rare places where the Bet version has more people than the Aleph one.
Despite Aleph having like 1.5x our population, their towns tend to be smaller, and cities are WAY bigger.

Makes sense, I guess, what with them only needing to rebuild two buildings, not all of NYC.
So people probably aren't thinking about Endbringers when choosing where to live there.

Either way, St. Stephen is like 5x bigger since it's where a lot of Canadians who commute into the US moved after Newfoundland sank, and even if it's lost some of that population boom, it's still got 25K.
While Saint Andrews is mostly just bigger because New Brunswick in general is bigger, and with Leviathan wrecking ships in the 80s and capes in general taking opportunities where they can, Earth-Bet shipping is way more mobile and focused on efficiency and speed than those slow-moving mega ships like Aleph has.

I mean, I live in a harbor and the only Containership I've ever seen is the one that used to be blocking the way out at Brockton Bay.
So unlike Aleph, Saint Andrews and other little towns have more sea trade, since people want to have a lot of options with shipping, and even big companies are more likely to use small and medium boats and ports than like on Aleph.

---

But that's enough history, I haven't rolled in a few days, and haven't broken my streak about making a journal entry every time I do, so here goes:

It Just Works - Meme Culture
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore & Details:
Originating with Steve Jobs, "It Just Works." has come to embody the feeling of "I'm a smart person, don't worry about how, just know that it does." Turned into a meme largely after Bethesda Softworks director Todd Howard's use of this phrase to describe a game many would love and hate due to its numerous bugs and glitches. This phrase has remained in the popular zeitgeist ever since.
---
Respond with "It Just Works." and whoever is questioning your plans, creations, and/or strategy will react as if you'd just given them a sound and reasonable explanation. (Info-dump cut-scene skip button, in perk form.)
Addons:
-50cp a stranger effect so that any observers also experience the "sound and reasonable" effect and stop questioning you. Basically, turning any recording of you saying "It Just Works." into a memetic stranger effect, preventing people from becoming suspicious or doubtful of you.
Final Cost: -100cp
Bank: 900cp

MSF Mouse Droid - Ewoks (1986)
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore & Details:
The MSF line of the Mouse Droid was designed to have increased mobility as well as to be capable of repairing each other and acting somewhat in a secretarial role, with audio and visual recording capabilities, and enough intelligence to react to conversational requests.
---
You gain 10 MSF series Mouse Droids. They will follow orders and clean any location you leave them in. Past iterations of this droid have continued operations for thousands of years if left undisturbed for that time.
Addons:
-50cp A stranger effect. While these droids would seem like obvious tinkertech to anyone seeing them, and thus become a likely target for thieves if left unattended, this effect renders them the same, mundane but vaguely cute impression they had in their original setting.
-50cp +10 MSF series Mouse Droids.
-100cp +10 MSF series Mouse Droids.
-150cp +10 MSF series Mouse Droids.
Final Cost: -150cp
Bank: 800cp

Well, ok.

Emily is strangely interested in these guys after I described them, so she gets 8, and Mr. Graham gets 6 for NOVA HQ.
And the rest of us who think they're basically just cuter little vacuum cleaners get to see who can turn these into the more effective counter-espionage force, lol.

Missy also gets 2 since she thinks their adorable and wanted one.
But your supposed to keep them in pairs so they can repair each other.

The other 4 can go to my new lab in Saint Andrews to clean it up… and watch out for thieves too, I guess.

Spoiler: A/N

Without getting into the full differences between the internet here and on this AU-Earth-Bet, I want to remind people that this is 2011, on an economically depressed Earth with significantly less global trade.
The TL;DR of it for the internet is that basically everyone can be assumed to possess at least a BlackBerry with internet access, but smartphones are clunky and VERY expensive still, and the laptop industry hasn't taken off nearly as much. (Tablets are Brand new on Earth-IRL around this time, so not even a pipe dream here.)
Devices tend towards being cheap with easily replaceable parts that are designed to last for years.
Imagine clunky but surprisingly powerful and cost-effective for 2011 desktops, and cellphones that are slightly behind in terms of tech but ahead in terms of reliability and price.

Examples: (Imagine these as cheaper and more durable, but also about as advanced as it gets outside of short-run prototypes from the people working on reverse engineering tinkertech. So a True Smartphone can be seen but only in the hands of a particularly tech-conscious Multi-Millionaire, with a few connections to get their hands on one.)
High-End Cellphone: Motorola Droid
Middle Class Cellphone: Helio Ocean
Cheap but decent Cellphone: Samsung BlackJack II
Old but functional and cheap Cellphone: HTC Excalibur

As a result, 17/20 internet users come in the form of proto-smartphones.
The kind with physical keyboards, but that could still handle something like Reddit, or in this case, PHO.
That meme above is a good example of what you can expect from 2011, Bet-Net.
A Small (37kb) oversaturated meme meant to be easily recognizable even on older and lower quality devices, which can be spread seamlessly in any number of forums, blogs, and meme sites.