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 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reading fiction and PhiliOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 87: Thursday, June 16th - On Sugarhouse Sentinel Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#93Spoiler: 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 MüllerLast edited: Dec 5, 2025 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Araurlis and anirocksOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 88: Saturday, June 18th - Boat Graveyard Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#94So…
It might have been a mistake, but people have been complaining about the boat graveyard as long as I've been alive.
Plus, as cool as my power is, this was the first time I've had a perk that would just
pop away one of the Bay's biggest issues.
But this, the Y-Gun?
Point at the big one, the one that started it all, and hold for a few seconds, and it's done.
Y-Gun - Gantz
Base Cost: 300cp
Lore:
Black spheres conscript the unlucky into lethal hunts across crowded modern cities each night.
Combat suits and strange devices appear between missions after brutal resets of body and memory.
Teams chase points and prizes while targets vanish cleanly with unsettling, clinical precision.
Right and wrong blur as technology erases obstacles and silence fills the space left behind.
Details:
Handheld emitter sized like a short carbine with an under-barrel drum and twin-ring sight. A half pull starts a three-second lock on one visible nonliving object. On lock, the drum launches a capsule that bursts into micro nodes and lays a faint lattice over the surface. The lattice maps rigid connections by welds, bolts, rivets, solder, adhesive, and crystalline grain. On fire, the lattice swaps the captured mass into the nearest uninhabited dimension. All living tissue is excluded, and all items worn or carried by a living being are excluded. Straps on a wearer stay with them and detach at the target anchors. Objects only resting on the target remain, while fastened cargo goes if truly connected. No blast heat, light, or force on nearby air, water, or structures. The lock fails if the capsule cannot reach the target within ten seconds. If this occurs, the shot dissolves, and the lock resets. After firing, the core locks out and self-recharges over one day. A side ring fills during recharge, and the gun arms again when it closes.
Addons: -0cp The option to return the Y-Gun to your inventory. If used, it will return after 1 week, and the old one will dissolve. However, if you take this option, then the Y-Gun will be fully usable by others, even enemies, until the respawn timer is complete.
Final Cost: 300cp
Bank: 1950cp
The perk even said it "swaps the captured mass into the nearest uninhabited dimension" and "No blast heat, light, or force on nearby air, water, or structures."
It's basically perfect, just point, and suddenly the bay gets better.
I mean, the like 60 people falling into the water were a surprise, but there were a bunch of people filming me, so the authorities knew right away, and they all got rescued.
Plus most of them were arrested, since the cops really did not like going there, it was de facto safe territory for some drug cartel or another.
I wasn't expecting a lecture from Emily, but to be honest, I could tell her heart wasn't in it.
In the end, I just told her that my power was random, but let her keep the Y-Gun as long as she promised to be the one to have it and to actually use it (most of the boat graveyard is still there) and to not hand it off to some scientist who would take it apart and leave it broken in some warehouse like all that Tinkertech the military wasted so much money on in the 70's.
…
Oh, and I wish I'd thought of it before using it, but I enchanted it and managed to get Efficiency 3, Unbreaking 1.
I guess it's down to 13 hours reload, though, if the Obelisks or Enchanter's "Tower" is having any effect on that or not, I have no idea. I have not really tested much outside the Enchanter's Tower, since that's just a waste of resources, and the Obelisks seem to be more consistent with spells than effects… I think.
…
I could really use some more video game perks like the Y-Gun!
I mean, Magic is great, but other than writing down the perks, I can't really figure out what's interacting with what, and how.
Plus the ones I'm afraid to record anywhere, like that sealing one, that could be nothing, or could work to solve Ash Beast in one go… I just don't know.
But what I do know is it is better to hold that in my back pocket than to tell a government that already seems to be bugging Emily to tighten my leash that I MIGHT be capable of even temporarily untriggering someone.
So please, power… if I have any say in this, I could really use some kind of HUD power:
Claw Shard - The Book of the New Sun
Base Cost: -200cp
Lore:
Severian, forgetful torturer, exiled through citadels and jungles, chasing mercy, fleeing night.
With Claw and Terminus Est, he heals and harms, remakes fate, bends light.
Through war and masks, he devours memory, becomes Autarch, wagers Urth on strange rite.
Time arcs, the White Fountain answers, New Sun dawns, mercy crowned in radiant might.
Details:
A thumb-sized gem, it heals one severe wound per week when pressed to flesh, and it glows faintly near mortal danger without telling you what kind.
Addons: -25cp Body Integration. Rather than an object that can be lost or a spell that can be forgotten, it's now your fingernails, granting you fingernails with the hardness of a gem, that need never be cut again.
Final Cost: -225cp
Bank: 1650cp
So, is it all RNG then?
I'd almost say yes, except that addon looks almost like my power throwing me a bone, what with the whole "Rather than an object that can be lost or a spell that can be forgotten" part…
…
In less confusing news, Firewatch now has a Protectorate Liaison, since Velocity has offered to mentor Grue, and because Armsmaster wants him working with the Protectorate Wards, so having Velocity mentor them and Grue at the same time is the loophole to allow that.
Either way, I'm cool with it, and apparently Robin was already friends with the Firewatch team, so it works.
It also gives me a new excuse to meet Ruby again, because she's cute and likes me more than Missy, which is rare.
It's been one of the downsides to this whole cape thing that I haven't been able to see people like little Ruby Swoyer or Jade, one of my few friends who seemed more like my friend than Missy's.
Even if we ran in different circles most of the time, what with her living in the middle of ABB territory and me and Missy being (implied) Empire, given our skin and Missy's "internship."
I wonder what she's been up to…
Spoiler: A/NLast edited: Dec 7, 2025 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Phili and anirocksOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 89: IRC - Chris, Saga, Vicky, Eric, Carlos, and Weld Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#95Spoiler: [B]Reminder[/B]
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 carryingLast edited: Dec 7, 2025 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Phili and anirocksOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 90: Interlude: Emily Piggot - The Order Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#96Spoiler: Perspective:
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.Last edited: Dec 7, 2025 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Phili, Andre Chaos, Araurlis and 1 other personOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 91: Monday, June 27th - Making Money Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#97So… 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.Last edited: Dec 7, 2025 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Phili, Andre Chaos and AraurlisOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 92: Friday, July 1st - NOVA-HQ Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#98
--- = 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/NLast edited: Dec 7, 2025 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Phili, Araurlis and anirocksOblationDec 5, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks Threadmarks 93: Sunday, June 3rd - ABB/Chosen Raid Aftermath Threadmarks OblationProfessional Wet-Paint ObserverDec 5, 2025Add bookmark#99Rude.
…
I was all involved in the search for the ABB capes, then we finally find them, and I get sent over to HQ to stand guard all day!
The worst part is, they were right!
The Chosen (Hookwolf's E88) attacked, and it was only all of us under 18 Wards being in the same place that sent him and his minions off.
It's annoying, and I can't even complain because they were right to have kept a reserve.
Even though Lung and Nuwa got away (along with a huge chunk of the gang's non-powered), their still out of the city, and Oni-Lee's dead, which was the whole point.
The whole day went good.
Not perfect, but there are a bunch of ways it could have gone bad and didn't.
And I'm upset about it!
It would've been easier being upset if something had gone bad, but instead the only hitch was that a ramped-up Lung can stalemate the Protectorate for offense, even with my armor's protection.
But even there, it wasn't an issue because they kited him out of town before he got too big, and for once, I guess he grew for speed, not fire, because he got away.
Velocity chased him for a bit, but got called back once it would've taken the rest more than 30 minutes to catch up with him.
Nuwa got away with a bunch of the gang's remaining members, but most of Firewatch + Carlos, Dean, and Vicky (the 18+ wards) still got like 30 of them and one of the most violent lieutenants.
"Madugo" was the leader of the Southeast Asian parts of the ABB, and for a guy whose name literally means "Gory" in his native Filipino, I think it's clear where he got his reputation.
So, today was a success, and my whole part in it was taking pot-shots at Hookwolf and teleporting teammates out of danger with Fox.
Though it would have been nice if Missy would've been able to finish her Solar lens to melt Hookwolf.
But it was too cloudy, and he was too quick to retreat once the minion's clothes started to catch on fire, so it didn't happen, unfortunately.
---
Oh, and no injuries, thanks to Addison.
I also found out why he STILL doesn't have a costume.
Apparently, he's afraid of PR, and so long as he keeps refusing Hero names and costumes, he doesn't have to do any of it.
Missy and Chris think he's a genius for this, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna bite him when he runs out of time and gets slapped with "Boo Boo Buddy" or something stupid like that.
…
Also I rolled but it's just another PR Perk, so I called it a night on rolls.
Gold - Red Rising
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore & Details:
Humanity sprawls across the solar system in a strict color caste, engineered so each person reads as role, rank, and polished purpose.
A lowborn Red is remade into a Gold to infiltrate the ruling caste and spark revolt from within, a one-life gamble to topple centuries of rule.
The series turns that gamble into total war, asking whether overthrowing a cruel order births freedom or just another crown, and what surviving the furnace of revolution leaves behind.
---
You appear gilded and blonde, hair like braided sun, skin warmed to coin, eyes opalescent and sharp, features honed to statuesque calm.
Blood, grime, or exhaustion only adds weathered grandeur.
Onlookers will remember your silhouette as luminous authority.
Addons:
N/A
Final Cost: -50cp
Bank: 875cp
I almost didn't take this one, but I figure Blonde is already close enough to Golden that people might not notice.
So obviously Emily did immediately, which is how I got found out for hiding rolls, but all that led to was a discussion about the money power, and what I was supposed to do with hundreds of thousands of Nickels and Dimes.
Answer?
Pretty obvious given who I'm talking to, but give it to the PRT and get Tinker Budget.
When I brought up the tinker budget only being to build stuff, which I can justify in the paperwork (aka for Ward's usage, not for things like supporting NOVA).
Emily offered to trade it but said I'd need to take a loss on behalf of the caffeine budget.
So we went back and forth for a while, then I gave her the coins and accepted one of those Visa cards, which they give informants and bounty hunters with 92.5% of what I gave her in cash… or well, in digital money, but close enough.
---
I asked how long she thought that 7.5% would last, and Emily said a week??
I thought she was joking, but no.
Apparently, the Caffeine budget for the New England PRT branches comes out to like 20k Per Week.
It really puts into perspective how expensive things are.
I really thought I was going places with this fund, but in reality, I've got less of a budget than Emily does for her departments to spend on Caffeine, for the next three months!
---
Oh, and the PR team's almost finished getting pictures with everyone using the Y-Gun, so I guess there's going to be a grand reopening thing tomorrow, where they want me and Emily to cut a ribbon, then she'll make some kind of "New City" speech now that the ABB got run out of town.
Not that big a Deal, but Taylor's really pumped about it, so I'm doing my best to match her energy.
Though it's hard to get really pumped about… having like 5 ships a day, show up and unload some stuff before leaving later.
Plus, they're already doing that, since the first thing they did with the Y-Gun was clear a path to the Dockworkers.
…
Seeing it in the mirror, I'm not sure how Emily noticed?
Like, my hair just looks like I'm standing in the sun, even when I'm not.
It's not much of a change, but I guess I forgot Emily's still the Kingslayer, since she clocked it instantly, in a way that took me 10 minutes of looking in a mirror to pin down.