j8cob

The 'Explain The Appeal Of......' Thread

<Snipped quote by j8cob>

Take a hike groupie, isn't there a Ben Carson speech you should be watching?

@Dynamo Frokane

Perhaps ironically, that's the most original one you've brought to the table this thread.

But also ironically it isn't very accurate.

The 'Explain The Appeal Of......' Thread

<Snipped quote by Buddha>

Yeah....no.

If you want to trade jabs I'll exchange starterpacks, memes, snarky jokes and swear words all day. Just keep my race out of it, I'm not attacking yours. Its disproportionate.

@Dynamo Frokane

"We only insult each other on MY terms."

The 'Explain The Appeal Of......' Thread

mcr's black parade

@Grimhildr

The 'Explain The Appeal Of......' Thread

@Buddha If I thought a starter pack would get you upset you'd start throwing racial terms about I never would have posted it. Next time I wont over-estimate the thickness of your skin homie.

@Dynamo Frokane

"If I ever thought that insulting people would make them insult me back, I would never have insulted them."

Hmmm...

The 'Explain The Appeal Of......' Thread

Can someone explain the appeal of brazenly tackling politics when nobody cares?

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

Nice edit.

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

It was also a double entendre. I was using le maymay arrow, but it also could've meant "greater than" 24 hours.

I'm good at this.

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

>24 hours

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

Sonika - Denver Clouds

After breaking through the cloud and coming out on the other side, Sonika decelerated to a near standstill. While the view itself was nice, being above the clouds and all, the true reason she stopped was to regain her breath and to see if the strange creature was still giving chase. She waited only a brief moment before deciding to move on with her escape route. No longer in her pocket of air she was able to continue breathing on her own as she flew parallel to the cloud she was above. All the way to the edge, where she could look down and confirm visually that no giant alien monster was on its way. Whatever that was, or whoever it was, that could be a problem in the future if it can fly. That one will also be on my list...

She took her sweet time figuring out exactly where on the ground her factory was. It was difficult to make out specific buildings from miles in the sky, but Sonika was able to get a decent estimate based on mathematical guesswork and her own knowledge of the geography. Her factory lay in a specific part of town, which was next to many of the skyscrapers of downtown. And so she descended upon Denver at a leisurely pace. It took several minutes before she was able to recognize her building's roof by sight, where she then accordingly adjusted course. It was another couple minutes before she touched down in the parking lot, nearby her limousine. Clearly her entourage had arrived while she was occupied. This also meant her clothes were available and she could get out of her Sonika persona. She reached for the handle of the rear passenger door of the vehicle when she finally remembered she was holding a gun. She had forgotten about her grip on the revolver she stole from her hostage. She was far too flustered to realize she never dropped it. It would've been better to do so during her escape, as now she would have to have it disposed of in some way as to not link it back to this location or any of her people. A minor problem, but one that could've been avoided altogether if she had paid more attention to what she was doing.

I have been making mistakes all day today. It has been stressful and I'm getting sloppy. I need to stay calm and think clearly before I make my next moves. I've spent years working towards this and I will not have it all unravel before me on the grounds of pure chance...

A few minutes later and Natasha was once again in her business clothes, her Sonika costume hidden safely underneath with her bandana stored in her purse alongside Celia's gun. She marched into the warehouse's parking lot entrance, which lead directly into the warehouse rather than her office, to find that her bodyguards were all taking a smoke break. This would normally be irritating, to be smoking indoors is very rude and unsightly, but Natasha had bigger problems at hand. "Where is Nicholas?" she demanded immediately, catching their attention and prompting them all to begin putting out their cigarettes almost in unison. Before any could answer there was a shouting response from the open office door several meters away. "Yes! I am here, Miss Burkova," a middle-aged man responded. He was an average height, noticeably shorter than Natasha in her heels, but his body was built like he had been laboring all his life. He was strong but wasn't exactly fit, judging by the weight he's surely gained since his youth. His balding hair used to be brown but was beginning to gray, much like his mustache, but his skin didn't seem particularly saggy. One could guess he was in his forties, and they'd be correct.

"Nick. Here is what we are going to do..." Rather than explain right away she walked over to him, or rather past him into her office. It was a small room with a large plexiglass window with blinds looking into the warehouse floor, a single wooden desk with an outdated computer monitor atop, and a single small filing cabinet against the wall behind the desk. A very plain office. Surely not one befitting what Natasha actually does. No, most of that paperwork and files and money and such are safely stored at her home. Everything in this room was part of her legitimate businesses across Denver. But that didn't matter now because she was about to undergo some illegitimate business.

The tall woman took her seat in the rolling chair behind the desk, leaving Nick to remain standing near the window. She withdrew a notebook from the desk drawers and opened it to a blank page. "I want you to contact as many of the gangs and syndicates in this city as you can. I am putting a reward up for the girl's capture. Make sure they know what she looks like, so get her picture from the security tapes. Also tell them her name, but do not tell them she is parahuman." The older man nodded. "It'll take me a bit, but I'm sure the news will spread like wildfire if there is a reward. Everyone looking to make a quick buck would be hunting by nightfall. How much are you going to offer for a reward?" The blonde woman thought on his question briefly, staring down at the blank page on her desk as she finally picked up one of her pens.

"Two hundred million dollars."

"That is my reward offer. It can be wired or in cash, I do not care. We must capture this girl, Nick, and I am willing to make that happen no matter what it costs." Nicholas seemed to be surprised by the high reward. Sure, if the details of this girl's power were known her value would probably be much higher, but the current bounty would be more than sufficient in attracting attention. "How will you explain spending that much money?" "I will find a way. But that is a lesser problem, and a problem that only I alone will face. There are more important things to worry about. Once that girl is in our hands we can get back to business as usual. But for now I must ask you to leave and close the door on the way out." The older man seemed confused briefly but deduced quickly enough what her intentions were. "Alright then. I'll do my best to spread the word. Vigilantes and law enforcement will likely also be aware of the bounty by tomorrow if they have good connections, so I'll refrain from giving anything away about us..." As he took his leave and closed the office door, Natasha withdrew her phone from her purse and began dialing numbers. She had several calls to make of her own...

Cassidy Hendricks - Macavity's Bunker

She didn't really intend to fall asleep so quickly. After all she was still basically in a relative stranger's house. A superpowered stranger at that. And the house was really a secret, underground hideout bunker. A collection of reasons to not be so lax yet Cassidy still dozed off faster than she could stop herself. Thankfully her trust in Macavity wasn't misplaced as when the young girl finally awoke there were no signs of any foul play. Her first thought upon waking was how embarrassing it was to pass out in front of Macavity, but then she remembered how terrible her previous day was and determined it was far from something to be bothered about. There was plenty more bothering her right now but she would keep it to herself the best she could.

With a loud huff she worked up the effort to sit upright on the bed, and with another loud huff she was on her feet. First she wondered what time it was, then she wondered where Macavity was. Unless she missed something this was the only bed and she had been occupying it. Surely it had to be night, or perhaps even morning by now. Cassidy didn't immediately see a clock and there was no windows to give her any hints. All she knew was that she was finally rested, though she was hungry and thirsty again. With Macavity not present it seemed as good a time as any to raid his place for food. Surely he had something better than those MREs, perhaps in a fridge somewhere. Then again if this place was supposed to be a hideout then he wouldn't be wasting his time doing grocery runs to keep a place that isn't his personal home stocked. Thus she decided not to tear the place up and instead settle for another one of the packaged military surplus meals.

Just as she was finishing her breakfast, or dinner depending on what time it was, her savior of yesterday finally arrived from the crazy secret entrance. And, to her surprise, he was bringing a lot of goodies with him. While she had asked him to help her get a costume she didn't expect him to be so quick to get started. With how much fabrics and such he seemed to have he must've started gathering hours ago. How long was I out? An unimportant thought, now that Cassidy could get to working with Macavity on preparing to take on a role as a vigilante. Well, not exactly a vigilante. But certainly not a criminal. Cassidy had no idea how she should describe her plans. "Wow, you work pretty quick. I figured we'd get started tomorrow, or later today. I'm not sure. Not so soon, for sure..." She had no idea how skilled Macavity was as a tailor, but she at least knew how to sew patches so surely that would be a transferable skill to making a costume. It couldn't be that hard making one, right?

"Okay, so I've thought about my costume a bit. I know the real reason to use it is to protect my identity, but since I'll probably be doing this for a little while it may as well be something I like. Ya know? Anyways, I hope you got some red because we're gonna use a lot of it... whatever material they make costumes out of. What do they make costumes out of? Like silk cloth or what? What kind of stuff did you... Nevermind, I don't even care. As long as it fits, looks good, and keeps people from knowing who I am at a glance it will do." With her energy regained and her body rested, it seemed that she had much more energy than she did yesterday. Whether that would amuse or bother Macavity, she didn't even consider before she began her barrage of words.

"I know my sizes so I can help out on that front. I've never really sewn anything before, I've only patched a hole in jeans one time, but it wasn't too bad so I can also help for doing any stitching work if you need it. Are you gonna, like, hire someone to do this or do it yourself? Did you have someone make your costume? Do capes usually make their own costumes? I dunno, I'm kinda new to the scene so I have no idea what everyone else is doing but I think we should do whatever everyone else is doing because it seems to be working for them. Anyways, I said I want it to be red but not like all red because then it'd look kinda goofy. But like red and white, so it looks nicer. I could go red and black but that's a darker color and I don't want to look emo or brooding or something. Red and white is safer, yes. Also I want it to be light... like its weight. And..."

She paused, finally, to consider a few other details. "Hmmm... Let's make the pants really short. I like running, I've always been a runner, and it's way easier to run without any pant legs in the way. But I don't wanna have, like, no legs at all on the costume. I don't want to look like some kind of slut showing off her legs... But at the same time if I have to run for my life I kinda want to be able to run for my life. Then again I probably won't ever really need to run for my life... Oh! I don't think I ever told you what I can do." Cassidy took another breather, before holding up her hand to get Macavity's attention. She wanted to make sure his eyes were on her. "So I'm a runner. I've been training for cross-country, but I can sprint really well. I'm quite fast. My mile is four minutes and thirty-seven seconds exact. But my power has nothing to do with that. I can stop people's perception of time temporarily, kinda freezing them in place for a bit. It's a bit confusing and hard to explain. My brother was able to explain it better than me, but let me just show you instead."

Without any warning she activated her power, leaving Macavity in place. Cassidy then walked over to the other side of the room and faced him again, waiting a couple seconds for his perception to catch up as her power deactivated. From his point of view she basically teleported across the room, even changing her posture and positioning, all far faster than the blink of an eye. "So yeah, I guess it isn't the strongest superpower out there. I won't be flying around or lifting cars or anything... But I can use this to my advantage. Thugs without any powers can be taken care of, I hope. Just gotta... kick 'em in the balls or something while they're frozen. I mean, I could try punching people but..." She raised her right hand and placed her palm on the top of her head, before lifting it several inches upwards in a gesture to indicate a height difference. Cassidy wasn't delusional about her stature. She was barely a teenager, a girl, and short. The only people she was going to beat in a fistfight would be children and the handicapped. "So yeah, that's why I wanna be able to run if I have to, ya know? Play to my strengths and all that. If I can't do anything to someone I wanna at least make sure they can't do anything to me... Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot one thing. My power is kinda limited. I can only freeze people for so long a day. So I can't just use it whenever I feel like because then I'll wear myself out and won't be able to use it again in an emergency."

Only now did Cassidy realize that she had been bombarding Macavity since he arrived, barely allowing any moments of silence. Worrying that she might be bothering the man trying to help her, she decided to take a much longer pause this time and simply keep her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted was to irritate him, not just because he's been nice to her but also because he could kick her out of the bunker whenever he wanted and she'd be in for a very rough time with no costume or disguise to hide herself from the bad guys.

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

Sonika - High in the Sky

As Sonika flew higher and higher into the sky she could only feel relief that fate was in her favor. There were few parahumans who could so effectively defy her powers and Denver had Furnace to do so. Had he been a vengeful criminal she would've been unable to get away. Morality was a great defense if you didn't have it, after all. The whole encounter was an important lesson that would not be lost on Sonika. She felt she had a decent understanding of Furnace's power, at the cost of him gaining a decent understanding of her own. He wasn't a PRT hero so hopefully he wouldn't share his notes but it would be futile to hedge her bets on that. Rather she would focus on being prepared for future encounters against him. She would need to keep a weapon and hostages, at the least. But perhaps further analysis could find a weak point for guaranteeing a decisive attack...

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt something approaching her from below. It was something large and unfamiliar, so much so that she couldn't hold her curiosity and turned to face the disturbance. Her eyes widened, a mixture of confusion and shock. A large, alien-like monster was soaring through the sky after her. It was far larger than any human so surely it couldn't be the result of a Shifter power. It couldn't be an illusion either, as it occupied space and a lot of it. A new Endbringer was Sonika's immediate conclusion, but if that were true it surely wouldn't be coming to chase her and ignore the collection of parahumans on the ground below. Endbringers had a pension for destruction, after all. The most likely possibility returned to the creature being of parahuman origin, but the mechanics of it were surely far too complex to dwell upon. Not when it was gaining on Sonika at her current speed.

An executive decision was made. The Russian supervillain turned her gaze forward again and tensed up, holding her breath as she removed the air around her to create a pocket vacuum. Then she began moving this pocket with her inside it, flying in a different manner than before and to much greater effect. Sure, if she went too fast she would be more likely to pop up on radar with the guaranteed detection at the moment she breaks the sound barrier. But right now she was going pretty slow so she had a bit of wiggle room. Any gain that Outsider was making was quickly made futile as Sonika rocketed forward at a far greater acceleration than before. It was always difficult for her to ascertain her exact speed but once she ceased accelerating and kept a steady speed she figured she was going somewhere a bit over three hundred miles-per-hour. This would be pushing the limit on her detection, though she hoped that by flying straight up it would somewhat combat the likelihood of air traffic control noticing. She had to relent on giving away another detail of her powers, that she was capable of speeds beyond land vehicles, but it was a small price to avoid potentially being eaten.

She made sure to continue her ascent at a slight angle, aiming for a nearby cloud. If the monster thing was either persistent or capable of accelerating further, she figured it would be a good opportunity to attempt to lose it. It would also serve to break the line of sight with any potential spectators with advanced optics capable of seeing her at range. After flying through the cloud all she would have to do is loop around to the farthest side of it and then decelerate for a slower descent. Already she was calculating the route she would have to take to get back to her warehouse while avoiding unwanted attention. The conclusion was to fly directly over the warehouse from far above and then descend from there. Her costume, while bright and noticeable on the ground, served as a perfect camouflage in the air. Any ground-level pedestrians looking up would have a hard time spotting her and this would work to her advantage of her stealthy getaway. Ideally there would be no pedestrians near the warehouse, if her goons were doing their job, so Sonika gave them the benefit of the doubt and decided to avoid any precautions on that front in the interest of time.

After all there was a dangerous escaped product to recover.

Cassidy Hendricks - Macavity's Bunker

Up until this point Macavity had been quite friendly and accommodating of Cassidy, but it seemed that there was a caveat to their present relationship that Cassidy had yet to realize. His rant didn't exactly come across as angry or aggressive, but instead seemed as if he was letting off stress. It didn't occur to the girl that his efforts so far had come at great personal risk. If what he said was true about the people who kidnapped her, the Bratva, then he really would be in danger just for staying near her long enough. Hell, anyone would be in danger. He said that she knew something important about this Bratva but Cassidy could only really remember what the warehouse looked like and what they did. She had a guess at its location but she wasn't really sure if she could track it down on her own. Was she really that much of a threat to these people just for escaping their clutches?

She had been selfish so far, thinking only of herself. Not that she was wrong to do so but it only now dawned on her the true consequences of her actions. These people truly were bad guys. It wasn't some Hollywood movie kind of gangsters but real criminals with real influence and a real agenda. It was a fight they started with her but she has gone and pissed them off. Going to the PRT didn't sit well with her, though she could understand why it would sit even less well with Macavity yet he seemed to believe it was the safest bet. Cassidy kept her silence as she took one of the packaged food things that he held, briefly examining it as she pondered on the choices presented to her. If the cops couldn't be trusted and she'd be a serious liability to anyone else, going to the PRT truly was the only feasible choice.

"Cassidy," she finally spoke up, answering his earlier question about her name. "That's my name. Cassidy Hendricks. I don't have any superhero nicknames or anything..." She popped open the food pouch, finding no surprise in the contents not appearing to be particularly appealing. But food was food. The sandwich and muffin earlier were just good holdovers and she wasn't about to be picky now. "Sorry..." To avoid further awkward conversation she began eating the MRE with haste. She hardly registered the flavors, whether it was from hunger or the food itself having none would be worthy of debate. But after she finished scarfing down her meal she let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Okay, I guess I should go to the PRT..." The girl got up off the bed, standing up on her feet next to it.

"I don't like it, but maybe I can ask them about giving me an-... anon-... anonymity or something. Then I can..." His words about her life having been over immediately came to mind. She could plead all she wanted but she couldn't get her family back, she wouldn't be able to shake the knowledge of her parahuman powers, nor would she be able to follow her dreams of playing in the Olympics. She would have to make some decisions on what to do with her life after going to the PRT and there weren't any she could think of that would be ideal. Even if they agreed to keep her anonymous from the public, she'd still be put in a government database to be kept track of as a superhuman. Cassidy frowned, grumbled, and crossed her arms. If only I could just make these Bratva people go away without going to the PRT. Then I could maybe start a new life. A new school. Another shot at running. Nobody would know who I am or what I can do... she thought to herself.

Then an idea struck her. Not a great idea or a particularly enticing one, but a potential solution to all her problems. "No," she said aloud, her tone deadly serious. It wouldn't take Macavity much effort to guess that she had rescinded her opinion on going to the PRT. The girl turned to face him, her arms still crossed and a frown still on her face. "You said that you took advantage of your powers to get what you wanted, right? Well I think I'm going to do the same." She uncrossed her arms to point at herself with her right thumb. "My old life is over. I can't get what I want any other way. I'm going to fight these bad guys and I won't be going to anyone so they can keep track of me. It'll be a bit underhanded but I've already lost enough. I want to keep something and I'm gonna keep my dreams. I'm gonna go to a new school and get a new life and pretend none of this ever happened. But first I'm going to beat these assholes who ruined my life in the first place!"

She progressively grew more heated and loud as she gave her speech, practically yelling by the end of it. Thankfully she realized her own volume and toned down, for the sake of Macavity's hearing in a fairly enclosed area. Evidently she had enough energy now. "I get it, you want me out of your hair so you don't get killed. But I'm gonna have to ask a favor of you before I go, Macavity." She closed her eyes and thought about something for a brief moment. When she opened her eyes again she continued. "I'm gonna need you to get me a costume. I never wanted to use my powers for anything but if this is the only way then I'm going to do it right. Nobody will know about Cassidy Hendricks or that she's a parahuman freak. From this moment forward, Cassidy has no powers or anything wrong with her. No Bratva chasing her, no bounty on her head, none of it. Instead, I'm now gonna be..."

"Chrona."

Cassidy paused, mainly to catch her breath but also to let Macavity take in what she was ranting on about. "I'm gonna trust you to keep your lips sealed about my name," she spoke up again, in a much calmer manner than before. "But..." The young girl fell backwards onto the bed, making no effort to return to her feet. "I'll start tomorrow..."