Question [G2] The Road to Whateley

And another group of students head off towards Whateley.

The Road to Whateley Part 1 comments
Comments typed while reading story.

I wonder if the song has any clues about the nature of those involved in the story. Someone cold and ruthless [kill with a heart like artic ice], possibly an energizer or cryokinetic [aim with the hand, shoot with the mind]. Just some initial guesses, let's see how they pan out.

A war scene, a helicopter crash, and troops going into a place that can be described as hell on Earth. Attacking Rome, the act of the insane or religious zealots opposed to Catholism. Death and destruction at the Holy See's walls, Jihadi militia backed by Russian troops, this is bad. Nice, the Animen brought back to action and fighting terrorists, wonder if Dr. DNA is still trying to order them around.

Nick and the others in the field, yet only 4 of those sent are still standing/alive. Calling them demons, talk about ignorant. Nick saying he is okay with his symptoms, talk about stubborn, if he were a mutant it could be burnout. Anyone who uses fellow humans as bait knowing they will die are scum. And having to rescue the Pope from the Vatican, just how messed up are world affairs in that part of the world in the Whateley Universe.

Nick manifested! After having been an Ani-Man for who knows how many years, he manifested. And the whole things was a hard-light sim, hope the real world isn't in that dire of straits that the Vatican would be attacked by terrorists.

A worldwide event using advanced sims, would love to see the day that happens. Junior! He is the son of the original Ani-Men from the story told about their origin. He would be in early to mid-teens at the latest based on that. Bouncing with energy and burned his friend, has to be an energizer especially with the display of blue white lightning. Hehe, Nick Jr. is definitely a normal teenage boy. Wait until he sees some of the girls at Whateley, wonder what he will think of them. And nothing makes even the most powerful of teen act like a little kid caught with their hand caught in the cookie jar like mom when she is upset.

Nick Brennan, multiple wives. Ah, now I remember it being mentioned in their origin story that would happen. 3 wives, 5 daughters, and 3 sons. And probably not done growing his family, yikes. Family reunions in the future once the kids have their own families will be interesting to say the least. Heather trying to protect her child, although I wonder how long the kid has had powers and kept them secret myself. A good thing she knows her husband so well and how to cool off his temper.

She is a great mother, too often I hear parents in public talking to their kids, not with them. Nick, meticulous and focused, can tell just from his boots. What song are those lines from that Junior is singing? Giving his son hard cider at 14-15 years old, guess it is a father-son thing. Poor kid, curious about being human in a world full of them. Guess it has been so long that Nick has fully adjusted.

Human-horse hybrid as tall as Nick is, I would hate to be faced with such a foe. At least he said what Junior needed to hear, inside they are human. A lot of GSD mutants need reminding of this, especially with some humans saying they aren't human or calling them monsters or worse. Not just the Ani-Men. And I was wrong about Nick having fully adjusted, guess you never fully forget what you once were.

Going from phone and iPad not losing a charge when held to full-on electricity generation is a huge leap, something even most adults wouldn't have thought of. If only more people would realize teens who manifest as mutants are scared and confused about it, not a huge threat the MCO and H1! makes them out to be. If they saw the fear in Junior's eyes and heard his question, they might learn something. And I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. DNA intended for all Ani-Men to have powers but goofed up, sounds like something he would do.

Ed is okay and low probability of scarring, who came up with this Grease-Skin I wonder. Okay, that was impressive, wondering if it was more mutant power or awakened Ki energy. And Toni has articles online about awakening your Ki and she is famous, the world will never be the same. Okay, just reading down answered that question, pure mutant energizer power there. And she replied to an email of his! Kid has a point, Toni is the expert on Ki. And she is showing up to see Nick Junior tomorrow, yay!

Oh brother, I can see why those messages are needed, too many people think being a human-animal hybrid would be a dream come true without knowing the truth about all it entails. Paradise Island is like another world, if Heather hasn't seen a human in so long she forgot how small they are compared to her. Toni still has the boots Kayda made for each of them, wonder how her personality has matured in the time since she graduated Whateley.

Excited about going to a new place, that part of Toni hasn't changed. Guess they couldn't give up that source of income, but that also means their kids are celebrities to anyone who watches. So Nick Junior might be famous at Whateley among some students before he even arrives. Shoot, now if I ever go to a major city like New York or Washington, D.C. I will looking for cameras everywhere. First up-close human he has seen, and a voice like James Earl Jones channeling the ghost of Jeff Spicoli, his voice alone will get him attention. And nice call out to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, need to rewatch that sometime soon.

Wonder which old friend would have called and who she would have not talked to for almost 10 years, hope it isn't any of Team Kimba or Kayda. Setting the kid up so Academy fees are already partially paid for, Toni is thinking ahead. And after seeing the kind of courses the school has, Nick's son would give him puppy dog eyes if he didn't agree to send him there. And Mrs. Carson is still headmistress! The class of 2020 gets the first mutant Ani-Men in their ranks.

Okay, that shark seems a little overkill, even for Karedonia, unless more trouble has come to the island in the almost 10 years that have passed. I can't tell what Smokey is, squeaking at the shark, hating and then loving swimming, is he human or some form of animal? And Jobe is still stuck as a female drow and made more of them, this isn't a good thing. It was when it was to help those at Whateley, but now transforming any who impress her who want it. And she is still making a lot mistakes from what is said about the tabloids, guess she never learned to reign in her arrogance at Whateley.

Wait, Smokey is a dragon!?! And stupid 'mean girl' drows just assume she is stealing from Jobe, talk about arrogant and overconfident. AJ, wonder what his full name is, and trained since 3 in martial arts, must have had an unusual upbringing. You would think after going to Whateley and being subjected to Ito's training, Jobe would require any new drow to be taught how to fight so they don't get overconfident they can just overpower an opponent. AJ is impressive already, the first rule of winning a fight is not getting hit by your opponent, imo.

Wonder if the Daleks have been upgraded to have multiple colors or be distinctive from each others by Emperor Wilkins. You might hate paperwork but you never know when it might get you out of trouble, case in point. Great, the drow brats [to call them bitches would be an insult to female dogs] are probably going to get off with a slap on the wrist and lecture. Hope they at least learn to ask first next time instead of assume. Globulon, the rest would be enough to give most forces pause but something with a name like that, you know it has be bad news especially if Jobe had a hand in making it/him/her.

Having to hide out in a time-share on Karedonia from Plague Wolf, what did his mom and him do to tick this guy off? Minion bars and one of them ticked off the local authorities that badly, he is going to be scrubbing that range for at least a month. Witch Queen and Witch Cult with various covens, yikes. Poor kid is going to have an unusual idea of what is normal, even for Whateley. Crimson Scrab and Headless Wraith, now those are fun super villain names. And hearing about that deal, his mom is scary cunning.

Almost every kid growing up has to put up with you are, AJ, it is almost a rite of passage to have people we met once years ago and meet again years later coo over us and remark how big we have gotten. Even if they are related it doesn't help. And it figures idiots think Karedonia doesn't have laws, hence the attacking thug. Nice to have all the reasons for the laws in Karedonia and why Emperor Wilkins lets the thugs come spelled out. A way of weeding out the biggest idiots in the Underworld, someone had to think of it.

Compared to her father Jobe is the sweetest little thing, gah! That is a scary visual, imagining Jobe decked out in frilly dresses and acting sweet. I know that is not what she meant, but somehow the image got into my head. A powerful witch and EX-5 about, no wonder she is the head of a powerful witch's coven. 4 ton strength when channeling dragonfire, dragonfire which can blast or be formed into a blade, and a pet dragon, along with his combat training since 3 years old. AJ is scary powerful from what we have seen so far.

I like the Knight Commander, she would have let him off easy with death, better to hand him over to Emperor Giz for a fate worse than death. And glad to see her listen to her senior henchmen, even in comics that is rare for big-time villains to do. Though after just seeing her speed, mention of strength in tons and powerful spell I can see why even he wouldn't want to get between her and her latest punching bag. Seeing supervillain action without being in danger, definite perk for joining the coven.

AJ, mom calling him Lex, first name Alex probably. Now to figure out the J. Wait, coming from Karedonia to go to Whateley, could that call about two threats from Karedonia showing up in New York have been Plague Wolf trying to get the MCO to do his dirty work? Well, if you founded your own island nation wouldn't you name a lot of stuff after yourself. And now they find out about the mess with the FAA, and without knowing about the MCO's involvement they go to the obvious conclusion. Although it wouldn't surprise me if IRS and State Department were in on the troubles as well.

It is an obvious trap and most will either be caught or have to find alternative means of travel to Karedonia. Bureaucrats, the bane of the common man. And dang, there are a lot more means around this for the supervillains than I thought of. And despite everything, she is a normal mom when it comes to wanting her kid to go to school and get an education. Poor Smokey, having to travel in a small space like a tube. As if I didn't find her scary enough, the way she got Smokey to go into that tube, she could scare the stripes off a zebra.

Muffins have to be cleared by Customs, that is ridiculous. He absorbed part of a dragon-construct's power, and reference to Green Lantern, could his dragonfire do a lot more than has been shown, I wonder. The way his mom describes the dragonfire it sounds like an energizer trait, needing to eat a lot to fuel it and such. Power elixirs, love the reference to Popeye and how he watched them with his dad. And I wonder who Pixie is, someone who worked for his dad or something more perhaps.

"Everybody knows the brownie trick." Hehehe. Power elixir muffins, now there is something I've seen before. And his mom is right, you can be a normal person nowadays and just one thing of liquid can get you in an interrogation room for hours while they test it. Oat-bran wheatgrass special, that will insure he only eats them in an emergency now. Ugh, just the thought of those is making my stomach upset. A lot of good reasons for making the muffins that way too. Although I have to disagree about the MREs some, some of them were delicious when I was younger and dad brought them home.

And she definitely thought of everything, she is right about needing nasty tricks to survive, especially if the bullies at Whateley haven't gotten any better. Although he better keep those books away from Ms. Grimes if she is still working there or Circe, who would probably see through such a trick in an instant and confiscate the books. That is an elaborate set-up for her spellbooks, even a way to dispose of them with no evidence. Maybe Lex won't get caught with them. Nah, what fun would that be.

Bwahahaha, she didn't know the Hunger Games are marketed towards teenage girls. He is going to get teased so much over this if anyone finds out. At least she has the common sense to remove the spellbook pages with the most dangerous ones that are most likely to get him caught, she loves her son but he is a teen and curiosity can make people do foolish things.

Those are some very useful spells, not only teens. Proves that the most useful spells don't have to have a lot of power behind them. His mom runs a powerful cult of witches with multiple covens under her command, is a supervillain and has probably killed in the past. Yet he consider her doing multi-level marketing to be the true evil. *has to stop typing for a minute, laughing too hard*

Yikes, barely 2 feet head clearance in a plane in the business class for Nick Junior, I would have tried to sleep most of the way. Sent to Miami because of the mess with the MCO, even worse. And a TSA agent overreacts, seesh, no sense of humor. 4 or 5 others already waiting because of this mess, there is going to be trouble. I like the young lady's idea, have revenge by having a good time while they are detained. An African American girl named Vanessa, Vox introduced in Gen 2! And she has become famous, glad things turned around. Poor Nick is going to be hounded by her fans about what it was like having a jam session with her.

I guess AJ would look scrawny to Nick Junior. And sometimes fame is thrust upon you, there is at least one other student at Whateley who will have it as bad due to fame. I just knew someone was going to do the Luthor comment when AJ said his name was Lex, glad I wasn't let do, that was too good a set-up to pass up. And we learn one of their codenames, Lex aka AJ goes by Blackstone, guess anything with dragon or fire in it would give too much away about his powers.

Had me feeling sorry for Daisy with her being mistaken as a teen and treated condescendingly by even her fellow MCO agents or suspecting her since she looked like a teen. Then the part about her believing mutants are a material threat to the general public hit and washed that away. Hard to fellow sorry for someone who treats fellow humans as if they aren't humans anymore, seeing them only as threats instead of people. Plus her and Rowan judge based on appearances too quickly, like with Lex. A foolish thing to do, believing because he doesn't appear to be rich that they can shake him down.

Covering up for her partner's bullying, she should just let him be taken down and state she tried to stop him. Thought she was smart, if she can't think of that she isn't going to last long. And Rowan is a credit hog, why Daisy hasn't washed her hands of him is beyond me. Okay, at least she is smart enough to know not to mess with the rich. Though going after the middle-class and poor because they can't defend themselves with high-paid lawyers is cowardly.

Arguing about the tube with Smokey after it was vetted by both Karedonian and American authorities, then trying to open a sealed container, Rowan is a true idiot. I wonder how many idiots have had to be put down by fellow agents for pulling crap like phony 'berserker' shooting to cover their ass, if it is on the books as an official method to prevent trouble for the agency overall it has to have happened more than a few times. Aiming a loaded gun at AJ who is just trying to get his dragon under control, if I were the TSA and he didn't listen I would fire and say he aimed at them. And the TSA resents the MCO as it is, after the incidents in New York and Miami they are going to be in hot water.

Someone using the son of the Witch Queen as a mule to smuggle something into the US, a shielded, warded box that fit into the tube, once Lex's mom finds out I doubt that man will live for long. And Daisy not stopping it, trying to using the kid to lead her to further bust to make her career, is going to backfire big time on her. And Vox saves the day and gets to leave quickly, I'm loving all the guest appearances by Gen 1 characters and mentions of them.

Both on the No-Fly list, with good reasons for both, and if only Vox had remained behind for a minute or two more to get Smokey back into the tube. Nick Junior got an idea on their travel plans, well, with what has happened on trains before it is understandable. Though I would rather take a slow trip on a train, then risk being in the open on a fast boat, drawing attention to myself.

Daisy using the situation to her advantage, getting Len Rowan arrested, she has probably been waiting to do that for some time. If AJ gets to Whateley with that tracer still on them, Daisy is going to wish she never met the kid. And shoot, I thought his codename was Blackstone, sure sounded like one, with magic in his family I should have know it was his last name.

Miami beach, you would think with the kind of women his mom hangs out with that Lex wouldn't have any trouble there. Poor kid, plus having to deal with his new friend being a minor celebrity and Smokey eating up the attention. A place out of his parents tax brackets, dang. And I know how he feels, I often feel I don't belong, makes you afraid of even trying to interact with others. A loud Hawaiian shirt, ouch. Jay Randolph, JR and he deals with yachts, wonder if anyone else will get the reference.

An Oceanis 45 and they are sailing it all the wall from Miami up to Boston, hello wacky adventures. Maybe even pirates. And Nick at the helm, definitely going to draw attention. Impressive training, a lot of these new kids seem to be coming in with training you wouldn't expect from a normal teen. Paid to sail a boat long distances, if it wasn't for the sometimes unpredictable weather and chaotic ocean waves, it would be a dream job.

Now that is a fancy ship, teak wood door, booth to eat in, efficient kitchen, this thing is a small house on water. $700 a week without having any kind of training and papers to prove it, how much can you make with the papers to prove you have the right training. Better late than tortured by a hyperactive dragon on a train and all the trouble Smokey could cause. The Courier was planning to offer them up to his employer for who knows what, glad this scum's plans have gone off the rails.

Mirabel, don't try to understand why they name things. Just humor the super villains and you will be happier. Though calling a normal helicopter the Sky Chariot is a bit much. Sycorax The Devil's Mistress, wonder how she came up with that name. Another super villainess who looks younger than she is and is hot. Though I guess they have to be to last in this business. A woman hot enough to make a straight woman fantasize about her, dang.

And Sycorax is the one the courier was going to hand them over to, I shudder to think of what she would do to them. Another apprentice just to pit them against each other for their own amusement, ugh, even more twist than I thought. The Red Wizard, wonder what Square-Enix has to say about someone using that name. And any respect or pity I had for Mirabel is gone after her plan to deal with AJ and Nick Junior. She seriously underestimates the potential opposition.

And I love how Sycorax points out the problems of finding a ship at sea that Hollywood downplays in every movie. Basic physics and knowledge of how weather works needs to be taught as part of magic lessons. Plus more talk of an old friend being involved, which Toni mentioned a call from who she hadn't heard from in almost 10 years. Wait a minute, could Mrs. Potter be involved? Or is it someone else, this is going to gnaw at me until I find out. Manipulating the boys into getting onto a train by using the Coast Guard against them, setting up an ambush in Bellerve. By the end of this whole affair Sycorax and her minions are going to wish they never met Lex and Nick Junior.

2 things 1 hello Chaka, I wonder what other Kimbites we will meet.
2 looks like princess Jobe never rectified her mistake, the question is, was it due to a failure or just deciding not to...

Well so much for my theory of the Drow all becoming 10 year old Japanese boys.

Another thing I would like to point out, Inter agency conflicts are never pretty, didn't anyone tell that MCO officer what happened in Berlin when the MCO office had conflict with the DPA? Seriously you don't mess with that stuff unless you have a warrant because "probable cause" just won't cover your ass when there's another agency involved, especially when said probable cause is nothing more than racial profiling.

Overall a fun read. One editorial issue I have with it is that Sycorax seems to have three or so different spellings in it.

It's interesting to see Paradise Island's society developing its own unique traits as the second generation grows up.

Karedonia seems to be an interesting place, I hope we'll see more of it. Uncorruptible cops capable of destroying battle tanks do seem to be a neccessity.

One question begs to be answered though. Did anyone ever think of having Gizmatic assign some slightly modified Daleks to the department of Pest Control? It would be a hoot for comedy reasons if nothing else. Imagining opening your door/gate/portcullis and seeing a Dalek there announcing that it is from the department of Pest Control and that it is there to EXTERMINATE the pest problem. Of course the initial pest control Daleks would just announced that they were there to EXTERMINATE without being specific but the department changed that after wondering why there was such a work backlog. That those same pest control Daleks would also make good chemical warfare troops is not immediately relevant.

With Jobe anything is possible, but the newly adopted Drow might become compleat bitches for purely psychological reasons. Getting a beautiful exclusive new body all of a sudden would probably be more than enough to cause it. Of course, Jobe might run every new Drow through an involuntary session in a mind control device just to be sure... One wonders what the Sidhe think of the situation.

Seeing some of the Gen 1 characters pop up is nice though I for one am wondering who the person that phoned Toni was.

Welp, now I see what all the cryptic comments in the introduction were about.

Good to see Chaka and Vox. I'm betting Grease-Skin is derived from Greasy's formula (and probably marketed through Ayla), and JinnTech is probably Thuban's technology company.

This looks fun. I wonder who AJ's father is?

I also look forward to seeing how Nick deals with the GSD crowd. He might be able to help some of the serious "oh woe is me" types with his attitude.

Well, really like seeing backstory information used, and to introduce a character who is going to be misleading to everyone who thinks they know about Ani-men was really nice. On AJ, he is clearly a lot more capable than most people are going to give him credit for at first glance, and I particularly get the impression that Smokey is more than just a pet dragon (I can't believe I just said just a pet dragon).

The Courier (who made a really bad choice of mule), Sycorax and co. are cruising for a bruising, as getting the cruiser impounded may not be as easy as she seems to think since Nick knows people. Still, if she is willing to burn a favor or two, it might happen. On the other hand, convincing the boys to get on a train heading to New Orleans when they are trying to head to New Hampshire? The only way I can see that working is some kind of confusion spell or illusion on the tickets, or burning favors to have them forced onto that train. Either way, AJ would immediately know it was a trap and he and Nick would bail from the train long before Bellereve.

A good first chapter. Now, it's funny how easy it was to tell apart the scenes which were mainly Bek (mostly A.J.'s, but also Sycorax and the first-person MCO gal thing) from the ones which were mostly E.E.'s (mostly the ones focusing on Nick & co.) That's not just because of the obvious (Paradise Island is E.E.'s "thing"), but also due to each writer's personal style and little idiosyncrasies...

Arcanist Lupus is wondering about A.J.'s father. You know, If it wasn't impossible due to timeline issues, those initials could be a clue... after all, we do know of another A.J. -- A.J.G. in fact. And a mother who is clueless enough to give chick books to her son might be clueless enough name him "Aylon Jan" or something equally embarrassing, which would explain his going by his initials. But, as I said, it's impossible: A.J. was born about four years before Trevor adopted the name Ayla.

Well... unless...

There is no time travel in the Whateley Universe (Mythos entities excepted), but there might be some sort of rapid aging thing... like spending some time in a parallel dimension where time runs faster...

Maybe A.J.'s mom is someone we know from Whateley... who DID have an affair with Ayla around 2011... then spent ten years in another reality and came back later in the same day, but with a nine-year-boy in tow...

OK, this tree is getting REALLY epileptic. Some Gardenal in the roots would be good right now.

nicely chewy, well-written start.

Looking forward to the next episode.

What's the bet that there will be another set of phone calls to aggravate Delarose's ulcers...?

Sir Lee wrote:
Well... unless...


Maybe A.J.'s mom is someone we know from Whateley... who DID have an affair with Ayla around 2011... then spent ten years in another reality and came back later in the same day, but with a nine-year-boy in tow...

I think AJ's mother might have been involved in an Imp-possible heist.

Kinda makes me think his father was too. Mis remembered. He's mentioned in the third Imp story

Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. Damn, there goes a great ridiculous fan theory down the drain...

This story was bit disjoint seeming to lack overlap until the end. But the cast was smaller so I could at least keep up with it.

Chaka was a pleasant surprise. MCO moron was not a surprise. Youthful MCO agent is intriguing.

"I know. We'll take a yacht," said the horseman. Perfectly logical.

As the "bad guy" at the end was sounding competent why didn't anyone figure the "kid" came from Kardonea. Alone. That should set off warning flags, shouldn't it?

Although I do think the young MCO agent was a bit stupid. She slipped the tracker in. But she had no reason to leave the smuggled item in there, did she? Why didn't she grab the macguffin, and then follow the newly minted decoy?

I would bet that Nick is going to love “Marcie’s Oat bran-Wheatgrass specials.” And that Marcie and the Witch Queen may have a market for those.

Valentine wrote: I would bet that Nick is going to love “Marcie’s Oat bran-Wheatgrass specials.” And that Marcie and the Witch Queen may have a market for those.

Only from health nuts or those desperate enough to eat such a thing. It taste like eating a lawn.

Dreamer wrote:

Valentine wrote: I would bet that Nick is going to love “Marcie’s Oat bran-Wheatgrass specials.” And that Marcie and the Witch Queen may have a market for those.

Only from health nuts or those desperate enough to eat such a thing. It taste like eating a lawn.

Pretty sure that Valentine's point is that the horse Animen like Nick might actually LIKE them. You know, BECAUSE they taste like eating a lawn...

NeoMagus wrote:

Dreamer wrote:

Valentine wrote: I would bet that Nick is going to love “Marcie’s Oat bran-Wheatgrass specials.” And that Marcie and the Witch Queen may have a market for those.

Only from health nuts or those desperate enough to eat such a thing. It taste like eating a lawn.

Pretty sure that Valentine's point is that the horse Animen like Nick might actually LIKE them. You know, BECAUSE they taste like eating a lawn...

I wonder if they do eat grass. It's a horribly inefficient food source for people who were bred to be soldiers.

annachie wrote:

NeoMagus wrote:

Dreamer wrote:

Valentine wrote: I would bet that Nick is going to love “Marcie’s Oat bran-Wheatgrass specials.” And that Marcie and the Witch Queen may have a market for those.

Only from health nuts or those desperate enough to eat such a thing. It taste like eating a lawn.

Pretty sure that Valentine's point is that the horse Animen like Nick might actually LIKE them. You know, BECAUSE they taste like eating a lawn...

I wonder if they do eat grass. It's a horribly inefficient food source for people who were bred to be soldiers.

Yes, but having the capability would be very valuable to a soldier in the field, being able to literally live off the land. Nothing says they can't eat both grass, and red meat. real horses are not adverse to scarfing down a bit of protein if the chance happens along. You can find pictures on You Tube of things like horses eating baby chicks.

annachie wrote:

NeoMagus wrote:

Dreamer wrote:

Valentine wrote: I would bet that Nick is going to love “Marcie’s Oat bran-Wheatgrass specials.” And that Marcie and the Witch Queen may have a market for those.

Only from health nuts or those desperate enough to eat such a thing. It taste like eating a lawn.

Pretty sure that Valentine's point is that the horse Animen like Nick might actually LIKE them. You know, BECAUSE they taste like eating a lawn...

I wonder if they do eat grass. It's a horribly inefficient food source for people who were bred to be soldiers.

It may not be a primary source of food for them, but their equine genetics may make it taste good, so a Horse Animen salad may be made of various grasses instead of lettuces.

And basically, if a human can eat the oat bran-wheatgrass combo, it's not only likely that a horse Animan can, it's quite likely that it will be more palatable to them than to humans. Looking at genetics alone, it would seem likely that horse-Animen's tastes would be somewhere halfway between humans and horses.

OTOH, as a military soldier design, being dependent on high-bulk foodstuffs like hay would be undesirable. So Animen would need to be able to digest more compact, high-energy, high-protein food, such as meat. So in the end I expect that Animen wouldn't have any significant dietary restrictions compared to humans (no forced vegetarianism or anything like that), but their tastes might be somewhat more horse-like. And yes, being able to eat grass might be advantageous.

Unless the genetic alteration includes a way of more efficient digestion of plant matter, I cant see grass working as this tends to meed a LOT of gut, and often a secondary stomach. There isn't room in the torso.

Besides, why bother? Plenty of food available for humans, why make an issue of them eating grass?? Even if they can digest it, the energy content is poor, which is why horse armies were such a pain to supply. From the military pov its pointless nowadays, food mass is one of the lesser logistics issues.

Thank you Bek and Doc for more info on Karedonia. It is very helpful even if I did have to do some rewriting.

Astrodragon wrote: Unless the genetic alteration includes a way of more efficient digestion of plant matter, I cant see grass working as this tends to meed a LOT of gut, and often a secondary stomach. There isn't room in the torso.

Besides, why bother? Plenty of food available for humans, why make an issue of them eating grass?? Even if they can digest it, the energy content is poor, which is why horse armies were such a pain to supply. From the military pov its pointless nowadays, food mass is one of the lesser logistics issues.

First wheatgrass isn't Kentucky Bluegrass or any other sort of lawn grass. It is the stalk of wheat harvestested shortly after germination, and is nutritionally similar to some other dark green leafy veggies. It is believed to be a super healthy food source by some. So we are not talking about the Animen out grazing in a field, or even harvesting grass to eat. It is possible that a horse Animen could survive on a raw oat/wheat/corn/grain type diet, although they may not enjoy it.

My point was that something unpalatable to a human, may be enjoyed by a horse/human hybrid.

Don't wish to be prurient, but can't help but point out the reaction most Teen age girls have toward horses. Nick isn't quite a horse, but his people have been on TV since before ever. I'm sure more than a few teenage girls have posters of his father, and maybe him, on their walls.

And if Paradise Island is so into marketing, can't help but think their would be a toy line, and maybe in this universe the My Little Pony franchise draws inspiration from the Paradise Island natives. With the focus still being on Female characters. Just because they don't really have Unicorns and Pegasus does not mean a cartoon show wouldn't still have them.

This was nicely done. Not sure how I feel about having main Gen1 characters coming right out and saying hi, but it did feel natural, and Chaka doesn't exactly have a big role so it's not a big deal.
The background info was really nice.
I like AJ's mom, the part where she ripped out a few pages from the spell book had me laughing.
Nick's competence was good. Rather than doing something silly or calling for help calmly dealing with the situation and making sure he got paid for it was really smart.
So yeah, good work.

An interesting story so far, it was great to see First gen characters either show up in person or at least get mentioned. And finally a canon story actually taking place on Karedonia, thankyou. On the other hand the whole lets start the story inside a VR simulation, and make the reaer go WTF Fundumentalsits have invade Rome in the Whately Universe? That made me stop reading for several days. Starting stotires inside simulations, dreams or what have you is now officaly on me pet hate list.

A few short notes typed up en-route...

So it seems as though Dr. DNA and Backside of Paradise were kind of prequels to the G2 adventures of Nick's son, who appears to have picked up the Metagene complex.

Grease-skin - I thought it likely that would go commercial at some point - evidently by the time of G2 it's widely available.

A Goodkind Fun Box - so evidently they're producing goods in the technology and entertainment industry sectors. As for a certain prodigal child, I still reckon AJG Consolidated is more likely to be a holding company that's not well-known in its own right outside investor circles, with its subsidiary companies having the name recognition.

A reference to Toni - then she actually turns up. Now that was unexpected!

"An old friend she hadn't spoken to in nearly ten years" - i.e. since leaving Whateley...

Liz Carson's still Head at Whateley, so that's our first member of staff confirmed

Laser sharks!

A mention of Princess Jobe and a growing Drow Collective, so she's still evidently engaged in the Drow Conversion Program (probably still with the aid of Belphobe, FT and Bova).

Dalek security - hmm... did someone see Belphobe watching Doctor Who and get inspired?

"Princess Jobe is rumored to splice together diseases for- get this- ‘amusing reactions’" - knowing Jobe, that's not a rumour, that's reality!

Demonoid / The Pirate's Bay - evidently the Whateleyverse has its fair share of torrent sites...

Vox! Another cameo I didn't expect!

Meanwhile, Daisy's unintentionally stirring up a proverbial hornet's nest, and it wouldn't surprise me if she gets caught up in the middle of it. Since we've been given some of her backstory, maybe she'll have a life-changing encounter at some point (<-- that's vague enough to cover a wide range of possibilities...)

Domoviye wrote: Nick's competence was good. Rather than doing something silly or calling for help calmly dealing with the situation and making sure he got paid for it was really smart.

Unfortunately for Nick, he is unaware that he is now a viewpoint character, and therefore a doom magnet. I can't help but feel that Nick is going to regret using an expensive boat owned by someone else as his mode of transportation.

Re the Daleks: it has been canon for a while now that Emperor Wilkins is a sci-fi geek. It's on record that he not only modeled his robot police on Daleks, but he actually offered the Dr. Who production company to film the series on Karedonia, with lavish subsidies.
The sharks with frickin' laser on their heads probably came from a similar inspiration...

I think that the Rome scene had a particularly strong impact because:
a) We have just been introduced to the Gen2 setting, so there was enough unknown about it that it was conceivably possible. Although I had a hard time believing it, because this sort of big departures from the Real World tend to be problematic in the long run.
b) There was an additional level of misconception foisted on the reader, because we didn't even know that there was a Nick Brennan Jr., so the natural assumption was that this Nick was the veteran soldier we had seen before.

I mean, starting a story within a dream or simulation is a well-known device. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan started with the Kobayashi Maru scene, but we had the WTF factor of having Saavik as the captain ordering about characters much more experienced; that was the hint that there was something very, very wrong with that scene, which lessened its impact a bit. But E.E. went the extra mile to make it more believable, so the impact was greater.

I liked the opening scene. I didn't remember all the older characters so I just knew 'Nick' was an experienced soldier and he was fighing in Vatican City. I was ready to give a huge thumbs up for diverting from the real world so much and taking something that was very risky in terms of controversy and running with it. When it turned out to be a simulation I was still pretty happy with it.

the sharks are obviously from Austin Powers....

Of course you realise the GizDaleks can be found in London as well...?

A Dalek built by British Industry? Does that mean that it does go out looking for inferior lifeforms to* Ex-Ter-Min-Ate!*, but can't, because the parts that were back ordered are sill in the Post Office warehouse?

Of course not!
They go out looking for inferior life forms (usually the French), offer them tea and thinly-sliced cucumber sandwiches, and THEN exterminate them. In a very cultured way, of course.

To everyone saying that Liz Carson's still Headmistress,

Malady wrote: Isn't it just that "Lady Astarte" is still around? Someone else could have taken the codename.... And if someone did, I'm thinking it would be Shelly.

But, yeah, I think that it's still Liz, though.

Malady wrote: To everyone saying that Liz Carson's still Headmistress,

Malady wrote: Isn't it just that "Lady Astarte" is still around? Someone else could have taken the codename.... And if someone did, I'm thinking it would be Shelly.

But, yeah, I think that it's still Liz, though.

Someone else MAY have taken the codename but they certainly wouldn't be able to do so, make a name for themselves to such a point that they ARE Lady Astarte and ALSO become principal in only 10 years.

Bek D Corbin wrote: A Dalek built by British Industry? Does that mean that it does go out looking for inferior lifeforms to* Ex-Ter-Min-Ate!*, but can't, because the parts that were back ordered are sill in the Post Office warehouse?

If they're made by Morris, they'll be ugly, break down a lot, and that's ONLY if the union workers actually get around to making them between their incessant strikes! And look like Morris Marina!

Or the might be manufactured based on Reliant Robin designs, in which case if they turn sharply, they fall over.

Well we already know that they have real problems with stairs, but unless they were built in Belgium from a kit of parts they will probably fall apart if a sparrow kicks them!

Yes I talk from experience. As an apprentice motor mechanic (nowadays just called fitters) during the late 70's I did my apprenticeship at a British Leyland garage. We always used to joke that if you wanted a well made Austin Allegro (though why anyone would want an Allegro anyway) you needed to buy one that had been built in Belgium, The only build fault we had with them was that the exhaust system rotted out within the first year due to the salt from the sea journey to the UK.

Of course, no matter how well built they were that didn't make them a good design!

John.

I assume "Rome is burning" was a pastiche(? or perhaps homage is better but not quite) to the Petra stories. It was both "cute" and a depressing reminder. It also made me think what was happening was not reality.

elrodw wrote:
Or the might be manufactured based on Reliant Robin designs, in which case if they turn sharply, they fall over.

It turns out that that famous segment from TopGear was faked , just goes to show you can't trust what you see on television.

konzill wrote:

elrodw wrote:
Or the might be manufactured based on Reliant Robin designs, in which case if they turn sharply, they fall over.

It turns out that that famous segment from TopGear was faked , just goes to show you can't trust what you see on television.

Particularly not on Top Gear

jmhyp wrote: I assume "Rome is burning" was a pastiche(? or perhaps homage is better but not quite) to the Petra stories. It was both "cute" and a depressing reminder. It also made me think what was happening was not reality.

It was neither pastiche, nor homage, to Petra or any of the other existent stories. You could make the case that was hyperbole, but as this is a story site about superheroes and super villains hyperbole is rather the name of the game. It was descriptive of the setting, in this case, of Rome that had become an urban battlefield and was literally on fire.

The trope of opening a story in the middle of an action sequence is well-established throughout fiction, and in Latin is referred to as In medias res. And as it was occurring in a holographic simulation, it literally was not happening in reality. That was the point.

elrodw wrote:

Bek D Corbin wrote: A Dalek built by British Industry? Does that mean that it does go out looking for inferior lifeforms to* Ex-Ter-Min-Ate!*, but can't, because the parts that were back ordered are sill in the Post Office warehouse?

If they're made by Morris, they'll be ugly, break down a lot, and that's ONLY if the union workers actually get around to making them between their incessant strikes! And look like Morris Marina!

Or the might be manufactured based on Reliant Robin designs, in which case if they turn sharply, they fall over.

Tsk. Morris hasn't existed for 40 years.

How are those Edsels selling in Texas, btw?

I was writing the synopsis for the Wiki, and found what I think is a pretty important typo in this story. It's right at the top of the scene where we are introduced to Lex "AJ" Blackstone (who, now that I think of it, means that his full name is probably Alexander J. Blackstone -- so only his middle name is still unknown, which makes him... pretty much like most people who have an embarrassing middle name).

Here's the thing: the scene is dated August 26th... but the way it's written, there's no way that the entire action took more than one day. It ends with AJ boarding the flight to Miami, a two-hour flight...

...and next scene is at the Miami airport, on the 28th, that is, TWO DAYS later. I have a hard time believing that, mutant or not, he was held two days at the Immigration; so my assumption is that the earlier date was a typo.

There's also a secondary timeline... well, not an issue, but a puzzling bit, in that I initially thought that the diversion of all flights from Karedonia to Miami was related to the events on "Calamari". However, "Calamari" happens a full week later. It seems that mutants flights were having a complicated week.

Hmm... possible explanation: someone decided to restrict mutant international arrivals to just a few airports. It wouldn't make sense to have EVERYBODY arriving via Miami, so probably there are a few more hubs for that. Miami serves South America and the Caribbean, New York serves European flights, maybe LAX serves mutants arriving via Pacific... this would explain why Morgana, Fiorella and the Japanese duo were all went to NY.

You're right Sir Lee it should be on the 28th. It is Alexander J. "AJ" Blackstone, and both he and Nick have to arrive in Miami because the FAA ruled that any flight that originated in, or landed in, any Caribbean nation must land and clear customs in Miami.

Yes it is a full week of difference. I wonder what could be happening in New York?

Methinks that AJ and Nick will be having a rather busy week...

One of the risks of being a protagonist I'm afraid.
They used to have protagonist insurance for that problem, but it became too expensive after a while.

You ask me the villain is in for a surprise, not only because her plan is too controverted and prone to Murphy's Constitutional Amendment, but I imagine Nick has several micro-cameras around him at all times, least until he reached Whateley.

The bit with the MCO agent breaking the seal on Smokey's tube brought back memories of a real world event. Back in WWII, a friend of mine - then a commando from Scotland - was traveling across the US to get from one duty post to another. With him, he had his Government Issue machine gun, locked in its case and sealed with a Customs seal. He also had all of the relevant paperwork. When changing trains in Texas, he was confronted by a local deputy who demanded that he open the case. He pointed out that it would be a serious violation of federal law and declined to do so. In short order, he was arrested (none too gently), the Sheriff (the deputy's boss) broke the seal and opened the case, and my friend was charged with posession of an illegal firearm.

In the end, the Sheriff, two Deputies, the Prosecutor, and a local judge ended up in federal prison and my friend got his gun back. He was also late for his posting, but his superiors allowed that he had a pretty good excuse.

joreymay wrote: The bit with the MCO agent breaking the seal on Smokey's tube brought back memories of a real world event. Back in WWII, a friend of mine - then a commando from Scotland - was traveling across the US to get from one duty post to another. With him, he had his Government Issue machine gun, locked in its case and sealed with a Customs seal. He also had all of the relevant paperwork. When changing trains in Texas, he was confronted by a local deputy who demanded that he open the case. He pointed out that it would be a serious violation of federal law and declined to do so. In short order, he was arrested (none too gently), the Sheriff (the deputy's boss) broke the seal and opened the case, and my friend was charged with posession of an illegal firearm.

In the end, the Sheriff, two Deputies, the Prosecutor, and a local judge ended up in federal prison and my friend got his gun back. He was also late for his posting, but his superiors allowed that he had a pretty good excuse.

Having lived most of my life in Texas, that really doesn't surprise me. A lot of the small town law enforcement (and even some of the larger ones) seem to not take the law too seriously, only what they see as "right".

It occurred to me that if Sycorax et. al. do manage to get Nick and AJ derailed deshipped (?), they could end up going through New York around the same time Calamari is taking place.

I liked the Rome intro; the double reveal that it was a sim and that Nick was Nick Jr. was fun.

Nick can do the Kamehameha. Okidoki.

"Goodkind Fun Box" cracked me up.

I am somewhat confused about how Nick manages to get around on the yacht. I looked that model up so I'd know what I was supposed to visualize, and it seems like it would be cramped for a normal human, let alone a big horse guy.

Nick told Toni that she was the first human he'd seen up close, but then later he was all buddy-buddy with Jay Randolph. So I guess they've only communicated remotely until now and he was doing his actual work with fellow Animen who work for Jay. He must not have gone ashore while delivering boats either; that or everybody decided to stay well away from the scary horse-man. OR, maybe the humans creeped younger-Nick out enough that he kept his distance.

Alternate theory: He'd interacted in person with humans before, but Toni just got extra close and his statement was meant completely literally.

Sounds like AJ went to the same school Ayla used to attend, though not during the same years of course.

Witch Queen in mom-mode was amusing.

I hope they do somehow end up in New Orleans. That sounds like it could be pretty hilarious.

Yeah, and now we entered no-win spoiler territory:
- If they do meet in NY and the corresponding chapter of Calamari is posted before the relevant chapter in Road -> spoiler
- If Calamari gets delayed for "undisclosed reasons" while Road keeps being posted -> probable spoiler.

We learned one really, really important point in The Road to Whateley.

Sir Lee wrote: Yeah, and now we entered no-win spoiler territory:
- If they do meet in NY and the corresponding chapter of Calamari is posted before the relevant chapter in Road -> spoiler
- If Calamari gets delayed for "undisclosed reasons" while Road keeps being posted -> probable spoiler.

Tut. Have you so little feeling for my evil plans?
I find your lack of faith disturbing...

Someone earlier mentioned Daleks and their supposed inability to travel up stairs. Slight hitch...

Yeah, and didn't it really ramp up the fear the first time they started doing that?

Phoenix Spiritus wrote: Yeah, and didn't it really ramp up the fear the first time they started doing that?

Actually from all us real old Dr Who fans it was more like hysterical laughter...

You needed to be younger then.

Phoenix Spiritus wrote: You needed to be younger then.

I remember watching the first Dr. Who episode. Live.

Astrodragon wrote:

Phoenix Spiritus wrote: Yeah, and didn't it really ramp up the fear the first time they started doing that?

Actually from all us real old Dr Who fans it was more like hysterical laughter...

Or "About bloody time"

Astrodragon wrote:

Phoenix Spiritus wrote: You needed to be younger then.

I remember watching the first Dr. Who episode. Live.

Wow, and I used to feel old.

I remember watching the Darlek flying for the first time as a kid and getting scared by it, I only watched older Dr. Who episodes on their umpteenth repeat.

The Road to Whateley Chapter 2 comments
Hectic household, surprised even with all of the wives and husband they can handle all those kids. Dang, makes you wonder about what else they have to have customized to work with their physiology, along with the other types of Animen. Start of school is delayed due to explosions, the cause could be any number of things. Though it does give Nick Jr. and AJ a chance to arrive at school before the school year starts now.

Can't believe the Coast Guard fell for the report of the vehicle being stolen without first contacting the current holder of it. Can't believe this is happening despite their contracts, could Sycorax have agents on the inside of the Coast Guard?

The arguement over certifications, contracts, and calling out Nick's age, definately feels like Sycorax has inside men in the Coast Guard. Of course I know little about how those work but Nick Jr. does and wouldn't argue that hard without a good reason.

And with Nick Jr. so upset, definately inside agents of Sycorax in the Coast Guard, or at least under a spell. Screwed over AJ and Nick Jr. along with Jay, those Coast Guard guys had better be under a spell or I would call his dad and have them investigated. Because all that, including suspending a Master's license under a minimum age requirement BS, sounds like corruption or at least abuse of power to me.

AJ has the right idea, help the man get to his wife while getting themselves closer to Whateley. Plus inadvertantly disrupting Sycorax's plans in the process, I hope. And that was part of the freaking plan, great. She is playing chess with the boys and is skilled, while they are rookies and don't even know they are playing the game yet.

Horst, sent to do something quick and nasty, I hope another person sent by Whateley shows up soon to help AJ and Nick Jr. or things are going to go from bad to worse. And the Mission Leader is a strong regen, along with the other people involved if these people are after AJ and Nick Jr. and not part of something else the odds just got a lot worse.

D'oh! The Eye of Odin, that is what AJ is unknowingly smuggling, this is definately bad. And this group is smart, even operating under the assumption that AJ has powers without knowing it. At least they don't know Nick Jr.'s relation to Warhorse aka his dad. Too bad they think he is Warhorse, that could get him badly hurt or worse. So now we have another group operating, a threat to AJ and Nick Jr. but also to Sycorax's plans. Plots within plots within plots.

Seperate the two, nab AJ, grab the capsule, knock them boy out and frame Nick Jr. the attack on AJ. This group is a piece of nasty work. Not caring if either boy lives and what happens to them, I hope the whole lot of this group is in jail before this ends. Those stealth energy weapons are nasty, too unstable though imo for any but the most desperate to use. The Mission Leader knows how to plan things out, still wondering what his name is.

And they are lead by a Nazi and are Nazis themselves, ugh. At least you don't have to feel guilty about beating them up. And they have long-term goals, plus few probably know about their existence outside of their movement.

Nick Jr. ate one of the special muffins! That group of Nazis won't know what hit them now. Guess horse animen do like wheatgrass muffins. AJ, follow your instincts, something is definately not right and none of what is happening is coincidense. A Supermax Superhuman Penitentiary in West Virginia nicknamed 'the Jug', how appropriate. A powerful supervillainess called the Dragon Queen who is a ditz, wonder how much of a headache it is to deal with her. At least believing it could possibly be her has AJ working on defenses he is going to need.

Guessing that Fracas is the Courier's agent on the inside. If this keeps up we are going to need a scorecard for how many people are after the Eye of Odin and/or the kids.

I knew the muffin would amp up Nick Jr.'s abilities but I didn't know it would increase his senses to that degree or allow him to tap into his 'beast sense'. Which just totally blew the villains' plans out of the water.

AJ holds his own and Horst gets tossed by Nick Jr., never saw it coming. All planned out and falling apart all because of AJ sharing his snacks with Nick Jr. Figures they went back to take down the threats in the hallway, then back for their luggage, only for it all to go to hell. Good thing Nick Jr. is an Animan and energizer or that could have gone badly for the boys. No pity for the villains considering what they had planned. And exit, stage left for the boys, nice dramatic exit. Also no longer on the way to New Orleans. Someone seems to be watching over them or AJ and Nick Jr. are just really lucky. I believe it is the former.

Bwahahaha, Daisy, the woman who left the Eye of Odin with the boys and is tracking them as part of her own schemes at proving herself, ends up stopping another to the boys.

Amped up leaping ability, nice. Wonder how far he would have leapt without the wall of air slowing him. At least he is trained to take a fall, otherwise that would have be brutal. And AJ seems to have crashed into some trees before his own landing, poor guy. At least his spell slip worked, once he gets to Whateley and more time to study I would hate to be his enemy. If that sixth sense of Nick Jr's stays active I would love it, strong danger sense. And the guy hits him with lightning, the main form of energy he generates and absorbs. Wonder how hard this fight is going to be, a rookie with a lot of power against an experience and strong foe.

This guy still thinks Nick is his dad, plus his codename is Baron Blitzen...bwahahaha! Superhero rescue! Powerful to cause that much damage just from hitting BB. "Do you think they wouldn't let him play the reindeer games?" *holding sides from laughing so hard. And it is Champion who came to the rescue! Plus AJ has the right idea, hightail it out of their while those two fight.

Mirabel is going to be in pain when Sycorax gets the news that her prey has escaped. Couldn't happen to a nicer minion.

Dreamer wrote: The Road to Whateley Chapter 2 comments
. At least they don't know Nick Jr.'s relation to Warhorse aka his dad. Too bad they think he is Warhorse, that could get him badly hurt or worse.

You're calling that one wrong... they think he's Warhorse based on his coloration... which he gets from his mom.

DanZilla wrote:

Dreamer wrote: The Road to Whateley Chapter 2 comments
. At least they don't know Nick Jr.'s relation to Warhorse aka his dad. Too bad they think he is Warhorse, that could get him badly hurt or worse.

You're calling that one wrong... they think he's Warhorse based on his coloration... which he gets from his mom.

D'oh! Forgot that detail. Wonder why the detail about Warhorse being female didn't come out in the underworld yet.

Am I counting right?

The Courier, payed by Sycorax planted the Eye
Daisy (MCO) spotted the Eye and planted a tracker (and didn't remove the Eye, which I still think was dumb). I don't think she knows what it is. She spotted the Courier plant it, but doesn't know him from Bob.
The Nazis know about the Eye but don't seem to know who planted it, or who wants it. They have an informant of some kind. God knows what the informant knows.
Fracas is working for someone who knows that the kids have the Eye. He personally doesn't know anything about it at all, but presumably his boss knows what it is, and possibly who it was supposed to go to.

AJ and Nick don't know what's going on, but they might be able to figure out that the McGuffin is in the thermos, and from there find the Eye. Given Bek's bio of AJ, I somehow doubt that he'll do the smart thing and get rid of it (although, truth be told, getting rid of it won't help unless all parties aiming for him know that he ditched it). He might be smart enough not to open the shielding, though.

Arcanist Lupus wrote: Am I counting right?

The Courier, payed by Sycorax planted the Eye
Daisy (MCO) spotted the Eye and planted a tracker (and didn't remove the Eye, which I still think was dumb). I don't think she knows what it is. She spotted the Courier plant it, but doesn't know him from Bob.
The Nazis know about the Eye but don't seem to know who planted it, or who wants it. They have an informant of some kind. God knows what the informant knows.
Fracas is working for someone who knows that the kids have the Eye. He personally doesn't know anything about it at all, but presumably his boss knows what it is, and possibly who it was supposed to go to.

AJ and Nick don't know what's going on, but they might be able to figure out that the McGuffin is in the thermos, and from there find the Eye. Given Bek's bio of AJ, I somehow doubt that he'll do the smart thing and get rid of it (although, truth be told, getting rid of it won't help unless all parties aiming for him know that he ditched it). He might be smart enough not to open the shielding, though.

I had a story with a scene like this situation in it. The protagonist did know about the minor McGuffin however, so when everyone was around her attacking each other and her, she threw it up in the air and ran like hell as everyone turned towards it, since she didn't need it.

This was a great story. The villains doing the attack were smart, rather than fighting to the last man, making things all convoluted, or insisting on one person doing everything, it was a decent plan with the information they had, kept things as simple as possible, and when it went to hell they reacted intelligently. I really liked how the one guy fooled people into thinking his partner (and lover?) was an innocent hostage.

I really can't wait for part three as all the plots start to pile up.

And the big question, why is the start of school held off for a month? And how bad can a couple of explosions be? It's Whateley, explosions are a fact of life.

So many plots, so much chaos, such fun. I suspect that the Coast Guard guys (at least the local station commander) are going to get in trouble for this when the investigation comes down, and after the nonsense that just happened on the train, it is going to come down. I still don't get why they would have taken the Crescent route and gone over from Jacksonville to New Orleans, but oh well. Still, they are now stranded in the deep south, and need to find another way to get to Whateley. I hope their luggage survived. I assume that Champion was looking for Baron Blitzen, since I don't see any other reason he would be in the Southern States (being a Chicago hero and everything).

On Nick's side and his taking the lightning hit, isn't being an Energizer wonderful?

Isodecan wrote: I still don't get why they would have taken the Crescent route and gone over from Jacksonville to New Orleans, but oh well.

Keep in mind, they purchased tickets secondhand that "just happened" to be where they want to go.

Which was where The Courier was directing them to where Sycorax was laying in wait.

As for what's going on with the explosions? What, indeed?

Kristin Darken wrote:

E. E. Nalley wrote: As for what's going on with the explosions? What, indeed?

I'm pretty sure 'Gen3' is going to be a series of 5000 word short stories in which we introduce things that result in explosions. Week after week. After about a year of explosions, we'll tie them all together in one epic explosion.

Fixed that for you.

The Nazi's were probably just contractors in this case.

As for Champion, makes me wonder if Baron Blitzen has anything to do with the Illonois Nazi party. insert Blues Brothers clip here

Kristin Darken wrote:

E. E. Nalley wrote: As for what's going on with the explosions? What, indeed?

I'm pretty sure 'Gen3' is going to be a series of 5000 word short stories in which we introduce things that result in explosions. Week after week. After about a year of explosions, we'll tie them all together in one epic plot.

So my story where Chernobyl blows up half of Europe is a go?

Maybe if you had Chernobog blowing-up half of Europe instead.

Chernobog summoned to Chernobyl just before they begin their ill thought out tests?

Never underestimate the incompetent's ability to make a worst case scenario worse.

Things could have been worse at Chernobyl - imagine if reactors 1, 2 and 3 had also blown up. Still, apart from the nearby towns of Pripyat and Chernobyl (which housed most of the workers at the plant) there wasn't much in the way of population in the area and the explosion itself didn't affect the nearby reactors - indeed, following Reactor 4's meltdown in 1986, Reactor 2 continued operating until 1991 (when it was shut down following a major fire), Reactor 1 continued operatnig until November 1996 and Reactor 3 continued operating until 2000.

Deaths directly attributable to the explosion itself are hard to quantify given the initial secrecy over the accident and subsequent break-up of the USSR but may reach the low thousands. Far more numerous, however, are the liquidators who were recruited to deal with the aftermath at the plant itself.

I think this off-topic tangent has run its course... Let's take any further Chernobyl discussion elsewhere,

In Soviet Russia, Chernobyl discusses Road to Whateley. And so should you.

So.... the Eye of Odin look like the one from Gargoyles, or does it look IDK Norse?

Cryptic wrote: So.... the Eye of Odin look like the one from Gargoyles, or does it look IDK Norse?

I was wondering when someone was going to get that joke

Bek D Corbin wrote:

Cryptic wrote: So.... the Eye of Odin look like the one from Gargoyles, or does it look IDK Norse?

I was wondering when someone was going to get that joke

Good conclusion to the tale.

Mister D wrote: Good conclusion to the tale.

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

It Makes sense now, when the Calamari group were getting gossiped about for being involved in a fight in NYC!
Baron Blitzen and The Empire City Guard!
It's also good to see Mega-Girl. Is she a full-time member of the Guard now?
Belphegor! ?? How on earth did he survive to graduate? (This also nixes one of the theories for the identity of Hekate's Master. If it was Belphegor, then he wouldn't be alive today, so it's someone else... )
(Unless it was a case of spirit possession that Hekate's Master used to body-hop from one student to the next, whenever he came to the point of graduating, and someone was able to rescue the shell personality.)

Nice fight scene, Bek. You've got a distinctive rhythm. You would be fun to spar with, or practise Sticky Hands.

More and more Gen 1 characters showing up in cameo's.

Valentine wrote:

Mister D wrote: Good conclusion to the tale.

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

It Makes sense now, when the Calamari group were getting gossiped about for being involved in a fight in NYC!
Baron Blitzen and The Empire City Guard!
It's also good to see Mega-Girl. Is she a full-time member of the Guard now?
Belphegor! ?? How on earth did he survive to graduate? (This also nixes one of the theories for the identity of Hekate's Master. If it was Belphegor, then he wouldn't be alive today, so it's someone else... )
(Unless it was a case of spirit possession that Hekate's Master used to body-hop from one student to the next, whenever he came to the point of graduating, and someone was able to rescue the shell personality.)

Nice fight scene, Bek. You've got a distinctive rhythm. You would be fun to spar with, or practise Sticky Hands.

Warning: Spoiler! [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

HM couldn't have been Belfatso, because then Belphoebe would have known.
It's not a question of Belphagor surviving until graduation, he was very good at surviving. I just wonder how he ever passed enough classes to make it to graduation.

More and more Gen 1 characters showing up in cameo's.

We're assuming the graduation date was as if he wasn't held back. What if he was held back??

Don't forget - this tale was a joint effort of Bek and EE.

If not an able student, we may all rest assured that fatso's a very able cheater…

And yes, Mega Girl is a full-time member of the Guard now.

It is possible, barely, that Belphegor got serious about building up muscle somewhere along the line... possibly while in prison. However, I am personally all too familiar with the problem associated with being morbidly obese, and frankly, if he weighed even half of what I do now when he graduated, trying to lose weight through exercise, and put on the sort of muscle mass being described (which is sort of pushing 'baseline strength' given how he picked up AJ), would probably kill him if he's still got a mostly-baseline physical body.

It seems far more likely that he developed/stole a serum that modified his body. Even more likely still is that what is under than gold mask and heavy coat is a well-disguised open-frame exoskeleton with a huge pile of shields, weapons and other devises, and inside it he's the same as he always was.

Schol-R-LEA wrote: It is possible, barely, that Belphegor got serious about building up muscle somewhere along the line... possibly while in prison. However, I am personally all too familiar with the problem associated with being morbidly obese, and frankly, if he weighed even half of what I do now when he graduated, trying to lose weight through exercise, and put on the sort of muscle mass being described (which is sort of pushing 'baseline strength' given how he picked up AJ), would probably kill him if he's still got a mostly-baseline physical body.

It seems far more likely that he developed/stole a serum that modified his body. Even more likely still is that what is under than gold mask and heavy coat is a well-disguised open-frame exoskeleton with a huge pile of shields, weapons and other devises, and inside it he's the same as he always was.

We've seen other examples of people given incredible bodies in exchange for payment or services in the past... who's to say Belphahunk didn't fall into a get Ripped quick scheme?

SPOILER ALERT
Below is a stream of conscious commentary I type up as I read the story. There will details from the story included in it. If you have not read the story yet and don't wish to have details of it spoiled, read no further.


The Road to Whateley Part 3 comments

DanZilla wrote:

Schol-R-LEA wrote: It is possible, barely, that Belphegor got serious about building up muscle somewhere along the line... possibly while in prison. However, I am personally all too familiar with the problem associated with being morbidly obese, and frankly, if he weighed even half of what I do now when he graduated, trying to lose weight through exercise, and put on the sort of muscle mass being described (which is sort of pushing 'baseline strength' given how he picked up AJ), would probably kill him if he's still got a mostly-baseline physical body.

It seems far more likely that he developed/stole a serum that modified his body. Even more likely still is that what is under than gold mask and heavy coat is a well-disguised open-frame exoskeleton with a huge pile of shields, weapons and other devises, and inside it he's the same as he always was.

We've seen other examples of people given incredible bodies in exchange for payment or services in the past... who's to say Belphahunk didn't fall into a get Ripped quick scheme?

In order for someone to agree to accept services from him regardless of payment, he would need a good Syndicate equivalent of a credit score, Belphs is not only a thief, but a pretty obvious one, if it isn't an obvious component in his gear, he's still sucks at hiding his loot. The only service anyone would hire him for is distraction, and they would have to word the job in such a way that he doesn't realize he's the distraction, because he's very much a coward.

Also they have no idea how "fun and interesting" Whateley is, its adorable.

DanZilla wrote: We've seen other examples of people given incredible bodies in exchange for payment or services in the past... who's to say Belphahunk didn't fall into a get Ripped quick scheme?

Or he just got Jobe to inject him with that temporary girl serum a few dozen more times.

I just began Gen 2 recently, so I have a question: Is Jadis mentionned in other stories, and what do we know about her during G2? And is there any info about Phase?

Jadis has a small part in The curse of the dragon queen by Bek here

reno wrote: Jadis has a small part in The curse of the dragon queen by Bek here

Oooh, I definitely like Jadis Frost. And I'm curious about the, I quote her, 'little etheric bastard' squatting thanks to Dr Dad. Following Mum's footsteps will be easier if it's not there anymore, but there is the question of how to get it out.

Anyone want to bet that Jadis uses her rescue of AJ from Belphagor to earn a favor from AJ's mom, in addition to the one she got from Belph?

Speaking of Belphagor, he must have shaped up (pun intended) a little bit at least to be leading a moderate organization. Still not a big fish, but not entirely incompetent socially/politically anymore.

Why wasn't Jadis wearing a sarong?? Concerned people want to know...

Easiest route to a semi-not-quite-completely-incompetent Belphegor: Maybe some of the Gen1 work on Diedrick's Syndrome has slowly begun to pay off enough for someone in his shoes to function?

Astrodragon wrote: Why wasn't Jadis wearing a sarong?? Concerned people want to know...

I had a character ready to play the Dorothy Lamour role, but that included a detour through Philadelphia and New Jersey, and EE just wanted the damn thing OVER with, so we completely scrapped all of that. AND the musical number!

*Gasp* Not the musical number! Nooooooo!

On a serious note. Glad to see the third part finally make it. And boy what a giant mess in Central park. But glad to see AJ get the final laugh.

Yolandria wrote: *Gasp* Not the musical number! Nooooooo!

You didn't miss anything. We'd said would cram everything including the kitchen sink into it, then Bek noted that we needed a musical number to have everything, that turned into a song and dance routine about kitchen sinks. It was like a bad Home Depot commercial. Trust me it was better on the cutting room floor.

But if you need a musical number…

*Swell of music*

They got… The mustard… OUT!!!

Hahahah

I'm a bit surprised that Marty kept the name Mega-Girl. I would have expected her to take something more adult when she became a professional hero. Although it makes the cameo way easier to spot.

Good to see that she and Stronghold are dying okay.

The spell slip trick at the end.

Arcanist Lupus wrote: I'm a bit surprised that Marty kept the name Mega-Girl. I would have expected her to take something more adult when she became a professional hero. Although it makes the cameo way easier to spot.

It is Marty. Nuance she has not. I'd guess she's keeping the name because her PK shell finally got her all the way there, and she's happy to emphasize that in as subtle a way that she'll ever manage.

Hopefully she got rid of the giant M on her costume though...but no, she did not. That bothers me more than the name, and she got Stronghold doing it too. At least they're still together. That's cute, and they have power combos too. Aww...

Overall, I was starting to get confused with the cameos. I wasn't sure who was a bit character, and who was a reference that went over my head. Like, was that the three not-so-little witches dragged in by Hawkings' lies like everyone else, or was that Sycorax and her flunkies?

Oh man, the Teenager Logic in this one. "Our phones are broke, so instead of asking somebody to let us use their phone -- like, for example, Rancher Williams' daughter Adlynn -- let's just solve this hobo style! In fact, instead of going just fifteen miles out of our way to replace my phone, let's hop trains for half a week! This is definitely the only viable solution to our problems!"

And that bit where the villains all misinterpret the eating of the muffins. That was awesome.

As for getting the mustard out, that amused me extra because I was actually working on a parody song about doing laundry before I read that post.

Katssun wrote: Hopefully she got rid of the giant M on her costume though...but no, she did not. That bothers me more than the name, and she got Stronghold doing it too.

Like, was that the three not-so-little witches dragged in by Hawkings' lies like everyone else, or was that Sycorax and her flunkies?

Actually she and Stronghold are wearing costumes Loophole made for them way back in The Kodiak Conspiracy Chapter Two . And they are somewhat subdued plates saying MG and SH.

As for the confusion with the Central Park fight the Witches in Saffron comment and three witches both apply to Sycorax and her flunkies. Clover, Palantir and Abra-Cadabra are...otherwise occupied...

E. E. Nalley wrote:

Katssun wrote: Hopefully she got rid of the giant M on her costume though...but no, she did not. That bothers me more than the name, and she got Stronghold doing it too.

Like, was that the three not-so-little witches dragged in by Hawkings' lies like everyone else, or was that Sycorax and her flunkies?

Actually she and Stronghold are wearing costumes Loophole made for them way back in The Kodiak Conspiracy Chapter Two . And they are somewhat subdued plates saying MG and SH.

As for the confusion with the Central Park fight the Witches in Saffron comment and three witches both apply to Sycorax and her flunkies. Clover, Palantir and Abra-Cadabra are...otherwise occupied...

Still trying to get essence from Foxfire to light their wells?

E. E. Nalley wrote: As for the confusion with the Central Park fight the Witches in Saffron comment and three witches both apply to Sycorax and her flunkies. Clover, Palantir and Abra-Cadabra are...otherwise occupied...

My mind took this sentence and dove straight into the gutter. Excuse me while I go fish it out.

Nick shrugged expressively and looked away. “I wanted to, besides she couldn't really make me, and it was mostly just, er, third-base not to put too fine a point on it.” He sighed and looked away. “It's not like I'll ever see her again.”

Now you've jinxed it. Bravo.

Arcanist Lupus wrote: Good to see that she and Stronghold are dying okay.

Uhh... Doing. They're doing okay...

E. E. Nalley wrote: As for the confusion with the Central Park fight the Witches in Saffron comment and three witches both apply to Sycorax and her flunkies. Clover, Palantir and Abra-Cadabra are...otherwise occupied...

So, they're alive and still together... presumably... Possibly with Mischief as well? *shrugs*

Malady wrote:

E. E. Nalley wrote: As for the confusion with the Central Park fight the Witches in Saffron comment and three witches both apply to Sycorax and her flunkies. Clover, Palantir and Abra-Cadabra are...otherwise occupied...

So, they're alive and still together... presumably... Possibly with Mischief as well? *shrugs*

It MIGHT be that Clover, Palantir, Abra, and a few others have settled on a Caribbean island after coming to a mutually-agreeable pact about time-share with the man running the harem, Kitty Boy

elrodw wrote:

Malady wrote:

E. E. Nalley wrote: As for the confusion with the Central Park fight the Witches in Saffron comment and three witches both apply to Sycorax and her flunkies. Clover, Palantir and Abra-Cadabra are...otherwise occupied...

So, they're alive and still together... presumably... Possibly with Mischief as well? *shrugs*

It MIGHT be that Clover, Palantir, Abra, and a few others have settled on a Caribbean island after coming to a mutually-agreeable pact about time-share with the man running the harem, Kitty Boy

OR, possibly, not necessarily, Clover is on the run from the Law, after winning EIGHT powerball jackpots.

In a row.

In two months.

elrodw wrote:

Malady wrote:

E. E. Nalley wrote: As for the confusion with the Central Park fight the Witches in Saffron comment and three witches both apply to Sycorax and her flunkies. Clover, Palantir and Abra-Cadabra are...otherwise occupied...

So, they're alive and still together... presumably... Possibly with Mischief as well? *shrugs*

It MIGHT be that Clover, Palantir, Abra, and a few others have settled on a Caribbean island after coming to a mutually-agreeable pact about time-share with the man running the harem, Kitty Boy

Shouldn't that be Hello Kitty Boy?

So many dirty minds. I assumed the TLW are occupied because they all graduated by 2012, but are still in detention four or five years later.

Astrodragon wrote:

elrodw wrote:

Malady wrote:

E. E. Nalley wrote: As for the confusion with the Central Park fight the Witches in Saffron comment and three witches both apply to Sycorax and her flunkies. Clover, Palantir and Abra-Cadabra are...otherwise occupied...

So, they're alive and still together... presumably... Possibly with Mischief as well? *shrugs*

It MIGHT be that Clover, Palantir, Abra, and a few others have settled on a Caribbean island after coming to a mutually-agreeable pact about time-share with the man running the harem, Kitty Boy

Shouldn't that be Hello Kitty Boy?

Clover, Pally, Abra, Mischief, perhaps Lindsay, Angel, Ros, Amelie - probably one or two more lesbians from Poe for those times he's got to be Wihinape. Miyet. Some 2nd.round Wondercute girls.

Yeah, the boy (sometimes girl) is gonna be quite busy. Nearly a dozen girls to keep him busy, he won't have to work; just keep in shape, eat lots of oysters, and live the life as a well-kept kitty-boy.

Valentine wrote:

DanZilla wrote: We've seen other examples of people given incredible bodies in exchange for payment or services in the past... who's to say Belphahunk didn't fall into a get Ripped quick scheme?

Or he just got Jobe to inject him with that temporary girl serum a few dozen more times.

Much to my surprise, there's pretty good evidence that Belphegor fixed himself, and maybe even mostly on his own.
I know, right!

Even amongst the students that hate his guts, they generally acknowledge that Belphegor is one of the best all-around devisors at school. He doesn't specialize, and can end up with very impressive results. He's just lazy and cowardly from the billion neuroses he has. One only has to look at Belphoebe, who's skills match his own, to see Belfatso's actual potential. Secondly, he was already halfway there in early 2007:

From No Beast So Fierce (also written by Bek!):

From the Feeb's later explanation to Carson, it is again implied that this devise was actually his original work. Plus, he's the one interested into inducing an energizer state to keep shoveling food into his face but start burning it off instead, and not an alternative.

So, presuming that Belphegor stole enough working parts from other devisors, or eventually just managed to finally finish it on his own, he lost the weight using his own skills.

No serums, deals, or magic required.

Belfatso is one of the most impressive Devisors at Whateley. He regularly takes other devises and modifies or repurposes them. This when many devises only work correctly for their creator.

Ok, maybe it's not the best way to start a post but.... this story is source of severe disappointment to me...... TNT are pulling their thug act after graduating? (Did they manage to graduate or were they kicked out?) It didn't work for them when they were students and they try to pull it in the outer world? That's Buster's level of stupid, I would have thought they would have grown out of it, especially after seeming to improve after starting to dat the Furies. What a let down.

Anyway, Sycorax.... I can't peg her, sociopath, psychopath, what?

Also, Nick's attack on Baron Bozo.... is it a Dragonball reference?

But let's get down to the serious part, Daisy Hawking, she might slip, after all her confession was under the influnce of a spell. Naturally, she could get arrested because the police/FBI/someone investigates why so many supervillains were acting up and trace it back at her, after all, even if they can't use her confession as proof they now know what she did, that helps investigation big time.

Another interesting thing is that between the mess caused by Miss Hawking, Jeff Hawke (from Calamari) ordering the block of air traffic and the civil rights violations that mutant citizens suffered during the event, the MCO is better to take some serious flack.

Otherself wrote: Ok, maybe it's not the best way to start a post but.... this story is source of severe disappointment to me...... TNT are pulling their thug act after graduating? (Did they manage to graduate or were they kicked out?) It didn't work for them when they were students and they try to pull it in the outer world? That's Buster's level of stupid, I would have thought they would have grown out of it, especially after seeming to improve after starting to dat the Furies. What a let down.

I'm sorry if I just completely missed it, where in the three parts of the story are Tee-Kay or Nitro or Truck mentioned?

Tee-Kay and Nitro both have at least one real name, and those weren't anywhere either.

Katssun wrote:

Otherself wrote: Ok, maybe it's not the best way to start a post but.... this story is source of severe disappointment to me...... TNT are pulling their thug act after graduating? (Did they manage to graduate or were they kicked out?) It didn't work for them when they were students and they try to pull it in the outer world? That's Buster's level of stupid, I would have thought they would have grown out of it, especially after seeming to improve after starting to dat the Furies. What a let down.

I'm sorry if I just completely missed it, where in the three parts of the story are Tee-Kay or Nitro or Truck mentioned?

Tee-Kay and Nitro both have at least one real name, and those weren't anywhere either.

If that's in there, it slipped past me in review and editing. The group of them becoming a bunch of hired thugs - not in my plans for at least one of them.

It seems to be assumed that Belphegor's trio of thugs mentioned are TNT, likely due to the mention of the school tie. Many others have and will fit the behaviour pattern though, and they could very well be alumni from class years we've yet to even see.

I'm sure if Bek had meant for them to be recognized as TNT he would have said so.

That's funny... I'd assumed it was "Captain" Bravo and his idiot friends...

None of the three seemed to have recognizable power sets.

I deliberately wrote that scene to be as vague as possible. It could be TNT. It could TNT2, the guys who take over the franchise. All we can say for sure is that Belpho's never hiring them again.

If it is TNT, then they've sorta backslid... Given the help that the Furies are giving... If it's TNT, then the Furies' future isn't good?

Or they need the money, and Belph... Well, he's not a fatso anymore... ... Whatever. The point is that he might pay really well, or something.

There's an unjustified assumption here that the 3 guys were at Whateley.
From what Bel says, they could have been, but it could also have been the person he hired them through was ex-whateley and the 3 weren't.

Astrodragon wrote: There's an unjustified assumption here that the 3 guys were at Whateley.
From what Bel says, they could have been, but it could also have been the person he hired them through was ex-whateley and the 3 weren't.

Pretty sure they where TNT based on the power descriptions and behavior.

Please read my post a ways back on this thread wrt Tissy and Nitro and whether he's involved.

For the Wiki, can we get confirmation that the Rebecca from Part 1 is Nick Brennan's second wife, and if she is Rebecca Martin from The Island of Dr. DNA ?

And also possibly that the Rebecca referred to by Heather in the latter story, is that same Rebecca?

Like, the implication is clear that it's likely the same person, but implication is not confirmation?

Also, we call her "Rebecca Brennan", but it really should be "Rebecca Martin", right?

Yes, Rebecca is Nick's second wife and she would be referred to as Rebecca Brennan. As to the rest, um, I can't say yet...

"Call me 'Mare 2' again, and I'll put a hoof in your eye!"

In addition to explaining a cryptic phone call she'd gotten from an old friend she hadn't spoken to in nearly ten years.

The narration says that in Part 1, about why someone wanted Chaka to check out Charger:

Do we know who called her? If Team Kimba disbanded, right after graduation, that'd be in... 2010?

Is seven years close enough to a decade to count as "nearly ten years"?

Malady wrote:

In addition to explaining a cryptic phone call she'd gotten from an old friend she hadn't spoken to in nearly ten years.

The narration says that in Part 1, about why someone wanted Chaka to check out Charger:

Do we know who called her? If Team Kimba disbanded, right after graduation, that'd be in... 2010?

Is seven years close enough to a decade to count as "nearly ten years"?

It never states who the old friend she got the phone call from, not even in later stories yet. She has more friends outside of Team Kimba. It could be any number of people which Chaka is referring to, we would have to ask the authors to find out.

Malady wrote: Do we know who called her? If Team Kimba disbanded, right after graduation, that'd be in... 2010?

Is seven years close enough to a decade to count as "nearly ten years"?

It could be someone a couple of years ahead of her in school. For the c/o 2008 folks, it would have been nine years and they might not have seen much of Chaka since graduation.

Team Kimba is class of 2010, correct?
If so there is a small chance that the person graduated as early as 2007 and knew Chaka at least well enough to call on her. Who might that be? We have actually very slim pickings from the class of 2007 who might have known her that well. But one name pops to the top for me Zoe the cottage fixer is a senior when Team Kimba arrives is she not? If not then she is definitely a junior and would be a strong possibility for someone who would track someone like Chaka.

Almost. She's a junior for the 2006-2007 year, a senior in current stories.
There aren't that many Class of 2007 who interacted with Team Kimba in general and Toni in particular, but quite a number in the Class of 2008.

Oooh, since I don't think anyone's said this yet...

An explanation for Belphegor's transformation, from No Beast So Fierce , as said by Belphoebe:

the half-finished Energizer Complex Simulation Generator that she’d snitched from the Pater’s locker. When finished, it was supposed to enable Belphegor to duplicate the effects of the Energizer syndrome within his own body. Maybe he’d even get it to burn off some of that hideous fat! But currently, it was glitchy and tended to induce seizures in anyone fool enough to test it…