Question Blood Sisters

I like what I've seen so far!


Who else thinks that it was Wondercute (specifically Molly and Jade) who got the Fire Plane hooked on anime?

Also, Manx gets major points for having a fake powerstone. They didn't take her suit - she seems like the kind of person who would have some tricks in her suit lining. Maybe an emergency homing signal for her team? Or a lockpick, at least.



One critique, though - I didn't recognize the acronym RHIP, and having to look it up threw me out of the story.


Written in Blood, Blood Sisters - G2 is looking much bloodier than G1 so far.

Oddly the blood bit is rather a co-incidence; Morpheus and I were coming along quite separate paths to get where we got. Of course, traditionally blood is a majorly powerful thing in magic, which is probably what we had in mind.

Blood Sisters Part 1 comments
Yikes, hiding from men in body armor behind cardboard boxes, that day took a turn for the weird if it started out good. Rob off to a summer job early and saying good bye to his Aunt Ree, seems normal enough. Lol, waking up a friend early on a summer day to find out their plans, I was one of those kids who slept in. A mini-theatre almost as good as the real deal, yikes, I can't imagine the cost let alone installing it. Rob has a cool, fun big sister who arranged a fun summer job for him, lucky. I've read stories before, talking about enjoying the ordinary mundane life, still would love some excitement once in a while.

Advanced Disciplinary Mechanics, how did his sister get him a job there? Working late to help set up a new lab, why do I have the feeling this is a bad idea. And his boss even pays overtime rate, this job is a dream come true. Gopher for a tech company at 15, wish I could have been as lucky.

Rob is a smart kid with enough self-control to know when goofing around is a bad idea, at any kind of lab always heed the warning labels. Just the two of them and done that quickly, Rob must be a hard worker. Upload the data and lock up, yet things just got complicated. Just who are these men, plus what abilities does the guy forcing up the security gate have? Is he is a mutant or something else? Men in body armor and guns of some sort show up, Rob did the right thing hiding, not much he can do in this situation. Just hope Bill gets out of this alive.

A dozen men, all knowing what they are looking for among the boxes, either the details of the order were leaked or this is an inside job. Not even a chance for Rob to run and get security, this was done too quickly and too organized not to have inside information. And Rob is still found hiding among the boxes fairly soon, rats. At least they haven't done something stupid like shoot Bill yet. High-tech helmet, who is funding this group to afford that for the basic grunts? So far they just seem to be looking for something, neither Bill or Rob are hurt. Meaning they are pros.

Ugh, calling Rob small and saying to throw him back, that is just cruel in this situation. And Rob has figured out they are professionals and keeps his mouth shut, impressed with his self-control. Tied up, gagged, and tossed down beside Bill while these guys loot the stuff for the new lab. A 3rd of it, all that work gone, ugh. Drugged and knocked out for hours while the thieves get away, they better not try and blame any of this on Bill or Rob.

Runic symbols for magic on certain containers, just what kind of lab were they setting up?!? And Rob is detected as perfect for an experimental subject; experimental subject+magic is never good. And keep him out while they escape and long gone before anyone realizes what they did there. Guess it wasn't an inside job, magic made it seem like one. Great, the security guard was drugged, even if Rob had been able to sneak past them it wouldn't have done any good. And illusion disguise on the van, they either have an advanced piece of tech there or someone skilled in illusion magic aiding them.

Locked in a cell and he doesn't even have his watch to keep time anymore, what did they think he could do with it, somehow pick the lock and escape. Why was he so thirsty, even out for hours it shouldn't be that bad. And a cell made of almost nothing but steel, could it be because iron would mess with the magic they are dealing in or do they just need strong cells for some of their other victims. Got two more wounds from shots, just how long was the drive there and why did they need 2 more shots when 1 should have been enough? Poor Rob, not knowing what happened to a man who was a friend to him is rough.

Wait, Rob is thinking back on this and believes himself to have been naïve for believing anything was better than worrying himself into a nervous breakdown about what might happen to him. Just how bad is from the perspective of future Rob to believe that? A girl wearing a skin-tight ebony leotard with an amazing figure, plus gold-glinting horns, pointed ears, mane of flame-colored hair, and eyes the color of molten gold, is she is a mutant with GSD or a demon, hard to tell in the WAU. And a thin man with lines and planes on his face carved out of stone, rust-red robe and eyes that were so cold the demoness' eyes seemed more human, dang, that is a scary guy.

Crud, it is the girl who needs test subjects for magical experiments, very bad. A glowing symbol that just stays in the air and ignoring Rob the whole while. More detailed tests on Rob to be sure he is a suitable test subject, he is in for a nightmare ride with no way off. And Abraxus, hope that is a codename and not his given name or Rob is in a lot worse trouble than I initially thought. Figures, a demoness who everything about her is sexy, even her voice. Too distracted by the demoness to think clearly about the term 'test subject' means for him.

Great, they have smart guards who know to cuff you behind the back, no chance of grabbing a gun or something. Early medieval with electric light, did they convert an old outpost of castle? Cattle prod on a kid because he doesn't move, and I thought these guys were pros, don't damage the experimental subject or the demoness will punish you. Metal doors with modern electronic locks, they definitely are insuring no one escapes, at least not easily. Bidding his time until he has at least a chance of escaping, smart.

A portal to the demoness' workshop, possibly in another dimension, things just keep getting worse. Yup, portal to another location, weird sensations and all. Obsidian walls and falls, unseen lights, half the space taken up by slabs of ruby glass, along with a mass of oddly shaped blocks of ebony rock. Glowing symbols and you have a magical lab like I would imagine one designed by a demoness. Ah, the demoness is named Thulia, good to know. Squat, green little demon, first response, back away quickly. Actually offered to shake Rob's hand and he took the offer. A distinct Australian accent and his name is Bruce, plus he says Igor is his cousin. Great, we got a demon with a sense of humor.

Inspector Morris, a professional trying to put the other man at ease about Rob's safety. They know it is a kidnapping, but no idea why yet. Rob's uncle was in the Army and has higher than normal clearance on his paperwork, dang. Yet only to preserve Tim Jones privacy after he retired, shoot, thought it was more for a second there.

His uncle is a mutant healer!?! That is rare, no wonder his files are classified for his privacy. Mostly retired from using his healer powers, except a few times a month, guess after seeing the horrors of war on soldiers I would be reluctant as well. Yet no reason to target his family, plus looked like the mutant gene had skipped Rob, even though his older sister manifested at 14. Gadgeteer-1 for the sister, still impressive on the Engineering track to have that, especially if you are creative.

Father had the mutant gene but never manifested, Rob's parents died in a car accident and his dad was a boring accountant, so they still have no reason for him to have been abducted. No pattern for why Rob was abducted, have to wait for something new to give them a lead, a nightmare for his family and the police as they try to find him. An odd case, small chance of Rob still being alive, a puzzle with no clue so far, I pity the police who had to work on this case.

About a week, with no way of tracking time, just measurements, scans, and experiments along with sleeping and being fed as a rough guide. Yet still no answer for poor Rob. Thulia is like an obsessively nerdy girl, with the looks and attitude to make any guy hot for her. Attitude towards work like some of the more irrational devisors depicted on Tales of the MCO, oh boy. She seems to like him, yet he is an experimental subject, screwing with Rob's head.

An Imp who is sarcastic and has a dirty sense of humor, Bruce is unique. Plus he has a strong technical grasp and insist Thulia isn't a demon. Crap, she is a type 3 entity, that is so much worse than a simple demon, if I remember correctly. Great, Rob is taken in by Thulia's look and seductive nature, told what was going to happen to him and even told what would have happened if he wasn't part of the experiment by Bruce. Casually brutal and gruesome enough to be authentic. They told him he would become a powerful mutant with movie star looks, oh boy, was he sold a line. Thulia left out the facts of what could go wrong with her bleeding-edge experiment, typical.

All doors with electronic key and passcode required, high-tech with magic in this place, they thought of almost everything. Only Thulia, Bruce and the guard around, where did the other mercenaries go, out looking for more experiment subjects? More diagrams on the floor, all the slabs glowing, this is a big one, is this the final experiment possibly that transforms Rob. Each of those pieces of ruby is a 32k quantum computer and she has an array of 256 running, good lord, I don't even think Whateley has anything close to that which scares me. And obsidian consoles, she is a mutant devisor/avatar who host a class 3 entity which altered her body to fit its ideal! It is the only thing I can think of right now.

Imp telling him it is just a more thorough examination this time, with all the strange computers running right now I wouldn't buy that for a second. Notations in and around the circle that were incised into the floor, plus they are moving, I can't think of even the most advanced magical testing which would require all this. A think, clinging robe and it is all she is wearing, if she wonders why a 15 year old boy is watching her she is naïve to that one thing at least. And he has to take his clothes off for a full scan, good grief, guess it is just a highly advanced magical examination. And an embarassing one for a teenage boy in his position right now.

Ack! I think she knows about his little problem and even offers to help take his clothes off for him, might be a class 3 entity but she knows how to use her looks to be cruel. And she even comments on it when he is naked, if it was possible Rob's whole body would be as red and glowing as Rudolph's nose right then. Ouch, inside the circle and forced to stand with arms and legs apart. She keeps saying it is a scan, but I wonder if something could still go wrong.

3-D imaging and with the way he can't focus on some of them, I believe multi-dimensional imaging as well, possibly even able to detect a BIT if he had one. 1st scan and she needs some samples, boy, she takes using the scientific method with magic to a whole new level. Cell and blood sample, you would think she had some medical training in the past. Despite being in that position Rob is still checking out Thulia, definitely a normal teenage boy. Great, he is starting to fall for her, sounds like a case of Stockholm syndrome to me. Oh boy, stand in front of him like that, poor kid already has it bad enough and she has to stand there with that smile. She kissed him on the cheek! Wasn't expecting that at all. Oh boy, looks like she has fallen for her experiment subject, things just got a lot more complicated.

True experiment is tomorrow and Bruce calls out Thulia for having feelings for Rob, which she denies loudly, kind of proving she does have feelings for him. She is worried about the experiment not working and killing Rob, plus she called him a human, indicating she isn't one herself. Guess all this magi-tech stuff she uses isn't devisor gear. And right now, based on what Bruce said about "those guys", it seems I was off-base with my initial thought they were working for her. Are Thulia and Bruce prisoners as well, forced to work for some mad organization's goals?

Oh boy, so that is what the set-up for the room during the final experiment is. And the experiment can causing thrashing around, which could hurt him or remove him from the circle, which would be worse. Thus straps on the table, what next, a device to channel lightning as part of the experiment? Both Bruce and Thulia naked as well, at least Rob got to see Thulia like that before it all goes downhill fast. And Bruce teasing him about powerful rituals being done naked, poor kid never stood a chance with a beauty like Thulia.

Dang, Bruce can knock him out with just a touch, impressive. Magical symbols placed on his body using a wand and chanting, much more neat than carving them into his flesh. Drawing more and more powerful into her body, which causes her to become more demonic looking, and the spell circles, if she didn't have all these preparations I thinking tapping this kind of power would kill her.

She is trying to shape a manifested BIT to her desired pattern, oh boy, I don't care how much you plan and prepare for this, so many things to go wrong trying that. Procedure no longer viable and can't change Rob how she wanted to, already pushed Exemplar part of the BIT as far as she can without potential backlash, wait, what? Things are succeeding far too well, what does that mean for Rob?

She forced the Wizard trait and it is at a good 4, when she expected a 3. Channeling the primal plane, is she mad!?! Trying to have a mortal, even a mutant with the Wizard trait, channel the power of the primal plane is foolish at best, arrogant at worst. Almost triggering a burnout and in addition to his manifesting she is feeding raw magic into him, what were the people she is working for trying to do? Breakdown in DNA and cellular mechanisms, she needs to slow it down more or he will die at this rate. And she needs more power to force the configuration into the desired shape, oh boy.

She is bound by a pact, no wonder she is working for these creeps, plus she wanted to prove her theories, not a good thing for any scientist to have instead of focusing on if the theories are sound in the first place. She cares for Rob and wishes to save him, but needs to do something to his body so it can survive until the BIT stabilizes in the desired form, which is where it goes from bad to weird for Rob.

Humans too weak for their bodies to survive before it was all complete, yet she thought Rob would be the exception due to all her testing, what did she miss? Oh boy, she has gone nuts and going to alter Rob to something not human so he can survive the experiment. She injected him with her own blood!?! Forcing changes in his genome, and now Rob is stabilized but how much of him is still human anymore. The BIT becoming what she wants, at least according to the 10 dimensions she can monitor, plus she turned Rob into a girl by using her DNA. That explains what happened to Morgana and this is just part 1, poor kid.

Clear vision in low-lighting, plus greater detail and focus for her vision. Poor Rob finds out he has become a she and faints unconscious, understandable after all she has gone through. She looks like a mixture of human and Thulia's features, oh boy, exotic beauty who won't lack for attention. Dark-red hair, gold, crimson-flecked eyes, pointed ears, and now she is getting angry, thinking this is what Thulia planned all along, not knowing the experiment went wrong and she had to do it to save his now her life. Rage and anger triggers further changes, looking a lot like Thulia now, small curling horns, nails more like claws now, no glow to her hair at least. And she turned the steel basin into bad modern art with her strength without realizing it, that would scare anyone, better not leave her alone in that cell for too long.

Thulia sad and Rob yelling at her, because he was lead to believe she knew what she was doing and everything would be fine. Until she says it was the only way to save his life, which causes Rob to leave his mouth hanging open like a frog hoping a fly will stumble its way in. Dang, she couldn't stop it or tone it down because it would have killed him even faster, between a rock and a hard place. So in desperation she injected him with some of her blood, she used Chimerical Trait Acquisition to try and save him with her blood, since her body is a real physical one on this plane. But she didn't think it would turn him female, dang, makes you want to comfort both her and Rob at this point.

Testing Rob for days and have a working idea how her powers work, better than some places, especially with someone as complex in origin and nature as what Rob has become. And having to dig information out of Thulia is a regular thing, distracted scientist, that girl. And she wants to go into technical details on magic most people wouldn't understand, magical scientist to the core. Mainly tied into the Fire Plane and can access it for power, that is very impressive. And her Wiz-trait allows her to safely do what wizards throughout history have tried without it, further good news.

Likening the drawing in of essence and storing it in the well for later use to a rechargeable battery, simple yet effective for this lesson. Recharge a phone by plugging it into her power station, that poor phone. Sanitizing and storing it, her ability limits what she can draw to something reasonably safe to handle; like oh, say, a massive fireball.

Yet, as with all experiments that go array, something unexpected has been added. She can draw upon the power to make herself stronger, tougher, etc. and create fire for starters. The changes happen because she use the power directly on her cells, very interesting, the power wonks and magic department are going to be fighting over getting to test her. No glowing hair as she isn't ready for that level of power yet; nice safety feature. And Thulia is going to help Rob how to do that, despite the fact she shouldn't, I hope Thulia and Bruce get out of this alive in the end.

Stable as an Exemplar and showing Wizard traits, no further changes, yet stable as a female, ouch. Bruce list all the ways it could have been worse, yet Rob still wishes he could have stayed male. And the cell is worse for wear now after Rob took his frustration out on it. Bruce gives him the bad news about BITs, how trying to change them either results in your death or turning into a monster and others deaths, poor Rob is stuck.

She altered his BIT as he was manifesting, did all that, all the computing power and constant changing to fit the mold for what she wanted the BIT to be and yet all this still happened. She designed her own body and Rob acquired some of the stuff she built in when designing it, good grief. She modded the body so she would have most of her abilities on this plane, plus was into anime which helped when designing the look, Bruce is right, thank you she wasn't into tentacles. *shudders*

Abraxus is only an Adapt, would have thought he ranked higher than that. Abraxus wants to use Rob as a power source, after proper motivation, he is a true monster. Plus he wants to know how to duplicate procedure so he can try it on more victims, not even caring that without Thulia they would all die horribly or arrogantly believing he can do it himself. Darn that binding contract which prevents Thulia from simply slaying this psycho. And of course she used a loophole in the contract to leave out details of what she found out during the experiment on Rob. Abraxus deserves whatever fate is dealt to him.

Thulia trying to make the best of the time she has left with Rob and tell him everything so she is prepared for what is to come. Thulia says even things like her have hope, which Rob doesn't like, saying she isn't a thing. Oh god, she got backing from the creeps who run this base, not realizing how disgusting and dishonorable they were. She thought the subject for the experiment would be willing, not a kidnap victim. Darn binding contracts, plus they use other humans as sacrifices in rituals, sickening.

Almost an hour left for testing on Rob, due to the contract still binding her. Bound by the wording of the contract, please tell me Abraxus left a loophole. Has to leave once the contract is done, plus made sure she couldn't take any direct action against them even afterwards, darn. Don't sign a contract, or they will enslave Rob; the way she says something will turn up, with emphasis on turn up leads me to believe she will somehow guide others to Rob's location.

Rob is an Exemplar and Wizard now, but something else as well. She can take in the energy in her cells to become, stronger, tougher, the more she takes in, the more powerful physically she becomes; with time and training that could make her one of the most powerful beings in existence. Enough fanatics who know how to deal with magical threats to hold her for now, ouch. Wait until she has help to break free, good advice. An intense kiss goodbye from Thulia for Rob and she is put to sleep again, as they have to leave soon. Thulia crying about having to leave Rob there like that and Bruce knowing it wasn't going to end well, ouch.

Abraxus telling his goons to bring Rob before him but unharmed or else. Yngvi's Mercenary Company and he can't stand working for cultists yet likes the pay. RHIP or Rank Has Its Privilege must suck when working for people like Abraxus.

6 guards just to escort her, they must fear she has already begun to learn how to use her powers and must keep her under control. Or they don't think of her as human any more, seeing her as a monster and thus to be feared. Corridors blending together except for the letters and numbers on the doors, disorienting to say the least. Magically protected door, Abraxus chamber, talk about paranoid. She is afraid of Abraxus and considers him the dangerous one in the room, while the guard still see her as a threat, these mercenaries need to learn to read a situation better.

The way Abraxus talks, snake-oil salesman but worse is what comes to mind, makes you feel like you have been cover in slime every time he talks. Trying to manipulate Rob by saying she can't return to her old life with the way she looks now, ugh. Trying to trick her into signing a contract that would enslave her to your will, this slime deserves something worse than death. Idiot didn't monitor Thulia, so he doesn't realize they grew close, thinking anything to get out of there would be a blessing in her eyes. And saying they won't look after her if she isn't a member of their group, after they kidnap her, have her experimented upon and transformed, now try to enslave her. At this point I would screaming in fury so loud the walls would shake at this guy's arrogance and stupidity.

Says she will never sign anything and makes Abraxus angry and unfocused, thinking this will give her the chance she needs to break out of this place. Oh boy, this won't go well. Tossed one guard into another, yet Abraxus summons tentacles to hold her, until she slices them apart with her claws. Only for Abraxus to use a wand or spectre to summon lightning from the ceiling down on her 3 times and knock her unconscious due to the pain, dang. Should have waited for help like Thulia said to do, Rob.

He knows someone told Rob about the control spell and wishes to torment them, yet if he summoned Thulia back without a new contract it might allow her to harm him. Great, he told his cult thugs about "persuading her" into acceding to his wishes. Which means torture, makes me want to rip him apart slowly. Illyrius loves torture, great, more psychos to deal with. Trying to break her down mentally, thinking it will be easy because she is a teen, never underestimate someone, they might just surprise you. And Samantha need to be punished as well, for thinking up that psychological torture, denying sleep, messing with light levels, no food and minimum water, plus no communication. That is the act of a monster.

5 weeks later: Manx, female superhero who is spying on some creeps down by a warehouse in Bridlington. The way one of the men is talking about his boss and the island, sounds like Abraxus' goons. Plus they foolishly talk about a captured kid, first lead on the authorities and heroes finding Rob. Plus mentioning the Reading job was the icing on the cake, Abraxus really should tell his goons to keep their mouths shut about past jobs, always a fatal flaw for criminals.

Snuck on the boat and unnoticed among the crates, these guys are more concerned for comfort than security. Is someone on the take at the docks or did Abraxus place some enchantment to make others ignore them, I wonder. So it was tech and magical tech that was stolen before, what use would a normal technology firm have for magical tech? And Manx is going to be shocked at what she discovers about the kidnapping victim. Hidden docking area on a small island in the area, plus efficient operation with the exception of the boat crew when on shore, no wonder no one has found them yet.

Great, she doesn't think what she has learned so far is worth reporting back to her team just yet, wishing to investigate more first. An operation that well maintained, which no criminal operations in the area are known for, and she doesn't call in immediately. *screams in frustration* Place with a lot of corridors and no place to hide or ambush, it is like they know all the tropes about superheroes infiltrating bases and planned for it. Oh boy, she actually believes the prisoner is a demon based upon what the guards are saying, hasn't she ever heard of exaggeration. Dang, subdued two guards and has one at knifepoint, she is like part Wolverine, part Batman from what we have seen so far.

So afraid of what Abraxus might do to him, he isn't afraid of death at her hands for a while there, dang. Crap, guard killed by Abraxus for talking and now Manx is cornered by him. Reflective force field spell, I suspect some kind of magical charm or talisman on his person which does that. And she has a powerstone which he wishes to study, not good. Dang, cage of lightning and she is KOed, how to call for help now.

Great, he has plans for her and keeps Illyrius back from messing with her. He believes the incompetence of his acolytes is to blame for not breaking Rob and getting her to sign the contract yet. So he plans to use Manx against Rob, feeling that saving someone else from torture or death might break her. Get Rob to befriend Manx as they will be locked up together, an obvious heroine, then torture her to break Rob, even if it means killing Manx. *imagines strangling Abraxus until he can't speak ever again*

A freezing cell with the lights too intense, naked and no food, all to break her and 5 weeks of this so far, yet she still endures. They torture her with shock batons as they give her little water, sick *****. Her hope is starting to fade, hopefully Manx's teammates have a way to track her if she goes missing for longer than a day or 2. Knotted rope with sharp piece of metal and they gagged her, Illyrius need to suffer his worst nightmare come to life. She woke up chained and helpless after this, thankfully, otherwise she might have signed the contract just to make the pain stop. No wonder she has those scars on her back. Mithril chains with runes to seal her power away, that is adding further injury. And now they bring in Manx, all part of a plan to break Rob.

Darn, they took her fake power source and in the process her real powerstone, not good. Blindfolded and still picking up all that detail, talk about training, yet Manx is chained to the wall as well. And the sick mercenaries talk about playing with what is left after Abraxus is done with her. Rob and Manx give introductions, while Rob cuts off Manx's blindfold.

Manx figures Rob is a mutant based on her appearance, but a new one as she keeps on briefing notices. Manx takes in all the details about Rob, including the fact she is an Exemplar despite the state she is in currently. Rob has heard of Manx, who is with the Order of Albion, interesting name for a hero group. Manx wonders if Rob is short for something, which makes Rob uncomfortable and she tries to lean back a bit, but her back is a mess. Illyrius is going to pay for what he has done. Dang, it is worse than Rob thought, some of the wounds are weeping sores even. And thus Manx gets Rob to tell her all that has happened to her, which is a doozy of a story.

Well this was dark.
From the brief bit in Calamari, with the flashbacks, risk of panic attacks and the scars, I was expecting bad things, this was a little bit worse.
I like that everyone seems to be sensible with realistic mistakes. The guards and others are competent, but a bit lax when they think things are secure. Manx is willing to at least threaten people with death, but she seems to be a bit too competent and doesn't quite realize when she's in over her head. Rob knows how to shut up and watch, whichi is surprising in a teenager.
I really want to know what Thulia has planned, she doesn't seem like the type of person I'd want to cross. Her revenge will probably be long, painful and vicious.
Can't wait for the next part.

Dark? Why thank you Dom..

Seriously, there is a good reason for the story being darker than usual. The results of her experience will have long-lasting repercussions for Morgana in a number of ways, and without showing some of the reasons why, what happens later wont make as much sense (or I;d have to show it at that point).

People tend to think of dark magic cults as a joke, run by arrogant overconfident sociopaths. Which they are. BUT...Darwin ensures that the guys at the top are also competant. Unfortunateley. In fact, if it wasn't for Thulia's unexpected interperence, Abraxus's plan would have worked nicely

The darkness fits, isn't gratuitous, and with the lead in from Calamari it was just about perfect.

Domoviye wrote: The darkness fits, isn't gratuitous, and with the lead in from Calamari it was just about perfect.

*cough* YOU say the darkness fits and isn't gratuitous? *cough, cough*

By your scale of measurement, maybe not, but that means to normal readers, it might be a bit much

We have normal readers!! coooo!

elrodw wrote:

Domoviye wrote: The darkness fits, isn't gratuitous, and with the lead in from Calamari it was just about perfect.

*cough* YOU say the darkness fits and isn't gratuitous? *cough, cough*

By your scale of measurement, maybe not, but that means to normal readers, it might be a bit much

Be careful or I'll write about the happiest grandmother in the Whateley universe.
...
It will be the most depressing story ever.

Domoviye wrote:

elrodw wrote:

Domoviye wrote: The darkness fits, isn't gratuitous, and with the lead in from Calamari it was just about perfect.

*cough* YOU say the darkness fits and isn't gratuitous? *cough, cough*

By your scale of measurement, maybe not, but that means to normal readers, it might be a bit much

Be careful or I'll write about the happiest grandmother in the Whateley universe.
...
It will be the most depressing story ever.

Yeah her children were Hansel and Gretel. Noticed I said 'were'.

Hmm, I think I'll let Thulia's Grandmother come as a surprise in Part 2 then..

So it looks as though in the days before Manx's unexpected arrival, Abraxas & co. had just started the physical torture on Rob. Given how clued up Rob's been about his situation, it's almost certain he'll twig what they plan to do to her in a bid to persuade him to sign his soul away.

We know from Calamari that at some point in time, a group of supers will rescue him over the next few weeks (the kidnap was sometime in June, we're now just over a month later in July, so the rescue's likely to be by mid August at the latest), but it remains to be seen whether Manx is tortured, mutilated or even killed. If she's been at least one of the three, it's likely to be enough to have to push him into preparing a dish of Abraxas en flambé when rescued (possibly even recalling Thulia's careful mention that she was bound by contract not to hurt him or his organisation directly).

As for the means of rescue, I'd guess that either Manx had some form of tracker which would lead others to the base, or Thulia / Bruce alerted different groups to the island location (after all, while Thulia's bound by the terms of the contract, Bruce may not be - so while he may not be physically capable of direct action, he may be more at liberty to direct others). At the moment, it looks as though Manx got herself messed up in this through her own volition, so she may not have had any contact with Thulia.

Speaking of Thulia, I'm guessing that we're likely to see more of her post-rescue - at least partially due to the story's title. And while she may be a Class 3 Entity (I don't think we've seen many of them to date), she's definitely interested in what I suppose could be called the mortal plane, given the body she built for herself, her human-like interests (e.g. anime), experimentation and need of mortal currency to afford the tech / facilities. Hopefully as time goes by we'll learn more about her (knowing the Whateleyverse, drip-fed rather than given her backstory in one go).

I do think that Rob would have been better off if he had stalled for a bit instead of immediately refusing to sign. The longer he drew it out, the longer they would have been inclined to treat him well. And the worst case scenario - that they figure out that he's playing them, and they start torturing him - well, they do that anyways.

So... The very first thing that I noticed is that there's at least one other who appears to favour about as many commas as I do.

Otherwise it's certainly interesting. A little harsher in treatment than I gauged from the mention in Calamari, what with applying the mental screws before beginning the physical trauma. Regarding Rob, he certainly seemed quiet and perceptive beforehand - so are the fits of rage induced by stress over events, or the actual change he underwent? Maybe a little of both?

I also can't help but notice perhaps a bit of a trend in G2 with focal points of magical power and subsequent distribution... We have AJ's mother, the White Lady, and Morgana's intended use as a conduit.

As for Thulia and Bruce (I can't be the only one reminiscing Finding Nemo, right?), I wonder who the "us" they referred to are. Looking forward to more info when it is forthcoming.

Abraxus certainly seems to have a competent operation running, at any rate. Everybody under contract it seems, likely all under pain of death. It certainly seemed there was also a magical alert tied into it, as he was there as soon as that poor minion kicked the bucket.

And finally, it's set in the UK. What are the odds we might see a Pendragon and/or Gloriana cameo?

Morgana's mental state is obviously not as good as before she went through all this.

As to magic - well, some of us wanted to show a lot more of this in G2, including the issues of actually having to learn to do stuff, and what can go wrong (hearing 'oops!' in Summoning Class is never good...).

Commas are your friend. They are nearly as much fun as u's are

With hindsight, Rob could have waited. However he's a very frustrated teenage boy, and really hadn't thought what they would actually do to him.

Ametros wrote: So... The very first thing that I noticed is that there's at least one other who appears to favour about as many commas as I do.

Otherwise it's certainly interesting. A little harsher in treatment than I gauged from the mention in Calamari, what with applying the mental screws before beginning the physical trauma. Regarding Rob, he certainly seemed quiet and perceptive beforehand - so are the fits of rage induced by stress over events, or the actual change he underwent? Maybe a little of both?

I also can't help but notice perhaps a bit of a trend in G2 with focal points of magical power and subsequent distribution... We have AJ's mother, the White Lady, and Morgana's intended use as a conduit.

As for Thulia and Bruce (I can't be the only one reminiscing Finding Nemo, right?), I wonder who the "us" they referred to are. Looking forward to more info when it is forthcoming.

Abraxus certainly seems to have a competent operation running, at any rate. Everybody under contract it seems, likely all under pain of death. It certainly seemed there was also a magical alert tied into it, as he was there as soon as that poor minion kicked the bucket.

And finally, it's set in the UK. What are the odds we might see a Pendragon and/or Gloriana cameo?

Someone named Bruce with an Australian Accent in England? I wonder how much he knows about Philosophers.

The "Bruce" thing brought to mind this issue of Spinnerette -- they always crack me up with their unabashed use of country stereotypes... this time, is a pair of Australian villainesses who are both called (of course) Sheila, and have a quokka called Bruce.

(Funnily enough, the lone Brazilian in the comic is pretty much as far from the Brazilian stereotype as possible -- she is German-Brazilian, and looks like she came right from the Austrian mountains...)

"possibly even recalling Thulia's careful mention that she was bound by contract not to hurt him or his organisation directly"

Contract was fulfilled. Thulia can do what she likes now.

TheAkashicTraveller wrote: "possibly even recalling Thulia's careful mention that she was bound by contract not to hurt him or his organisation directly"

Contract was fulfilled. Thulia can do what she likes now.

Not quite as simple as that, or no-one would sign those contracts.
However Thulia is a cunning little demoness...

Depending on how the contract was worded, I could imagine a case where Rob being Thulia's blood sister meant that his/her torture broke the contract or invoked a penalty clause of some kind on the part of the cult. But I doubt that that's the case.


But there are plenty of loopholes for this sort of thing. In Asimov's "Little Lost Robot", a robot with only half the first law ("You shall not harm humans" rather than the full "Don't harm humans, and don't let humans come to harm") could in theory put a human in a dangerous situation that the robot was capable of rescuing them from, but then choose not to rescue them. As long as Thulia doesn't consider rescuing Rob to be harmful to the cult, then she can make whatever plans she wants for rescuing him. And if third parties involved in those plans decided to do a little harming on their own - well, that's hardly her fault, is it?

So, we know that she'll be renamed Morgana and that she'll get whipped in the back at somepoint?

Anything else?

Uh, she has already been whipped.

Sir Lee wrote: Uh, she has already been whipped.

Oh I hate myself.

Has she been creamed also?

Ib12us wrote:

Sir Lee wrote: Uh, she has already been whipped.

Oh I hate myself.

Has she been creamed also?

No, that would just be you.

No, but I expect that at some point the cultists will. Get creamed, I mean.

I wonder how much regen she has.

Phoenix Spiritus wrote:

Ib12us wrote:

Sir Lee wrote: Uh, she has already been whipped.

Oh I hate myself.

Has she been creamed also?

No, that would just be you.

Yes, by Miracle Whip.

Oh. I see. The word 'Whip' is never used, so I missed it when they were talking about the rope.

Her Regen isn't at the Never Scarring level, or it might be a (super)-high regen that just doesn't not scar? ... Or is that not possible?

Malady wrote: Her Regen isn't at the Never Scarring level, or it might be a (super)-high regen that just doesn't not scar? ... Or is that not possible?

All powers work similarly in that they can be grouped but there are always variations to the specifics... even if they would only make a difference to a pedantic scientist...

Which is a long lead-in to the fact that... Yes, you can have a regen that doesn't eliminate scarring. It would be less likely in a person who has a BIT and Regen but not impossible.

My impression is that BIT-centered regen will always try and heal you back to your BIT, which means scars will disappear at a faster rate than on a normal person, but major wounds will still scar in the meantime if the regen level isn't high enough. This is why surgery isn't an option for Phase, even though he doesn't have particularly high regen.

Morgana does have Ex-3 regen (about equivalent to Regen-1).
Its a little higher when she's in Dragonform, but not a lot. Maybe as much as regen 1.5. If she wants to get anything decent she will have to learn self-healing spells.

However her power is being severely constrained in the cell, and that's not helping at all.

I kind of wonder if the BIT-transformed are also more prone to some sorts of scarring because, on some level, they've accepted those scars as part of who they are, making them part of the template.

It may be that when she can tap into more of her power (c.f. Thulia's comment regarding the flaming hair), she can access higher regen levels - although if so, that's likely to be something she'll only be able to do many years in the future (maybe even post-Whateley).

However, more significant than the physical scars are the mental ones - we know from Calamari (and the Gen 2 announcement) that, unsurprisingly, her ordeal has left her with PTSD, so she fulfills the cover story requirements for Poe as well as the real requirements. It wouldn't surprise me if her "not quite controllable fire manifestation" is linked to her PTSD - it's quite conceivable that on several occasions, she'll wake up in the middle of the night in the midst of burning bed linen.

Hmmm... I wonder if Cecila Rogers would be prepared to make a set of Kevra bed linen?

Regarding the damage done to Rob's back.

Two points to bear in mind. First its only been a matter of days, not weeks, since this was done.

Second, after nearly 6 weeks without food and kept cold her body has little in the way of reserves. When you get malnourished, your body starts to prioritise. Thats why people who are ill-fed are much more liable to things like disease, and take longer to heal. Now an exemplar is better at handling this (and recovers faster), but there are limits, and she's pretty much reached hers.

There is a private school in the USA, Whateley, that teaches and trains mutants with power levels or appearance that would cause issues in mainstream schooling. That includes a quite reasonable set of courses on magic

Reasonable? Methinks there's a bit of intercollegiate rivalry here between national magic school.

Glad to see Abraxus getting his just deserts.

And I see that Thulia considers blood sisters in the same light that Sara and Nikki do.

(yes, I'm kidding. Mostly)

It's interesting to hear that there are boarding schools for weaker mutants with GSD. I knew that there were comments about weaker mutants going to school normally, but nothing like this.
Might be interesting to see one of them from the perspective of a newly manifested mutant before he reaches full potential and becomes too powerful.

Blood Sisters Part 2 comments
Abraxus is proving himself more and more a true monster each time he talks. With everything that has happened to her so far, I'm surprised Morgana isn't in worse shape when we first met her in Calamari. Smart plastic memory lockpicks hidden in her hair, Manx is just full of surprises, can't wait to see what else she can do. Dang, Rob is in that bad of shape, physically and mentally, while Manx's plan relies on Rob's new powers and Abraxus not noticing her cuffs are undone. A lot of potential for disaster.

Rob is that close to breaking, terrified of what will happen if she is simply locked up again, anyone who can do this to another living being isn't human anymore imo. Oh boy, having to use lethal force to escape, with her captors and what they will do if she tries to escape and fails, Rob better listen to Manx on this. I can understand being reluctant to kill another human, but when it is this type of situation you rarely have a choice. At this point even the guards need to dealt with, psychos taking pleasure in another humans suffering, that is sickening. So close to breaking, just reading that hurts, wish you could hug and comfort her.

Sexually assaulting a minor just to try and finally break her, if any of these guys live and go to prison and the other prisoners hear what they did, they are toast. Rob, considering this is the monster who has tortured and scarred your back and mind for weeks, and what he was about to force you to do, you shouldn't feel any remorse for taking a true monster out of this world. That doesn't make you a monster, doing it to an innocent like you made him one.

The tortures she has been put through didn't break her enough for them to get her to sign the contract, but more than enough to ignore her moral quandaries once she got going. With how Rob is acting, I hope no idiot at Whateley isn't into torture and she catches him/her in the act, she more than likely would react violently with her PTSD. Manx is very skilled at intimidation, that guard folded fast. Tag-team intimidation, yikes.

"Don't look so upset, once we are clear we can watch them take this base out. Hopefully with extreme prejudice." That made me a lot happier. "Do we get popcorn?" "No we don't get popcorn! Bloody teenagers."

Bwahahaha, now that was perfect. Just how big was that guard where his shirt hangs off Rob like a tent, plus needs a belt to pull it in a bit. All that, they are within sight of the exit, and now the alarm goes off and seals them in with heavy bars closing off their way out. Just a guess but someone went to check on the "break Rob" session and found the dead bodies finally.

*eyes bug at Rob's display of power* Dang, reminder to never tick her off. Strong nightvision I guess, since she isn't describing seeing heat patterns from Manx's body. Take their chances in the sea, any other situation that would seem crazy, right then and there, I would risk it myself to get away from such maniacs. Abraxus and his goons or the North Sea, I pick the sea.

Dang, Thulia and Bruce watching the island and can't even act now because of the stupid contract, Abraxus must either be a lawyer or have one working for him. AEGIS, nice name for a team, Pendragon, Warspite, nice codenames for British superheroes. HERMES, from the sound of things is an organization for dealing with magical threats. Cult of the Red Ba'al, no wonder Abraxus and his goons are such monsters, sounds like an all-around nasty bunch. Air vehicles called Storm Shadows, priceless. And another team member named Storm Front, weather controller from the sound of things, this is one power team.

"But boss, Ride of the Valkyries is traditional..."

Bwahahaa, I love Derek already.

So we have Pendragon, Warspite, Storm Front, Blue Isis, Gunner, and Manx for the AEGIS team, nice. Intimidating the mercs into surrendering until an acolyte blast with lightning from above and makes them more scared of him than the heroes, shoot. So close to a full surrender from them too. Blue Isis must be a Wizard among potentially other things, nice deflect, wonder if the staff is a focus for her power or just a prop like some use.

Abraxus would cut and run, leaving all his people to die or be sent to jail just to save his own skin. Yet he wants to recapture Rob, still thinking he can get Rob to sign the contract and salvage something out of this. This is what we call arrogance, mixed with more than a little amount of stupidity and stubbornness.

Figures, Rob doesn't even have enough time to worry where Abraxus is when he blast at them with lightning from above, he needs to learn the fine art of subtle magic. Okay, Abraxus having a glove to boost his power I expected, villains like him almost always have a power booster. Rob being able to see magic as a purple glow, big surprise. Mystic forcefield, ouch, and breaking her wrist and hitting her with an electrically charged punch, double ouch, Manx is going to be healing for a while after this. Using the chain to disrupt his aim then hitting him hard, good, staying within reach when the first blow barely moved him, hard and painful way to learn a lesson about staying out of an enemy's reach.

Threatening to break her neck and not standing down when the heroes state they won't hold back if he does so, Abraxus must have read the "How to be a cliché villain" handbook. Harming Rob again and it just makes her flames become blue-white, yikes, Abraxus just keeps pushing and ticking off Rob more and more. Burned the flesh through his gauntlet and melted it partially, along with forcing him to drop Rob, Abraxus is in a world of hurt. Blasted back by Warspite's concussive cannon, yet Abraxus is still conscious, dang, much tougher than previous showings have made him out to be.

Pendragon read about the cult and some of Abraxus' crimes, and decapitates him since it his file had a lethal force authorized judgment. Now there is a leader, not afraid to stop true evil once and for all when it is needed. At least now Abraxus and his acolytes are dead, though I doubt the Cult of the Red Ba'al is finished. Fainting after all she has been through, Rob is a lot stronger than even she probably realizes.

I like Doctor Baines, saying it was an unavoidable accident when she knows the truth. Sedated to help her recover, smart thing after what she has been through, nightmares might wake her otherwise. Ceridwen Jones, Rob's big sister, shows up and they haven't told her anything about what happened to Rob or how he has changed, uh oh. Bwahahaha, teasing Rob about coming back from the dead much prettier than her older sister, guess she has to joke about the situation not to go crazy.

Bwahahaha, they kept the fact his older sister is a mutant from Rob and manifested when she was 14, then jokes about her master plan and ruling the world, I like Ceridwen, she is such a card. Gadgeteer-1, no wonder they didn't make a fuss over it, still good for upgrading things around the house.

And the reason why she choose the name Morgana for her girl name, very interesting. It is true based upon some of the older versions of the tales that Morgana was just a ruler of a small area who refused to bow down when Arthur was trying to unite England and thus tried to force her to.

Robert Stevenson, is he perhaps named after Robert Louis Stevenson? Have me curious if he is a mutant mage or baseline mage. Ah, yes. WIZ-4, the point where it becomes easier to do spontaneous magic but also have uncontrolled magical manifestations until you get proper training as he stated. Hoping to see the update powers article soon, put things into better perspective on power ratings and such.

Over a ton in her Dragonform, yikes! We knew she was strong, but still. Cult of the Red Ba'al, why do I have the feeling that based on how he is talking about them this is foreshadowing for when they try to abducted Morgana from Whateley. Funding from the government and sponsored the rest through AEGIS, nice set-up for helping out a kid in need. The protection for her family being a student at Whateley would afford them, that is probably what pushed it over the edge in Morgana's favor of agreeing to go.

Oh course Thulia and Bruce show up, she has to watch over her new sibling.

"Notice him just because he's green and scaly? In a Starbucks in London? Please..."

Now that is a gem. A red candle like solidified blood, ehhh. Ceri owed a favor by Thulia, your life definitely got weirder, and this probably is the most minor of it.

Magic as a purple-ish glow to her sight, handy way to distinguish the mundane from the magical. Literally the blood sister of Thulia now and now Morgana knows it as well. Doesn't have school like humans do but still has studies and duties to attend to, ouch, so even other-dimensional beings have something close to school. And Thulia still loves Morgana despite her being a girl now, guess that takes some of the edge off that worry.

Morgana proves herself to be smart at wording things the right way to get what she wants, even got her Aunt Ree to see Whateley was best for her. Someone pulling strings behind the scenes, not connected to the guys watching Tia and Laura I hope. Nice logic with the codename choice. Exemplar-3 and Wizard-4 with muttering from the testing staff and Provisional stamped in red, yikes, that means a lot of testing at Whateley. Ouch, with Bianca that is a 2nd of Gen 2 students whose old identity has been declared officially dead.

Ah, the requisite shopping trip and shock of female clothing, poor kids never get used to that with a few exceptions. Telling Morgana to get clothes she would like to see a pretty girl wearing, then laughed at her expression, they are sadists. And the torture of trying on a bra for the first time, poor Morgana has a lot of shocks in store for the future.

Morgana suspects adults had enriching school experiences themselves and are keen to make other people suffer the same fate; she isn't completely wrong on that though. Great, one of the MCO guys is a pro and the other is a rookie who from the way he is acting might have an itchy trigger-finger. Abner Crombie from the USA branch, figures. And he doesn't like hearing the name Whateley Academy, another strike against Agent Crombie. A clearance card to expedite things if you have already gone through the MCO check-in at another airport, logical but do the USA MCO honor it I wonder.

Thulia talking with her grandmother, Tanau, about the fate of Abraxus and how he is slippery, wanting to make sure he gets his deserved fate. A contract with Red Ba'all to become one of his servitors, I would be cussing up a storm like Thulia as well, little weasel avoided punishment in the end. Oooo, get a copy of Abraxus contract with Red Ba'al for Thulia to look through and find any loopholes, then bring in the Blind Lady as well. Good, Abraxus isn't going to escape justice after all.

Errors in the contract making it irrelevant, so he gets sentenced anyways, while Abraxus sputters in disbelief. Seventh Circle, Phlegethon, torture subsection. A just fate for Abraxus. And we won't have to worry about Abraxus somehow popping up again later on. Wonder why the story didn't say End or something at the end, is there another part of Blood Sisters still coming in the future?

Just a quick question for Astrodragon, or another member of the Cabal (TINCC) that can answer: Is the Pendragon seen in Blood Sisters Part 2 of any relation to Arthur Smith, Gen 1's Pendragon, because we never get his name or a particularly good description of him in Blood Sisters Part 2, but Arthur is/was from the UK...?

With that out of the way, thanks for a great story, looking forward to more from you all.

lduke1990 wrote: ...Is the Pendragon seen in Blood Sisters Part 2 of any relation to Arthur Smith, Gen 1's Pendragon, because we never get his name or a particularly good description of him in Blood Sisters Part 2, but Arthur is/was from the UK...?
.

That would be telling.

I'd say it is the same guy. They both use swords, same name, they're from the same country, both are leaders. It's a pretty safe bet.

A few answers for Dreamer :

Storm Shadows aren't planes, they are very nasty missiles.

Its Robert John Stevenson - his parents weren't THAT cruel, but he still gets people making jokes.

Under normal circumstances, the MCO would have honoured her clearance card when she arrived - basically scan it and her passport, give her her luggage and wave goodbye. It's a sensible system. But things were'nt normal at the airport.

No more parts of Blood Sisters, it leads straight into The Big Apple Comes with Calimari.

Didn't do a long write up for this one...

Some big paragraphs here, some of the biggest ever, I think...:

It had taken Manx some time to unlock the girls bonds ...

I wonder what it means that even though it was like, half my screen, it wasn't at all confusing to read...

Dreamer wrote: And another team member named Storm Front, weather controller from the sound of things, this is one power team.

"But boss, Ride of the Valkyries is traditional..."

Only remembered that Storm Front is a Dresden book... And, it's not the one with the Ride of the Valkyries rescue. Mmm. Storm Front's a common enough phrase anyways...

So, Thulia did send Manx! Wonder what her rescue attempt would've looked like, if they actually jumped into the water...

Dreamer wrote:

"Notice him just because he's green and scaly? In a Starbucks in London? Please..."

Now that is a gem.

Agreed.

...

While on the face of it the underground base was a labyrinthine lair of massive proportions, it wasn't, in reality, anything of the sort. Tunnelling is, after all, expensive, even with the aid of devisors or magic.

Liking all the thought put in to come up with sentences like that.

Dreamer wrote: Abraxus would cut and run, leaving all his people to die or be sent to jail just to save his own skin. Yet he wants to recapture Rob, still thinking he can get Rob to sign the contract and salvage something out of this. This is what we call arrogance, mixed with more than a little amount of stupidity and stubbornness.

I wonder, is Abraxus actually a new player, instead of an old one? So he hasn't had his flaws ironed out by experience? ... Is he a mutant, actually?? Well, nothing says the ancients can't be prideful and short-sighted and stuff...

...

This is the most intriguing part, personally. Extradimensional beings having families and stuff. But then again, we have Sara and her family, so I'm not sure how surprised I should be... But with Sara, I have the Lovecraft Mythos to lean on, and Kodiak and Grizzly, they've got physical forms from pre-Sundering... But Thulia, Tanau and the rest of their family are our only examples of whatever they are, ethereal beings or whatever. ... Where is that response that told us exactly what they are... Hmm...:

Dreamer wrote: Thulia talking with her grandmother, Tanau

Thulia blushed deeply. "Uh...will you promise to keep it between us? I think my father would be mad if he found out."

The woman snorted. "Your father is always mad about something. Go, on, tell me everything."

And then again, when you interact with humans, you can go a bit native...

"Hmm. very well, let me see what I can find out." Her grandmother turned to one side, fingers glancing across a symbol-inscribed piece of granite as she watched the results of her efforts scroll through the air in front of her. Thulia watched her work; even though the system was old-fashioned, she occasionally found it surprising that someone as old as her grandmother could actually use modern techniques. She made herself keep quiet as she watched, despite her impatience. Finally Tanau turned and looked at her again.

How old is Tanau, or more exactly, her techniques?? *shrugs*


EDIT:

Totally missed this:

Astrodragon wrote: Hmm, I think I'll let Thulia's Grandmother come as a surprise in Part 2 then..

... And

Fifth Circle of Hell, Fortress of Dis. Administration and Legal department.

Hell exists. Then again, we know that tons of hells exist, like the Hell of Fiery Immersion... It's just that they haven't been mentioned much.

Hmm... Hells are made by human thought and conform to those ideas, or humans stumbled upon those hells and wrote about them instead? ... Meh.

Blind Lady

Themis / Justitia / Lady Justice, I'd presume. Why call her by that epithet? Well, names have power, Kindly Ones for the Furies, for example.

Malady wrote:
Themis / Justitia / Lady Justice, I'd presume. Why call her by that epithet? Well, names have power, Kindly Ones for the Furies, for example.

It's never a good idea to call powerful beings by their real names, they might notice you.

There have been a few subtle clues about Thulia and her grandmother, but I'm likely to take a while to actually tell you

Hell exists. Then again, we know that tons of hells exist, like the Hell of Fiery Immersion... It's just that they haven't been mentioned much.*

Yeah. No mention of the DMV yet.

Turns out Morgana is a lot more powerful than we've been led to believe from Calamari or IDTWIKA. Burning like magnesium is no joke. She'll have to watch herself in the arena, especially when Whateley security believes she'll be a troublemaker and the UK thinks she's too strong for their local schools to handle. Any loss of control could be a big problem.

Good thing she's got such a responsible (overly cautious, borderline paranoid) roommate to keep her in control. Interesting that both Bianca and Morgana have both already killed people. Wonder if or when they'll admit it to each other.

You have to remember that what happened when she was being killed isn't indicative of her normal power level.

Maybe we should rename that Poe corridoor as Murderer's Row...

Morgana did kill people, but it was in a not-quite-intentional way, oops-I-gues-I'm-stronger-than-I-thought. Bianca did it quite on purpose.

Now, going back to AEGIS... I'm pretty sure that this Pendragon is the same as the one from Gen1:
1. Gen1 Pendragon graduated in 2007, so he would be about... 27 in Gen2? Old enough to get to a position of leadership, anyway, but young enough to be still active. Right age, right powerset and choice of weapon... (although I would expect anyone who chooses "Pendragon" as a codename to like swords)
2. Whateley seniors are required to have trademark-safe codenames, that is, ones suitable for a permanent adult MID. It's quite unlikely that Gen1 Pendragon lost his claim to the name,unless he retired/died very young. In particular, Pendragon should be one of those codenames which are very coveted, meaning that it shouldn't be "just lying around unused." Meaning that it was probably a legacy codename, and whoever deeded it to Gen1 Pendragon would expect him to use it.

Now,if Pendragon is the same... one wonders where are his old buddies, Gloriana and Mr. Mystic?

I have to wonder too if AEGIS gets any flak for being named after a comic-book supergroup. (Lady Lightning is a fairly popular comic in the Whateley Universe; it was even made into a movie. And there was a sim team nicknamed "AEGIS Jr."...)

AEGIS predates the supergroup -it was founded in 1946. In this case they were referencing the classical reference. Its not likely there is any liklihood of confusion, really. I cant remember if the supergroup is a name or an acronym - the UK one is an acronym.

In any case, you cant copyright a name, like Thor - you can only trademark a particular likeness.

Morgana wasnt really trying to kill anyone, but she simply didnt realise her own strength. She didnt even kill Ilyrius...quite...

Astrodragon wrote: You have to remember that what happened when she was being killed isn't indicative of her normal power level.

Sort of like Fey's Banshee Wail?

Astrodragon wrote: Morgana wasnt really trying to kill anyone, but she simply didnt realise her own strength. She didnt even kill Ilyrius...quite...

That's a pity. Still the pain and humiliation should help him learn the error of his ways.

I really like how you had Morgana right at the edge of her strength, and ready to surrender at that one point just to end the pain. Too often the hero is either unbreakable, or will surrender at the first threat to a loved one, her reactions were more realistic. And having her worried about the happiness she felt at hurting her tormentors was great.

You have to remember that what happened when she was being killed isn't indicative of her normal power level.* I think that could easily be her normal power lvl once she is taught how to properly access the elemental plane. And since we don't really have a in depth accounting for what was going on in her head at that particular moment it's very hard to 100% say whats what.

Some...interesting...assumptions about DragonsFyre's power set here.

There will be a side-story to IDTWIKA, which will go through her Whateley Power Testing. Its quite long. Not as long as Phase's. though

Astrodragon wrote: Some...interesting...assumptions about DragonsFyre's power set here.

There will be a side-story to IDTWIKA, which will go through her Whateley Power Testing. Its quite long. Not as long as Phase's. though

Nothing is as long as Phase's.

Well, they dont feed her, so that's one bit I dont have to describe...

One thing that does surprise me is that certain scenes in this story - which were rather controversial on internal review - don't seem to have caused any comment or concern at all.

Maybe Dom's just a bad influence on you all...

Astrodragon wrote: One thing that does surprise me is that certain scenes in this story - which were rather controversial on internal review - don't seem to have caused any comment or concern at all.

Maybe Dom's just a bad influence on you all...

Do you mean the parts with Illyrius? 'Cause if it is that, then I'm okay with it 'cause it fits with previous information, it's not OOC, he's clearly a villain, etc...

What, like Morgana char-castrating a psycho rapist? I think anybody in her position would do that.

I found it slightly disturbing how easily Pendragon put himself in the "judge, jury and executioner" role. I mean, yes Abraxus was already found guilty of multiple crimes, and yes there was a DFA on him, but at that point Pendragon probably could have defeated and captured Abraxus with no much trouble. He deliberately went for the killing stroke instead.

Astrodragon wrote: One thing that does surprise me is that certain scenes in this story - which were rather controversial on internal review - don't seem to have caused any comment or concern at all.

Maybe Dom's just a bad influence on you all...

Would you believe I was a little unnerved by it. I just didn't want to say anything.

And how come does my name seem to come up so often when people are talking about insane or disturbing things?

Sir Lee wrote: What, like Morgana char-castrating a psycho rapist? I think anybody in her position would do that.

I found it slightly disturbing how easily Pendragon put himself in the "judge, jury and executioner" role. I mean, yes Abraxus was already found guilty of multiple crimes, and yes there was a DFA on him, but at that point Pendragon probably could have defeated and captured Abraxus with no much trouble. He deliberately went for the killing stroke instead.

That part I didn't find that disturbing, as Pendragon had the files on Abraxus, which would include all his known crimes. It wouldn't include his unknown crimes and those which he committed against Morgana and Manx. If you read that file, saw what a monster he was and would keep being if he was allowed to live and most likely escape to commit more crimes, could you have let him live knowing you could have stopped him right then and there. It is a hard moral judgment to make.

Its the issue of is a hero human or an overgrown boy scout.
'Accidentally' shooting to kill by the police happens more often than people would probably be happy with.
But given the sort of record Abraxus had (yes, this cult does things like sacrifice children, for example), and that prisons dont have a good record for keeping them locked up, it was the call he made.

There is also the issue that the attitude of the RL police Armed Response units (remember, the cop on the street isn't armed in the UK) tends to be 'if we are called in, we shoot to kill. Shooting to wound is for the movies', and the public (except in rare cases) seems fine with this.

Malady wrote:

Astrodragon wrote: One thing that does surprise me is that certain scenes in this story - which were rather controversial on internal review - don't seem to have caused any comment or concern at all.

Maybe Dom's just a bad influence on you all...

Do you mean the parts with Illyrius? 'Cause if it is that, then I'm okay with it 'cause it fits with previous information, it's not OOC, he's clearly a villain, etc...

Yes, that was one of them (there were four, actually)
Mind, doing it will cause psychological issues for her at a later date. Its not something you remember with happiness.

Astrodragon wrote:

Malady wrote:

Astrodragon wrote: One thing that does surprise me is that certain scenes in this story - which were rather controversial on internal review - don't seem to have caused any comment or concern at all.

Maybe Dom's just a bad influence on you all...

Do you mean the parts with Illyrius? 'Cause if it is that, then I'm okay with it 'cause it fits with previous information, it's not OOC, he's clearly a villain, etc...

Yes, that was one of them (there were four, actually)
Mind, doing it will cause psychological issues for her at a later date. Its not something you remember with happiness.

I was actually talking about what Illyrius was doing, not what Morgana was doing...

Domoviye wrote: And how come does my name seem to come up so often when people are talking about insane or disturbing things?

I'd go through the Micro-Scenes thread listing "Exhibit A", "Exhibit B", etc., but I just weaned myself of the nightmares and am enjoying the break.

Let us just say Domoviye, either you write, you encourage it, or you applaude all such nightmare fuel that enters the site.

Sir Lee wrote: I found it slightly disturbing how easily Pendragon put himself in the "judge, jury and executioner" role. I mean, yes Abraxus was already found guilty of multiple crimes, and yes there was a DFA on him, but at that point Pendragon probably could have defeated and captured Abraxus with no much trouble. He deliberately went for the killing stroke instead.

Well... And, I will state that I'm not confirming that this Pendragon is the same as the one that attended Whateley and graduated in 2007.

At Whateley, we haven't seen as much of Pendragon as we have someone like Stormwolf, who we know from the stories is very much by-the-book, but from what we've seen he's not the same type of personality. At this point Pendragon will have had 9 years of further evolution from whatever view he had as well.

Well, the scenario I'd imagined based on Calamari didn't quite match this one, so if anything I'd say I expected Morgana to be treated worse. It works, though, so that's not a complaint. Maybe it's a relief, even.

I am not in any way bothered by Morgana being mean to the people who kidnapped, tortured, and attempted to enslave her, and I agree with Pendragon's decision to kill Abraxus. He sounds like exactly the sort to find a way to escape (or be broken out by other branches of the cult) so he can resume doing horrible things to people. Better not to risk it.

I did notice that Abraxus didn't seem to be magically warned when his guards were injured or killed, the way he apparently was when one began revealing secrets. But maybe that was a coincidence and the only actual magic happening was what killed the guard. Or maybe adding more trigger conditions would have just been too expensive.

Kettlekorn wrote: Well, the scenario I'd imagined based on Calamari didn't quite match this one, so if anything I'd say I expected Morgana to be treated worse. It works, though, so that's not a complaint. Maybe it's a relief, even.

I felt like there were a lot of torture scenes that were alluded to in Calamari that were deliberately omitted from both parts of Blood Sisters. I'm honestly grateful for that, because they would have been fairly gratuitous, and the description of her back (after several healings!) is good enough for me to make the point clear.

Maybe it is because I've been watching Outlander recently, but I have a pretty vivid impression of what that would look like...fresh.

Astrodragon didn't need to make this into an Eli Roth film to get the point across.

Looking back though, now it's a bit confusing in the other stories now which "sister" Morgana is referring to when she talks to the other girls. I can guess it's generally meant to be Ceridwen. Does Morgana not see Thulia the same way Thulia sees Morgana?
edit: Given that their time together was short and generally traumatic for both of them, Thulia is very attached to Morgana, similar to the way Jobe is attached to her own "sisters," particularly Belfy, the canon's other accidental sister/daughter.

When she's referring to her sister, shes talking about her big sister Ceri.

She's not quite sure where Thulia and she are going...

And yes, there wasn't any need to put in loads of descriptive torture, this isnt a horror story. It did need some dark bits to set the tone, however.

Domoviye wrote: And how come does my name seem to come up so often when people are talking about insane or disturbing things?

You have form - the fanfic origin story of a certain diminutive mutant in particular fulfils both requirements...

Meanwhile, with Morgana's torture, given the extent of her scars in Calamari it's evident she went through a lot of physical torture, with the only constraints being that she needed to be kept alive, with all limbs present, and virginity intact, for the intended ritual / sacrifice. It's fortunate for her that Manx arrived in the proverbial nick of time, as she just about managed to avoid being forced to "pleasure" her torturer(s). However, it was close enough that it's likely she'll have nightmares, not so much about castrating him but what likely would have happened if she hadn't...

Also, with the cult still after her, even with Whateley's policy about protecting the families of students, it probably wouldn't be safe for her to return home during school breaks for the first term / semester or two at least - so she may end up following the great Whateley tradition of visiting a fellow student / friend over school breaks (and given this group already have a reputation, it's not inconceivable that trouble will find them...) - but still, that's a couple of months away from their perspective (maybe even a couple of years from ours - we don't yet know how fast the timeline will move or how productive the 2G canon will be [the two aren't necessarily related - don't forget Diane could write hundreds of thousands of words covering little more than a week of time!)

Oh, and of course, thinking of Astro's earlier comment about Morgana's testing, from what we've seen, none of the M³ have palettes anywhere near as refined as Ayla, so we'll probably be spared snarky comments about the quality of the food or the chefs slipping students extra dishes which result in collective foodgasms Instead we'll see the group debating whether the convenience of a ride into town without having to wait for the school shuttle is worth the grapevine commentary likely to arise from them being associated with the branding of another student's vehicle - not just in school but among locals in Dunwich / Berlin...

mittfh wrote: Instead we'll see the group debating whether the convenience of a ride into town without having to wait for the school shuttle is worth the grapevine commentary likely to arise from them being associated with the branding of another student's vehicle - not just in school but among locals in Dunwich / Berlin...

Are you kidding? It's a Porsche 918 Spyder . That's not a run-of-the-mill 911 -- it's a very exclusive hypercar, with only 918 made. That trumps the color, the branding, everything. The Gearheads are already having geekgasms about being near it.

But there aren't going to be any group rides to town in it -- it's a two-seater.

I think that reading The Big Apple Comes With Calamari and I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore before this story might have spoiled it a bit.

Don't get me wrong, this story is without doubt dark but knowing already what is going to happen takes away a good chunk of tension. In the end I was left wondering how the heroes get to know the base location rather than wondering what happen next, I don't know, Rob and Manx might have managed to escape on their own and had to hide from the assholes while they reach the Superhero headquarters, or worse, only Rob manages to escape and she needs to evade detection from the bad guy while struggling to make the authorities believe her story (she looks nothing like he looked before being kidnapped). There were many possible way it could play out, but knowing what I knew took away a lot of impact to the story.

However I have to say that the story is well constructed and it well worth the time needed to read it.

On the plus side (because I can't just talk about how The Big Apple Comes With Calamari and I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore spoiled this story and not talk about what I've enjoyed) I have found Thulia and Bruce being both interesting and entertaining characters, Thulia's seductiveness and Bruce sarcasm complemented each other pretty well, I just wish we got to see more of them, the only thing that leaves me wondering is how human their characters are, I mean, aren't they being from another plane of existance, I would have thought they would have had a more alien mindset, and that romance wouldn't have been a possibility, instead they are humans from another dimension, sure they have some quirks due being from another dimension, but they are still humans.

Anyway, as gut reactions are the sequent:

• Rob should have asked to sleep with Thulia before the experiment, it might have been the last chance he had to lose his virginity, oh wait it was.... and he missed it, at least he got that kiss before she leaves
• Abraxus and Co. are complete monsters, dealing with them with extreme prejudice is just common sense
• Ceridwen.... now that's one unusual name, anyway she's quite a character
• That guy from HERMES seems so pushy, sure he has a lot of good reasons but still...
• More Thulia on Morgana action... damn the candle is spent before they could get to the good part
• Shopping trip horror.... yep, couldn't do without it
• MCO check at the airport, the British agent is friendly, the American one not so much.... I wonder if the British agent's attitude is standard for the MCO in UK or it is just an exception
• Thulia, instrument of karma.... nice

Sir Lee wrote: But there aren't going to be any group rides to town in it -- it's a two-seater.

You mean it's a two-seater for now.

Otherself wrote: Rob should have asked to sleep with Thulia before the experiment, it might have been the last chance he had to lose his virginity, oh wait it was.... and he missed it, at least he got that kiss before she leaves

I'm not sure that would have been such a good idea. The cult's use for Rob/Morgana required intact virginity, so it depends on how the technicalities would have played out, or if the magic draws from the person rather than their current form. It could have rapidly resulted in the death of Rob/Morgana.

And anyway, it was likely that keeping "the subject" virginal was part of the conditions in Thulia's contract.

Ametros wrote:

Otherself wrote: Rob should have asked to sleep with Thulia before the experiment, it might have been the last chance he had to lose his virginity, oh wait it was.... and he missed it, at least he got that kiss before she leaves

I'm not sure that would have been such a good idea. The cult's use for Rob/Morgana required intact virginity, so it depends on how the technicalities would have played out, or if the magic draws from the person rather than their current form. It could have rapidly resulted in the death of Rob/Morgana.

Sir Lee wrote: And anyway, it was likely that keeping "the subject" virginal was part of the conditions in Thulia's contract.

That makes sense but from the point of view of the Cult and possibly Thulia, my point is that Rob should have asked Thulia to have sex as something might have gone wrong in the experiment and it might have been his last chance (which it was as a male), Thulia might have shot him down for the reasons you cited, but the attempt had to be made for the restrictions on what Thulia could have done with Rob be relevant. With that said I totally undestand why Rob didn't, I wouldn't have worked up the courage of asking either at that age.

While I accept that showing all the origin fics before Calimari would have raised the tension a bit, it just wasnt possible. Also, there is also the issue that unless we get really creative with red herrings, you know the main character will survive (otherwise they wont be at Whateley...)

As to any naughty goings-on.
First, Rob had only known Thulia for a week. The circumstances werent exactly romantic. Asking for sex at the point would just be out of keeping. Especially as Rob was expecting to come out of it as a male exemplar.
Second, Rob is only 15.

The British MCO agent at the airport has been there a long time - US agents get sent there for shorter stints, and even if he started out different, acculturation happens. The British MCO attitude is somewhat different to the US one, for quite a few reasons. I hope to show this at some point, but this wasnt the time to go into what would be a long explanation of why the British attitude differs.

I certainly dont expect this to be the last you see of Thulia and Bruce.

Astrodragon wrote: While I accept that showing all the origin fics before Calimari would have raised the tension a bit, it just wasnt possible. Also, there is also the issue that unless we get really creative with red herrings, you know the main character will survive (otherwise they wont be at Whateley...)

As to any naughty goings-on.
First, Rob had only known Thulia for a week. The circumstances werent exactly romantic. Asking for sex at the point would just be out of keeping. Especially as Rob was expecting to come out of it as a male exemplar.
Second, Rob is only 15.

The British MCO agent at the airport has been there a long time - US agents get sent there for shorter stints, and even if he started out different, acculturation happens. The British MCO attitude is somewhat different to the US one, for quite a few reasons. I hope to show this at some point, but this wasnt the time to go into what would be a long explanation of why the British attitude differs.

I certainly dont expect this to be the last you see of Thulia and Bruce.

Ok, maybe I need to explain what I meant.

The event taking place in the story are definitely dark, even with you going light on the sense of despair of Rob's family and skipping the description of the torture she was subjected to, the fact remains that is a story about a kid that was kidnapped, experimented on and tortured by a group of people completely devoid of humanity, she has power but she doesn't really know how to use it, while her opposition has both power and the knowledge required to use it effectively, along with superior numbers and the advantage of home ground, she is in a position of disempowerement and she lacks the knowledge to make a plan, that's the perfect setting for an horror story. What she has going for her is having Manx on her side (and Thulia, if her contract lets her to do anything) but aside from that they have to escape and get help, because the Cult WILL hunt them down. Now, how do they do that? Can they send a message or do they have to escape the island before getting any help? What does she do if she gets separated from Manx? Or worse, what if Manx gets killed? Aside from escaping, how does she prove her own identity? While you kept things relatively light (keyword: relatively) and let the plan go aproximately like planned, things could have taken a turn for worse, as a reader (who supposedly have read no spoilers) I don't know what is going to happen next, and one of the greatest fears is the fear of the unknown, especially in a dangerous context, it lets my mind go through various possible scenarios, with all the risks and unpleasant consequences that they bring, it lets my mind create my own horror it creates tension and that creates a sense of relief when the whole ordeal comes to an end. However I was given precognition in the form of having read Calamari first and that took away considerable impact to the story, the emotions that I experienced were nowhere near the level of intensity they would have been otherwise.

Now this is probably the part that I've failed to convey: this is not meant to be criticism, it's just that I have noticed that the story have a lesser impact than it would have otherwise and I've found it relevant enough to talk about it. I don't mean to complain about the way you relised the stories, I actually LIKE the fact that you started with a bang, but it has impacted this story quite a bit. I consider it a small price for having the sheer awesomeness that Calamari is as a start and overall I think I was given a pretty good deal, but the fact remains that the price tag is still noticeable.

Going on a tangent I would like to point out that the fact that the protagonist survives the story is pretty much given, however it would have been a HUGE twist if you introduced a character in a story, then you relise his/her origin story and the character dies in it, then the character keeps going on with his/her life in subsequent stories until something happens that causes him/her to discover that he/she might not be the same person he/she believed to be (you know, Total Recall style mindfuck), forcing the character to question his/her own identity and redefining his/her own self.... all while leaving the readers wondering what the hell is going on.

I would also like to point out that the part about Rob asking Thulia to get intimate was under the 'gut reaction' section, it was a reaction from the stomach rather than the brain, it was along the lines of "Sigh, a missed opportunity" and I expect Morgana at some point to regret not having tried when she had the opportunity. It wasn't criticism about the way Rob acted, much less me trying to tell how the story should have been written, it's just that when I state my gut reactions I describe what was the first reaction that I had, illogical and emotive as it might have been, and that reaction was "missed opportunity".

While for the part about the MCO, it was just a part that piqued my interest.

BTW, your avatar, which one is it? Thulia or Morgana?

Its Morgana - although its easy to confuse the two unless you see them together.

Yes, I appreciate the timing issues of Calimari and Blood sisters, but it was set that for G2 we wouldnt release origin stories until later on.

The problem with lacing a story with believable dummy protagonists is twofold; first, its a load more work, as the protagonist has a far greater investment by the writer, and second, which one do you kill off? Characters have this nasty habit of taking off on their own! And while I could have done it with Rob and got away with it by using Thulia, it would have raised a ton of other issues - you have a lot less wiggle room in a group story than you do as a solo author.

You're right in one respect - Morgana does regret her, hmm, limited time with Thulia, in both her forms. Dont worry, this has only just started

Astrodragon wrote: Its Morgana - although its easy to confuse the two unless you see them together.

Yes, I appreciate the timing issues of Calimari and Blood sisters, but it was set that for G2 we wouldnt release origin stories until later on.

The problem with lacing a story with believable dummy protagonists is twofold; first, its a load more work, as the protagonist has a far greater investment by the writer, and second, which one do you kill off? Characters have this nasty habit of taking off on their own! And while I could have done it with Rob and got away with it by using Thulia, it would have raised a ton of other issues - you have a lot less wiggle room in a group story than you do as a solo author.

You're right in one respect - Morgana does regret her, hmm, limited time with Thulia, in both her forms. Dont worry, this has only just started

Well, I wasn't talking about killing Morgana and replacing her with Thulia (which, by the way, couldn't have been done as both had already been shown to be alive, at the same time in two completely different places in I Don't Think We're In Kansas Anymore - part 1), what I was saying is that it could be an interesting twist if a character were to be introduced, then have an origin story in which the character dies, then the following stories continue as nothing had happened. It lets the author play with the reader's assumption that the protagonist is going to survive, then he can keep the reader guessing about what is going on, then the author can explore the sense of self of the character when he/she discovers the incongruity. I mean, if the character is a clone of the original, is he/she the same person or is he/she a completely different person who has been brainwashed into thinking he/she is someone else? What the character was actually someone else that had been turned into a copy of the original character? Is he/she the former self under delusion? Is he/she the original character having stolen the former self's life? Or neither of them and be his/her own original person? How does he/she relate to the former self? Does he/she want to reclaim that identity? How much of his/her current identity is willing to give up?.... What if the original character wasn't as dead as it was thought to be and reappears? Now, who is who?

Obviously this type of character must be built for this kind of mindfuck from the very beginning and I'm not suggesting to turn one of the existing characters into one of this, I'm merely saying that defying the reader expectations on the survival of the protagonist can lead to viable character concepts.

Disclamer: Mind in the gutter comment following, do not take it too seriously.

Is it possible that Morgana becomes Bianca's girlfriend? They seem to be the polar opposites in many things while having many other things in common.... and a threesome with Thulia would be hot, pun intended.

Otherself wrote: Is it possible that Morgana becomes Bianca's girlfriend? They seem to be the polar opposites in many things while having many other things in common.... and a threesome with Thulia would be hot, pun intended.

It's very early in Gen 2, and I am totally projecting here, but I like to pretend that Morgana and Bianca are both very honest with each other (due to similar backstories and being roomies) and eventually it slips out that they've both killed before (maybe when they wake up screaming from their PTSD nightmares) and even later that Bianca is the heir to a criminal empire. THEN, during a break, since it is far too dangerous for Morgana to go back to the UK, she follows Bianca home to Chicago. THEN, when Bianca's position is threatened due to her age, Morgana goes dragon and scares the shit out of Bianca's would-be usurpers when they recognize her as a proper demon.

Then they go shopping with Ceri and Thulia.

edit: All friendship stuff. Jadis/BadSeeds style, I guess?

Katssun wrote:

Otherself wrote: Is it possible that Morgana becomes Bianca's girlfriend? They seem to be the polar opposites in many things while having many other things in common.... and a threesome with Thulia would be hot, pun intended.

It's very early in Gen 2, and I am totally projecting here, but I like to pretend that Morgana and Bianca are both very honest with each other (due to similar backstories and being roomies) and eventually it slips out that they've both killed before (maybe when they wake up screaming from their PTSD nightmares) and even later that Bianca is the heir to a criminal empire. THEN, during a break, since it is far too dangerous for Morgana to go back to the UK, she follows Bianca home to Chicago. THEN, when Bianca's position is threatened due to her age, Morgana goes dragon and scares the shit out of Bianca's would-be usurpers when they recognize her as a proper demon.

Then they go shopping with Ceri and Thulia.

edit: All friendship stuff. Jadis/BadSeeds style, I guess?

So...going to spend your break with the heiress of a criminal empire who has a price on her head is LESS dangerous than going home where there only MIGHT be cultists looking for you?

NeoMagus wrote:

Katssun wrote:

Otherself wrote: Is it possible that Morgana becomes Bianca's girlfriend? They seem to be the polar opposites in many things while having many other things in common.... and a threesome with Thulia would be hot, pun intended.

It's very early in Gen 2, and I am totally projecting here, but I like to pretend that Morgana and Bianca are both very honest with each other (due to similar backstories and being roomies) and eventually it slips out that they've both killed before (maybe when they wake up screaming from their PTSD nightmares) and even later that Bianca is the heir to a criminal empire. THEN, during a break, since it is far too dangerous for Morgana to go back to the UK, she follows Bianca home to Chicago. THEN, when Bianca's position is threatened due to her age, Morgana goes dragon and scares the shit out of Bianca's would-be usurpers when they recognize her as a proper demon.

Then they go shopping with Ceri and Thulia.

edit: All friendship stuff. Jadis/BadSeeds style, I guess?

So...going to spend your break with the heiress of a criminal empire who has a price on her head is LESS dangerous than going home where there only MIGHT be cultists looking for you?

I think Bianca and Morgana might be a lot more worried about what Ceri and Thulia think is an appropriate outfit for a sexy teenage girl...

NeoMagus wrote:

Katssun wrote:

Otherself wrote: Is it possible that Morgana becomes Bianca's girlfriend? They seem to be the polar opposites in many things while having many other things in common.... and a threesome with Thulia would be hot, pun intended.

It's very early in Gen 2, and I am totally projecting here, but I like to pretend that Morgana and Bianca are both very honest with each other (due to similar backstories and being roomies) and eventually it slips out that they've both killed before (maybe when they wake up screaming from their PTSD nightmares) and even later that Bianca is the heir to a criminal empire. THEN, during a break, since it is far too dangerous for Morgana to go back to the UK, she follows Bianca home to Chicago. THEN, when Bianca's position is threatened due to her age, Morgana goes dragon and scares the shit out of Bianca's would-be usurpers when they recognize her as a proper demon.

Then they go shopping with Ceri and Thulia.

edit: All friendship stuff. Jadis/BadSeeds style, I guess?

So...going to spend your break with the heiress of a criminal empire who has a price on her head is LESS dangerous than going home where there only MIGHT be cultists looking for you?

But Bianca actually has extremely loyal bodyguards, safe houses, access to deep dish pizza, etc. Morgana's primary risk would be getting kidnapped, or worse, Ceri getting kidnapped. Bianca also generally knows who her enemies are, and what to look out for. The cultists who would be interested in Morgana could be anyone.

But hey, the reverse works too. Bianca spends the break in the UK, scares off cultists. The group enjoys high-end boutiques and food like boiled meat...and boiled vegetables...and boiled meat.
edit: Gets threatened with an ASBO for wearing hoodies all the time, etc.

I finally got around to reading part two. That was a good origin story, lookinf forward to seeing more of Morgana. And her otherworldly sister whom I'm sure will dragged into her future stories somehow.

... Do we have any knowledge that Thulia is an only child??

Malady wrote: ... Do we have any knowledge that Thulia is an only child??

Perhaps she was one of 665 daughters.

An only child or not? No you don't

But no doubt over time we'll eventually be fed snippets / hints of exactly what Thulia is, while it's also plausible (but by no means certain) that Morgana will eventually "meet the family" (or at least Thulia's gran).

Heh, it's even possible (but again by no means certain) that come Parent's Day, Thulia and Bruce accompany Morgana's family to the Academy (although if they did, they may have to make prior arrangements with the Academy to avoid the possibility of undesirable interactions with the warding).

Don't worry, a lot more about Thulia will be revealed over time. After all, the kids have only been at Whateley for 3 days by the current story line...

Parent's Day..hmmm. Of course, keeping Thulia out of the clutches of the power testers would be an issue...

Astrodragon wrote: Don't worry, a lot more about Thulia will be revealed over time. After all, the kids have only been at Whateley for 3 days by the current story line...

How much should we be able to predict, given the knowledge of us, as a forum?

Are there realms unknown, beyond the Ethereal and whatever else Kristin revealed in that large Astral Infodump? ... That I need to find again... ... Nope, too lazy.

Do we know enough about Ether and Astral and stuff to predict what you're gonna reveal, is my question.

There are a few snippets of info on Thulia that dont seem to have been picked up yet, but most of them are subtle

Astrodragon wrote: Parent's Day..hmmm. Of course, keeping Thulia out of the clutches of the power testers would be an issue...

If they become aware of how much she knows about BITs, they might offer her a job.

Sir Lee wrote:

Astrodragon wrote: Parent's Day..hmmm. Of course, keeping Thulia out of the clutches of the power testers would be an issue...

If they become aware of how much she knows about BITs, they might offer her a job.

It's a good job this is G2 rather than G1 - in G1, the power testers wouldn't be the only ones interested in her knowledge of BITs... one bunch of students had a 'professional' desire to know more about them, while another bunch had a personal desire (to the extent that some even approached Jobe for help...)

That probably isn't so much of an issue in G2 - not because there aren't students who'd dearly love a different BIT, but given the events of 2006-07, it's highly likely the Administration would quickly shut down any attempts to built anything resembling a BIT-splicer (never mind the immense power drain of one in use would be a bit of a giveaway if one was built without Administration's knowledge), and probably any invasive research procedures as well.

(Besides which, if they can find someone delusional enough to sponsor them, there's always the possibility of a trip to Karedonia or Paradise Island if they're desperate enough to go down the Drow or Aniperson route...)

Well, given that while Thulia's method works, but tends to kill the human subject, it's not likely to be terribly popular. Remember that she had to take some truly drastic (and just as liable to be lethal) action to save Rob.

Whether its less lethal without the crazy attempt to link to a magic plane is, at the moment, a matter for conjecture. There is also the issue of making it worth her while to try it.

Remember, her technique isnt about modifying BITS per se, its setting the conditions during manifesting to nudge it into the desired configuration.

Astrodragon wrote: Well, given that while Thulia's method works, but tends to kill the human subject, it's not likely to be terribly popular. Remember that she had to take some truly drastic (and just as liable to be lethal) action to save Rob.

Whether its less lethal without the crazy attempt to link to a magic plane is, at the moment, a matter for conjecture. There is also the issue of making it worth her while to try it.

Remember, her technique isnt about modifying BITS per se, its setting the conditions during manifesting to nudge it into the desired configuration.

Restate from Ayla thread:

Would Ayla's BIT Shred create the conditions for Thulia's BIT Nudge? How about Spark's XSI, or the BIT Slicer?? Totally get if those are spoilers.

... Hmm... How has BIT alteration advanced since the BIT Slicer? Is what Thulia does a descendant of the Slicer or the XSI? ... Is she related to Hephestus/Vulcan or in some other capacity to the Olympians??

Basically, No.
What Thulia did was to take advantage of the ONE time a BIT is somewhat malleable, when the mutant is manifesting and the BIT unfolds. She didn't alter the BIT per se, she worked with the internal and existing conditions which affect how the BIT manifests, in real time (hence the ridiculously powerful computing array she used).

Such a technique will NOT work on an existing, manifested BIT. All the attempts to list are trying to wok with a manifested BIT, which is why the success rate is so close to zero...

Astrodragon wrote: Such a technique will NOT work on an existing, manifested BIT. All the attempts to list are trying to wok with a manifested BIT, which is why the success rate is so close to zero...

What happens if we try and detach the BIT, and then alter it? I remember that detaching the BIT might be possible, somehow? Or am I mis-remembering?

Pretty sure you're mis-remembering. That would kill the person

Hmmmm, I wonder if she could do anything for Jello?

Look back at Roulette in Gen 1, she has a barely damaged BIT, and risks death every time she shifts. Thulia is exploiting a narrow window, deliberately controlling all aspects that she believes impact BIT manifestation with a supernatural supercomputer, and she still nearly has a disaster.

Though this is a strange contrast to Jobe and the drow, where she installs a BIT through regen and biotic manipulation. (Edit: It might be supporting evidence, as Jobe's method has a 1/5 chance of the subject becoming braindead.)

The WU is inconsistent with how BITs are handled, but I find that is actually a feature. Everyone in universe thinks their hypothesis on BITs, even if informal, is correct, and many of them contradict each other. Lots of possibilities, very few real answers.

Remember that even with all her resources, Thulias attempt was basically a fail.It was only by a rather drastic intervention that she saves Rob's life

Kristin Darken wrote: Here's the thing about BITs...

Cool! Now we can speculate from the position of the WU's more theoretical scientists, or something... I guess that they guess that what Jobe's formula did to Ayla was change the biology to fit the BIT better...

If they're assuming Jello as the utter lack of a BIT, or something, then they're saying the the BIT provides physical structure and stuff? But we can't say that, as we don't know if something else might be responsible...

... What if you gave Jello a spirit? Would that give her body definition???

Kristin Darken wrote: The simple fact is, if it sounds like a stacked deck against the manipulation of the BIT... that's because it is.

That's fine... Now, is "Is it a stacked deck against Jello?" ?? ... That all depends on if she has a BIT, in the ways that matter to BIT manipulation... Or if her power is "No BIT"... What would happen if she got her powers suppressed?? Can you even suppress a BIT??

Kristin Darken wrote: another ten to twenty years down the line from G2, anyone who wants to be a 'power' will be in powered armor... and most of it will have weapons and defenses that out power anything below rank 4 or 5 powers, leaving most mutants in the dust.

Makes sense. Tech 'causes changes in society. And so, G2 is in a very special time, where its stories can be written...

If Kristin's answer doesn't quite satisfy you and you want to know more, then put it this way:

If we suddenly "understood" BITs and how to fix them, ALL the odd mutants no longer have a reason to be 'unique'. A quest for BIT understanding? Yes, but it's the "impossible dream" of Whateley Universe ...

(and STOP THAT! NO SINGING!!!)

elrodw wrote: If Kristin's answer doesn't quite satisfy you and you want to know more, then put it this way:

If we suddenly "understood" BITs and how to fix them, ALL the odd mutants no longer have a reason to be 'unique'. A quest for BIT understanding? Yes, but it's the "impossible dream" of Whateley Universe ...

(and STOP THAT! NO SINGING!!!)

What? I'm satisfied, sort of? It's just that all this talk about BITs doesn't tell me anything about Jello, which is a awesome way to not spoil anything about Jello!

So I was wondering about Jello. Mainly 'cause the comment immediate before the infodump asked about Jello.

... Wait... Are all mutants Exemplars? Just EX-0s or something?? 'Cause I thought understanding BITs would only give insights into Exemplars... But I guess all mutations are increasing natural human abilities?? Like how all humans are Avatars for their own souls??

But, then, with Energizers, that means that baselines all have some low, low level of Energizer capability???

I was thinking under the theory that Jello might be something utterly unique as of G2, the anti-BIT, that might only naturally appear once, in the history of the Whateley-verse, if I wanted to advance the idea of her being as unique as possible.