Amelia, Worm AU [Complete]

Daunmi · Mar 31, 2015

The Shadowmind said:
So the phrase it is a bluff, a double bluff or a triple bluff?

Transcendent bluff. It's so much a bluff that it's wrapped around itself countless times, and now has the freedom to choose to be whatever it wants to be.

doomlord9 said:
Well, I guess we can guess of one of the potential factions Dinah saw.

Jailbroken!Beth == Bad Juju.

I don't remember where these were mentioned, care to link or provide the chapter?

cosoco · Mar 31, 2015

TanaNari said:
Thinker type abilities" Woulda

extra "

TanaNari said:
Lily paused, glancing at me as if to say She's your friend, you know how to handle this better than I do.

I think this part would benefit form some formatting to frame the thought.

TanaNari said:
have them. at all."

extra .

TanaNari said:
"Thanks," Beth responded, smiling nervously. "I keep telling myself that, and for a while I can believe it. And then something happens and it's back to the same old story. I think that's why I love acting so much. I'm good at it, and I don't have to worry about what people think about me, since they're really thinking about the character I'm pretending to be.
It makes things so much easier."

extra newline

TanaNari said:
"Well, it doesn't really work if the power itself is causing the problem," Lily responded. "Some powers, especially Thinker powers, fuck with how the brain works. Those can't be cured without erasing the powers themselves, for reasons I'm not too sure about. I work with a parahuman that has problems like that, and no I won't say who. But you're talking about something that you had a problem with before getting powers, and that medication works on."
I already knew that she meant Elle. The girl was a sweetheart when she was having a good day. And completely nonresponsive on a bad one.

missing newlines

Prediction: Nothing will go wrong, and Beth will be happier because of it.

Slayer Anderson · Mar 31, 2015

Alrighty, it's been a while since I've done this and I feel bad when I don't give awesome authors enough feedback...

...Ack, if you're reading this, I really love your work too, but so many people give you feedback compared to TanaNari it makes me feel less bad.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying how you're breaking things up with the social drama and the endbringer attacks. For a moment there I was getting a little bored with the progression of the endbringers, but you mixed it up nicely with Beelzebub especially. The visceral horror of having to execute human beings like that really brought home the trauma of a battle like that, rather than the somewhat monotonous 'battle scenes' that the endbringer attacks had been devolving to.

Since I haven't commented in so long, I'll also point out that I really like what you're doing with the Dragon and Japan sub-plots. So many authors have just defaulted to the 'free-Dragon-immediately' route that it's become a bit too well-trodden. Ack's stories generally make it interesting, but seeing people struggle over the tactical and strategic concerns of unleashing Dragon is interesting in and of itself. The Japanese Emperor is mostly an open-ended plot-line right now, but I'm very interested to see how it unfolds. The way the characters react and try to puzzle out whether the boy is, in fact, the Emperor or merely a powerful cape having taken his place...wow, that'll be something to see. Now that Lily is a publicly known unmasked cape, her life is probably a great deal different...and liable to get even stranger given how people have been treating her. Seeing Sabah and Lily get back together...well, I'm feeling that there's a lot more to it than you're letting on, but that's a really good method to explore the characters, so I'll be looking forward to how that develops too.

On the Missy/Riley/Theo Triple (since they're not a couple), I'll be honest, I'm afraid of getting diabetes here. There just so cute. That said, I'm really looking forward to (if ever) them getting revealed as a romantic threesome. Aceso/Lachesis/Horus would make the front page of nearly every newspaper in America...especially if someone manages to put together Theo Anders and his father Max. Still, it's a fairly unlikely reveal given how often they get back to Earth Bet for recreational purposes.

Taylor and Amelia aren't getting as much spotlight lately, but given the amount of detail seen by the other characters, I'm not sure if that's a criticism or a compliment, given how well the story is progressing without either of them as the primary viewpoint.

...and do I see a bit of GL/Crystal in the works? I may just be wearing shipping goggles, but I think there's some chemistry there.

Hmm...that's all I've got for now. I could comment on Vicky/Chevalier, but...so many people have already commented on them...

Anyway, stay awesome TanaNari.

Hexed999 · Mar 31, 2015

The Shadowmind said:
So the phrase it is a bluff, a double bluff or a triple bluff?

Daunmi said:
Transcendent bluff. It's so much a bluff that it's wrapped around itself countless times, and now has the freedom to choose to be whatever it wants to be.

Schrodinger's bluff

Leonidas333 · Mar 31, 2015

TanaNari said:
"Sometimes easy's a good thing," Lily responded. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

I have to ask, are there people who actually say this in real life? Maybe its because I grew up reading so much, but I pretty much can't say that out loud, because I know it will tempt fate.

Hexed999 · Mar 31, 2015

Leonidas333 said:
I have to ask, are there people who actually say this in real life?

Occasionally people do, then everybody yells at them.

Ack · Mar 31, 2015

When I read the bit about Beth being on meds, my mind immediately went "Really? Hey, Amy!"

Because, in the Pantheon, We Can Fix That Shit.

Even if the powers are causing part of it, it shouldn't be too hard to cause the rest of the brain to be just a little overconfident, to compensate.

Oooh yeah, let's modify dat brain! Whooo!

Daunmi · Mar 31, 2015

Leonidas333 said:
I have to ask, are there people who actually say this in real life? Maybe its because I grew up reading so much, but I pretty much can't say that out loud, because I know it will tempt fate.

I say it a fair bit. Always after jokingly suggesting something that has likely and clearly negative results, so I suppose that doesn't count.

insignia33 said:
Schrodinger's bluff

Yeah, that's more what I was going for, but I forgot what to call it

SwiftRosenthal · Mar 31, 2015

TanaNari said:
"But even at my best, I'm terrified, wondering what people think of me," she continued her confession. "Does he think I'm pretty? Does she think I'm rude? Do they wish I'd just leave so they can get back to spending what little time they can together before they have to go back to work? Will my friends talk about me behind my back? Will they forget about me when I'm no longer there? I ask these questions all the time. It's part of how I got my powers in the first place. An army of servants at my command that are perfectly loyal and love me without question. Everything I wanted, and absolutely nothing I needed."

worm.jpg

[I used up all my wit in responding to other threads, so this part is just here so the post can't be considered chan-like behavior.]

pepperjack · Mar 31, 2015

Ack said:
Even if the powers are causing part of it, it shouldn't be too hard to cause the rest of the brain to be just a little overconfident, to compensate.

Or grow a gland in the brain that secretes a superior version of the medication as needed.

Daunmi said:
Transcendent bluff. It's so much a bluff that it's wrapped around itself countless times, and now has the freedom to choose to be whatever it wants to be.

Well, it was. And then you said that.

cosoco · Mar 31, 2015

Ack said:
Even if the powers are causing part of it, it shouldn't be too hard to cause the rest of the brain to be just a little overconfident, to compensate.

You could add a gland that automatically secretes alcohol.

pepperjack said:
Or grow a gland in the brain that secretes a superior version of the medication as needed.

Or that. That's probably a better solution.

Coruscant Knave · Mar 31, 2015

TanaNari said:
I've known her for months and she didn't tell me about this. She tells Lily right after they meet.

Yeesh, poor girl needs to check her neurosis. You are in the room, ya know. The Sabah & Lily Show marches on! Also, I'm tentatively counting this as a step toward the threesome. Yes, I read all that straight nonsense just like I read it last time it came up!

gatewaewanderer · Mar 31, 2015

TanaNari said:
"That sounds too easy," Beth responded.

"Sometimes easy's a good thing," Lily responded. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

======================

A/N- I love that phrase.

Other people have been wondering if this is a bluff or red herring, or double or triple bluff, but I've got a dismal prediction I hope is wrong...
Pantheon's first, and hopefully only, artificial Endbringer.

Divabot · Mar 31, 2015

Daunmi said:
Transcendent bluff. It's so much a bluff that it's wrapped around itself countless times, and now has the freedom to choose to be whatever it wants to be.

As long as the result sucks. That's the important bit.

tordg · Mar 31, 2015

TanaNari said:
get Thinker type abilities" Woulda made

Doublequote should be a period.

TanaNari said:
Lily paused, glancing at me as if to say She's your friend, you know how to handle this better than I do.

cosoco said:
I think this part would benefit form some formatting to frame the thought.

Me too.

TanaNari said:
I think that we have the tech to treat that pretty easily."

And at long long last this plotline gets properly opened! We've been waiting for this since... the founding of Pantheon?

Daunmi said:
Transcendent bluff. It's so much a bluff that it's wrapped around itself countless times, and now has the freedom to choose to be whatever it wants to be.

Incidentally, the math on this is pretty interesting, for example, there are no quadruple bluffs because as soon as you start considering triple bluffs it becomes transcendent. Hence, the structure of Rock Paper Scissors and most fighting games.

Finbar · Mar 31, 2015

So, Jailbroken Beth resembles the 'Ghost Army' from the 3rd Lord of the Rings movie?

Seen from a distance, it's a mass of semi transpartent stuff that just rolls over everyone.

Masked Menace · Mar 31, 2015

I have just got back from a week of no internet and have caught up again. I'm sad now.

Daunmi · Mar 31, 2015

Why do people keep suggesting that they're going to jailbreak Beth's shard connection? Unless the parahuman thingy in her brain has connections to the part of her brain where the social anxiety disorder is being generated, they shouldn't need to touch it at all, otherwise everyone in Pantheon would have broken connections to their powers, because all of them have had the way they think modified.

Gendie07 · Mar 31, 2015

insignia33 said:
Schrodinger's bluff

so you're saying that it is both a bluff and not a bluff? so we wont know whether it is a bluff or not a bluff until we perceive it as either a bluff or not a bluff?

Hexed999 · Mar 31, 2015

Bool1989 said:
so you're saying that it is both a bluff and not a bluff? so we wont know whether it is a bluff or not a bluff until we perceive it as either a bluff or not a bluff?

yes

doomlord9 · Mar 31, 2015

Daunmi said:
Why do people keep suggesting that they're going to jailbreak Beth's shard connection? Unless the parahuman thingy in her brain has connections to the part of her brain where the social anxiety disorder is being generated, they shouldn't need to touch it at all, otherwise everyone in Pantheon would have broken connections to their powers, because all of them have had the way they think modified.

I was thinking it would end up as a 'whoopsie' moment. They try to fix Beth's neurosis but didn't notice that her power references them each time it activates for a lower end baseline for how the summons act so meek, nervous Beth who doubts herself gives a squad of various fey and a self-assured, confident, headstrong Beth activating her power results in 'I AM THE FAIRY NATION, BOW BEFORE ME!'

GU thinks it's cute and visits for tea every now and then.

I was going for humor, we have five potential factions at the end of the world, Pantheon and CUI being the only ones truly expected to be there and Beth getting jailbroken could be a nation in her own right.

Likely? No. Amusing to think about? Yes.

ReoRak · Mar 31, 2015

doomlord9 said:
we have five potential factions at the end of the world, Pantheon and CUI being the only ones truly expected to be there

Depending on whether Cauldron and the Protectorate count as seperate factions for Dinah, there is at least one more earmarked for the end.

Tisaku · Mar 31, 2015

The Shadowmind said:
So the phrase it is a bluff, a double bluff or a triple bluff?

Daunmi said:
Transcendent bluff. It's so much a bluff that it's wrapped around itself countless times, and now has the freedom to choose to be whatever it wants to be.

insignia33 said:
Schrodinger's bluff

It doesn't matter, merely uttering the phrase draws the attention of Murphy. Whether or not he hurls his +8 Monkey Wrench of Power is completely at His discretion.

SwiftRosenthal · Mar 31, 2015

doomlord9 said:
I was thinking it would end up as a 'whoopsie' moment. They try to fix Beth's neurosis but didn't notice that her power references them each time it activates for a lower end baseline for how the summons act so meek, nervous Beth who doubts herself gives a squad of various fey and a self-assured, confident, headstrong Beth activating her power results in 'I AM THE FAIRY NATION, BOW BEFORE ME!'

GU thinks it's cute and visits for tea every now and then.

I was going for humor, we have five potential factions at the end of the world, Pantheon and CUI being the only ones truly expected to be there and Beth getting jailbroken could be a nation in her own right.

Likely? No. Amusing to think about? Yes.

At least they can no longer jailbreak Vicky's former power. "ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR!"

Daunmi · Mar 31, 2015

doomlord9 said:
I was going for humor, we have five potential factions at the end of the world, Pantheon and CUI being the only ones truly expected to be there and Beth getting jailbroken could be a nation in her own right.

Likely? No. Amusing to think about? Yes.

Ah, ok.

I've actually been wondering about the whole '5 factions' bit myself. Since the Endbringers are being taken care of (somewhat) and Pantheon has been clearly showing the world that working together in synergy is the way to go, I wonder if that possible future is even still on the cards? Especially since at this point there's no chance, that I can see, that Taylor and Amelia will be in different factions.

doomlord9 · Mar 31, 2015

Daunmi said:
Ah, ok.

I've actually been wondering about the whole '5 factions' bit myself. Since the Endbringers are being taken care of (somewhat) and Pantheon has been clearly showing the world that working together in synergy is the way to go, I wonder if that possible future is even still on the cards? Especially since at this point there's no chance, that I can see, that Taylor and Amelia will be in different factions.

With just a brief glance at human history, I would say that the 5 faction future is even more likely the more successful Pantheon is.

Yes synergy is the way to go for Ultimate Power! but that just means that more groups will do the same so that they alone will have the Ultimate Power! instead of having to defer to Pantheon or any other group, the 5 factions are only the ones who were successful at it.

dasstan · Mar 31, 2015

The problem with people using power synergy to get ultimate power is that outside of Pantheon and the CUI, there aren't very many parahumans that can facilitate it.

powerofvoid · Mar 31, 2015

TanaNari said:
Lily responded. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

TanaNari · Mar 31, 2015

dasstan said:
The problem with people using power synergy to get ultimate power is that outside of Pantheon and the CUI, there aren't very many parahumans that can facilitate it.

Guild. Protectorate. Several European nations. Thanda. Birdcage. Russia probably counts as a "European nation". The Elite. Those Nazi assholes whose name I can't spells without looking it up. Cauldron.

And all that is off the top of my head.

Daunmi · Mar 31, 2015

dasstan said:
The problem with people using power synergy to get ultimate power is that outside of Pantheon and the CUI, there aren't very many parahumans that can facilitate it.

Cauldron (utilizing assistance from Pantheon) can do it. They wouldn't be a conflicting faction, since they don't care who wins as long as it's not Scion, though they may still be classed as their own faction as far as Dinah is concerned.

Dragon (by which I mean all of the Dragons) might be her own, although she's in much the same boat as Cauldron (whilst she wants Scion to lose, she's a little more picky on who 'wins' and I doubt she'd help people like the CUI (CIU? whatever...) unless it was absolutely necessary. So she could be another faction if Dinah can see multiple singular entities as their own faction (which she possibly can, since she saw Taylor separate from Amelia and if that's because Taylor had taken the canon Khepri route it's a lot like Dragon controlling multiples of herself, sort of).

The Thanda were supposed to be conducting their own synergy tests, weren't they? And they tended to have pretty powerful capes available to them.

We've got no idea what the capes in the Birdcage have been doing, but they were watching a few Endbringer fights before that got canned, so they may have picked up on it themselves.

Various 'eastern' countries could have a large selection of powers to draw on, though I can't make guesses here since we know virtually nothing about them.

The African warlords, perhaps? They have a large interest in not being taken out by foreign powers, and it would be interesting if the actions of Pantheon have made Africa a better place simply because everyone there is getting along more just in case Pantheon decides to pay them a visit.

Really, any significantly large landmass will generate enough parahumans that there's a high chance some will come along that have broken combinations, or at least can be used together to be massively more useful then if not.

*Edit*
Damn it, TanaNari! How dare you quote the things I quote and respond to the things I respond to in your own thread!

Amelia, Worm AU [Complete]

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