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You wake up with a smear of ink across your face and the rain falling heavily on the hood of your car. the incomplete transcript of your novel lying on the plywood board you repurposed as a writing desk. You quickly pull the ink from your face back into the mason jar you use as an inkwell and pick up your pen from its position with the others strewn about. You were trying to move as much ink as possible, that fight with The Curator highlighted just how unreliable your power is without practice. You felt like you were going to die the next day.

The grey, cloudy sky begins giving way to roiling black cloudbanks and the peals of thunder. It looks like today's going to be a storm, but that doesn't really matter as your stomach begins growling as your head throbs from fatigue. You press the button on your car and the display lights up, the only sound present is the same thunderclaps from before. You remember your first car, a beat-up Chevy that was older than you, and the comforting groans and purrs of an engine. Though you feel that the new Cairnsium ones are great for fuel economy, something is missing in the sense of power they give their drivers. Shrugging it off, you glance at the digital clock on the dash.

>It is 7AM on Friday, May 6th, 2033
>Novel Progress (10/25): At a wall, requires effort.

>Go get some breakfast
>Work on your novel
>Go patrolling
>Buy a newspaper
>Write-in

>>45199535
>Go get some breakfast
>Work on your novel
we can write while at a Dennys or IHOP or something

also hello lost

>>45199535
>>>Go get some breakfast
>>Buy a newspaper

>>45199571
>>45199664
I'll do both, you don't need to read the paper right away.

>>45199626
Pretty good, just been having lots of work lately.

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You decide against driving so that you can get a paper, need to keep current on what's going on. Besides, sitting down and eating gives you time to write, so you put on your jacket and wrap your transcript in a plastic bag, which you then stuff into your backpack. Your hand brushes your mask and you can't help but smile, you made a difference yesterday. Same as a few years ago, when you'd just got your powers you stopped a bank robbery, you constantly think of the bag of money you could've taken for yourself and how it would've changed your life. That was one of those "peaks" they talked about in Psychology back at college, but that thought is quickly pushed from your brain by a growl from your stomach.

On your way to Mercury Eats you pick up a paper from a kid, can't be more than 18, with skin that reminds you a bit of a lizard's. Of course, Supers have been popping up a lot lately in bad situations, so this is not exactly a shock. The good thing is that you heard that there's a movement for equal protection of Supers in law, as they are often pinned as guilty in crimes that have nothing to do with them. Soon enough you idly walk into Mercury Eats and order the same as yesterday. You're a sucker for routines.

>What direction do you want to take the novel in?

>Emphasize the oddity of the situation
>Try to make a point about a topic (What topic?)
>Make it light-hearted and whimsical
>Try to encourage introspection
>Write-in

>>45199931
Forgot to say, no matter what, you should roll 1d100+10.

Rolled 5 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>45199931
>>Emphasize the oddity of the situation
>Try to make a point about a topic (What topic?)
Make it allegorical with emerging supers now

I'll wait because I assume you don't want the critfail.

Rolled 39 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>45199931
havent read the update just rolling for it right now

Rolled 74 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>45199931
>>>Emphasize the oddity of the situation

>>45199931
i'm >>45200115
i second >>45199969

>>45199969
>>45200115
>>45200135
The +10 puts it out of the critfail range, it's still not great, but better than critfail. Writing.

File: Writing is hard.gif (1.98 MB, 480x324)

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You start thinking back to the kid selling papers on the street, Supers need to get a fair deal in court. Even if Supervillains exist, most people just want to live their lives. Taking a page from most good writers, you decide to put a bit of this conflict in your writing. You set pen to paper and the words begin flowing out like a pot overboiling.

>Two hours later...

You put down the pen and give your writing a read, the start is the most important part to a good story after all. After reading through the 25 pages you have, you realize something. You spent all that time writing a manifesto instead of a story, the symbolism and allegory fall completely flat in the first ten pages, and it only gets worse from there. Deciding that you will not stand for anything but perfect, you keep them in a seperate bag and write a single word on them, "Inadequate". You always have this problem when you write, it has to be perfect, nothing less than your best is a failure. At least you didn't waste too much time on this.

You read the headline of the paper, "Cosmos Coronet" as it were, and find that on the front page is a picture of a dragon and a dinosaur fighting. "Pen Mightier than 'Saurs?" is the headline, the first part of the article is spent describing the scene and interviewing witnesses. You flip past an article about cats, one about a housefire in Corona Acres, and finally reach the second part. Overall, it seems like an article more focused on the facts, then a name graces your eyes, "Scribe", You remember Hoagie saying he was going to send that name to the papers. Looks like they enjoyed it.

>Start patrolling
>Try to work on your novel again
>Find a quiet place to train
>Go shop for something (What?)
>Write-in

>>45200542
>>Find a quiet place to train
Work a bit more on pen throwing.

>>45200542
>>Find a quiet place to train

>>45200542
>>Find a quiet place to train

>>45200561
>>45200592
>>45200639
Okay, Writing.

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You walk out of Mercury Eats and into the alleys by it, rapidly walking through strung-out junkies, a few hobos, some of them obviously Supers. Some of the alleyways have a mark on them, an "S" inside a circle, then an arrow sticking out. Curious, you follow them and eventually make your way to what seems like a small apartment building with the same symbol emblazoned on a sign out front in red, white, and blue. Figuring that the worst case is you get jumped, you enter to find what looks like a crappy firing range with a bar across it. There are people in all sorts of attire firing guns, energy bolts, and all sorts of odd things at targets down range. Baffled by why you didn't hear this outside, you investigate the walls and realize that they're thicker than an armored truck.

The people in here all seem to be lacking any masks or costumes, but most of them have the same downtrodden look about them. The door closes and you hear it ring a bell, which most people pay no mind, save for the bartender. He looks at you and nods at you. His voice is low and gruff, fitting his appearance greatly.

"Welcome to The Free Radical, what can I get you?"

>"What is this place?"
>"Just here to practice."
>"I just followed the signs."
>"What do you have?"
>Write-in

>>45200956
>"What is this place?"
>"I just followed the signs."

>>45200956
>"What is this place?"
>"I just followed the signs."

>>45200956
>>"What is this place?"
>>"Just here to practice."

>>45201037
>>45201066
>>45201082
Writing.

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"I just followed the signs, what is this place?

"This is a gym, a firing range, a weapon shop, a bar, whatever it needs to be. I'm Dross, need something, I'll get it as long as I'm paid. Avoid terms like "Villain" and "Hero" here, that's the best way to keep your face nice and unaltered."

"Well, I was just looking for a place to practice my power."

"15 Bucks for an hour, I'm going to guess you're a 'kinetic. The gym has the same price, but I try to provide any equipment people need, if you're missing a machine then write me a note. Same with any drinks or kit we don't have in stock."

"I take it you want something then?"

>Ask more questions
>Ask for specific gear
>Browse wares
>Train (Whole day costs $100)
>Try to mingle
>Buy a drink
>Write-in

>>45201338
>>Train (Whole day costs $100)
Get swole son

>>45201338
>Train 2 hours
>Try to mingle

>>45201369
>>45201406
Need one more vote.

>>45201338
>>Train (Whole day costs $100)
Git gud

>>45201369
>>45201549
Okay, what do you want to train in?

>Power
>Control
>Speed
>Stamina

>>45201585
>>Stamina
Got to keep it up longer.

>>45201585
>>Power

>>45201585
>>Stamina

>>45201605
>>45201657
Okay, writing.

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>-$110 including breakfast
>Stamina (1/2)

"I'll stay the day and train in the gym." Dross takes your money for the gym, being kind enough to round it out to an even hundred dollars for the seven hours you plan on spending there. He opens a door to a room that clearly used to be a row of a apartments, but with the walls knocked out it now serves as a gym. The second you walk through the threshold you feel a strain on your powers, like after you summoned the ink dragon.

"There's a power suppression field, you'd be surprised the caliber of people we get here. You should get used to it, it won't take them completely away, just make them harder to use." Dross closes the door and you take some ink out of your backpack. It takes every ounce of strength you have to move it more than a few inches in the container, but you don't give up. Eventually you manage to move it as easily as normal, so yoou take out anoother container and try to do both.

>7 hours later...

You've been levitating six ink containers for an hour, you have a migraine, and you're breathing heavily. Slowly lowering them, you fall down onto the exercise mat completely beat. After about ten minutes, you groan in pain while picking up the ink and putting it back in your bag. Almost on cue, Dross comes in and says your time is up.

When you exit the door it feels like your head fell asleep, tingling with pins and needles. It goes away after a while and you feel glad you had a big breakfast, otherwise you're sure you would've starved in there. Your stomach growls in anger at its plight and your wallet feels much lighter than when you entered.

>It is 4PM

>Buy something to eat here
>Walk back to your car
>Walk to Soup or Heroes
>Mingle
>Browse wares
>Write-in

>>45202105
>Mingle
>Browse wares

Just to see what's on hand then

>Walk back to your car

>>45202105
>>Mingle
Then
>>Walk to Soup or Heroes

>>45202105
>Mingle
>Browse wares
I'm curious to see what's going on for other people, but other than that
>Walk back to your car

>>45202105
>Mingle
>Browse wares

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Rolled 77, 59, 78, 63, 11, 68, 27 = 383 (7d100)

>>45202177
>>45202192
>>45202196
>>45202214
Okay, well then. I have some dice to roll then write.

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"What do you have for gear?"

Dross looks you up and down then walks into a back room. You hear some clanging and rustling around, then he comes back holding a bunch of stuff. He sets it down on the bar and spreads it out so you can see them. One of them looks like a skintight suit with posckets everywhere and it appears to have empty tubes around it woven in.

"One of my 'kinetic kit specials. This is a suit you can fill with whatever you can control. It's good for storage, and for moving yourselfin a pinch. Hell, some madmen try to fly with it. Don't blame me if that doesn't work."

He pulls out a small pistol then puts a bottle of what looks like metal balls on the table.

"Those are hollowed pellets and this is a pellet gun, another part of the 'kinetic kit. I'm sure you can figure out the utility of it."

The last thing he takes out is a small black detonator with a red button.

"This isn't what it looks like, this is a device I get straight from a friend of mine. It will beep if you press it when a Super is nearby."

>You have $990

>Buy the undersuit-$200
>Buy the pistol and ammo-$150
>Buy the radar-$300
>Just go mingle
>Write-in

>>45202572
>Buy the undersuit-$200

Too useful to pass up

>>45202572
>>Buy the undersuit-$200

>>45202572

>Buy the undersuit-$200

>>45202572
>>Buy the undersuit-$200
We can get the Radar another day.

>>45202587
>>45202601
>>45202607
>>45202615
Writing.

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"I'll take the suit."

He nods and takes your money, grumbling something about "'kinetics and pockets" as he puts it in a safe.

>-$200

You fold it up and put it in your backpack then begin walking around and looking for people that don't look too gruff to hang out with, you luck out and find a table with an open chair next to three other people. They look kind of like you, ratty clothes, a little unkempt. While taking a seat next to them one of the guys turns to you and looks you up and down. He wears a sort of torn up hoodie and seems to keep the hood pulled well forward to conceal his face.

"Looking to make friends right? Glad you came over here, some of the other regulars are a bad sort. I'm Dreg."

Another man, this one wearing a green hoodie with a bandanna and sunglasses on his face turns to you. You can't help but notice what looks like a quiver and a bow on his back and some water on his belt. "I'm Hood."

The last one sighs in mock exasperation. He wears a red hat backwards, a red tee shirt, and lots of pads all over him. Unlike the others, he shows his face. "I'm Greg, I have been an alcoholic for three years-"

"That's Break. Who are you?" Hood cuts him off.

>"Raph."
>"Scribe."
>"Thomas Cairn."
>"Lady Liberty."
>Write-in

>>45202901
>"Scribe."

>>45202901

>"Scribe."

>>45202901
>>"Scribe."

>>45202901
>>"Scribe."

>>45202930
>>45202935
>>45202938
>>45202944
Writing.

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"Scribe."

"Hey, you're that guy from the paper? You're kidding. Prove it." Break seems more than a little skeptical. You quickly take the mask from your pack and show it to him.

Dreg looks at you and groans a bit. "Hood, masks off. Let's not be rude." Dreg removes his hood and he looks like he was ran through a wood-chipper. His skin is pocked with open sores and seems a bit green. Fortunately he doesn't smell, but he puts his hood back up. "You saw me, so it's fair. I won't force you to look at that while we talk."

Hood takes off his sunglasses and bandana, revealing that he looks exactly the same as Break. Break looks at you with a slight smile. "No, you aren't racist, we're twins. Hood just got the shaft with his powers." Hood glares at him and flips a bottle cap in the air, then throws another at it and hits it exactly in the center.

"What were you saying?"

"Meh, watch this." Break takes a beer bottle and holds it with his index finger and thumb, then it shatters.

"Fine, we're doing this." Dreg puts down his hood to reveal that he looks exactly like Break and Hood.

>Begin doodling something on a napkin (What?)
>"Let's not do this."
>"I'm okay at drawing."
>Write-in

>>45203281
>Begin doodling something on a napkin (What?)

A tiny Dragon, get it up and have it wander around the table

>>45203281
>Begin doodling something on a napkin (What?)
Tiny ink dragon have it move and fly about

>>45203319
>>45203335
Supporting.

>>45203319
>>45203335
Okay, now this roll is just for style, this is real simple. Roll me 1d100+30

Rolled 48 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>45203473

Rolled 4 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>45203473

Rolled 17 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>45203473

>>45203479
>>45203500
>>45203509
Wow, you didn't fail, just...

Wow.

>>45203479
>>45203500
>>45203509

I'm guessing napkins aren't the best medium to work with

>>45203525
Whoops. Don't we have a stored crit, or is that Thomas only?

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You start doodling a dragon on a napkin with a pen as they all look on expectantly. Finally you finish it up and begin pulling it from the paper. Surprisingly, pulling it is harder on napkins, so you increase your effort. You focus really hard on that paper and see the front claw of the dragon lift of the paper. Finally, it comes off with an odd popping sound. It makes a pitiful tiny roar, as it can't be bigger than an origami crane. but for some reason you still feel strain.

The pressure releases and you see why, another dragon has emerged, and another, and another. They begin flying out of the napkin in droves swooping between people and causing havoc. Glasses are spilled, bottles break and the bar becomes a panic. Finally you get it under control and the dragons melt away, but by this time you have caused a massive brawl. People are shooting energy blasts at others who are throwing tables around.

You suddenly feel a little tired, then you're out like a light.

>New Power Learned: Sketch Swarm
>You are heavily fatigued
>You have gained a Training Point

>Training next post.

>>45203775
whoops.

>>45203775
Whoops...

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You have one TP, you need to pay the current score of an ability in order to upgrade it.

>Power: 2
>Control: 2
>Speed: 1
>Stamina: 2 (1/2)
>Bank

>>45203935
>>Stamina: 2 (1/2)

>>45203935
>Bank

>>45203935
Stamina.

>>45203935
Stamina we clearly need it

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>>45203955
>>45204034
>>45204041
Stamina it is.

Thread 24 is over. My twitter is @xLostCowboyx, I post updates on run times and polls there. Question for debate is "DC or Marvel?"

>>45204127
Dark Horse.

>>45204155
Good answer.

>>45204127
Either or. Both are awful in their own ways.

>>45204155

Didn't Dark Horse just do Fight Club 2?