86

Chapter 86: Interlude 9-a: PHO

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Topic: Apocrypha (Thread 4)

In: Boards ► Places ► America ►Brockton Bay ► Teams ► Wards

Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Posted On May 22th 2011:

The thread about the rising star heroine, Apocrypha.

Continued from the last thread, because you guys just can't stop talking about this girl.

THREAD 1

THREAD 2

THREAD 3

For discussion about Leviathan and how she killed it, go HERE.

For debates about who would win in a head to head matchup, head to Apocrypha's versus thread HERE.

For a list of her known powers, visit the wiki HERE, the official listing on the PRT's website HERE, or the Faq thread HERE.

For the discussion about her costume, go HERE.

EDIT: Please remember that she's a minor, too, guys. Last thread saw a whole bunch of threadbans because people kept talking about her "workout routine." No, I don't care if her legends are technically of age, SHE isn't.

Seriously. The mods don't joke about this stuff. Watch yourselves.

EDIT2: Link to her interview on the James Dalton Show, courtesy of Antigone. You're welcome.

(Showing page 35 of 117)

► Antigone

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Hey, guys. Guys, look.

Yes, that's Apocrypha on daytime television. No, I'm not lying. Go watch it.

Trigger warning for those with diabetes, because she's a cinnamon roll.

► TheConjurer

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Uh…

*shifty eyes*

*screenshots the interview*

*whistles innocently*

► Answer Key

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Okay. Wow. I thought she'd be a total bitch so far up her own ass her tongue was brown, but she's actually a fairly decent person.

I was not expecting that at all.

TheConjurer

You filthy degenerate. Next you'll be talking about hand holding.

► 2BorNot2B

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Antigone

You, sir, are an absolute inspiration to us all. I salute you.

TheConjurer

Gotta protect that smile, amirite?

Answer Key

You think everyone's a bitch until they prove you wrong. Your opinion isn't valid.

► YellowDeath

Replied On May 26th 2011:

The James Dalton Show? Really? They couldn't have picked, oh, I don't know, like, any other daytime talk show? That guy's a pig.

► Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Yoink.

Thanks for the link, Antigone. I hadn't realized it made it online already.

Edit: Link added to the OP.

► ThatOneDog

Replied On May 26th 2011:

YellowDeath

dude who gaf about what show it is? our girl's on tv man.

► TheHollowedLurker

Replied On May 26th 2011:

You know, I know we've made the comparison ourselves before and we even have a versus thread where people talk about it (very VERY passionately talk about it), but somehow, hearing her actually say, "Yeah, I've been compared to Eidolon," sounds kinda arrogant.

I mean, shit, I know she killed Leviathan and everything, but it still sounds really silly.

► JDsSiameseTwin

Replied On May 26th 2011:

YellowDeath

You make one joke about a popular celebrity's weight and all of the sudden you're a pig for life.

► ChilledRoyal

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Am I the only one terrified by the implications of Medusa?

Like, seriously. Think about it. She can turn people to stone. That means she can kill you just by looking at you.

Holy fuck.

Page 1…33, 34, 35, 36, 37…117

•

Topic: EMPIRE ATTACKS BROCKTON BAY PRT

In: Boards ► News ► Events ►America ►Brockton Bay

Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Posted On May 26th 2011:

BREAKING: Earlier today, the remnants of the Empire 88 under the leadership of Hookwolf attacked the PRT headquarters in Brockton Bay. A short while ago, they released a statement claiming credit for the attack, with the justification of getting revenge for the brutal murder of Victor and Othala.

The PRT hasn't released an official statement so far, but my sources inside say that the PRT denounces any connection to what happened to Victor and Othala and the investigation into their murders is ongoing.

The thread discussing the Victor and Othala murders can be found HERE.

The thread about Kill Orders can be found HERE.

EDIT: You can watch the PRT press conference about the attack HERE.

EDIT2: The list of casualties can be found HERE. It's still being updated. Reminder: only the names marked with a cross are confirmed dead. Everyone else is injured, to varying degrees of severity.

EDIT3: Some grainy video of the attack. This is definitely NSFW. If you have a weak stomach, you should probably skip it.

EDIT4: Panacea is confirmed stable. Details about her condition are sketchy right now, but my sources confirm that she is alive and well.

(Showing page 15 of 252)

► Answer Key

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Fuck. That's… That's fucking brutal.

There's a video out of the attack. Filmed on some schmuck's cellphone from basically right outside the PRT HQ. It's not pretty.

Someone else can link the video if they want, because I'm not.

► Reave (Verified PRT Agent)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Acting Director Renick will hold a press conference tomorrow morning addressing all that happened in the attack. At that time, a full casualty list will also be released.

Next of kin for those who were injured or killed today will be contacted at some point in the next few hours.

I ask that everyone please respect the privacy of those who lost family or friends today. Our thoughts are with them.

► TheHollowedLurker

Replied On May 26th 2011:

What?

I repeat: What?

What the fuck was the E88 thinking? I mean, shit, man, how crazy do you have to be to throw yourself into the heart of enemy territory and start murderizing everyone you can for no apparent reason? They have to know the PRT is gonna come down hard on them for this.

I just don't understand what the fuck was going through their heads when they decided, "Yeah, let's go attack the PRT and try to kill the director." In what way was this ever gonna end well for anyone?

► YellowDeath

Replied On May 26th 2011:

TheHollowedLurker

Dude, the Empire is being led by Hookwolf now. Ya know, the guy famous for being a sadist and a bloodthirsty brawler? Also the one guy on their current roster that's basically slated for the Birdcage the next time he gets caught?

They're Nazis. They're already stupid by definition. Then their most violent cape took over and decided being a Nazi wasn't violent or hateful enough. They just used up their smartness quota for the year by attacking while the Endslayer was out of town.

Maybe now the PRT will get off their asses and actually put these guys away.

► Whitecollar (Cape Wife)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

YellowDeath

Whoa, what? Did you seriously just suggest that it's a good thing the Nazis attacked the PRT HQ and killed a bunch of people because it means they have more of a reason to take them down? Seriously? Do you have any idea how terrifying it is being a cape wife on a normal day, let alone when a gang or some arrogant hotshot decides to take a swing at my husband's place of work?

You know what? No. Cussing you out isn't worth the infraction, so I'm just going to save my fingers the trouble.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were lost today. If any of you need an ear to bend, PM me. I'm here for you.

► ChilledRoyal

Replied On May 26th 2011:

I'm worried that we haven't heard anything about the Wards. Or the Protectorate. I know Reave said a list of the fallen will be released later and there's going to be a press conference tomorrow, but the silence about the cape side of things is pretty deafening.

I mean I hope to God I'm wrong, but what if one of the Wards was caught up in that mess? Or all of them? It's tragic that anyone died at all, but isn't the Wards program supposed to be about making sure the kids learn how to use their powers in a safe, protected setting?

But then this happens and we don't know if they're all okay.

► Vista (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

We're all okay. I don't know what all I'm allowed to say about what happened, but all of us Wards made it out in one piece with nothing missing.

► Witch_King

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Vista

Thank goodness. I think I speak for a lot of people here when I say that we were really worried.

► Ekul

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Ditto Witch_King. I don't think it's presumptuous of you to speak for the rest of us.

Vista

Stay safe. And give our best to the rest of the Wards, too. I'm glad you guys made it out of that mess okay.

► Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

I've got some more bad news, guys. Panacea was apparently staying at the PRT HQ in Brockton Bay, although I haven't heard anything about why, just yet. She was caught up in the attack and apparently severely injured. Reports indicate it was Cricket who did it.

As of my latest information, she's been taken to the Emergency Room at Brockton Bay General Hospital and is undergoing life-saving surgery. No word on her exact condition or the extent of her injuries, although I think "bad" is probably an understatement.

I'll keep you guys updated with information as and when I get it.

Page 1…13, 14, 15, 16, 17…252

(Showing page 17 of 252)

► Arachnophobia (Totally not Clockblocker)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Wait. She ran back to Brockton Bay ON FOOT? And got back in time to help with the cleanup?

WTF?

► Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

If my sources are right, she ran back to Brockton the instant she heard about the attack, yes.

Yes, that's probably as ridiculous as it sounds. No, I haven't heard which "legend" she used to do it.

► HammerTiem (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE) (Totally Clockblocker)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

BULLSH-

Oh right, I'm not allowed to say that on PHO.

And obviously, it was Legend. Gotta go fast, you need the fastest guy on the planet.

► 2BorNot2B

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Jesus Christ.

Brockton Bay is…what, about 300 miles from NYC? Hang on, lemme check.

…

A quick map search says 265. If the reports are right and she crossed that distance in just four minutes…

[Math stuff happens]

Subtract five, carry the two… Mach 5. Or thereabouts. Which means that she is officially supersonic.

What's her Mover rating, again? Cuz I think they need to revise it.

► ThatOneDog

Replied On May 26th 2011:

2BorNot2B

damn son. might as well just give her a listing in all the categories at this rate. power = YES

nice maths tho.

► LittleMissDelphi (The Girl in the Know)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Can confirm, Apocrypha is fast.

Also, Panacea is okay, so you guys can let out that big sigh you've been holding in for the last few hours. My sources say she'll make a full recovery with no complications.

► Answer Key

Replied On May 26th 2011:

LittleMissDelphi

What kind of saurces? Apple? Soy?

► ChilledRoyal

Replied On May 26th 2011:

Answer Key

Dude. Lay off. We know you have a hateboner for Delphi.

LittleMissDelphi

Good to know.

► LittleMissDelphi (The Girl in the Know)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

ChilledRoyal

It's okay. Answer Key has no idea how to interact with a girl with brains. That's why he can't keep a girlfriend who isn't inflatable.

User was infracted for this post.

► Tin_Mother (Moderator)

Replied On May 26th 2011:

LittleMissDelphi

That was uncalled for. I won't ban you this time, but this is your only warning.

Answer Key

Stop pushing her buttons. The last time you baited her in a thread this tense, the two of you managed to get half a subforum locked for a whole week while we sorted out that mess. If you absolutely have to get into a catfight, do it in PMs. This thread is not the place for it. This is your only warning.

2BorNot2B

Your math checks out. 265 miles in approximately 4 minutes comes out to about 3,800mph. Mach 5 is 3,806mph.

That means that Apocrypha's travel speed was, on the low end, just a hair under hypersonic. That's definitely deserving of a higher Mover rating and I'll be editing the wiki to reflect that.

Page 1…15, 16, 17, 18, 19…117

(Showing page 215 of 252)

► NamelessWalnut

Replied On June 1st 2011:

This is getting spooky.

Where did the Empire go? It used to be you couldn't go a week without them doing something, even if it was just some posturing.

Now? Not a peep. I've seen a few guys I know are members, but the capes? The guys calling the shots? It's like they vanished into thin air.

► Answer Key

Replied On June 1st 2011:

Oh great. Hookwolf has pulled a fucking Houdini. I didn't know that guy even knew how to cover his ass. Figured they'd have started something in the last few days.

► NamelessWalnut

Replied On June 1st 2011:

Like I said, nothing. They claimed credit for the attack and then they all dropped off the face of the Earth.

It's making me a bit nervous, if I'm honest. They got real quiet after the Leviathan attack, too, and then they charged headfirst into the Brockton Bay PRT headquarters. I'm starting to worry they might be planning something else. Something big.

► YellowDeath

Replied On June 1st 2011:

NamelessWalnut

Like what? Attacking Apocrypha directly? I'm sure that would work out juuuust fine.

Someone call up the UN and have them prepare a Darwin Award, just in case.

► 2BorNot2B

Replied On June 1st 2011:

There haven't been any sightings in general. Nothing in the news, no credible sightings from anyone on PHO - forget about Brockton Bay, just in general. It's like they all evaporated or combusted spontaneously, and even then, we'd at least have heard about people bursting into flames.

Not nothing, though. The silence is just unsettling.

Walnut's right, this is strange. And spooky.

► LittleMissDelphi (The Girl in the Know)

Replied On June 1st 2011:

The PRT is pretty clueless, too. AFAIK, they haven't called in a favor with Watchdog, yet, but if this goes on for too much longer, then I can't see them avoiding it.

Like, I can't stress this enough, peeps. This is really out of character for the Empire, especially for Hookwolf. There should've been a rally or something to talk about their "victory" the other day, and the fact they've been so silent is…I'm gonna go with worrying. Worrying is a good word.

► Ekul

Replied On June 1st 2011:

As a guy who lives in "Empire territory," this sounds pretty scary.

I try to stay out of their way as much as I can, but I haven't been seeing them around either. It's like you guys said: they just disappeared. I'm not stupid enough to go looking to see if the unpowered thugs are still hanging around, but I usually hear rumors through the grapevine about the kind of stuff they get up to.

Zip. Zilch. Nada.

What is going on?

► TheHollowedLurker

Replied On June 1st 2011:

Ekul

Maybe they've gone out recruiting.

► Answer Key

Replied On June 1st 2011:

Where? What kind of idiot would actually join the E88 in a city where the Endslayer lives and patrols? You'd have to be some special kind of stupid to think facing her down is a good idea.

► LittleMissDelphi (The Girl in the Know)

Replied On June 1st 2011:

Elementary, my beloved fool. Where else would they look besides the place where they started?

Page 1…213, 214, 215, 216, 217…252

•

Topic: Apocrypha's Costume

In: Boards ► Places ► America ►Brockton Bay ► Teams ► Wards

White Fairy (Veteran Member) (Original Poster)

Posted On May 19th 2011:

There's been a lot of discussion about Apocrypha lately. She got a lot of attention after she beat Lung, but her threads have exploded ever since the Leviathan incident (see this thread if you've been living under a rock). Most of those talk about her feats and her powers and a few too many talk about her love life.

So what I want to discuss here is her costume. What do you guys think of it? Love it? Hate it? Is it cool or tacky? Do you think she'll be forced to change it now that she's joined the Wards and the dreaded PR machine has gotten ahold of her?

(Showing page 7 of 15)

► Char

Replied On May 21st 2011:

I don't know, I kind of like it. I mean, she's been consistent about it all this time and it looks really well made. I think that counts for a lot.

► Answer Key

Replied On May 21st 2011:

Char

"All this time." You do remember she's only been at this for about a month, right? There are capes who go whole years between updating their costumes.

Look at New Wave. I'm pretty sure they've been wearing the same thing for a decade.

► White Fairy (Veteran Member) (Original Poster)

Posted On May 21st 2011:

Answer Key

New Wave is also a family team that doesn't have a dedicated image department to handle their looks and color coordinate their costumes. I'm not even sure they still have a publicist, these days.

Char

I get what you mean. It might not have quite the same look as some of the other heroes, especially at the Protectorate level. I'm not even sure what her theme is supposed to be. She still manages to look professional, though, which is more than can be said for most independents her age.

► SaladDancer

Replied On May 21st 2011:

Answer Key

Ten years and two kids and Photon Mom is still rockin' it. Why mess with what works, right?

White Fairy

Theme?

► White Fairy (Veteran Member) (Original Poster)

Posted On May 21st 2011:

SaladDancer

If you look at the Protectorate, their capes tend to center themselves around a theme. In Brockton, for example, Dauntless has that "Spartan" look and Miss Militia wears military fatigues, with an American flag scarf to show her patriotism. Battery's costume has circuit patterns that light up when she's using her powers, because her theme is "charging up." Vista's skirt has swooping lines. Gallant wears medieval looking plate armor. Themes. Just about the only exceptions are Tinkers.

If Apocrypha's costume has a theme, I can't tell at all.

► Answer Key

Replied On May 21st 2011:

SaladDancer

Certified. Would do. You could bounce a coin.

No, you don't need to mess with perfection.

► SaladDancer

Replied On May 21st 2011:

Answer Key

They broke the mold, my man.

White Fairy

Oh. I guess I see what you mean, then. Yeah, I don't see a theme in Apocrypha's costume, either. I mean, it looks a little like a magical girl costume from 90's anime, but only a little.

► Answer Key

Replied On May 21st 2011:

SaladDancer

I see you too are a man of culture.

► White Fairy (Veteran Member) (Original Poster)

Posted On May 21st 2011:

Anyway. I can't see the PR department letting her go without at least tweaking a few things to fit towards a theme.

► Char

Replied On May 21st 2011:

Still. I don't think she needs to change her costume at all. I think it looks good enough just the way it is.

Page 1…5, 6, 7, 8, 9…15

•

Topic: Brutal Double Murder In The Towers

In: Boards ► News ► Events ►America ►Brockton Bay

Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Posted On May 22th 2011:

If you guys haven't seen the news yet, there was a gruesome double murder in the Towers, this weekend. Two people, at this time presumed to be one man and one woman, were literally torn to pieces in their apartment room in the high rise residential district known in Brockton Bay as the Towers.

Details are sparse, but what we do know is this:

• The number of body parts indicate that this was indeed two people, and ONLY two people (yes, I told you, they were LITERALLY TORN TO PIECES)

• The paraphernalia found in the room with them indicates that these two people might actually have been the Empire 88 villains known as Victor and Othala

• A symbol of a sword was painted on the wall in the victims' blood

There's no motive or suspect yet, and the two's identities haven't been confirmed, so we don't know for certain that they actually were Victor and Othala. We also don't yet know the relevance of the sword painted on the wall. I found a couple of hits for organizations that use swords as their symbol, but without pics, I have no idea if it matches.

EDIT: This is a theorycrafting thread, so I'm not about to come down on you all, but come on, guys, use some sense, will you?

EDIT2: My sources are being tight-lipped, but apparently it was a Wards patrol that did the preliminary investigation of the crime scene, and let me just say, holy shit, what were they THINKING?

(Showing page 351 of 401)

► LittleMissDelphi (The Girl in the Know)

Replied On June 1st 2011:

That's not how civil rights work.

Let me explain it to you. It's called Habeus Corpus and Fruit of the Poisoned Tree.

You can't just say, "My powers told me that this person is totally guilty." First of all, you have to prove you have powers. Then, you have to prove that your powers let you figure that stuff out. Then you have to have documentation that explains what your powers are and what their limitations are, including any caveats and drawbacks.

That's enough to get a search warrant, these days. Usually. A judge can toss out Thinker testimony for just about any reason

After that, the police have to find evidence corroborating what you say your powers told you.

And even if you do all of that, "my Thinker powers told me so" isn't admissible as evidence in a criminal trial. Have fun being a witness and trying to explain that to a jury.

► 2BorNot2B

Replied On June 1st 2011:

And people wonder why half the forum is convinced that Delphi is a Thinker of some stripe or another.

► ChilledRoyal

Replied On June 1st 2011:

2BorNot2B

It's kind of crazy how insightful Delphi can be. Crazy, and a little bit scary.

LittleMissDelphi

Isn't 'Fruit of the Poisoned Tree' only a thing law enforcement has to worry about, though? I thought they could take any evidence as long as they didn't break the law to get it themselves. Shouldn't that work for Thinker testimony, too?

► Answer Key

Replied On June 1st 2011:

2BorNot2B

Speak for yourself.

► Ekul

Replied On June 1st 2011:

ChilledRoyal

Except Thinker testimony is still only hearsay. At best. It doesn't have any basis in provable fact. I think that means it could be used as corroborating evidence, but it can't be the basis for a criminal charge by itself.

That should mean that a Thinker could be an expert witness, I think.

► LittleMissDelphi (The Girl in the Know)

Replied On June 1st 2011:

2BorNot2B

I'll certainly never tell. ;)

ChilledRoyal

Basically what Ekul said. The Protectorate and PRT can take a Thinker's word and use it to plan action, and if they need to, they can call on the Thinker as a witness in a criminal trial. What they can't do is base their case entirely on that Thinker's testimony. Eventually, they need hard evidence. A smoking gun.

Also, most Thinkers aren't like Accord or Tattletale. They're outliers. Most Thinkers are vague and only somewhat helpful. Good luck getting a straight answer or actionable intel out of them.

► Tin_Mother (Moderator)

Replied On June 1st 2011:

I feel like I need to remind everyone here: PHO is NOT your lawyer.

► YellowDeath

Replied On June 1st 2011:

So I don't think we ever got a solid answer. Can Apocrypha use Sherlock Holmes or not?

► 2BorNot2B

Replied On June 1st 2011:

I thought we decided that she could. It's not like it makes any less sense than King Arthur, after all.

► LittleMissDelphi (The Girl in the Know)

Replied On June 1st 2011:

The point I was trying to make is that it doesn't matter.

If her version is anything like the guy in the books, then he could definitely solve the murders - if this was taking place in Victorian London and she was actually Sherlock. But she's not, and this isn't Victorian London.

The thing about Sherlock Holmes that people forget is that he had a lot of advantages. Contacts in Scotland Yard. An actual practice as a private detective. Clout. He could get into places he shouldn't be allowed in by virtue of all of those things.

Apocrypha has none of that. She's underage, she lives in the modern world, and she lives in a world of capes, where there are laws about how powers can and can't be used. She's also technically a law enforcement officer.

And that means she can't just go snooping around wherever she likes, like Sherlock did.

Don't you just love Due Process?

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— o.0.O.O.0.o —

NOTES

Our first whole PHO interlude. What is this, a rite of passage? In any case, I didn't want to just keep skipping forward days or weeks at a time without warning, so I added this interlude to bridge the gap and give you a better sense of what's going on at large between 9.2 and 9.3.

I've also been seeing some concerns about Tagg on SV. I'll say that right now, Interlude 9.b is planned to have an answer for his behavior. I'm not going to promise it's satisfying, because some of you will undoubtedly not think so, but it'll be an answer.

I also have some bad news: next week will be a break week, because this last week has been really rough and I didn't get enough done. No one died or was injured or anything, just some stuff happened that took more out of me - in terms of both time and energy - than I expected, and in the middle of all of that, my desk broke. Then getting a replacement was an adventure and a half in and of itself and it still hasn't actually been put together and... Yeah.

To make it up to you, over the next couple of days, the Cinders oneshot will be coming out and I've got a bit of a surprise. They'll be on Sufficient Velocity.

We'll resume as normal the Saturday after next. March 21st.

Special thanks to all my Patrons who have stayed with me this far, through all the rocky moments and dry stretches. You guys are the best.

If you want to support me and my writing, you can do so here:

P a treon . com (slash) James_D_Fawkes

ko-fi . com (slash) jamesdfawkes

Or if you want to commission something from me, check out my Deviant Art page to see my rates.

As always, read, review, and enjoy.