endbringer, meet gun

[peterxy]

...Very unseasonable rains can be seen in the distance from the shores of Acapulco.

The Brockton Bay Protectorate starts organizing volunteers to be transported or teletransported in batches to it. Heroes, rogues, villains, anyone's assistance is appreciated. A rendez-vous point is set for non-Protectorate capes wishing to volunteer, and Protectorate capes are informed of the situation via communication devices.

Comments

[mxglam]

They shrug. "I suppose. Though it's not exactly the most invasive of powers, as far as mental powers go."

[thinkering]

"I know, but I don't want to have any gaps at all."

[mxglam]

"It's really not much of a gap though. I mean, granted, it could be indicative of the efficacy of other similarly-small-but-otherwise-objectionable powers against you."

[thinkering]

"I want my mind to be an impregnable fortress, not a fortress with a couple secret passages."

[mxglam]

"That's an interesting preference, and it's also pretty interesting that you got a power that suits it so well."

[thinkering]

"Yes, well, we might not be having this conversation if it didn't work real well."

[mxglam]

"...would you answer if I asked?"

[thinkering]

"I might. It's kind of a personal question, but I do have ultimate blackmail."

[mxglam]

They wince. "When you put it like that it makes me really question the wisdom of telling you about it."

[thinkering]

"I had it mostly figured out. And I do want to help you. I wouldn't usually answer the question you're proposing asking me."

[mxglam]

"I... won't actually ask. If you want to tell me I'll listen, but you're right it's a very personal question so I don't think it's- okay of me to ask, like that. Even if you have ultimate blackmail."

[thinkering]

"Up to you."

[mxglam]

[thinkering]

Patrol patrol.

[mxglam]

"...so, any suggestions about the whole rep thing?"

[thinkering]

"How long would you be stuck if you did join the Wards, ballpark?"

[mxglam]

"Stuck?"

[thinkering]

"Well, you can theoretically quit, but they get very fed up with people who revolving-door it. I mean how long till you'd graduate."

[mxglam]

"Oh. Nine months."

[thinkering]

"That's not that long. You could join up, use Branding for its ostensible purpose, get some action figures made, it's certainly the safest way to build up some attention."

[mxglam]

"Hm."

[thinkering]

"I mean, or not, but it's a strong contender."

[mxglam]

"...okay, any other ideas? My current one is just converting the recklessness into badassitude by being very good and publicly so. I mean, it's like at least 60% of the reason I decided to start following heroes around to see if I can help in a way that other people can credit me with. I could go solo vigilante, but disbelief is common enough a reaction to an unfortunate event that I wouldn't start out very effective.

"For that matter, any public identity of mine would have to say my powers are the kind that grow with time. Like Dauntless'."

[thinkering]

"...You know what would make you really legit scary? You can conjure stuff up. You can fake Tinkering, but what you could also do is give a Tinker an effectively unlimited budget for a temporary-use item. Like, anyone who knows Tinkers knows that the phrase 'Tinker with an unlimited budget' means anything can happen."

[mxglam]

"Yeah, that sounds pretty good actually. I thought about pretending to be a really versatile yet secretive Tinker, but the main problem with that is that it'd limit me a lot when I wanted to do anything that's not particularly Tinkerish. Your idea is a bit better there, though it'd still associate expectations with Tinker tech and would also shine less of a spotlight on me, which isn't bad per se, I don't care as much about attention as I pretend I do, but it would mean it'd take a while longer for me to be notorious on my own."