internet, meet [insert title of glam's webseries]

[mxglam]

To Glam's continued delight, more kissing sessions happen on the following days (when they're feeling like a boy). They haven't met her parents as her official boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever yet, and don't mind it too much.

News about Purity's escape surprises exactly no one, but the Protectorate's reputation suffers a blow because of the attack; after all, the heroes were beaten on their home turf. The PHO forums are abuzz, though rumors of Glam's death at the hands of Hookwolf (probably started by same) prove largely unfounded.

And Glam really should get to their webisodes and start building a steadier rep. And that's (one of the reasons) why they're in Lorica's workshop a few days later.

"So what should I do? I haven't posted anything since Purity, should probably make this more of a habit."

Comments

[mxglam]

"That. That would be. A pretty good thing to do, actually. If it were possible. I... did manage to create a copy that mimics a Breaker power of turning into a super-hard statue."

[thinkering]

"Okay, so - try it."

[mxglam]

A Glam-copy appears. It has stripes.

"...what should we test it on?"

[thinkering]

"...Good question. I don't have anything around I would like annihilated. Maybe have it beat up some other copies so you're in the right frame of mind and then take it out to the boat graveyard."

[mxglam]

"The... kind of beat up that distinguishes the Siberian from other Brutes or Breakers tends to be the more gruesome kind."

[thinkering]

"I don't mind if you get imaginary blood on the floor, I can clean it up by glaring at it."

[mxglam]

A new copy appears! This one does not have stripes. It extends an arm forward towards the Siberian copy, who in turn encircles its wrist with its index finger and thumb.

"I'm so glad you're not sentient," says Glam right before the Siberian copy pinches the other copy's hand off.

[thinkering]

"Like butter," Lorica pronounces, glaring the blood out of existence.

[mxglam]

"Yeah. It's cheating, doing it with my copy, though." The copy is not expressing signs of pain - it is just passively bleeding. Until it's dispelled, blood and all.

[thinkering]

"But your power works on the subverbal level. So why shouldn't it work? Put your copy in something that won't let the stripes distress the neighbors and let's have it walk through some boat wrecks like they're not there."

[mxglam]

The copy is now wearing something that won't let the stripes distress the neighbors. "...you know, if this works, we don't actually have an excuse not to go kill the Nine."

[thinkering]

"Yes we do. If your unstoppable force meets their unstoppable force for all we know the result is 'the fight goes on until she squints and in the meanwhile there's a crater where some innocent Midwestern farm town used to be'. But if you can produce tame Siberians on demand you just jumped ridiculously in Endbringer-related combat effectiveness, fuck guns you have a Siberian just have her go give them a hug."

[mxglam]

"Well, I mean, if I can up and believe a Siberian copy into existence there's nothing saying I can't believe something better than the Siberian into existence. Unless the Siberian's the very top of what's possible when it comes to unstoppable forces and immovable objects. But in any case, yeah, Siberian hugs."

[thinkering]

"The Siberian's recognizable. I mean, maybe you should make her bigger or something so she can be seen for farther away, but everyone knows the stripes."

[mxglam]

"Yeah. I wonder what the capes would actually do if they saw the Siberian at a fight like that." Pause. "What would Jack do if he saw something like the Siberian fighting an Endbringer on the news?"

[thinkering]

"Nnnnno idea. But like I said there usually isn't much recording going on."

[mxglam]

"Sure, but I don't think this news could be kept silent, especially if she does as much damage as I want her to, i.e. enough damage that Leviathan decides to give up the attack after ten minutes."

[thinkering]

"Yeah. So then you might get a fight with them whether you liked it or not. And the Siberian could just go around your copies and kill you, whereas you don't really have a win condition like that."

[mxglam]

"So I don't ever, ever let her know where my real self is. I mean, there really is no reason why I would, even the binoculars are too large a concession, I could watch what the shoulderbot perceives from a secure, remote location while a copy has all my powers and then some because I can actually perceive them."

[thinkering]

"Yeah, I should upgrade your shoulderbot so it's better equipped for that but it could do it even now."

[mxglam]

"Mmhm. Hmm..." Think. "Should the Siberian copy be something known to be, you know, mine? Or a secret weapon?"

[thinkering]

"Good question. Does it matter why people believe in it, does it have to be by way of you or can it just be 'that sure looks like a Siberian copy'?"

[mxglam]

"The latter, I'm pretty but not wholly sure."

[thinkering]

"I'm not sure what a good way to test that is."

[mxglam]

"Well... maybe I make something that's supposed to do a thing, like not a floating ping-pong ball but maybe something like a remote-controlled toy car or something, and then we tell someone else what it's supposed to do while I'm not around nor mentioned at any point, and then we see if their being around makes it do whatever-it-is better?"