FrozenDeath

Thanks!

Hello all,

Here's a couple recent pics. The first is some linework I colored:
Ryan Kinnaird's version of Judge Anderson

And one of my characters: Mere Mal Faire

Hope ya like!

That's exactly it Samuel. You are not interested in pvp under any circumstance, which is crystal clear. For me, you have no credibility or relevance to this idea because you are clearly dead set against it. It would be like somebody starting a thread about new badges. And then I post that I hate badges and don't want more included in the game under any circumstance.

There's no point in trying to change your mind. The challenge to the devs would be if they could possibly implement such an idea in a way that would minimally impact someone like you. This would involve serious discussion of HOW this could be done, in which you are clearly not interested in being involved.

Solicio--

It would be a blast to to be able to have an impromptu duel in a pve zone. I'm sure there are ways that this could be implemented that would increase the popularity of pvp while minimizing the distress caused to the anti-pvp establishment. That is my speculation of course, but that is what the majority of the content of this thread is: speculation.

Resistance to the idea expressed here boils down to a few points:

1. My fear and loathing of possibly being involved in pvp is so intense that I will immediately nerdrage quit over something like this being implemented. People ragequit over changes all the time. I knew a guy who guit over vigilance. When the dust settled the majority of these people would still be here.

2. Speculation over the technical infeasibility of doing something like this. Yeah, there might be code-based limitations that would prevent this. Only the devs know for sure. Concern over technical limitations shouldn't prevent someone from forwarding an idea.

3. You spelled "you" as "u", ergo I reject you and your ideas because you fail to uphold the standard of grammatical perfection that I set for this forum. When all else fails, flame someone over how they are communicating.

Try this--if you cannot understand someone's point because of their grammar mistakes, mispellings, etc. ask for clarification. If you can understand their meaning (e.g. I believe most people here are bright enough to get that "u" means "you"), then don't make an issue of how they say it.

Here's a provisional one I think i'll use for now.

Dr. Proxy's research vault was a tiny room, the walls lined with plastic rectagular bins. There was a small round table in the center with a step ladder to the side. A single bulb dangled overhead. FD and Recursive lingered near the doorway as Proxy searched the right side of the room.

"This is pretty...low tech compared to what you've done with the other areas." Proxy ran his hand along the fronts of the bins, as if reading labels in braille.

"Yes, well it doesn't need to be complicated. Simple actually helps me get the information I need. Less distracting. You said spiritual arbitration, 2nd gateway of the dead, eye of purgatory..."

"Yeah that's what FD's..friend...said. That and something about swimming."
"You better take that stuff seriously. That chick never lies if she mentioned something its gonna happen.."

There was a tinkle of salsa music. FD pulled out his cell phone, scowling as he read the number on the screen.

"Who is it?"
"Listen for yourself." He put the phone on speaker and set it on the table. "Hello, this is FD."

A woman's low sultry voice emanated from the phone. "Hellloooooo lover I'm waiting for you. Waiting to make all your naughty fantasies come true. Your dream girl is here and I'm waiting for your....call....dial 1-800-.....um....

Recursive siffled a laugh and whispered. "Who is that?" FD motioned for her to wait and gestured at the phone.

"Umm ..uh.. find sexy singles in your area today...uh...spice up your love life with these erotic massage oils...mmm mmmm mmmm have you always wanted more size? A more fulfilling love life? With the vacupump 3000 you can achieve the ...um...mmm....strippograms...hot girls available in your area...great for birthdays, bachelor parties....um mmm mmmm....

"Soft. Hey Softy I'm kinda in the middle of something here babe..."


There was a moment of silence. "MMmm mmmm sorry so sorry mmmmm busy busy hunka man yes yes?"
"No problem Soft. I'll talk to you later."
"yes yes goodbye yes yes."

FD hung up and slid the phone back in his pocket.
"That was Soft?!" Recursive laughed as FD's brows wrinkled together over the top of his sunglasses.
"Yeah. EVERY day now. It's her."
"BUt how did she sound like that?"

Proxy turned back for a moment, looking at her over his shoulder. "I gave her an enhancement to help her develop normal human speech patterns. The voice you heard is actually close to what Christine sounded like when she was alive. At the moment, she can simulate that type of speech when she reads something. Eventually I hope she will be able to express herself that way all the time." He knelt down and started examining the bottom row of bins.

"Christine? Who was that?"
"Soft, the creature which is essentially a highly evolved colony of spores, killed a researcher and absorbed her memories. The researcher's name was Christine."

FD jabbed his finger into Recursive's shoulder. "And don't ask her about it! You get that crazy bish upset and she'll go ape **** on you again! And hey..." FD crossed his arms. "Did you tell her to DRINK TEQUILA?!?! I came in one day and she gulped down five whole bottles! It was friggin horrible man she reeked for days..what the hell?!?

Recursive blushed and shrugged. "Umm...."

"Here we go." Dr. Proxy pulled out a bin and set it on the table. He held up a sticky note, reading it as the others examined the contents of the bin: a bottle of pills, several large fragments of bone, a small scroll and a ziploc bag full of ash.

Proxy finished reading the note. "Ah..ok."
"Well?"

He looked at Recursive. "When was the last time you slept?"
She shrugged. "I don't sleep. I woke up from the coma...then...I've been awake since."

He lifted the bin. "Well, the last place you need to confront Bulb is in your dreams. You're gonna have to take a nap darling."

You could try building a cityscape in 3d. There are free programs out there like Google Sketchup that professional concept artists use to establish 3d perspective quickly, then paint over in their scenes.

There are also good inexpensive downloads like this one: http://media.massiveblack.com/downloads.html#coro_alla
that detail the process.

I see what you described: Posi, text, etc.

Kat--

Shia

I don't use Poser, but it sounds like a uvmapping issue. The poser model is formed out of polygons. In order to texture a 3d object, the polygons are laid out on a 2d surface in what's called a uv map. The uv map designates how the 2d textures are projected back on the 3d object.

In order to unwrap a 3d model into this 2d template, the geometry is flattened and seams where it connects on the model are split so that the uvs can be made flat for texturing. Probably, when you are making these patterns you are jumping across uv seams. If you can get a picture of your model's uvs, you can plan around the seams/distortions. Otherwise it will be trial and error.

"You think she made it?" FD watched Dr. Proxy make adjustments on the new portal. This one had a larger ring that lay flat on the ground, like a transporter pad from Star Trek.

"I hope so. I would imagine."
"But you got no idea.."
"Well I received notice to bring something through. I can't really imagine what else it would be." He glanced up as a robotic arm carried parts across a track over their heads. The warehouse had become a completely different environment during the week of Recursive's absence. There were interior walls and elevated walkways leading to a variety of workrooms and living areas. "We could certainly use her talents. I doubt I would have let Bulb kill her off."

There were footsteps on the plank behind the platform. Soft Assassin climbed up the steps and joined them on the platform. She waved the armored claws of her right hand, staring intently at the tips. FD turned to her.

"Whattup. What's wrong Soft?"
"Mmm here here here lookie look look."
"What I don't see nothin."

She held the tips of her fingers closer to his face. There were glistening flecks of red moisture barely visible on the background of latex.

"Blood?"
"Mmm yes think I think mmm yes yes."
"Did you kill someone?"
"Yes yes yes."

There was an awkward pause. FD shrugged. Dr. Proxy continued working on the transporter.

"Is good thing or bad thing or good thing?"
"I dunno depends.."
"What depends on what what what?"
"I dunno man...ask Recursive when she gets back."
"Magic fancy girl come yes come yes?"
"Yeah. Any minute now maybe."
"Ooooooooooo..."

Proxy turned back for a moment to look at Soft. "Soft did you complete your mission?"
"Yes yes mmmm object retrieved object yes yes."
"Did you survive?"
"Mmmm yes yes..."
"Then it's all good. Don't worry about the blood. There's nothing to worry about."

A pulsing tone began to resonate out of one of Proxy's pockets. He withdrew a small device and tapped a couple buttons on its screen. "They're coming through, everyone back up."

"They?"
"Back up. All the way down the steps." Proxy stepped over a small barrier into a control booth to the side. The interior of the ring lit up with golden particles that began to float up into the air. Two wavy dark sillhouettes began to coalesce in the air over the pad, like inky columns or smoke. The ring roared, the metal plates vibrating and rubbing together violently. Proxy, worked his control console feverishly, his hands a blur as he changed variables and adjusted for fluctuating energy levels. FD could hear him laughing maniacally over the din.

"What the hell is going on?!"
"More power coming through than I expected. Don't piss yourself just yet..."

There was an explosion of sorts, wind and snakey tendrils of light blowing past them. FD threw up his forearm, deflecting one of the ring plates as it spiraled towards his head.

"Geeze.."

Recursive and Love Tap stood side by side on the platform, taking in their surroundings. Their outfits shined in the afterglow of the explosion, a corona of light giving them an unearthly sense of stature. Proxy nodded his head mumbling to himself. Soft looked back and forth at the two women in a strange birdlike crouch, her fingers tapping the metal railing frenetically. FD stood motionless, his jaw agape as he ogled them.

"Uh...damn man..um think you got the wrong girls dude..uh..wow.."
"Nope. I remember now. She returned with her alternate reality double. That's good...good.." Proxy rubbed his jaw, considering the possibilities.

Recursive glanced at Love Tap then stepped forward towards FD and Soft. "It's me." She blushed slightly at the look on FD's face. "I changed physically over there. And I got this suit." She folded her arms self consciously.

"Daaaaaamn you got older...and hotter too wow." Love Tap came up behind Recursive and leaned on her shoulder.
"Hi. I'm Love Tap. You must be FD. Nice to meet you."
"Oh hey. What's happening."
"Your um...demon?...friend saved our lives on the other side."
"Yeah thanks man. The note really came through when I need it."

FD waved his hand. "No problem. We missed you and your high maintenance. Glad it worked out."

Love Tap smiled and walked to Soft, her heels clicking on the metal ramp.
"Hi are you Soft Assassin?"
"Yes mm yes yes." Love Tap rubbed the spikey clumps of hair on top of Soft's head.
"I heard you had pretty hair." She took Soft's left arm and ran her finger along the latex surfaces, smiling. "Nice costume. I might have to get something like this made for me."

FD's brows were raised high above his sunglasses, his mouth agape. If possible his complexion had gone a shade even palers than it had been before. Recursive steeled herself and glared at him.

"Shut up. Just shut up."
"Is this for real man?!? Am I dreaming this [censored]?"
"Get a grip dude don't get all sleazeball on me. I'm still... um 16...I think I'm still 16!"
"That one over there can't be 16 man, hell no that bish is 16."
"No she's not 16 but she's into girls, so there ha ha!"
"OOOhhh shizz! Forreal?! Ah man...that's still hot though.."

Dr. Proxy stepped out of the control booth and waved to Love Tap.
"Hello dear, long time no see." She nodded.
"It has been. Thanks for shifting me over. This looks like a much better place to be." She looked around the warehouse, then smiled at Soft. "Lots of possibility here."

Proxy smiled broadly and began ushering them all down the ramp towards a nearby passage way. "Yes indeed, yes indeed. Let's all go to the breakroom and relax a bit before we figure out what happens next."

My rad/pain has done pretty well and it's viable in Siren's. It gets really good paired with other pain doms.

Several more days passed before they had word from Proxy--a note that was taped to Love Tap's windshield. It had a date, time, and coordinates--nothing else. They still had one day to kill. Love Tap made some sandwiches and led Recursive to the top of the building for an impromptu picnic. She spread a blanket out in the center next to a wooden chest left sitting there in the center of the flat rooftop.

"I'm donating the building to the community college. Seems like they would get the best use out of it for dorms or something."
"Are you bringing anything special with you?"
"Not really, just some clothing. This outfit." She was wearing the latex ensemble from the first day she met Recursive in the club.
"It will be a hit, I'm sure."
"You should try it on sometime. It would be a perfect fit now."

Recursive looked at her bust, the length of her legs. She was now indistinguishable from Love Tap except for the length of her hair and more modest clothing.

Love Tap smiled. "Actually I have something even better." She flipped open the box and pulled some items of clothing. Recursive groaned as she saw them, obviously pieces to some sort of superhero uniform complete with a pair of black stiletto boots.

"Proxy has brought other alternates to this world. You're the fifth I've met. The second one was Fin de Siecle. She was a technological savant. This is a suit she made."
"And I take it you want me to try it on..."
"Yes dear. It's time you got to be a little more self reliant. There isn't always going to be a super villain or some demonic creature around to save your [censored]. You're way too squishy for my taste, the suit will help."

Recursive looked around. "You want me to put it on here?"
Love Tap laughed. "Yes, there's nothing I haven't seen before."
"We're on a rooftop!"
"Haha don't be such a wuss. Go on!."

Recursive grunted and slid off the tshirt she'd borrowed from Love Tap.
"Bra too. You won't need it, there's support built in."
"Fine.."

The top slid on, snug but comfortable. It appeared to be perfectly tailored to her current proportions. The sleeves extended to her wrists but the torso left her midriff exposed. Once it was on, the fabric seemed to mold even more to her figure, shaping not only her bust but reinforcing her arm and shoulder joints. She felt stronger. She kicked off her shoes and slid out of the jeans she was wearing. The outfit's deep burgundy pants were slick and stretchy, like spandax molding to her figure. She ran her hands over her thighs, blushing as Love Tap laughed.

"Put the boots on."
"Great.."

Recursive slipped into the boots, shifting awkwardly on the four inch heals.

"You're gonna need some practice on those, but it looks hot."
"This is supposed to help me stay alive?"
"THAT is supposed to help you get some attention. If you don't like it, concentrate on your feet."

Recursive focused on the sensation in her feet. Suddenly the heels were shrinking. The soles of the boots flattened a bit and a platform thickened at the bottom, replacing the heels.

"Interesting."
"Now put the belt on."

Love Tap got up and handed a purple ring of flat metal to Recursive. It opened in the front when she took it, responding to contact with her hands. She manuevered it behind her back, opening it wider and snapping it around her waist. The ring closed, appearing once more as a contiguous piece of metal. Suddenly there were swirling patterns of energy visible in the pants and three glowing concentric circles appeared in the center of the top.

"Wow. What does it do?"
"Well..." Love Tap grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up in the air over her head.
"WHOA! Hey!!" Recursive flailed as she was carried to the edge of the roof. "HEY STOP!"

Love Tap laughed and threw her over the edge. Recursive shouted as she sailed away from the building, the ground rushing up to meet her. She rolled forward and brought her legs beneath her as the sidewalk neared.

She sank into a crouch as the boots hit the pavement but the shock was negligible, the suit having absorbed the majority of the impact. She looked at the crack that had opened up in the pavement, then looked up Love Tap.

"[censored]!!!"
"HAHAHA come back up. Come on jump back up here."

Recursive looked around self consciously, then took a breath and crouched before kicking up. The suit amplified her effort, propelling her higher as if weightless. The arc was a bit low and she fell short of clearing the top, scrambling to grab the edge of the rooftop. Love Tap caught her wrist and lifted her the rest of the way.

"Not bad. It'll get easier as you get used to the suit. It responds to your thoughts."
"What else can it do?"
"Well jumping, running...I think it's a little better than kevlar, at least the parts that are covered. I'm sure you can lift more weight..not sure of the exact parameters. Never used or tested it myself."

Recursive crouched down and took a sip from her water bottle. "That was something Dr. Proxy would do. Throw somebody into a situation without warning."
"He doesn't view things from the same perspective."
"He doesn't seem to care about the well-being of others, beyond their usefulness to his goals."

Recursive laughed and knelt down, scraping a line on the rooftop with her finger. "See this line? This line is the energy of your being extending forward through time, through multiple lives and incarnations. If I intersect it at some point.." She cratched another line across the first. "This point of intersection is a person, an identity like you or me."

"Ok.."
"Now if you follow this line that intersects, it crosses other timelines." She drew more vertical lines that crossed over the horizontal line. Then more intersecting horizontal lines until the scratches began to resemble a grid. "The connection of all these energies and timelines and identities is part of an extended network of being. It's like a woven tapestry moving forward in space and time, contantly fraying and growing, the energy moving from one point of intersection to the next."

She pointed to one of the intersections. "You and I see this. One life. A person. The good doctor views the structure as a whole. The interconnection of these patterns. This perspective makes it difficult for him to relate to morality, mortality. Typical afflictions of the human condition. He doesn't even view his own well being as having any great significance. He's died probably a thousand times in the course of his projects."

"But what is his ultimate goal? Is it something in which we should be blindly participating?"

Love Tap shrugged. "We proceed blindly no matter what. What did he TELL you his plan was?"
"To take over the world."
"Good. When we've finished with yours, we'll come back and do the same with this one."

Love Tap pushed through the bushes, pulling on the side of her dress to keep the fabric from catching on the low lying branches and spikey weeds along the dirt path. She beckoned, her diamond bracelet sparkling in the dim light. She held the flowers high in her other hand, trying to keep them neat as they worked their way through the roughage.

"It's over here Rec. There's a little dirt path leading off this way."
"I see it, coming."

Recursive stared at Love Tap's funeral outfit, feeling even more out of place in her jeans and tshirt. She held her own bundle of flowers close to her chest as they circled the overgrown outskirts of the graveyard. Finally, they reached a small clearing that someone had actually bothered to weed. The grave was in the center.The was a small, plain grey headstone.

Frank Haller
1975-2009
RIP

"Is this actually in the graveyard?" Recursive could see a row of headstones off in the distance, but nothing close by.

"Yes. Eventually they'll expand in this direction and place others around it. I had to pay a hefty bribe to have him placed here, even this far out. Between that and getting his body for a normal burial, I'm broke. It wiped out all my finances."
"Because he was a criminal?"
"Yeah. They like to incinerate dead supervillains and place the ashes in a vault where they won't be retrieved. Frank was a normal human, so I was eventually able to acquire the body. And there really isn't anyone around now that would go to the trouble of raising him."
"He died--"
"The day I met with you. At the club. They caught him and beat him to death. He didn't even make it to prison."

Love Tap kneeled on the ground in front of the gravestone. She slid off her bracelet and placed it on top of the marker. Then she pealed off her long satin gloves and draped them on top of it as well. She poked a hole in the ground at the left side of the grave with three fingers, and then planted her bundle of lilacs in it. She did the same on the other side then reached up and took Recursive's bundle as well.

"Thanks." She worked the stems of the other lilacs into the hole. She sat there for a moment staring at the stone, and then leaned forward, resting her arms and face on the top. She was sobbing quietly, mumbling something Recursive couldn't hear.

Recursive looked down at her, eyes beginning to water, strong emotions suddenly flooding her thoughts. It was as if she were looking down at her self, grieving there at the edge of the grave. And she could suddenly picture the man's face, smiling. Joking with her. And there was suddenly this hole in her life, this profound pain of absence where she would never be able to go back to something she had been or loved. A part of her life had ended, the door had swung shut.

"Love..." Recursive dropped to her knees and started raking the ground with her fingers.

"Love help me dig him out. I can fix this." She pushed and gouged the soil desperately. "Help me.."

Love Tap rubbed her eyes and looked back. "Recursive?"
"I can do this. Help me get him out. I can bring him back."
"No.."

Recursive shoved Love Tap, knocking her off of the headstone. "Help me! I can fix this! Damn you, I can bring him back!"
"Rec this isn't you. Stop.."
"Help me!" Tears streamed down her face as she tore at the ground. Love took her by the wrist, blocking her free hand as she swung her fist at Love Tap's jaw.

"Stop babe. These aren't your thoughts. They're mine."
"Let me go! I can bring him back."
"Stop Rec. Think! You don't even know him. You've never met him. This is my pain. My grief bleeding into you. It happens sometimes when alternate versions of a person come in contact."

Recursive shuddered trying to control the raging emotions. "Why don't you want him back?"
"There's no world for him to come back to. It's over."
"He's better dead?"
"He knew the end was coming darling..." Love Tap's head drooped for a moment as she sobbed. "He wouldn't change who he was. He didn't want it to end differently.."

Recursive rubbed her eyes and looked at the headstone. "His lover..the blonde..she won't come here will she?"

"No."
"He loved her."
"Yes, but he knew that she could never change. The same way he couldn't."
"Nobody will come here."
"Probably not."
"Nobody will remember him."
"I doubt they will."

Love Tap stood up and pulled some tissues out of her purse. She handed a few to Recursive. They both wiped their faces and brushed the dirt from their clothing. Recursive shook her head, her thoughts sluggish as if waking from a dream. Love Tap smiled.

"I'm sorry I brought you here. I didn't realize you would be influenced so strongly. But thanks, you made it a little easier for me."
"I'm becoming more like you. Feeling your emotions. Also...my clothes are starting to get tighter."
"Yes. You already look like my sister. Another few days, we'll look like twins. If proxy doesn't get us out of here soon, we'll be physically identical."
"Us?"
"Yes, I'm leaving with you. There's nothing here for me anymore. The only outcome is to end up like Frank. My death wouldn't make any difference."
"Do you think it will back where I'm from? Do you think any of ours will?"

Love Tap's eyes darkened as she smiled knowingly. "My gut feeling is yes. And you're intuition says the same doesn't it?"
"It does.

The events that followed were a jumble, the sequence confused and displaced like a puzzle ripped apart and thrown into the air. Something exploded at her hip and sent her sprawling to the ground. A noose had been around her neck, lifting her up and choking the life out of her. Love Tap screaming. The flash of light, which she first took as a concussion from her head hitting the floor. Bulb's tentacle of darkness exploding in front of her, ripping away as she was thrown to the floor. Dizzily crawling to her knees amidst sparks and greenish yellow flames. Coughing as the air thickened, shifting shadowy figures flowing over the walls and floor.

Recursive shook her head and looked up. FD's paper was in the air, spinning like a top. Burning, the surface dissolving in flame but leaving a ring of symbols floating in the center of the room. Smoke began rising from the floor beneath it, flowing and taking shape. The form of a large humanoid figure hovering there, it's flesh bluish ash and darkness. It flexed and unfolded, vaguely like a woman. Vaguely like an insect, as well, or some form of armored aquatic creature. Angular, platelike shards circled its body, like disconnected teeth from a buzzsaw. Various arms would take form out of the center mass, moving and tracing symbols in the air before dissolving out of view. Three vertically stacked angular green eyes opened on the figures head and looked at Bulb. The room erupted with the sound of several booming voices calling out in inhuman languages that Recursive was unable to comprehend.

"Oh my god...Jessica?"

Bulb took a step back from Love Tap and fired a spike of darkness at the creature. The energy flowed into it, making no discernable impact. There was a stange grating cacaphony of sound for a moment, Then a glowing mouth appeared on the creature's face and it spoke again in the voice Recursive had heard it use back at the hotel.

"Fool. You think you can steal power from my dark servant and wield it against me? I'll dig it out of your flesh."

The tendrils holding Love Tap melted away as their mass began the shift towards, Bulb. Figures began to rise out of the floor. Skeletons and corpses, a menagerie of undead creatures in various states of decay clawing their way up through the shadows on the ground. Bulb moved but was too slow to avoid their grasp. Boney hands seized its legs, starting to yank on the bottom of the suit coat. It flexed its arms and emitted a cluster of spikes in all directions, but the animated corpses continued undeterred. Greyish energy began to bleed out of it as they began to rip though the surface of the suit.

Bulb's remaining arm suddenly swung forward in a wide arc. Love Tap lunged forward and caught the sleeve at the very last moment. A large grey spike flew through the air and passed through Recursive's hair, barely missing her face as it impaled the oak doorframe behind her. Love Tap brought both fists down on Bulb's head, her power crackling through the air and then exploding as it collided with the glassy substance. The head shattered, breaking and dissolving--the body going limp and immediately falling into the mass of animated dead beneath. There was a grating hiss and a loud metallic shriek, then Recursive's stalker was gone.

There was an awkward moment of silence as the two women faced the dark demonic entity, corpses and shadows wandering aimlessly through the room. The creature lifted a long, six fingered hand that held one of Bulb's shoes. The black leather disintegrated, the air shimmering and glowing for a moment as it passed. The six eyes flickered a moment, the color changing slightly before they turned to Recursive.

"My sacrifice. There must be payment for summoning me here. You will pay."

Recursive shrank back against the wall as the dead mob slowly turned towards her. The light around her dimmed and the shadows thickened as the eyes stared at her.

"Wait! FD! FD sent you here to protect us! He told me to tell you this."

The creature made a grinding sound that resembled a human cough. It turned towards Love Tap. It gestured and a column of darkness shot across the room and seized her, lifting her up off the ground, the darkness swirling around Love Tap's body as she struggled to break free.

"Then this one."
"WHAT THE HELL?!?!" Love Tap wrestled with shadowy tendrils were circling towards her head. "Stop!"
"Wait! Please..we are the same. He promised to protect us!"

The creature groaned. Love Tap was dropped to the floor as the cadavers and shadows began to recede, flowing back into the thing's aura. It regarded Recursive once again.

"The things I do for that child." It suddenly shrank to human size and appeared directly in front of Recursive, it's face close to hers. "But my patience isn't infinite. I will call upon you sometime for a service. Until then, farewell." It lifted its six hands palm up and began to fade from view.

"Wait!" The eyes remained, blazing red as Recursive spoke. "I'm sorry, please I need your help. That thing you just fought..it will return, having stolen even more power. I don't know how to defeat it. Can you help me?"

The eyes turned yellow-green and grew larger. They continued to expand, flowing together and filling the room until Recursive and Love Tap were blinded by the light and could see nothing else. A voice whispered.

"Seek spiritual arbitration. Journey to the 2nd gateway of the dead. Eye of Purgatory." There was a moment of weightlessness, the room felt like it was spinning as they flailed around trying to find the ground. Laughter echoed in the room, a score of different voices responding to their disorientation. The creature called out one last time.

"Swim little fishies! Swim!"

Then it was gone, and Recursive found herself back on the floor a few feet away from Love Tap. It was quiet once more in the building.

"Recursive stay behind me." Love Tap slid her right foot slightly back, flexing her fists forward slightly, arms bent in a guard position. Bulb entered the room, the glassy head swirling with dark energy and flashes of imagery. It raised its arms unceremoniously, unloading the rounds of two pistols on the woman in front of it. The bullets were stopped in small explosions of energy as they met the surface of Love Tap's body. They hissed as they dropped half melted on to the floor. Even as the shots were still ringing in the room, Bulb dropped the pistols and opened his palms, firing twin bursts of concussive force the drove his target a few inches back across the floor but otherwise did nothing to break her stace.

Love Tap suddenly burst forward in a blur of motion, launching a savage blow to the creature's head. It shifted out of the way at the last possible moment but her punch clipped the side, chipping the glassy surface which leaked a greyish smoke into the room. She followed up with a barrage of punches but the thing dodged her attacks, bobbing back and forth with unnerving speed. She snarled and landed a punch on Bulb's chest, but as the force drove it back the body flipped, bringing a kick up into her jaw. Love Tap shook her head, current flaring and pulsing around her body.

Recursive watched the fight from the next room, peaking around the door way. Bulb hadn't seemed to have noticed her at all. The thought occurred to her that maybe, in this reality, Love Tap appeared identical to her. And then the chilling thought ensued: perhaps Dr. Proxy intended for the creature to kill her double in this world in order to get it off of her trail. She watched Bulb pulled two knives out of its sleeves. Love Tap drew her guard in tight, jabbing out with her hands quickly to parry the blades, but her speed wasn't enough. A thrust caught the side of her face, narrowly missing an eye. Suddenly she sank in her stance and there was a burst of electricity all around her. The there was a woosh of air as she sucked in the ambient power around her, a long dark arc of smoke rushing out of Bulb and flowing into her. The cut closed and disappeared, but soon there were more on her arms and torso.

Recursive bit her lip and reached out, her power manifesting around Love Tap in a purplish corona of light. In a renewed burst of speed she caught one of Bulb's wrists, yanking it low. She deflected the other thrust with her other elbow, crossing the creature's arms and trapping them in a bundle as she yanked them dowm and rammed the top of her head into the glassy area, opening up another crack. She jerked her torso straight, wrenching and breaking Bulb's arms as brought her right forearm up underneath them, while yanking the wrists down with her left armpit.

"Time to end this now [censored]! No more squirming!" Love tap lifted and opened the palm of her right hand. There was an intense humming--suddenly the floor was vibrating underneath their feat. Knick knacks and books began to slide of shelves all over the house as unseen power generators shook the foundation as it churned to life. There was a burning smell then a crack of lightning as arcs of hissing white plasma shot out of the wall sockets and collected in her hand.

"Now you die!" She brought her burning palm down in and overhead arc towards the creature's head. At the last moment, she caught Bulb's shoulder instead, burning through the suit coat and ripping the left arm completely off. A cloud of smoke shot out of the opening, temporarily blinding Recursive. As she wiped the weird soot out of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Love Tap swinging the lightning hand again but missing the creature. She tried to grab him with her other arm but he suddenly disappeared, re-emerging several feet away in the corner of the room. Before Love Tap could pursue, tendrils of darkness shot out of the hole in the suit, washing over her and driving her back towards the far side of the room.

Love Tap grunted as a pit of tentacles surrounded and bound her, shadowy snakes of smokey energy pulling her down towards the floor, fighting her arms as she struggled to keep her hands up. She growled and broke away with bursts of plasma from her aura, but the tentacles immediately reappeared each time. Bulb suddenly rushed towards her, it's remaining gloved fist low, as if about to throw an uppercut or body blow. It was an oddly telegraphed move. Love Tap wrenched her arms up and then dropped her right forearm on Bulb's rising wrist, her left hand sought his in preparation for a wrist lock or arm bar.

"GGggaaaahhh Unngghhh!" Her eyes widened. Recursive gasped as a large spike projected from the blocked fist into Love Tap's abdomen. She pushed against Bulb's arm, energy flaring and crackling around the wound, but she was clearly weakened. She gasped and coughed, flecks of blood spattering her lips. "Unnngh ...he's...killing me

Rec.."

Recursive stepped into the room, her arms stretched out. Her vision pulsed red for a moment as a portion of her life force was projected towards her double. Love Tap suddenly surged, yanking the spike from her body as the wound closed up. She kicked Bulb square in the chest, ripping through the clutching dark energy and driving him back a couple feet. Then the thing turned, for the first time, towards Recursive. An eye appeared briefly in the glassy dome, a laughing skull for a fragment of a second. She had been recognized.

Love Tap grabbed at the suit coat, trying to wrench it towards her but it wasn't enough. The creature turned, angling the gaping hole where it's left arm had been. When it faced Recursive, there was an instant of silence, then a dark tentacle erupted. It shot across the room at her, a heartbeat away from snapping her neck like a twig.

Yeah four stalkers should be able to stop a tank, but not by mezzing it with some pissant hold. The melee classes, tanks in particular are supposed to be armored against damage and mezzing. Part of the crappiness of the new pvp is the general disregard for the roles that ATs are supposed to play, and still do in pve.

Is it hero only?

Gratz!

Love Tap parked outside a large brownstone with elaborate brick inlays and fancy stone decorative motifs adorning the entryway. She gestured as they climbed out of the vehicle.

"I own the two on either side as well. All three in a row."
"Are they connected somehow?"
"Yeah there's a tunnel underground. And they're pretty close together anyway, sometimes I just jump from one roof to another if I don't feel like going downstairs."

She opened the door and they shuffled in. Recursive was surprised to see that the place was dark and almost bare of furnishings. She noticed a small red light omving in the corner of an adjacent room. There was another one in the corner--wall and ceiling mounted cameras. They tracked the motion of the women moving down the central hallway.

"Is somebody watching us? Or are the cameras controlled by a computer or something?"
"I'm watching us. Those are my eyes. There are about a hundred of them spread through these three buildings and I can see through all of them."

There was a large oak staircase in the back of the building. As they climbed the stairs the place began to display more furnishings. Tables, chairs...sometimes a bed peeking through an open doorway. Love Tap displayed no interest in giving a tour, moving single mindedly towards a destination upstairs.

On the third floor, Recursive could see a light coming from a room off to the left. She followed Love into the room and grunted, her face feeling hot as she saw the occupant. There was a woman laying on a low, round padded table.

She was completely naked except for black spiked heels and an assortment of ropes and tethers that bound her tightly. Her arms were folded and tied behind her back. Her legs were bound together with the upper and lower part of the leg tied in a bent position. She had a thick leather collar around her neck and a ball gag inserted in her mouth. Leather blinders covered her eyes and a pair of large padded headphones covered her ears completely. They were connected to a small mp3 player off to the side and a soundtrack of sexual sounds was faintly audible in the room.

The woman was beautiful, her long blond hair spilling over the surface of the table. Tied there naked for display, the supple fullness of her figure drew Recursive's eyes. Love Tap glanced at her sidelong as she pressed the woman's body, checking the circulation in areas that had gone pink from the binding.

"Ummm, part of your kidnapping gig I guess?"
"Yeah. A villain hired me to snatch her up. The guy's an assassin and she's made a career out of getting in his way. So he hired me to deliver his arch enemy."

Recursive shifted uncomfortably. "What is he gonna do with her?" Love Tap laughed.
"More of what I did with her this morning I'd assume."
"There's more to this right? There's something you're not telling me..."

Love Tap's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes." She turned to towards the back wall of the room and a small LED clock lit up. "It's almost five. Damn."

She went to the table and knelt down beside the blond, loosening the bindings on her arms and sliding off the headphones and blinders. She unsnapped the gag and the woman licked her lips.

"Love?"
"Yes dear, it's me."
"What's going on?" The blond noticed Recursive and blushed deeply. Love Tap slipped the restraints off her legs, rubbing her hands up and down the thighs.

"I'm sorry sweetie. This is my cousin from out of town. Something came up and she had to be here."
"Where is.." The woman glanced at Recursive. "Where is he?"
"He's three hours late honey. I'm sorry, we can't wait any longer."
"Did you hear anything? Is he in trouble?"
"I don't know. Haven't heard." Love Tap pulled a box out from under the table. She started helping her captive into a green and blue spandex uniform, rubbing the woman's shoulders as she slipped into the outfit.

Recursive raised her hand. The gaglines on the woman's face faded away. Her eyes widened as she slipped her arms into the sleeves of the uniform. She blushed again.

"Thank you. The soreness is completely gone."
"My pleas..." Recursive felt a chill in her spine, the nape of her neck prickling. "Love...I think he's here."
"What's here?" The blond hero slipped on her gloves and then pulled a metal tube out of the box. She pressed a stud on her belt and power flowed into the tube as it extended into a long staff.

Love Tap looked up towards the ceiling concentrating. "Your friend wear a grey suit? Has a weird glassy looking head?"
"Yes."
"He's in the other house. He's looking for us." She stood up and started attaching the remaining armor components on to the hero's uniform.

"Is there trouble? Who is coming? I'll stay and help you fight it off."
"No dear, you need to go. You need to find your boyfriend, he probably needs your help more than we do. And we can't be seen together anyway. Go on or I'll beat you up for real."

The woman nodded and then embraced Love Tap, kissing her on the lips. She stepped away and nodded at Recursive before leaving the room and exiting through a window in the back. Love Tap listlessly slid the various bindings into the box and set it on the ground, shoving it back under the table with her foot.

"I'm sorry about this Love...really bad timing.."
"Nope. It's cool. I've got a bad feeling that...our mutual friend may be dead." She looked away for a moment, rubbing her eyes. "He's not the kind to no-show without sending word. At least this is a distraction." She raised her fists and crossed her forearms in front of her body. Arcs of electricity began to ripple over the latex. Recusive could feel a pressure in the air as random shocks flickered on the metal surfaces throughout the room.

"I guess now we'll find out what your freak is made of. He's out there standing in the hall."

I noticed my story has now dropped to one star, after holding steady at two for quite a while. A couple thoughts on this:

1. If you genuinely read the story and think its bad or offensive in some way, enough to warrant 1-starring it, I would appreciate it if you would leave a comment or send me a pm. Doesn't have to be a big critique.

2. Obviously, most if not all of the threads in this section are getting flattened. I know most people don't really care, but it would be nice this kind of thing weren't the norm. I don't buy that it's one person doing it unless they have multiple accounts.

Does anyone think this issue is something worth pursuing with the moderators? It maybe be possible for them to check who is one starring threads and take some action based on the pattern of behavior?

Love Tap surveyed the room, smiling. Her curves glistened as she shifted in the latex. They were the center of attention, people staring and whispering as they sized up the two women. The expressions of the bar patrons ranged from curiosity to outright lust and hostility. Recursive shifted self-consciously, using her power to remove the stain from the jacket and tidy her general appearance.

"What's going on? What is the deal here?"
"The deal...is that I'm a criminal. And they aren't. They are wondering if you are a new target for them to hunt down."
"Oh..."

She took Recursive by the hand and began leading her out of the bar area. A drunk in black and green spandex lunged forward trying to grab Love Tap by the waist. She slid a chair in his path with her foot and he toppled over it, mumbling.

"You see, in this reality people with super powers aren't allowed to go rogue, criminal or not. You're only choice is to work for the government. If you are here, in Paragon, you can earn brownie points by hunting down anyone not working for the law. Otherwise, you get shipped overseas for service in the military."
"Are there that many people with super powers here?"
"No. Not any more. The majority are normal humans enhanced with tech or magical gadgets. The ones like me are a dieing breed."

Recursive stopped abruptly. "Did Proxy tell you why I'm here?"
"No, not really. Just that someone was coming and I needed to look after them."
"I'm being hunted by some sort of creature, from another dimension, It's very powerful...maybe we should stay..there are lots of people here...maybe they could help deal with it."

Love Tap put an arm around her shoulder and began ushering her out of the club, turning down a side corridor that lead to a smaller elevator. "I can't hang out here darling. I was in the middle of something when I came to meet you. It's very important that I get back. I can deal with your problem."

The elevator to them to a sublevel with a kitchen and several storage areas. They passed two walk-in refrigerators then pushed through a doorway that led outside. Recursive squinted in the bright light of day, shielding her eyes as she looked around the parking lot they'd entered. It was definitely a different part of the city than before. Love Tap unlocked the doors to a small green hybrid sedan.

"Let's go."

Climbing into the car, Recursive stumbled and fell face first on to the leather upholstry. Love Tap laughed.

"Watch that first step dear."

The interior of the vehicle was completely different. It was a large cargo van, like a Dodge. Something a tradesman would use to transport lumber and equipment.

"What is this?"
"Sort of a pocket dimension. Like the dance club. The interior of the van connects with the exterior of several other vehicles. Helps me get around unnoticed."

Recursive looked into the back of the vehicle. There were rings and hooks welded to the floors, walls, and ceiling of the van. And assortment of robes, cables, and retraints dangled in different places. Different sections of the space were padded with a matlike material. She turned back, reaching for her seat belt as Love Tap studied her reaction closely.

"What exactly do you use this vehicle for Love?"
"I'm a kidnapper." She smiled a bit as Recursive nodded stiffly. "And an entertainer."

The van rolled out of the parking lot and slid into the flow of traffic. Recursive found herself scanning the faces on the street searching reflexively for Bulb. She looked back at Love Tap.

"Are you a heavy-hitter? Proxy described you as a heavy-hitter."
"Yeah. I can take a beating. And give one."
"Is that how you've avoided arrest or whatever? By beating down the heroes?" Love Tap sighed and shook her head.

"No. Kind of the opposite. I act weak. Flirt with the men. Keep them thinking of me as a sex object and not a real threat. And I keep a low profile. It's mostly about discrete lawbreaking with me these days."

The van was stopped at a red light. When the cross traffic cleared, she gestured at the signal and the light changed to green. Some cars in the opposing lane squealed to a stop as the van rolled through the intersection. People on either side shouted obscenities in anger and confusion. Love Tap flipped them off as the vehicle picked up speed. Recursive watched the woman's grip tighten on the wheel, some tinge of repressed rage floating to the surface. Love Tap looked at her, her eyes lit up for a moment with sparks of plasma swirling in the pupils.

"Yeah I'm a heavy hitter. In the old days I could've torn up half of this damn city. And I would'nt have been alone. But now there's too many damn vultures. The nature of the game has changed. And you do you're best to keep up with it, unless you feel like checking out early."

A commision I just wrapped up: http://battlewraith.deviantart.com/a...alia-128497005

The client wanted them to look like they were in the moment before leaping in to action. I pictured a Siren's Call type of environment with wreckage and ruins everywhere.