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Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage (Poll)

Hello everyone! So, this week's poll is more about gauging how people feel about an idea than it is an actual choice. This is not where the decision is being made, and I might do more polls to gauge how people feel about options related to the concept as well. So please, vote and leave a comment about what you think of the idea since a single point can only tell me so much!

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As for the concept/idea... How do you guys feel about Taylor having an alt-power? It's one of my ...

Friday's (Today's) post is canceled due to COVID.

Hello everyone! So yes, as the title says, I am forced to cancel today's post due to Covid. I attempted to push through and make it happen, covering the gaps with my backlog, but it just wasn't enough. While I definitely got a milder strain, writing with brain fog and fatigue has been a nightmare. Everything takes twice as long, minimum, meaning delays that cut into free time and backlog. I've been struggling for a few days now, and rather than continue that struggle into the weekend, I've de...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Forty Four

In the end, we decided that just sitting out by the sidewalk was not the best place for Taylor to tell her whole story. She was obviously struggling enough as it was, so going somewhere that she felt less exposed would make it a lot easier for her. Unfortunately, I couldn't exactly just show up at their house. Thankfully, rather than attract more attention to the situation, Reynolds suggested the police station. We could take separate routes to avoid further attention, and it would give Taylo...

The Brink and Back - Chapter Thirty Six

Waking up to the sound of my radio calling out to me and Duke barking loudly was not what I would call a good way to start the day. Up until that point, I had been sleeping pretty well, a combination of completing a hard day's work and the knowledge that we had helped someone in need. Of course, we had killed a lot of people to do it, so my immediate assumption, as gunfire erupted not too far away, was that the Tyger Claws had come for us.

"Jackson! Come in, Jackson!" Murtaugh'...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Forty Three

It didn't take long for the police to confirm my call, and only five minutes longer for them to arrive. A single police vehicle, one of their big SUVs, rolled up, stopping along the curb on the opposite side of me as the young men who had chased Taylor. Two officers stepped out, approaching slowly but confidently. I met them halfway, reaching out and shaking their hands as I did.

"Officers, thank you for coming," I said, greeting them with a polite nod. "I was patrolling the neighborhoo...

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 168

Once we returned to the Chariot, we gathered everyone around in the cargo bay. There, we could brief both my crew and Corvak's people at the same time. Once everyone was settled, we spent an hour or so going over the plan, discussing what sort of support we would have, as well as what we could expect from ground and air forces. Unfortunately, there wasn't much information on that last bit.

While I wasn't particularly happy about the lack of information on just what sort of stat...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage (Poll)

Hello everyone! So it's just about time for you guys to choose the extra bonus unlock for this next cycle! As always, the first and second vote options from the previous poll are available again, as well as two new subjects!

If you have any ideas for future magic ideas, please leave them in these comments. As a reminder, this bonus unlock is a way to mix up what William has access to.

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Current Charges:

Geomancy: [x][x]
Healing Spells: [x][x] 2024-09-21 15:59:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 167

For a moment, I rolled the plan around in my head, nodding in appreciation for the basic outline.

"I like it," I said, nodding along after Draven, the stern man shifting to look at me. "But there are a few holes. "What happens if the defense fleet gives up the chase before we are ready for them?" 

"We chase after them, harassing them as we can, delaying them as best we can, giving the ground teams time to run," He explained. "This is a high-value target. There is no way to ma...

Brockton Bays Marvelous Mage - Chapter Forty Two

After double-checking to make sure my hands were in the proper position, I slowly fed my magic into the ritual. I could feel the mana being drained away, feeding into the red chalk lines, the ritual slowly taking shape. In total, it took about fifteen minutes to fill up completely, the lines pulsing as the ritual activated. As it spun up, the now aligned magic beginning to move, I leaned back, watching it swirl and pull at each individual piece of sacrificial material. As all of this was happ...

The Brink and Back - Chapter Thirty Five

We took turns keeping watch, which was little more than peeking over the side of the building to make sure that the Tyger Claws were not suddenly freaking out over anything. Eventually, after another two hours, the sky was as dark as it was going to get, which meant it was time for us to move. 

Riggs, Jackie, and I all lined up, our gliders in hand, standing at the far back of our temporary waiting space on the roof. Kaytlyn got herself situated, raising her sniper rifle up over th...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Forty One

Olivia wasn't exactly happy to learn that I didn't know the precise capabilities of her cloak, but eventually, she accepted that I wasn't just openly experimenting on her. My current "tinkering" process was just not very specific and left a lot to be explored.

We continued to play around with her cloak for a while, before she finally found what she was sure was the cloak's last ability. Apparently, she could sort of "feel" it before she fully realized what it was, and she couldn't feel ...

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage -Chapter 166

Despite an initial burst of excitement for finally having a proper target for a metal heist, Sheora insisted that this target was not time-sensitive. I couldn't help but chuckle and roll my eyes at that admittance, since not too long ago, her boss had tried to convince me that I needed to stay close by, just in case we needed to move fast. 

Sheora didn't have too much information on our target, beyond the initial reveal that it was going to be some sort of Imperial industrial heist...

The Brink and Back (Poll)

Jackson had expressed interest in having his own vehicle. With five full days remaining before his new tech tree, should he

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 165

Between our delivery being offloaded, our meetings about the structure of the city, and our conversations with Amescoll about the future of the planet, our trip to Nirn was almost complete. By the afternoon of the second day, all we were really waiting for was for the Mandalorians to return from their hunting trip. They had thankfully stayed in contact, letting us know that they were unharmed and even enjoying themselves. 

It was late afternoon, early evening when they finally retu...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Forty

My first stop of the day was to check in with the hospital. A day had passed since I had been there to heal Amy, so there were plenty of people waiting for me to help. I ended up healing nearly thirty people over the span of two hours, with injuries and illnesses ranging from a child with severely broken bones to a single case of HIV. When I claimed I was done, one of the doctors tried to guilt trip me into also healing people who settled firmly into the "not urgent or necessary" list. He ins...

The Brink and Back - Chapter Thirty Four

I woke up a little later than normal the next day, quickly heading outside to find that the garage was a bustle of activity. Sometime during the night, the addition had finally been completed, and Noah, Samwise, and the MRVN units had started moving in the molly makers and hooking them up. I made my way inside to find that there were already a dozen small makers along the wall closest to my workspace, and they were all already working to create more parts for more machines. Further into the a...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Thirty Nine

For a moment, I knelt there in the dark, my heart rate slowly lowering as I looked around the compound and the clearing. All around me, I could see and feel the weight of heavy, potent magic. As I watched, it slowly dispersed into the rocks, trees, and dirt. It felt like watching water get greedily sucked up and absorbed after being poured on parched, dry dirt or sand.

I let out a long, steady breath, satisfied that the magic had settled. As the moment passed, I delved into myself to ch...

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 164

Ahsoka and I spent the rest of the night together under the stars, watching the river. We talked a bit about the future, about her desire to rebuild, to create something from the ashes of the Jedi Order, and my desire to continue growing the Skyforged. There was an obvious synergy between our two goals, and while only time would tell if that would continue, I was happy to share the journey with her.

Eventually, we retired to the captain's cabin to sleep. Nothing further happened beyond ...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage (Poll)

Alright! So, last time you guys voted that Olivia should receive a cloak. I've already selected one of its abilities, and now you guys get to pick the other!

Edit: These abilities have their own drawback and weaknesses that will be revealed, but all of them are still effective in most scenarios, save shadow travel, which is nearly useless in all brightly lit rooms or when the sun is too high.

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 163

We spent a day and a half recovering from our mission, which most of the team spent sleeping or unwinding. Ahsoka and I spent a good amount of time going through what we had recovered, cleaning and inspecting lightsabers, Jedi texts, and holocrons. With the Mandalorian's help, we recovered an incredible amount from Grakkus, including all of the Holocrons that he had collected, as well as all of the lightsabers and a few personal effects. Some of the lightsabers were identified as belonging to...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Thirty Eight

I spent about an hour growing my new living space, starting from a single ritualized acorn and ending up with a massive towering oak with a thick, overgrown base. I considered trying to camouflage the base a bit better, but it was a lost cause. Between the ritual platform, which was only a dozen or so feet away, and the plans to grow more buildings later, there was really no disguising the compound from the ground. I would just have to rely on my redirecting magic for people coming from the g...

The Brink and Back - Chapter Thirty Three

I spent the rest of the day designing, building, and then throwing away a few dozen different bits of tech. None of it was really worth mentioning specifically, but together, they did end up expanding my knowledge base. I didn't quite regret not realizing the usefulness of just expanding my knowledge earlier, but I was glad I realized it when I did.

I now felt more confident in working different bits of technology together, and I was starting to feel good about where I was for the next ...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Thirty Seven

As I stood with the other heroes, Sarah Pelham paused whatever she was saying for a moment to nod and greet me. 

"Hello, Arcanum, are you finished?" She asked, seemingly fighting the urge to check on Amy herself. "Is Amy okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am, Amy is in near-perfect health. She is lucky that her smoking didn't cause more damage," I admitted with a frown, unhappy with how close it had been. "I was able to heal and clean them up pretty well. I also made my other offer, but…"

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 162

After clearing up some of my... left-out information, the Mandalorians seemed to pull together, almost huddling up in the cargo hold. After their ordeal with Grakkus, I wasn't surprised that they needed some time to gather up and talk. Sensing that they wanted some space, I excused myself and my team, heading back to the second deck. Even as I left, I could see that a few of them had heard my little rant, and while I hadn't intended it, I found myself getting a few more considering looks.

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage (Poll)

William has vaguely considered making something for Olivia to help her. What should he make her?

(As a reminder, Olivia (Sarah/Mary) has the ability to blend into shadows and has perfect night vision. When she is in darkness or shadows, all of her "stats" go up. She is smarter, stronger, faster, learns better, and sees farther, the whole shebang.)

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 161

After we shared our toast and finished our drinks, Corvak and I returned down to the first deck. By then, his people had spread out a little, with my crew setting up some of the cots and sleeping pads we had. There wasn't enough for everyone, but Corvak assured me they would make do.

Once everything was set up and people had started to unclench after the rapid retreat from Grakkus's palace, I found myself once again sitting down with Corvak, this time on a few crates in the hold. We wer...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Thirty Six

The Doctor, who I later learned was Dr. Gomez, quickly left after I laid out what was going on and what my scans had picked up. I could tell that he was unnerved and unhappy with what I was accusing, but he was too much of a professional not to do his due diligence. According to him, the first step of the process was reaching out to the Department of Children and Families and making a report. From there, several nurses were in and out of Amy's room, taking various blood samples and the like.&...

The Brink and Back - Chapter Thirty Two

When Sable was finally gone, I dropped back heavily into my chair, sagging it as I closed my eyes and rubbed my face. I should have expected this to happen. I knew that corpos played with different numbers than almost everyone.

"Jackson… how much did you make?" Jackie asked, watching as I picked up my keyfob passing it to him so he could see for himself.

When he cursed and nearly fell out of his chair, I had to lean over and keep him steady. It was a shocking number, to be hones...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Thirty Five

I galloped through the streets of Brockton Bay faster than I had ever pushed my golem mount before. Between my legs, I could feel the heat radiating off the golem core, the bright blue glow almost blinding as I dumped all the mana I could into it. Despite being well built and capable of absorbing a lot of my mana to burn as extra energy, the golem core still had limits. If I pushed too much energy into it for too long, I would burn out the ritual effects on it, reducing it to a fancy-looking ...

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 160

Unsurprisingly, Corvak had a lot of questions to ask about how my Transmute spell worked. He turned the beskar ingot over in his hands again and again while we talked, as if it would eventually return to electrum if he stared hard enough. I understood his trepidation in accepting the new status quo that I was introducing. This was a significant shift, a change in how the world worked that was hard to digest.

I answered his questions as best I could, trying to satisfy his curiosity and k...