2015-03-13
Posted on 2015-03-16 by Aaron

101 thoughts on “2015-03-13”

  1. Foradain

    Is that a superpower or a disadvantage?

    1. Nobody

      It can be both. Just ask “Arms-Fall-Off Boy”.

      (Which if my friends on various comic book boards haven’t lied to me, was a real DC character).

      1. The_Rippy_One

        He is real.

        And yes, I’m pretty sure you are right, Smart Mouth is either blessed with suck, or cursed with awesome, depending on the situation.

        1. MattStriker

          Amazing how you can always spot the tropers…

        2. Kirala

          Every thinking fan of a storytelling medium is a troper. The only question is what system of names they use. (Hence, the reason TV Tropes used to have the subheader “You know that thing where…” and not “Allow us to demonstrate the existence of this pattern.” You already know that thing where. You just don’t know what other people call it.)
          … or have I missed a slang trend whereby “troper” is understood to refer solely to TV Tropes even outside that site?
          I think this may be the most pedantic-sounding thing I’ve ever posted. Apologies.

      2. Jonathan S

        Arm-Fall-Off Boy was one of the failed candidates for the original Legion of Super-Heroes, along with a two-headed man called Doubleheader and good ol’ Matter-Eater Lad (whose power was eating literally anything – food, stone, steel, whatever).

        1. CraigR

          Food… stone… steel… the Miracle Machine…

        2. Jasae Bushae

          The legion of substitute heroes is the perfect example of how seemingly useless powers could be turned around to be awesome.
          Like Stone boy, who becomes an inanimate and invulnerable statue (that can be launched as a projectile at enemies.)
          https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5133/5537438427_a71f03c1e3_z.jpg

        3. KillerFish

          I absolutely love the fact Stone Boy’s throwing out a couple of “Go forth and multiplies” (the British equivalent of flipping the bird) in that image. Always makes me chuckle.

        4. Messenger

          As both a fan of the American superhero genre and Japanese anime/manga, I’ve often found that the latter has often bestowed their characters with abilities and powers that would be considered odd and useless by the former. However, said characters of the latter are almost always able to employ such to their most effective and even lethal and logical conclusions. One Piece and Law of Ueki come to mind, for example.

          And Matter Eater Lad is freakin’ dangerous. Watch the second season of the relatively recent Legion of Super-Heroes. The first episode has him taking out the Emerald Empress (one of the Legion’s most feared and powerful enemies) when he finally got close enough to chomp down on her source of power (the Emerald Eye of Ekron). It blew up; he came out shocked but more or less unharmed with his trademark crazy smile on his face.

      3. Christopher

        Or the dead dog welder.

        1. Badtux

          Or live cat wielder. Who actually IS a spoof supervillain over at the League of Super Redundant Heros :). http://superredundant.com/?p=229

      4. Baethan

        If I remember right, he tried out for the Legion of Super Heroes.

      5. Wanderer

        Yep, he’s real. Fist Legion applicant, first Legion reject:

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arm-Fall-Off-Boy

      6. Wanderer

        I swear that was only a typo…

    2. Radecliffe

      It’s the superhero version of monologuing.

    3. 22xander

      Prettty sure that acording to the Hero System 6 ED rules it’s a disadvantage.

  2. The_Rippy_One

    It’s nice to see Fire Bat get some rounding

    1. Knug

      You’ve got to humanize the next victim, if the audience is going to feel any emotional attachment to the inevitable loss.

      In this egg, treating 84 as an adult gets you killed or left behind.

      1. With Respect

        You’ve noticed that too?

        Though I think it’s once you teach the lesson 84 needs to learn, your role is done.

        Which makes me wonder about what really popped Neuro’s nut?

        Clearly, what zapped Phloe did NOT also crack open Neuro’s shell. Whatever did that was powerful, fast, cunning, and not seen by the heroes..

        Did Conjurer conjure it?

        Did it stow away?

        Did Veles send it with them?

        Had it been in the Egg before, endlessly looping but never seen by or seeing Rastov?

        And will it come back with Julie to her world, if it survives to the end with her?

        1. Adahn

          Given that Neuronet is the furthest away from Rastov when the explosion happened it’s unlikely the explosion would knock him out while leaving both Firedrake and the Conjurer unscathed.

          The fist-sized hole in the glass helmet seems to suggest that Julie has decided to send Neuronet out of egg before he woke up. Either that or something’s hunting them: waiting for them to be isolated before striking.

        2. Knug

          I’d suggest that the link between Neuronet/Phlogiston/84 exploded along its length. 84, being invulnerable was merely pained. Phogiston and Neuronet got “gibbed” I believe the explosion’s feedback popped Neuronet; not another force, and certainly not 84.

        3. luagha

          I’d say that whatever incorrect use of powers feedback loop blew up Phlogiston rammed back through Neuronet and also hit 84. For someone who’s the most invulnerable of all the heroes there and who rarely gets hurt, she commented on having a really unnaturally bad headache.

        4. Nightmask

          Neuronet also has Telekinesis, so could be when things fell apart like they did the feedback from it caused his own TK to run rampant and effectively kill him by blowing him up, especially since he used technology to augment his powers and the tech could have surged from the energies of Phlogiston exploding.

        5. Pneumonica

          I would suggest that it cracked when it fell to the ground. He’s a psychic superhero and extremely overconfident, so he probably didn’t invest in it for armor value.

      2. Ed Rhodes

        I remember this from a WWII film. All of the characters were tough as nails soldiers, as soon as one of them opened up and showed himself to be a human being with needs and wants, you KNEW that character was going to die in the next scene.

  3. Xel Unknown

    Superpower: Comic Relief, clearly a power that comes with many pros & cons…

    1. Nate

      And which can be used to go pro at a con, should one choose to make a career of it.

      1. Mad Scientist

        *clap clap clap*

  4. Matthew

    OK, so on the one hand, I hope that hurt! On the other hand, I hope that that didn’t hurt… Maybe, just maybe, the neural link deflected all the pain down it to fishbowl head…

    1. Andorxor

      He probable landed in the ocean,because its looks like his telekinetic-boosterarmor is damaged

    2. MattStriker

      Whether the actual zap hurt is kinda immaterial.

      He almost certainly reappeared in the real world right next to Phlogiston.

      So yes, he’s probably in a great deal of pain :P.

      1. kentda

        Not just from Phlo when she recovers but her Whole Team. I don’t think they’d take kindly to someone on Another Team do something like that. I have a feeling his medical insurance rates are about to skyrocket.

        “Sorry, superhero insurance only covers damage caused by fights against supervillains … ” big sigh, “Not other superheroes. You want help against them? Get an attorney.”

        1. Van

          And good luck finding an attorney willing to risk the wrath of superheroes YOU pissed off.

  5. Jim Auwaerter

    This is a comic book. He isn’t gone until we see a body (or a note). In fact, seeing a leftover helmet makes him more likely to still be around, not less.

    1. Matthew

      There is that note in the helmet. Looks an awful lot like Phlo’s.

      1. Jim Auwaerter

        I had missed seeing it the first time, but I still say it could be a fakeout. Mind/body control and illusions aren’t that far apart.

  6. Toby

    You know, random thought, two of the three were vaporized because of the backlash. What if all three of them were hit by the magical shock…but 84 shook it off because she is a fiss.

  7. vonBoomslang

    Huh. Kind of an anticlimax with Neuronet.

    1. Messenger

      At this point, I’m going to focus on practical considerations: at least he’s out of their hair. He can get what he deserves from them later on- though Phlogiston could already be telling the other heroes about it outside the egg.

      1. With Respect

        Interesting point.

        Phloe’s power appears to be similar to the one Veles used to communicate into the Egg.

        Combining their abilities, it’s plausible NeuroNut and Phloe could locate and speak with Julie, Conjurious and Fireduck.

        With only an hour and a half to go, though, it’s hardly like they have much helpful they could say, unless Moon Knight is outside feeding them good sense.

        Huh. Moon Knight could be the sixth. He’s kind of covert, and certainly has the power to crack a shell, especially once he overhears there’s no real death in the Egg.. Though I doubt we’re so lucky.

        1. Psiberkiwi

          Moon Knight or Moon Shadow? Moon Knight is/was a hero from the DC universe, whereas Moon Shadow is 84’s classmate (and the Revenant’s trainee) in the PS238 universe.

        2. Hemperor

          erm…Moon Knight (Marc Spector) is a Marvel character…

        3. Mechwarrior

          Moon Knight is a Marvel character, not a DC one.

        4. Staredown

          With respect, I believe who With Respect means is The Revenant, who’s costume is more than a little bit reminiscent of Marve’s Moon Knight.

        5. With Respect

          While conceding my gaffe, I imagine in the Eggverse Moon Shadow would be considered a knight.

        6. Messenger

          With Respect:
          Not just in the egg-verse but officially in the continuity- Moon Shadow being classified as a knight already happened, when he and Alec Kent went back in time to find and rescue Vashti Imperial from her banishment to a previous time period (a “heroic age”). See issue # 39 in the archives. He’s referred to as such at least twice, and it’s not just in name that he’s a knight.

        7. Mechwarrior

          Moon Knight/Moon Shadow mix-up aside, I really doubt that MS is in this story. This is clearly about 84 and her learning to be a leader, having Moon Shadow show up and be revealed to having secretly been bailing 84 out of trouble the whole time would be too anticlimactic. It would also beg the question of why he was there in the first place, since he wouldn’t have had a reason to go rushing to confront a giant monster that a bunch of other heroes were already fighting.

      2. David Nuttall

        Telling? I am thinking that a demonstration of her feelings may be in order.

  8. Kaian

    Why do I feel like we both need an explanation of that power and to feel sorry for Firedrake?

  9. ThatGuy

    Some people are cursed to lose their powers to little green rocks. Others are cursed to say lines they would rather not. Even spider-man with all of his amazing skill would not tell his wife that those pants DID make her look fat. One cursed with BIG MOUTH WOULD!

  10. Moe Lane

    Julie seems to be having a good effect on these people.

  11. Andrew Hopkins

    Did 84 punch NEURONET in the head out of scene for killing her friend, is there a 84 sized hole in his fishbowl helmet. Its not murder if the victim is not dead.

    1. Debra Hanson

      Julie wouldn’t have “killed” Neuronet because she didn’t know that “death” inside the egg wasn’t permanent until after she confronted Rastov about the note. Julie’s far to much of a “good guy” to strike a killing blow even if it isn’t permanent. Whatever happened to Neuronet probably happened during the explosion because Fire Drake and Conjurer would likely have noticed the sound of the helmet shattering if it wasn’t covered up by a loud ka-thoom.

  12. Wanderer

    Ouch, looks like Rastov stays stuck. >.< Hopefully something can be done at some point…

    1. Robin Bobcat

      Well… at least in a couple hours he’ll forget about it again, and have no idea it happened.

      Is it really hell, if you have no idea it is?

      1. IronDino

        Perspective. If I were stuck there, just give me a joke book and call it a day.

  13. Docknock

    Julie gives the explanation:” He was controlling…Phlogiston. Whatever happened to her happened to him.” Fortunately for Julie, when she was knocked out, Neuronet disconnected with her “she served her purpose” otherwise she would be outside the egg too.

    1. Rock

      Maybe the amount of damage dealt to the three of them would, in the real world, have been enough to kill both Phlogiston and Neuronet, but not 84. Remember, she is F.I.S.S., which means she can soak up a heck of a lot of damage.

      1. Robin Bobcat

        True, but remember, 84 even said ‘Ow! For reals, ow!’, as in, that actually HURT. Whatever Rastov dinged her with was pretty solid.

        1. Rock

          Most certainly. So it would most definitely be beyond ‘Ow’ for a stalwart like Phlogiston and a lame puppetmaster like Neuronet. Enough to shuffle them off the mortal coil outside the egg, perhaps?

  14. Frith Ra

    Does that mean that I have a superpower??

    Whoot!!!

  15. Rock

    Well, now. Looks like Firedrake can learn something new. ^^ Good for him.

    Shame about Neuronet. =_= I was hoping to see him get pounded on.

    1. Docknock

      We don’t know what is happening outside the egg so there is still hope.

      1. Nightmask

        Everything was said to seem like a dream to those who were ejected from the Egg rather than made it to the center and passed all the tests, so neither Phlogiston nor Neuronet would remember much of what happened since to them it was just a dream.

        1. Jerden

          You can have quite a good idea of what happened in a dream, so I’m hoping that Phlogiston and 84 can be friends at the end of this. 84 probably needs some advice on leading a superhero team.

    2. kentda

      Annoyed Phlo because Neuronet cost her the ability to help PLUS her annoyed team mates (especially when they find out what Neuronimwit did to her).

      I’d say “Bring On The Pain” is most fitting there.

  16. Robin Bobcat

    One thing I do have to wonder… what would have happened if they had stayed in the loop? Their memories reset, but suddenly they are down two people…

    1. Wanderer

      Oh, that’s easy.

      “I wonder where Neuronet and Phlogiston went?”

      . . .

      “I wonder where Neuronet and Phlogiston went?”

      . . .

      “I wonder where Neuronet and Phlogiston went?”

      . . .

  17. Hfar

    Whelp, another hero is showing a shred of decency and courtesy towards 84. He’s doomed.

  18. Nightmask

    You know, while we see five go in but the mage mentioned six, assuming that’s not a mistake by the author and he somehow was correct perhaps Neuronet was actually possessed by something (a la Shadow King) that either eliminated him during that fiasco of his, prompted it (a la Parallax retcon for Hal Jordan), and is still invisibly hanging around.

    1. Jonathan S

      Or perhaps our mysterious #6 is why Neuro’s helmet is broken…

    2. Prairie Son

      The sixth is Rastov himself. He can sense that he’s trapped in the spell, but not do anything about it.

  19. Mutant for Hire

    I don’t think Neuronet is gone. If he got popped out, then why did part of his helmet remain?

    1. Nobody

      because it got blown off his head in the BOOM maybe?

      1. Mutant for Hire

        Where’s the note explaining he left the story?

        1. Nate

          It’s in the fishbowl.

        2. Nightmask

          Yes, I just barely noticed that when reexamining the page. The open scroll lays there so much like it’s part of the helmet you can skip right by it. So he definitely got little death’d by the feedback. Hopefully enough dream memory will remain though for him to learn from it and not to be so reckless in the future.

      2. Mike

        Now the question is – on the outside, is his helmet whole or is it missing a chunk?

  20. =Tamar

    Rastov hasn’t been freed… does that mean Koschei is dead, or is Koschei just refusing to accept the concession and insisting that Rastov defeat three challengers while he still remembers. Can Rastov go through the door with them, join the party, and win freedom that way?

    1. Nobody

      Whether he can or he can’t, he clearly DIDN’T, so it’s academic at this point.

  21. KillerFish

    Hmm, like a mild form of Super Tourettes? Or perhaps a critically undeveloped brain to mouth filter?

    1. =Tamar

      Or is it literal? Maybe besides the fiery stuff, he can really open wide and chew the scenery?

      1. KillerFish

        I’m pretty sure there are major Hollywood actors with *that* particular power 😛

  22. Lackey

    The inside of that helmet has a suspicious lack of blood and brain tissue splashed around.

    1. Nightmask

      I hadn’t noticed Aaron ever displaying any such gruesome stuff that one would think he’d start now, the closest I remember is when you see the bag of Julie’s blood prior to it being used to cure Tyler.

      1. Lackey

        Well, yes, but it does make me suspicious about Neuronet’s “death” a bit. No note, no body, and the “miscount” on the number of heroes, all very strange. Was he a two-in-one entity that’s gone psychically invisible while pretending to be “dead” maybe?

        1. Nightmask

          With the note that’s been pointed out in Neuronet’s helmet it’s pretty obvious he’s ‘dead’ the same way that Phlogiston’s ‘dead’, so that’s cleared up. All that’s left is whether or not that ‘six’ was a mistake on the author’s part or meant to tease the readers with the idea that things aren’t quite as they seem and there’s one member of the party that’s there but no one can see (which may even include Veles, as a god he can easily enough send a portion of himself with the group and monitor things invisibly, but not necessarily be able to hide himself from the detection abilities of the sentries).

        2. Nico

          I feel like the 6th was Rastov himself. The Memory reset part of the spell targeted him, too, so why would the target detection system be any different?

        3. Nightmask

          If the target detection spell included him though Rastov would end up going ‘wait I only see five people so why does the spell say six? I can’t be one of the targets.’ While he got tricked into things (and it’s possible this isn’t the first time someone’s pointed out he’s also subject to the memory reset spell and he’s just forgotten it) he’s still a reasonably intelligent person (most mages are) and ought to be able to handle basic counting up to at least 10.

  23. TxGator

    Rule #1 when it comes to story villains deaths, if the heroes can’t find the body, then the villain is still alive. I wonder if a correlation of this applies here. If 84 didn’t see NeuroNet being zapped, then maybe he is still somewhere nearby hiding?

    1. Leonidae

      Not very likely, there’s a “Ha ha, ur ded” note hanging off of his helmet.
      And I don’t think he can forge that well…

      1. TxGator

        True. I forgot about that.

  24. Lackey

    Whoop, take it back, there is a note. Still, that miscount irks.

  25. Gene N

    is Mr Veles the 6th one ?

    1. Wanderer

      I have a feeling it’s the kid from Praetorian…

  26. Nico

    You know, I’m pretty sure the “Sixth” was Rastov himself. Notice how the time/memory enchantment applied to *everyone* near the pathway? Why would the target detection system be any different?

    Being a valid target, HIM being defeated would get him off the hook for his Geas. …Maybe… Hopefully?

    I’m liking this Koschei person less and less. :/

    1. Wanderer

      Considering Koschei usually started things off by kidnapping the ero’s wife, he wasn’t likable to start with.

    2. Nightmask

      Given what little we’ve heard regarding the poor guy the nature of the trap ensures he’ll never get free no matter how many he defeats as the reset loop includes him wiping any memory on his part of his activities (hence why when he initially greets them he seems ecstatic that he’s just started and already has more than enough people to defeat and free himself, thinking he’d barely started instead of being there for centuries).

      1. TxGator

        If he could defeat three heroes in one encounter, then he might be able to exit the egg without remembering anything about previous encounters. But that would probably require quite a bit of luck.

  27. Nathanael

    Bug #1. The babysitter line was said by The Conjurer, not by Firedrake. Why do both 84 *and* Firedrake misremember?

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