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These are very good. They tell a story that is both entertaining to CO* players aswell as enlightening to others. As someone who commonly plays a stalker, I'm thinking of making an attempt at a stalker spin off written in this style. That is, ofcourse, if you wouldn't mind Jock.
~ KD, who plays the hated arch-type.
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Hmmm, on one hand you are a Stalker and therefore indescribably evil and responsible for my inability to ever stand still in PvP.
On the other hand, you did flatter me 
What the heck, I'll go with the Ego. Go for it!
- Jock Tamson, Who can't really claim to have a copyright on the style.
Tonight Darkity has her revenge, in a style that could only make her mother proud.
- Jock Tamson, Who reminds you that two is the safe limit for some things.
The Children of Statesman will often gather at the Great Hall in Atlas Park to trade stories, to see, and to be seen. This has long been the case. So it was to an audience that Darkity stode the next day into the plaza. Her head was held high and proud, and her sheep walked behind her, trotting to keep up. The gathering fell silent as heads turned one by one to see this novel sight. Illusion, standing by her siblings, whispered to them and laughter broke out from that corner. Scrapper's son Essar was first to speak,
"Cousin?"
"Yes cousin Essar?"
"Uhmmmm, Why do you have a sheep?"
Darkity laughed and replied, "Why this is my noble and powerful ally in battle, woven for me from darkness and light by our cousin Illusion. I am almost afraid to be seen with it, but swore to always keep it with me."
"Afraid cousin?" asked Essar, puzzled even futher.
"Yes afraid!", Darkity said earnestly, "For such an ally has made me so strong that I fear I will draw Statesman's eye. Why already today I have felled a great foe unaided!" Then glancing nervously around, "...but I should not speak of it..."
"Bah!" said Essar, to the sheep's agreement, "Children of Defender cannot do such things alone! I shall need to see it or it never did happen!"
"Very well then.", Darkity replied calmly, "I shall prove it, but I think some form of wager is called for. I shall offer a Boon if anyone shall do the same." "A Boon?!", laughed Essar, "Just that, anything we care to name you shall do? I should not make such a wager for any cause!" Darkity seemed so sure of herself that the Children of Statesman there gathered grew doubtful. Perhaps this little sheep was indeed a force in battle? Illusion, of course, suffered from no such illusions. She stood forth from her siblings and spoke surely saying, "We shall match your wager cousin." Darkity smiled.
The smile had its intended effect, for as the company followed Darkity forth from Atlas Park, Illusion's siblings spoke nervously to her. "What have you done sister! Clearly she is up to something. Tricks and traps are your gift. Do something!" "Shhh!", Illusion hushed them, "she must have planned some trick using the sheep. I shall use a trick I know so that she cannot aid it as an ally." So saying, Illusion reached out her gifts and did just that. Darkity pretended not to notice.
The company reached a distant place, and standing by a burned and battered box Darkity called out. "Dreck! I challange you! Come forth!" So summoned Dreck, Great Father of the Freaks, approached the company and spoke saying, "Wh47 i5 thi5?" "A challange!", answered Darkity, "Join me in that building nearby, so my family cannot aid me, and I shall fell you in combat!" "U pwn me!", laughed Dreck, then walked to the building and gestured to show he was ready. Darkity strode confidently forward. As she walked, Darkity used a trick she knew and sometimes used on her foes. She shrouded the sheep in darkness such that it was unable to do any harm, but also removed from all harm. The former was, in this case, a technicality.
Darkity strode into the building and, walking to the far wall, placed the sheep before Dreck. They looked at each other, both slightly bewildered. Darkity spoke with authority saying, "This is my great and powerful ally in battle. You cannot defeat it. Surrender now." Dreck laughed mightly and drawing all his strength to him, smote the sheep. The wall crumbled around them and the earth shook, but the sheep was unharmed. Stepping to her right and guiding the sheep with her, Darkity spoke again, "I had heard you were a mighty foe. Is that your best effort?" Again Dreck called upon his strength and struck down upon the sheep. The earth shook, the wall crumbled about them, and Darkity herself was thrown back and forced to call upon her gifts to remain standing.
The sheep was unharmed.
Stepping into the doorway, Darkity spoke again, "I had thought there were no female Freaks, but it appears I was mistaken. Here, try again!" So saying, she set the sheep again before Dreck. Again Dreck called upon all his strength and smote down upon the sheep. "That's three", said Darkity as she grabbed the sheep and stepped back out of the building. As the third wall crumbled, so did the entire building, and its vast weight crushed Dreck to the ground. The company burst into applause. All except the Children of Controller.
For her Boon Darkity had returned to her all those aspects of her mother's gift to Controller that resembled her own gifts. To this day, the Dark Children of Defender alone share no gifts with the Children of Controller.
The sheep, as you know, was one day lost in the furthest and deepest cave where Kora fruit grow. An Unbreakable Oath cannot be broken, and so the sheep even then returned to Darkity's keeping. It was, in some strange way, changed by the experience and a true aid in danger from that day on. The sheep has never been able to satisfactorily explain how this came to pass.
- Jock Tamson, Mythologist
I like. ^^
here's my two cents.
This is the story of Stalker, the loneliest child of the Spider. A Black heart, does not always mean a heart of stone.
The children of the Spider, as a whole, were looked upon with disgust by the world around them. Only the Spider himself smiled upon his children, but the grin of the Spider was not as warm and welcoming as the grin of the Statesman. The grin of the Spider was wicked, filled with ill intent, for the Spider did not love his children as Statesman did. The spider simply used them as tools to strike at the children of Statesman, that he may take their beautiful city for his own. But of all the children of the Spider, it was Stalker who stood alone.
Stalker was a skilled warrior, but unlike any other. Stalker's life was lived in shadow, obfuscated from the outside world. Should he venture into the light during battle, he would surely perish. One particular son of Stalker, did not like being alone. He wished to join his siblings in battle against the children of Statesman. He wished to be welcome in their cold, bloody embrace. But such was not the way of things.
Stalker first came to his brother Brute and said to him. " Brother, you and I are alike. We fight toe to toe with our enemies, staring them in the eyes as we take their lives from them. Won't you join me in battle? " Brute simply laughed at his smaller brother, his booming voice drowning out any whispers Stalker might have been able to muster. " We are not the same brother, and I will not fight with you. You remain obscured in shadow, striking your enemy then retreating for cover until the shadows envelope you again. You are weak in comparison to me. I stand and fight where you would run away. Be gone from me brother, I will not fight with you. "
Stalker hung his head low and melded once again with the shadows. Next he came upon his sisters Dom and Corr who were facing a group of slithering snakes. Stalker left the sanctuary of his shadows and spoke to them. " Sisters! Might I join you in battle? Where you strike from a distance, I strike at knife's edge! Surely our varied methods would strengthen each other. " Stalker's sisters only laughed as they continued to pummel their reptilian foes from a distance. Dom spoke first. " Little brother, what can you do that I or my sister cannot do? You damage your foes in burst, but so can I. I can also bind my enemies that they may not harm us. There is no need for one such as you. " Next Corr spoke her words. " Little brother surely you must know that our brother Brute is a more fierce warrior than you? What can you do that he cannot do? He is tougher than you, and so long as he stands I need not worry about my own life. But you little brother, are not as strong as he, and I would surely have to watch over you as well as my sister and I. " In unison the sisters spoke. " Begone brother Stalker! We will not fight with you! "
Stalker again hung his head low and returned to his shadows. Traveling further, Stalker came upon his brother, Mastermind. Of all his siblings, stalker envied Mastermind most. Mastermind did not need his brothers or sisters in battle, he could stand alone against many foes, for his pets would protect him. Mastermind was dancing with his summons, and Stalker left the shadows and spoke with him. " Brother Mastermind, do you too hate me as my other siblings do? " Mastermind turned to his brother suprised, and stopped dancing. He dismissed his pets and began to speak. " Come sit with me brother, that we might discuss this. " Stalker and Mastermind sat together, and Mastermind began to talk. " Tell me brother, why is it you wish to fight? " Stalker thought for a moment, and spoke to his brother. " Well, for pride I suppose. And for fun. " mastermind smiled. Though his brother was forever forced to live in darkness, still he had joy. Mastermind spoke. " Yes. It is in our nature to fight. We as the children of the Spider were created that we could pose a challenge to the children of Statesman. We fight for pride, and we fight for our own enjoyment, such is the way we are. But tell me brother, who of us would win in a fight against each other? " Stalker thought for a moment. He had never considered fighting his siblings before. " Well I suppose it would be brother Brute. He is the strongest of us. " Mastermind laughed and shook his head. " Yes Brute is strong, but Brute's strength is only seen when he is consumed in battle. He must fight for a long time to become truly powerful. " Stalker thought again who would win of all his siblings, if not Brute. " Then perhaps it would be you brother, for you have many pets to guard you. " Mastermind smiled and shook his head again. " No brother, my pets take time to create and I am nothing without them. If caught in the heat of battle with no time to prepare, I would surely be defeated. " Stalker thought once more. if not Brute and if not Mastermind, then who? " Perhaps it would be sister Dom or sister Corr. Dom holds her enemies in place that they cannot attack her, and she whithers them down slowly. And sister Corr attacks from range, and can weaken her foes and strengthen herself. Surely they would win. " Mastermind shook his head again and spoke warmly to his brother. " Little brother, you truly are a fool. How can they attack what they cannot see? " Stalker was suprised by his brother's words. He had never thought of it like that. Mastermind spoke again. " Brother, of all of us, you are the deadliest. You strike without warning, and can cause more harm with but one blow than any of us can in an equal amount of time. As soon as battle begins you are ready, hidden within your shadow. If any of us were to fight with you, surely we would meet defeat. For how can we harm what we cannot see? " Mastermind smiled, and Stalker with him. " Do not harbor hate for your shadows brother, embrace them, for they are as much a part of you as my pets are of me. " Stalker smiled, and shook the hand of his brother Mastermind. " Thank you. " said Stalker, as he merged once again with his shadows.
This time, Stalker's head was held high. It did not matter if his siblings would not join him in battle, for he did not need them. Stalker could truly stand alone. He was obscured in darkness, and there he thrived. He fell opponents with a single blow. A feat unmatched by any other. The strength of his distant cousins Blaster and Scrapper was combined within him, and from the shadows it shined brighter than the brightest of stars.
Tonight's story is an ode to the joy of Hamster Balls...
- Jock Tamson, Who believes this one may have been in answer to a request for a bubbler story.
Kin and Darkity's Chase shattered the Land of the Kora Fruit into many shards of land and rock that floated in the Void Beyond. Strange creatures came from the Void and took up residence there, and jealously garded the fruit. So strong were these creatures, that while they all tried their best tricks, none of the Children of Defender were able to best them and return home with the Kora. Defender and her family went without their meals of chopped Kora Fruit for a great while, and lamented it greatly. So one day it came to pass that Sonic and Bubbles resolved to set competition aside and try together to win some Kora Fruit.
As they entered a cave together, each encircled by the protecting gifts of the other, they were beset upon by a large brutish monster that guarded its entrance. The creature rushed upon Sonic and would have surely struck him down had not his sister come to his aid. Bubbles called upon her gifts to push the fiend back against the cave wall, where it could not harm them. This began to sap her strength, and it would have failed her ere long had her brother not been with her. Sonic sang a Resonant Note that weakened the monsters defenses and togther the sibilings struck it down before Bubbles lost the strength to hold it at bay.
Travelling deeper in the came upon a wraith like spirit that sang a song designed empty the mind of those that listened. Bubbles might had succummbed to this siren song, but her brother sang a song of clarity of mind and drowned it out. Bubbles then trapped it in globe where it could do no harm, and the siblings travelled on together.
At last they came to a chamber where the Kora Fruit grew, watched by a great and baleful Eye. It turned its gaze upon the siblings, and that gaze was like a fire that burns, but it burned not these brave Children of Defender. Bubbles summoned her strength and threw out a great protective dome that protected them from harm and threw back their foe. Sonic tapped his strength and sang with such force that they very ground about quivered and the Eye was stunned by its force. They then both turned upon it with full fury until blinded at last, it sank into the earth.
As they proudly set their basket of fruit before Defender she offered praise saying, "Well done! Which child of mine has done this, for they shall choose the best fruit for themselves!" Sonic and Bubbles both spoke at once, Sonic telling how his great song had stunned the baleful Eye. Bubbles how they passed the wraith like spirit after she captured it in a globe. Soon, each hearing the other, they turned about. Bubbles reminded Sonic how he might have been burned to ashes by the Eye had she not protected him. Sonic reminded Bubbles how she would still be listening to the Spirit Song had he not sung all the louder.
Defender noticed the argument beginning and how her Children grew angry with one another and spoke firmly but kindly saying, "Have we not gone without fruit for many days because my Children must fight? Yet here we have fruit again before us because you worked together. Neither of you could have done this alone. Be proud my Children not only in your own deeds, but what others can achieve with your aid! Remember this and you will have much to be proud of."
Remeber this lesson Children of Sonic, Children of Bubbles. As did your distant Great Mother and Great Father, you have much to be proud of.
- Jock Tamson, Mythologist
I have to say I'm enjoying these stories, Jock. Yours, too, Kid_Disaster!
I particularly like the optimism and acceptance shown in them. As morality tales, they work quite nicely! Too often we get caught up in the gloom and doom of things. These stories get beyond that and show how cool it is to be a "child of Defender."
Indeed.
Edit: First post after Castle.
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I have to say I'm enjoying these stories, Jock. Yours, too, Kid_Disaster!
I particularly like the optimism and acceptance shown in them. As morality tales, they work quite nicely! Too often we get caught up in the gloom and doom of things. These stories get beyond that and show how cool it is to be a "child of Defender."
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Bah! More reckless optimism! There is a clear pecking order, and lest ye forget, if you don't play your defender correctly, you will be cast down into the lake of -rec. Defender's compassion is such that you might compare your position to a slug held in the palm of Defender's hand over a salt-fire, where salts are somehow combusting, and loathsome as you are, Defender *still* chooses not to turn their hand over and allow you to die and explode and melt and burn, forever and ever.
Let's bring the /fire and brimstone/ back into defending!
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I have to say I'm enjoying these stories, Jock. Yours, too, Kid_Disaster!
I particularly like the optimism and acceptance shown in them. As morality tales, they work quite nicely! Too often we get caught up in the gloom and doom of things. These stories get beyond that and show how cool it is to be a "child of Defender."
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Glad to see a bit more big name attention to our modest roots.
No
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
I think you underestimate our fools, sir.
Why /duel is a bad idea
I'm about to type something that I never thought I'd type with absolute seriousness about a thread on a message board:
This is beautiful. 
"Bombarding the CoH/V fora with verbosity since January, 2006"
Djinniman, level 50 inv/fire tanker, on Victory
-and 40 others on various servers
A CoH Comic: Kid Eros in "One Light"
I love this, Defender is the new Anansi. I wonder who Tiger would be. Or perhaps we should call Jock the new Aesop. :P Keep them coming!
Typewritten shorelines, cryptic memories
Sail away with tangled miseries.
Falling out and fallen through
It just somehow leads back to you.
"Do I look like the kind of guy who plans things?"
-Joker RIP
Can't you see what's happening?! He's LOOKING AT DEFENDERS AGAIN.
We did something somewhere we weren't supposed to do!
RUN YOU FOOLS!
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Can't you see what's happening?! He's LOOKING AT DEFENDERS AGAIN.
We did something somewhere we weren't supposed to do!
RUN YOU FOOLS!
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Run?
A defender doesn't run, we can take him...
GET HIM!!!
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I have to say I'm enjoying these stories, Jock. Yours, too, Kid_Disaster!
I particularly like the optimism and acceptance shown in them. As morality tales, they work quite nicely! Too often we get caught up in the gloom and doom of things. These stories get beyond that and show how cool it is to be a "child of Defender."
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TheMightyScourge: Yatta yatta kvetch yatta -rec. Defender's compassion is such that you might compare your position to a slug held in the palm of Defender's hand over a salt-fire, where salts are somehow combusting, and loathsome as you are, Defender *still* chooses not to turn their hand over and allow you to die and explode and melt and burn, forever and ever.
Let's bring the /fire and brimstone/ back into defending!
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Salt? Fire? These are the tools of the Controller, you impostor!
Even now you attempt to trap us in a cage of paralyzing frustration.
This is fantastic work. Very Aboriginal-sounding, too.
I . . . I think I love you. But that's okay. As a Child of Defender, I can find no shame in love.
great stuff.
reminds me of old stories my grannie used to tell me about wolf and crow.
<QR>
Thanks to the Dev Digest, I stumbled across this thread by accident. I gotta say, this is awesome work Jock.
And that Stalker piece was pure gold, Kid. At least from my viewpoint, as my favorite villain AT is pictured as the wise one.
If I had an inkling of your talent for this stuff, I would contribute with stories of Scrapper and Mastermind, as these are by far my favorite archetypes.
I am really looking forward to more tales.
Main Hero: Flame Blade (Scrapper lvl 50; Katana/Regeneration)
Main Villain: Elenor Seahawk (Mastermind lvl 44; Necromancy/Poison)
My Arcs: #337278: Learning Curve
Fight my Brute: SMASH
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Indeed.
Edit: First post after Castle.
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shoot, first time i ever wrote first after red name, it turned into 5 pages of hate posts back and forth between several people before it got locked and people were banned. Lucky you 
Great story Jack, I like all the stories you write, you've got a great gift. I couldn't help but laugh when I read
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"Why Scrapper! I stand back here and heal you, for if I did not you would surely die!"
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Not because of what you wrote, but because in the back of my head I could imagine the defender saying "I'm a sidekick what do you expect!"
Who do I have to *&^% around here to get more Targeted AoE recipes added?
Arc Name: Tsoo In Love
Arc ID: 413575
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Great story Jack, I like all the stories you write, you've got a great gift. I couldn't help but laugh when I read
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"Why Scrapper! I stand back here and heal you, for if I did not you would surely die!"
[/ QUOTE ]
Not because of what you wrote, but because in the back of my head I could imagine the defender saying "I'm a sidekick what do you expect!"
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Wait... did he just call Defenders sidekicks?
/em ducks and runs for cover...
Very nicely done!
I'm looking forward to more of these.
@Oroborous and @Oroborous2
Avatar by HeroPortraitStudios
From the Groundhog Day Attempt at Citadel: GM, "There's no badge for breaking a TF."
I'm bored at work, so gather, as I share the story of Blaster, And how some of Blaster's children have gifts that are not shared by the children of Defender.
This is the story of blaster, and how some of Blasters children have gifts not shared by the children of Defender.
When blaster saw how defender took his gifts of power, yet never returned the favor, he grew envious, and began to seek a way to regain his edge over his sister, defender. For some time, he watched as the world grew around him. Blaster soon saw that controller and tanker had a power that foes seemed unable to protect themselves against, and set off to learn to control this power, knowing that it would greatly overwhelm his foes.
Time passed, and seasons changed, as blaster researched his project. He went to the controller, who shared with him the ability to keep certain foes incapacitated at range, Then to tanker, who showed him how to stand in the middle of many foes while damaging all around him at once. and then blaster set to work.
Blaster went to the ends of the earth, mastering the elements, learning to control ice from the frozen lands of glaciers and ice, and capturing its ability to freeze and slow the minds and bodies of the weak. It was not long before he was able to shape the ice into any form he wished, to use the moisture of his mouth to create sharp fields of ice as he breathed and to use the moisture of the air to create blasts of icicles that would pierce into the glaciers.
After mastering that power, Blaster moved on, to the land of fire, a desolated place where lava flows and fire storms ravaged the land. Here, he learned to set the air itself ablaze, and to bring about storms of fire that would deal damage to all within its reach. He also learned to project the power of tanker, and to ignite groups of foes from a distance, rather than needing to be within striking distance of his enemies. Blaster soon found the might of fire to be more powerful than anything he had done before, as the fire not only would deal damage, but it would light fires on his targets, slowly burning away any form of fuel it could consume.
Knowing that simply controlling these elements would not give him the might he wanted, for what would happen if his foes thrived in the environments from which he took his powers? Blaster thus began to master his powers of ice amidst the heat and despair of the valley of fire, requiring so much more control of his new-found element. Even in the blistering heat, he learned to create ice, flinging it at his foes with much force, and even in the frozen wastelands, he learned to set blaze to glaciers themselves.
The rewards were great, and blaster gained control of the elements of fire and ice, wielding them both with amazing power and grace, finding much pride in knowing that his sister defender would never share his new-found strength. At once he tried to share this power with his children, but they were unable to master all of the abilities at the same time, so blaster divided his power, sharing with his children in two forms; with some, the power of ice, and with othersthe power of fire, so his children could also wield this powerful art.
These are very good. They tell a story that is both entertaining to CO* players aswell as enlightening to others. As someone who commonly plays a stalker, I'm thinking of making an attempt at a stalker spin off written in this style. That is, ofcourse, if you wouldn't mind Jock.
~ KD, who plays the hated arch-type.