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Question 2


TwiLyghtSansSparkles

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Vanilla. I think Voidus has the Epic thing covered. :P I'm thinking she's related to one of the rangers up near Mount Hood. Her brother, maybe? Or maybe she was a ranger who felt called to The Dalles after Koschei died?

Let´s see we have badchull mayor and badchull ranger. How about I add an badchull field doctor to make the badchull vanilla trinity. ;)

 

I like both ideas. :D

 

The Dalles is shaping up to be a pretty awesome place. Currently I'm envisioning it looking something like a giant military encampment, filled with patrolling soldiers and large guns Arsenal positioned in strategic parts of town. Vondra probably put the town under martial law after Koschei's death.

 

Does that sound about right, Twi?

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I like both ideas. :D

 

The Dalles is shaping up to be a pretty awesome place. Currently I'm envisioning it looking something like a giant military encampment, filled with patrolling soldiers and large guns Arsenal positioned in strategic parts of town. Vondra probably put the town under martial law after Koschei's death.

 

Does that sound about right, Twi?

 

Yes. About how long has Vondra been mayor? If he was mayor before Koschei arrived, he probably would have had something to do with the mass evacuations. 

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Yes. About how long has Vondra been mayor? If he was mayor before Koschei arrived, he probably would have had something to do with the mass evacuations. 

 

The way I've envisioned it so far, he was head of a National Guard installation trying to protect the city when Koschei rolled into town. He would have tried killing him, but when that proved impossible he could definitely have helped with mass evacuations.

 

Once Koschei was dead and people returned to the city, he would have declared the city under martial law and instituted himself as mayor.

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The way I've envisioned it so far, he was head of a National Guard installation trying to protect the city when Koschei rolled into town. He would have tried killing him, but when that proved impossible he could definitely have helped with mass evacuations.

 

Once Koschei was dead and people returned to the city, he would have declared the city under martial law and instituted himself as mayor.

 

Sounds good. So Remington and Laurie probably would have gone to him first, once Koschei showed up at the Springfield farmhouse, to warn him. 

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Right, here's Stephen Vondra's official biography:

 

Biography
 
Stephen Vondra was born on a farm a few dozen miles outside of The Dalles, many decades before Calamity. He was a passionate hunter as a young man, and his home is still decorated with various trophies he began accumulating in his teens.
 
The day he turned 18, Stephen volunteered for U.S. Army service. He was deployed across the world to Vietnam, where the war was rapidly drawing to a close. He got there just in time to assist in the evacuation of Saigon.
 
But there were other wars. Vondra rose through the ranks, proving his courage and commitment through quite a few firefights.
 
Vondra married a technical engineer named Elizabeth Arbitage, and the couple had a total of three children. His eldest son Roy joined the Army on his 18th birthday, while Zachary Vondra chose to attend a police academy. The pair's only daughter Sequoia went into business for herself, establishing a hunting supplies store just north of The Dalles.
 
When the first Epics began wreaking havoc in America, the government began transferring military forces worldwide to National Guard duty. Stephen Vondra elected to serve in his home state, becoming the head of the National Guard installation stationed in The Dalles city proper. He helped recruit new soldiers for city defense, and established a number of patrol and supply lines throughout the city.
 
The rest of the world went to Calamity in a handbasket. Nearby cities began rapidly losing any semblance of government authority, descending into chaos at best--High Epic dictatorships at worst. The Dalles struggled to maintain order within itself, and for a time almost seemed like it would succeed.
 
This was until Koschei the Deathless rolled into town. No termination efforts even came close to eliminating the Epic tyrant. Countless soldiers lost their lives in an attempt to stop the madman, including Stephen's eldest son Roy. With a bitter heart, Stephen Vondra began organizing a full evacuation from The Dalles.
 
In time, Koschei the Deathless met his death. People began returning to the city, hopeful for a fresh chance at remaking the pre-Calamity way of life. Stephen Vondra became dedicated to keeping his city safe from marauders of all species. Upon his return he deposed the city's government, declaring martial law over The Dalles and instituting himself as "mayor." Under Vondra's new leadership, The Dalles was quickly militarized. Armed forces seized control of all public services. All minor Epics in the city were tracked down and cornered, offered the choice between aiding in the reconstruction effort or being executed by firing squad.
 
With Vondra at its head, The Dalles was sanctioned off from the outside world, surrounded by barbed wire and watchtowers. Heavily armed patrol units were tasked with coldly eliminating any Epic or human criminals within the city limits, and local farms were required by law to sell food at low prices to the urban population.
 
Stephen Vondra swore that no matter what else happened to the rest of Oregon, The Dalles would survive.
 
Personality
 
As might be gathered from the above, Stephen Vondra is a harsh man. He tends to have little patience for those around him, and it's apparent to all inhabitants that justice in The Dalles grew a hundred times quicker with his promotion to mayor.
 
This being said, he is generally a fair and benevolent leader. With the aide of the Epic called Arsenal, he has established working hydroelectric power in the city, and running water is available in most residential areas. He trusts his family more than anyone else in Oregon; his son Zachary is a prominent leader within the city's police force, and Sequoia Vondra runs their logistics department.
 
Above all things he fears the coming of another High Epic bent on conquest. There are few things Stephen Vondra wouldn't do to prevent this nightmare from returning to his city.
 
Appearance
 
Vondra is now in his early fifties, but has kept in good shape throughout his life. He has a thick and grizzled appearance, with sharp eyes that seem locked in a perpetual glare.
 
I may or may not picture him in my head as looking exactly like this guy.
 
Pony coming soon.

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Right, here's Stephen Vondra's official biography:

 

Biography
 
Stephen Vondra was born on a farm a few dozen miles outside of The Dalles, many decades before Calamity. He was a passionate hunter as a young man, and his home is still decorated with various trophies he began accumulating in his teens.
 
The day he turned 18, Stephen volunteered for U.S. Army service. He was deployed across the world to Vietnam, where the war was rapidly drawing to a close. He got there just in time to assist in the evacuation of Saigon.
 
But there were other wars. Vondra rose through the ranks, proving his courage and commitment through quite a few firefights.
 
Vondra married a technical engineer named Elizabeth Arbitage, and the couple had a total of three children. His eldest son Roy joined the Army on his 18th birthday, while Zachary Vondra chose to attend a police academy. The pair's only daughter Sequoia went into business for herself, establishing a hunting supplies store just north of The Dalles.
 
When the first Epics began wreaking havoc in America, the government began transferring military forces worldwide to National Guard duty. Stephen Vondra elected to serve in his home state, becoming the head of the National Guard installation stationed in The Dalles city proper. He helped recruit new soldiers for city defense, and established a number of patrol and supply lines throughout the city.
 
The rest of the world went to Calamity in a handbasket. Nearby cities began rapidly losing any semblance of government authority, descending into chaos at best--High Epic dictatorships at worst. The Dalles struggled to maintain order within itself, and for a time almost seemed like it would succeed.
 
This was until Koschei the Deathless rolled into town. No termination efforts even came close to eliminating the Epic tyrant. Countless soldiers lost their lives in an attempt to stop the madman, including Stephen's eldest son Roy. With a bitter heart, Stephen Vondra began organizing a full evacuation from The Dalles.
 
In time, Koschei the Deathless met his death. People began returning to the city, hopeful for a fresh chance at remaking the pre-Calamity way of life. Stephen Vondra became dedicated to keeping his city safe from marauders of all species. Upon his return he deposed the city's government, declaring martial law over The Dalles and instituting himself as "mayor." Under Vondra's new leadership, The Dalles was quickly militarized. Armed forces seized control of all public services. All minor Epics in the city were tracked down and cornered, offered the choice between aiding in the reconstruction effort or being executed by firing squad.
 
With Vondra at its head, The Dalles was sanctioned off from the outside world, surrounded by barbed wire and watchtowers. Heavily armed patrol units were tasked with coldly eliminating any Epic or human criminals within the city limits, and local farms were required by law to sell food at low prices to the urban population.
 
Stephen Vondra swore that no matter what else happened to the rest of Oregon, The Dalles would survive.
 
Personality
 
As might be gathered from the above, Stephen Vondra is a harsh man. He tends to have little patience for those around him, and it's apparent to all inhabitants that justice in The Dalles grew a hundred times quicker with his promotion to mayor.
 
This being said, he is generally a fair and benevolent leader. With the aide of the Epic called Arsenal, he has established working hydroelectric power in the city, and running water is available in most residential areas. He trusts his family more than anyone else in Oregon; his son Zachary is a prominent leader within the city's police force, and Sequoia Vondra runs their logistics department.
 
Above all things he fears the coming of another High Epic bent on conquest. There are few things Stephen Vondra wouldn't do to prevent this nightmare from returning to his city.
 
Appearance
 
Vondra is now in his early fifties, but has kept in good shape throughout his life. He has a thick and grizzled appearance, with sharp eyes that seem locked in a perpetual glare.
 
I may or may not picture him in my head as looking exactly like this guy.
 
Pony coming soon.

 

 

As I was reading his bio, I kept thinking of Nathaniel Taylor from Terra Nova. And then I got to his picture, and now I won't be able to see him looking any differently. :P 

 

I like him. 

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As I was reading his bio, I kept thinking of Nathaniel Taylor from Terra Nova. And then I got to his picture, and now I won't be able to see him looking any differently. :P

 

I like him. 

 

My mental image is already affecting his characterization, I see. :P

 

Thanks. :) I fear he's a bit of a cliché, but I hope he'll be an interesting counterpart to the other characters currently squabbling over Oregon.

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My mental image is already affecting his characterization, I see. :P

 

Thanks. :) I fear he's a bit of a cliché, but I hope he'll be an interesting counterpart to the other characters currently squabbling over Oregon.

 

Images affect perception. Just imagine if, during Nightweilder's first appearance, Sanderson had included a picture of this fine gentleman. His characterization would have taken a much more, shall we say, colorful turn in the mind of the reader. :P On that note, choosing the picture of a tough but fair military leader for Vondra was a good choice. 

 

No, I like him. I think The Dalles will add a nice contrast to Portland. 

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Images affect perception. Just imagine if, during Nightweilder's first appearance, Sanderson had included a picture of this fine gentleman. His characterization would have taken a much more, shall we say, colorful turn in the mind of the reader. :P On that note, choosing the picture of a tough but fair military leader for Vondra was a good choice. 

 

No, I like him. I think The Dalles will add a nice contrast to Portland. 

 

Oppa Epic style.

 

Stephen Lang's involvement in Terra Nova may have been a contributing factor in my picturing him, given that there's a realistic chance of Vondra fighting a dinosaur at some point. :P

 

Sadly, I doubt The Dalles will last very long once the game moves into it. Oregon RPers are almost as destructive as puppies or over-sugared toddlers.

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Oppa Epic style.

 

Stephen Lang's involvement in Terra Nova may have been a contributing factor in my picturing him, given that there's a realistic chance of Vondra fighting a dinosaur at some point. :P

 

Sadly, I doubt The Dalles will last very long once the game moves into it. Oregon RPers are almost as destructive as puppies or over-sugared toddlers.

 

I don't know. The town could last a while longer than you think if someone informed a certain matter manipulator how much fun "Vondra" is to say and how nice his beard is. :P

Edited by TwiLyghtSansSparkles
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I don't know. The town could last a while longer than you think if someone informed a certain matter manipulator how much fun "Vondra" is to say and how nice his beard is. :P

 

Vondra.

 

Von-dra.

 

Vondra.

 

You're right. That is fun to say. :P

 

Fun piece of trivia: I had a webpage of various surnames open on my computer screen, and I was set on closing my eyes and randomly pointing a finger at the monitor. The first random surname I found this way was "Gillespie."

 

After about thirty seconds of dumbly staring at the screen from the coincidence, I decided against the confusion this would cause and started manually checking the list. :P

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Here's mine: 

 

Name: Autumn Glass 

 

Age: 28 

 

Appearance: About 5'6", with fair freckled skin and brown hair she frequently pulls back into a ponytail, green eyes, and the most ordinary clothes she could find. 

 

History: Autumn grew up in Cottage Grove with a love-hate relationship toward her name. That is to say, she loved it as a child and a teen; being homeschooled, she had little to fear from being mocked by her nastier peers. Those within her homeschool co-opt group either liked her name, saw little unusual about it, or politely refrained from remarking on it. By the time she joined her twin brother, Addison, as a ranger in Mount Hood National Forest, those in her peer group had grown out of the mocking stage, and many of her coworkers thought Autumn Glass was a beautiful name. 

 

Then came Calamity, which seemed to inspire men and women to choose the most ridiculous names possible, and Autumn Glass received many an odd look. Her good sense of humor came in handy, and although she secretly resented the connection, her default greeting became "Autumn Glass, not an Epic." 

 

When parts of Oregon descended into chaos and anarchy, Autumn chose to stay at the ranger station, which became a safe house for refugees. For several years, many residents were not permanent; they simply stayed at the station and were supplied with food, arms, and a ranger to guide them through the wilderness to their destination, which was often a city such as Portland or Salem. Autumn and Addison became the guides to and from Cottage Grove and its surrounding area. 

 

Living as she did at the ranger station, Autumn was far from the epicenter of the disaster that was Koschei the Deathless. She heard of him through terrified and frantic survivors, but was never graced with his presence. Her first sight of the healer came when Remington Springfield killed him. 

 

That spring, she moved to The Dalles, offering her experience as both a forest ranger and a lay minister to Vondra. She currently resides there as a sort of unofficial chaplain.

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Here's mine: 

 

Name: Autumn Glass 

 

Age: 28 

 

Appearance: About 5'6", with fair freckled skin and brown hair she frequently pulls back into a ponytail, green eyes, and the most ordinary clothes she could find. 

 

History: Autumn grew up in Cottage Grove with a love-hate relationship toward her name. That is to say, she loved it as a child and a teen; being homeschooled, she had little to fear from being mocked by her nastier peers. Those within her homeschool co-opt group either liked her name, saw little unusual about it, or politely refrained from remarking on it. By the time she joined her twin brother, Addison, as a ranger in Mount Hood National Forest, those in her peer group had grown out of the mocking stage, and many of her coworkers thought Autumn Glass was a beautiful name. 

 

Then came Calamity, which seemed to inspire men and women to choose the most ridiculous names possible, and Autumn Glass received many an odd look. Her good sense of humor came in handy, and although she secretly resented the connection, her default greeting became "Autumn Glass, not an Epic." 

 

When parts of Oregon descended into chaos and anarchy, Autumn chose to stay at the ranger station, which became a safe house for refugees. For several years, many residents were not permanent; they simply stayed at the station and were supplied with food, arms, and a ranger to guide them through the wilderness to their destination, which was often a city such as Portland or Salem. Autumn and Addison became the guides to and from Cottage Grove and its surrounding area. 

 

Living as she did at the ranger station, Autumn was far from the epicenter of the disaster that was Koschei the Deathless. She heard of him through terrified and frantic survivors, but was never graced with his presence. Her first sight of the healer came when Remington Springfield killed him. 

 

That spring, she moved to The Dalles, offering her experience as both a forest ranger and a lay minister to Vondra. She currently resides there as a sort of unofficial chaplain.

 

Me likey. :)

 

And personally, I think the name "Autumn Glass" is awesome. She needs to meet Revolution Sunburst Jones pronto. :P:D

 

Is she a minister for a particular denomination?

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Me likey. :)

 

And personally, I think the name "Autumn Glass" is awesome. She needs to meet Revolution Sunburst Jones pronto. :P:D

 

Is she a minister for a particular denomination?

 

I completely agree. :D 

 

Raised Baptist, now non-denominational. My headcanon for the ranger station is that there were Christians from a number of different denominations across the state (a few Baptists, a few Pentecostals, a few Lutherans, one Messianic Jew, etc.) and, with Calamity causing what it was named for, they put their differences aside and cobbled their various traditions together for church services and holidays. (Except for the Baptist potluck tradition. They got rid of that one pretty quickly, though they joked about keeping a few recipes for eggplant macaroni casserole around in case they needed to frighten off another Koschei. :P

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I completely agree. :D

 

Raised Baptist, now non-denominational. My headcanon for the ranger station is that there were Christians from a number of different denominations across the state (a few Baptists, a few Pentecostals, a few Lutherans, one Messianic Jew, etc.) and, with Calamity causing what it was named for, they put their differences aside and cobbled their various traditions together for church services and holidays. (Except for the Baptist potluck tradition. They got rid of that one pretty quickly, though they joked about keeping a few recipes for eggplant macaroni casserole around in case they needed to frighten off another Koschei. :P

 

That makes sense. I imagined much the same thing for Pixie's Lantern religious practices. (Again, another reason why Revolution and Autumn should be best friends forever.)

 

Forgive my ignorance, but what ranger-specific skills does Autumn possess? General outdoors-y skills?

 

Unrelated, but I was reading about psychological conditions earlier, and I found I'd been inadvertently writing Lightwards with clear PTSD symptoms.  :huh:

 

Here are a few common symptoms:

 

  • Difficulty sleeping.
  • Intense emotional reactions to any reminder of the traumatic incident.
  • Unusually tense behavior.
  • Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again.

Lightwards has consistently displayed these PTSD symptoms in connection to his deaths. He's shown to be mildly insomniac as a result of his anxiety, and his gun-pointing with Backtrack certainly classifies as an "intense emotional reaction" to a reminder of a traumatic event. In the Jake Subbly flashback, pre-death Lightwards certainly appears to be more cheerful than the more irritable character we see in the RP.

 

Finally, his death at the hands of Quickslide was characterized by vivid flashbacks to his previous demises. And once again, his behavior became more tense and less hospitable after his subsequent resurrection.

 

While Lightwards fits clearly with known a psychological disorder, diagnosing Doctor Funtimes is well beyond my pay grade. :P

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That makes sense. I imagined much the same thing for Pixie's Lantern religious practices. (Again, another reason why Revolution and Autumn should be best friends forever.)

 

Forgive my ignorance, but what ranger-specific skills does Autumn possess? General outdoors-y skills?

 

Unrelated, but I was reading about psychological conditions earlier, and I found I'd been inadvertently writing Lightwards with clear PTSD symptoms.  :huh:

 

Here are a few common symptoms:

 

  • Difficulty sleeping.
  • Intense emotional reactions to any reminder of the traumatic incident.
  • Unusually tense behavior.
  • Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again.

Lightwards has consistently displayed these PTSD symptoms in connection to his deaths. He's shown to be mildly insomniac as a result of his anxiety, and his gun-pointing with Backtrack certainly classifies as an "intense emotional reaction" to a reminder of a traumatic event. In the Jake Subbly flashback, pre-death Lightwards certainly appears to be more cheerful than the more irritable character we see in the RP.

 

Finally, his death at the hands of Quickslide was characterized by vivid flashbacks to his previous demises. And once again, his behavior became more tense and less hospitable after his subsequent resurrection.

 

While Lightwards fits clearly with known a psychological disorder, diagnosing Doctor Funtimes is well beyond my pay grade. :P

 

I can see them getting along quite well. We must arrange a meeting. :D 

 

Mostly outdoor-type skills at the moment. I might add more once I do some more research as to what it is pre-Calamity rangers do.  :ph34r:

 

Wow. That….sounds like Lightwards. Fun fact: I almost felt sorry for him when he woke in a panic after sleeping in Quickslide's room. He destroyed any sympathy I had for him almost immediately, but I nearly almost sympathized with him. 

 

If Doctor Funtimes were ever diagnosed, it would be something like this: 

 

"Her? Haha, very funny, guys. Okay, who do you really want me to diagnose? Wait…you're not kidding? Seriously? Come on, guys, she's crazy! Can't we just leave it at that? No? Guys, this is so far above my pay grade you might as well buy me my own private island, because….Ugh. You are all buying me a drink after this."

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I can see them getting along quite well. We must arrange a meeting. :D

 

Mostly outdoor-type skills at the moment. I might add more once I do some more research as to what it is pre-Calamity rangers do.  :ph34r:

 

Wow. That….sounds like Lightwards. Fun fact: I almost felt sorry for him when he woke in a panic after sleeping in Quickslide's room. He destroyed any sympathy I had for him almost immediately, but I nearly almost sympathized with him. 

 

If Doctor Funtimes were ever diagnosed, it would be something like this: 

 

"Her? Haha, very funny, guys. Okay, who do you really want me to diagnose? Wait…you're not kidding? Seriously? Come on, guys, she's crazy! Can't we just leave it at that? No? Guys, this is so far above my pay grade you might as well buy me my own private island, because….Ugh. You are all buying me a drink after this."

 

That about sums up Lightwards, doesn't it? You can almost feel sorry for him, but he's such a callous megalomaniac that he quickly proves himself to be unworthy of sympathy.

 

That said, I feel enough sympathy for him to offer him one shot at redemption. I don't like seeing a villain killed without at least one chance to turn back the clock and fix his mistakes. As I've currently "planned" it--"planned" being a very loose word--he'll get his chance at redemption after he gets hit by Quota. He'll have a moment of lucidity long enough to make a moral decision.

 

And when he rejects it, then I can feel justified in setting him on the path to his own destruction.

 

Ah, Phil the Epic Shrink. Long time no see. :P

 

 

Hydron

Primary Power:  Can control and compress water

Secondary:  While submerged in water, healing is greatly increased.  

Kobold, what would you think about Hydron serving under Vondra?

 

I like him! Vondra tends to refer to Epics under his command by their real names though, so do you have his original name thought of yet?

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That about sums up Lightwards, doesn't it? You can almost feel sorry for him, but he's such a callous megalomaniac that he quickly proves himself to be unworthy of sympathy.

 

That said, I feel enough sympathy for him to offer him one shot at redemption. I don't like seeing a villain killed without at least one chance to turn back the clock and fix his mistakes. As I've currently "planned" it--"planned" being a very loose word--he'll get his chance at redemption after he gets hit by Quota. He'll have a moment of lucidity long enough to make a moral decision.

 

And when he rejects it, then I can feel justified in setting him on the path to his own destruction.

 

Ah, Phil the Epic Shrink. Long time no see. :P

 

 

 

I like him! Vondra tends to refer to Epics under his command by their real names though, so do you have his original name thought of yet?

 

He's kind of frustrating in that regard. There are points where he seems almost human, points where you actually want to sympathize with him. Oddly enough, those are the moments when he's the most frightened—his terror during the gasoline incident, waking up in a panic, flashing back to all of his previous deaths. And in those moments, I actually wanted to feel sorry for him. But then he turned around and slaughtered some random citizens, or irritably ordered his zombies (who had been up all night) to get some sleep, or fed his murderer to a hungry raptor. It's almost as though he knows he's human in those moments, and so immediately turns around to erase any semblance of humanity he displayed. 

 

That should be interesting. Especially because, oddly enough, I plan to use Quota to finally push Doctor Funtimes off the fence and onto the right (if somewhat insane) side. That will be quite the contrast—one character's Heel Face Turn will be another's Moral Event Horizon.

 

Poor Phil. I kind of picture him as an AU Phil Coulson, who, instead of joining SHIELD, pursued a degree in psychology and tried to set Epics back on the right path. (That, and it's fun to picture Phil jabbing a syringe into Lightwards' neck and saying "It's nap time, Mr. Cardinal." :D:P

 

I like him too! And Vondra's habit of referring to Epics by their real names just makes him more awesome to me. 

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I like these cool humans characters a lot!

Kobold, what exactly does Vondra use the Epics for? I'm thinking that the climbing Epic I mentioned earlier could work for him. I'm picturing him/her as an assassin/spy kind of person.

I think Joe should go next so you guys can walk inside of the airport and see us.

We could do that. We could also just have you jump to Timeport seeing them come in. There's not much else to happen in walking in.

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