Demon Haunted by Domoviye

Power Testing

The tester looked at his pad. “It says that when one of your clones dies, you don't get the memories and they just vanish. How did you figure this out?”

“When I first used my power, one of me got hit by a car and died. Stuff like that has happened a few other times when I was testing things out on my own,” Interest said.

“Do you want to test it out?” the other Interest asked.

“You're OK with me killing one of you?”

“Yeah. You won't be killing me, just one of my clones. I'll still be here.”

“And it's not like I'll feel anything. Well the me that sticks around doesn't feel it. The other one is just a clone.”

The tester looked very uncomfortable. “How would you like to do it?”

“I haven't drowned yet, or been stabbed. Stabbing would be really messy at first, and I don't want to get blood all over the place. I've been hit by at least two cars. And a train.”

The other Interest added, “And I've been electrocuted. And there was the one who fell too far off when I was testing how tough I am by jumping off buildings. A second clone followed that one, just to make sure it wasn't because she landed wrong.”

The tester had turned very pale. “I'm going to set you for a meeting with a school psychologist. I think you should talk to someone about this.”

“What's wrong? I was told I was supposed to tell you the truth.”

Whateley Campus
August 15th, 2007

Wakanda[/quote] Mariselle Baptiste aka Wakanda, sitting under a tree watching the school gates. Ouch, nowhere to go and can't leave, Mari has it rough. Why is leaving campus a death sentence? From Haiti, all that was done by her parents due to a curse hanging over Mari's head, whoa. Stalked by a demon that hunts her family and killed her mother, no wonder she was forced to live as a street kid to survive just to stay even one step ahead of the demon.

Sought help from someone in a yellow house, Jean Helsing, if the Helsing family couldn't help this demon is formidable. Got her to Whateley, safe from the demon thanks to the wards, but it is waiting for her, no wonder she can't leave campus. He Who Does Not Walk, oh crud, any demon with a title like that is ancient and powerful normally.

Dang, nothing and no one at Whateley able to help her with the demon so far. Suspecting being sent to Whateley is all a part of the demon's plans, Mari needs serious help. I can't believe she just walked right out the gate. I know she is stir-crazy being stuck inside Whateley grounds, but this is beyond reckless. No, the demon didn't get bored, it is an ancient being and patient beyond understanding most likely.

That poor raven is just the first sign the demon is there, all those other signs, listen to the voice in your head and run back to Whateley as fast as you can! Oh, good, back to the safety of Whateley and her temporary room in Whitman. She is scared, and shaken, but at least she is alive so there is still a chance to find a solution to the demon.

Montreal, Canada
Late evening
August 20th, 2007

Interest

Dara Sok is out and needs to go home to her parents soon, I can see why her parents worry about her being out after dark. Smaller than a 10-year-old despite being 14, manifested and her BIT seems intent on making her the size of Santa's elf from her perspective. Crud, her face looks human but doll-like, GSD sucks. She can make clones of herself, but it would have wanted to leave too, rats. Unnaturally smooth hand, oh crud, she is becoming doll-like.

Gah! She can make copies of herself but doesn't know if she is the original or the clone.

It really didn't matter. They had all the same memories and thoughts. Who could say or care who was first?

If she didn't think that about the matter it would have freaked me out a lot. Wait, part ways with her clone and then a race, what is this game. St. Lawrence River, no, she intends for one of her to die and the other to live, she needs therapy now!

Exemplar 3 runs that fast. She tries to drown herself, but stops when she senses her clone is dead, and considers the clone lucky, this is very unhealthy. Jumped in front of a car to commit suicide, you don't involve other people like that!

She was supposed to be the only one who got hurt. She didn't matter.

Please get her into therapy soon, this is scaring me. Oh no, you are not playing that game while at Whateley, Mrs. Carson would have you on suicide watch constantly after the first time.

Kirby Hall, Whateley Campus
Early Afternoon
August 24th, 2007

Wakanda

Mari in Miss Grimes's office.

When she'd first arrived at Whateley, she'd been closely studied by all of the magical and psychic faculty trying to find a way to break her link to He Who Does Not Walk. If they could even just block it somehow it would drastically improve her life.

Have they thought about bringing in someone who can banish it, or would it just keep coming back? Ouch, still no way to stop the demon and all the magical and demon problems the last year didn't help as they were busy.

At least Mari tells the truth about leaving campus, but the staff already knows. Hhm, the demon might be working under a time limit, that is helpful. Mari needs to find new things to do on campus to keep herself busy and find some friends so she won't feel so lonely and like a prisoner.

Montreal Airport
Monday, August 27, 2007
Interest

10 hugs already that morning, good grief, Dara is going to be a few hours away, and her mother is smothering her like this. Canadian-Cambodian, huh, I was wondering about Dara's heritage. Chantrea, she still has to breathe. Little brother Narin is a little taller than her, oof. Ah, limitation on her cloning ability, the more clones she has out the less intelligent each of them is.

Ms. Cote from the MSA at the MCO check-in at the airport, a polite lady. Sitting with another girl going to Whateley, huh. Good, all MCO agents should have a government agent watching over them like a hawk. Alexa Killian and she is going to be in the same dorm as Dara. Safest to stay in the hotel room until time to get on the train to Whateley, why especially for Alexa? A warper who can go 2-D, that power is a lot more handy and with training more dangerous than Alexa realizes.

Shuddering, needing to take pills, what is wrong with Alexa? A vest, two lights, one blue, one yellow, but the yellow one turns blue once she puts in a new battery, uh oh. A devise keeping her alive.

“Chimerical Trait Acquisition. It's a problem that some mutants get. I'm one of the lucky 0.05 percent. I somehow got non-human DNA in me, and it's transforming my body. Basically I'm turning into a plant, a potato to be exact.”

I didn't know that could include plant DNA, that is even more horrifying than I previously thought. She has it under control, is a cyborg, and causes chronic pain, crap. From a family of potato farmers, now that is a cruel twist for her CTA.

Whateley, Dickinson Cottage
Mid-Morning
Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Wakanda

Mari is going to be the guide to the Dickinson freshmen this year, I hope she has a nice batch of students. Jane Fisher aka Just me is the other early Dickinson resident. Ooo, who is going to be Jane's roommate? Smile, Interest, and High Beams, oh course Jane knows what that is slang for and explains it to Mari who has never heard of it in Haiti. Dara, no confusing the other students about how many there are by having clones out already.

When she'd been tested as a mutant, she'd been told she needed a codename, and she remembered her parents using the term when talking about magic and spirits and things. After she'd been told it was a fantasy land, she'd done some research of her own and learned it originally meant inner spirit and magic.

Huh, I didn't know that, interesting. Ah, good, she has friends already in Stunner and Storyteller. Another clone, Dara, no confusing the guide like that.

Interest

Already mistaken for a little kid a few times, ouch. Wendy, a blue-haired girl who likes going by her codename Smile, a lot of intriguing new students. Ouch, another shock from the device, no one better mess with Alexa's devise or else. Oh, so that is why Dara has clones out, to help Alexa with her luggage.

Dara, Wakanda had a different meaning in Haiti before Marvel used it for a fictional city. No, not Starbright, I hope that manipulative bully isn't going to mess with Mari now. At least Mari didn't take Dara's bluntness as insulting. Mari is a part of the Tigers, *sigh*. Ah, she is one of the nice, friendly members who doesn't mind others watching and joining in informally.

“Yeah. My friend, Storyteller, is in Dickinson and the Tigers too. We'll be practising against each other in the basement gym or outside sometimes in the evening. If you really want to learn, you can join us. But we don't take it easy on each other, you will get bruises.”

Ouch, they take Ito's style of training to heart.

The girls are back and ready for the tour, I hope Starbright keeps her opinions to herself. Good speech so far, especially about not bullying the girls from Whitman, that really needs to stop. Ugh, I knew Starbright wouldn't keep her bigotted mouth shut. Better listen to Mari's advice and warning, Starbright, or it will end up costing you.

I'm a level two exemplar, with ESP and precognition. That means I can detect connections between people and objects. I have a pretty powerful danger sense. I get hunches sometimes that are usually true, and I can see a few seconds and occasionally minutes into the future.

Whoa, Mari is a lot more powerful than she realizes.

I'm a level four warper, I can make copies of myself. But unlike most multipliers, these copies are identical to me in every way. They're flesh, blood, and independent until they die or are let go. I'm also an Exemplar three.

And that makes Dara one of the more powerful students because as long as she has at least one clone out she can't truly die. Hehehe, I love the reason for her codename being Interest.

*reads what happened with Alexa manifested* That is pure nightmare fuel. Crap, if hurt don't heal her or she will turn into a plant quickly, she is living a nightmare. I hope even Starbright will look out for Alexa, because if she bullies or attacks her she best hopes she is expelled.

But even with that, every year one or two people die from complications with their powers, burn out or because someone did something stupid or evil. We don't want that to happen to anyone, especially one of our own.

Gen 1, Year 1 was just a higher-than-normal year, I hope.

Whoa, if she concentrates Alexa can cut something like a laser, cool. Ew, slicing someone up with 2-D limbs gets messy very fast. Superhero big sister, yet Starbright has a bad attitude. *sigh* Oh, great, Starbright has already started to form her own posse. Nice to know there are other faiths and religions represented at Whateley besides just Reverend Englund. The Grove isn't the only supernatural part of the woods around Whateley from the sounds of it. Either that or the Grove is a lot more malicious to trespassers than I previously thought. Cauldron, trust Mari on this one, there are threats in those woods you never want to meet.

Ah, the old training teams talk. Yeah, in those grudge matches, not everyone follows that last rule of playing nice after it is all over. Eep, not the Anvil incident, he learned his lesson the hard way. Venus Inc., I don't think Starbright's attitude would work well with the girls in that group. Balderdash, ouch, still having to do combat training and be a part of a training team even if you have no experience, better here at Whateley than out in the real world.

The Workshop kids team is called the Gremlins, now that is priceless. Khrysalis, trust me, when used creatively almost any power can be handy in a fight even if just as a distraction. Holdouts, nice explanation on their nature and how to acquire them.

Crystal Hall
Lunchtime

Wakanda

Mari, please do not underestimate how dangerous Starbright can be by throwing her weight around. Slingshot and Interest are likely to be trouble magnets, there are always a couple in each cottage each year. Bwahaha, if she knew the truth about Jane. Dang, those foods Mari wants sound really good.

Yes, warn them away from the Don and what his powers are, that creep needs to be given a wide berth by everyone. Even telling them what happened to him, I really wish they had broken his neck. Cute nicknames Mari and Storyteller have for each other. And they get to be roommates this year, so happy when friends get to be roommates. Ebony or Story, I like her.

Miami for two weeks, lucky. Live Haitian and Cuban music, now that is awesome. Malik, if you have a girlfriend don't drool over another girl even when your girlfriend can't be with you over a vacation. Crud, fears telling her friends about the curse, worried if she does the demon might go after them. Tell her tonight after supper, and Ebony says if she doesn't they will spar and she will beat it out of her, I like their playful banter.

*eyes but out* She did all that with her eyes closed and did it as practice for her precognition, that is one potent ability. That is how she fights and she practices without it as well, she is going to be an incredible fighter in no time. Ooo, never says that to someone, Starbright, you sound like a rich, elitist snob. Stories about Sifu Ito, oh boy.

Schuster Hall,
Mid-Afternoon

Interest

Sneaky way to get things done, Dara. Go to see your advisor, Mrs. Devons, yourself, one clone to unpack, and another to check out the campus and make new friends. Why did she have to get Mrs. Devons as her advisor, the most boring woman at Whateley? BMA, shoot, I wish they had martial arts as an option for physical ed credit when I was in school. Ouch, BMA first thing in the morning, she is getting thrown right in the deep end.

Nice schedule for her classes and not adding additional ones just because she can make clones, good, we don't want another Jade/Jinn situation. Two class schedules, I spoke too soon. What the heck, why do all 12 of her clones keep coming out and disappearing? Is someone attacking her clones? Yup, one of her clones ran into something or someone. It better not have been Starbright making trouble.

Near the Quad, Whateley Campus
A few minutes earlier

Boy, Dara is seeing a lot of students already. Alchemical sits down and makes small talk with Dara. Oh boy, a shopping spree for supplies for experiments and lab work, he is going to need a school job sooner rather than later at this rate. Gadgeteer 2, huh, I wonder what his specialty is. His dad is an oncologist, we need more people working on treatments for cancer.

Self-defense sprays for non-lethal protection, now there is a worthy endeavor. Aww, Alchemical doesn't wish to fight, plus I think he likes Dara a little. Okay, that weredog creep needs to learn to not pick fights like this. Hurting Alchemical just because he didn't get far enough of your path, I can't stand bullies like this. Crap, this is why one of her clones was creating a lot of clones at once.

Officers show and it is only thanks to Alchemical that Dara stopped fighting and lets the other clones disappear. She banged up the weredog but took a lot of damage herself which is why the clone disappeared. This is going to be an issue with security, good grief.

Dickinson

Wakanda

Oof, all that today and need to recover, I can relate. Why does Stunner wish to meet in a clearing and have a lot to talk about? Ah, so that is the Clearing. Story, Stunner, and Stinger are already there. Stinger has MATD and his Stinger form is insect-based, oof. Ugh, a recap of all the bad things N'Dizi and other members of the Tigers did last year. I had forgotten about Jadis manipulating them to stop her brother from dating Sapper.

N'Dizi, Alakazam, Shuttle, and Mace, their attitudes are horrible. Stunner has the right idea for the direction the Tigers need to go, and if those 4 don't agree and force them out over the matter I say they are better off without the creeps. Stinger as a government superhero, good for him, making his own path in life. Kazam needs a serious attitude adjustment, teasing someone for taking accounting, what a B. A good plan to get others in on this, I hope it works out and doesn't cause the Tigers to split into separate groups.

Kane Hall

Interest

Ouch, Dara doesn't know what her clone got up to, having to face Sgt. Harris because of it. Dealing with multipliers must be a real pain for security, especially one whose clones are all independent. Power testing Thursday will be fun, I hope she doesn't drive the power testers too crazy.

3 nights of helping the kitchen staff clean up after supper, nooo, send me to Hawthorne instead! Rotti is an ultraviolent, it figures, and poor Alchemical had to go to Doyle for his injuries. Tink was carrying a boy, flew over the lake, had the urge to sing "Singing in the Rain" and dropped the boy in the lake, good grief.

Makes a clone to go to Doyle, but flips for it and loses once again, Dara has the worst luck with coin flips. Oh boy, that poor nurse having the conversation with Dara, dealing with students who have independent clones who sometimes don't get the memories of said clones must be a headache and a half.

The nurse got a little smile. “That's not the strangest story I've ever heard. What's your name? I'll talk to someone. If they want to see you, I'll let you in.”

I keep forgetting just how weird things can really get at Whateley, I want to know the strangest story that nurse has ever heard now.

Alchemical's real name is Dave, nice and simple. Aww, she is cute when she blushes I bet. Ouch, how bad was his collarbone? This is weird, but you two are new to Whateley. Talk to some seniors or staff there and you will find out this doesn't even rate the top 500 weirdest at Whateley. Nice way to make a friend though.

Wakanda's Room, Dickinson,
That Evening

Wakanda

Costume pinches around her breasts and arms, Mari has filled out a little since last year. Hhm, do Storyteller's bangles have anything to do with how she does magic? Ah, her bangles each have a readied spell attached to them. Story should be proud of her progress in getting into better shape and becoming a better fighter. Mari's psychic vision sure works uniquely.

Ouch, that thread connecting her to the demon. I wonder how the curse came to be on their family and how the demon came to be connected to them. At last, she tells Story about the demon and what it did to her family, the threat to her life. That is how he kills people, He Who Does Not Walk is a truly horrific demon. Crud, begged Sara for help but was told it would cost her her soul. Story is right, other students have defeated demons, He Who Does Not Walk can be defeated, it is just a matter of figuring out how.

Whateley, Dickinson Cottage
Morning
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Interest

Cauldron brings up what Dara's clone did, waiting for showers and she is the topic of conversation. Dang, so she finished the cleaning easily with all 12 clones out and Arnold had a hard time making her realize she was finished, she gets very dumb with all her clones out. A job for her scholarship and cleaning Crystal Hall and the kitchen is good with her, she has the perfect power for it.

Alexa did not exaggerate the number of scars from surgeries to remove the tumors. Yikes, Alexa, I don't care how many scars your body has, you are alive and beautiful. Alexa, I know you are trying to be strong, but you don't have to hold it all in for the sake of others.

The Tigers Dojo, Laird Hall, Eastman Annex
Mid-Morning

Wakanda

Weapons review and maintenance, how many weapons do the Tigers have in their dojo? Phalanx and Spinner hooked up over the summer, I hope they work out. High-end Exemplar two, Mari, you learned English faster than most, you should be proud. Stunner, Story, and Stinger sure work well together when they plan how to convince others of an idea. Phalanx and Spinner seem on board.

Oh no, please don't let Shuttle ruin their plans. He actually calls white people 'Crackers', oh brother, save for that for the bigots. Shuttle, you are an ass for saying that about Stinger's uncle. Mari has a crush on Mokele, eep. Thinking she doesn't have a future, please stop thinking that way, Mari, a way will be found to stop the demon or destroy it.

Calling another black person an Oreo, Alakazam, you need to stop bashing your own people like that.

African-Americans need to stand together against our White oppressors,” N'Dizi said. “If they want to bend over and kiss the White man's ass we don't need them. They'll only weaken us.”

Ugh, he is the type of person I can't stand. N'Dizi, calling someone a race traitor because they have friends who aren't black is racism.

Shuttle, you went way over the line right now. Now it is a fight between Mari and Shuttle, I hope she teaches him a lesson he won't forget. Shuttle's warper ability is a tough one to deal with for almost anyone. Dang, her precognitive fighting is even more impressive than I thought it would be. Taking hits to force him into a corner, then some brutal blows to take down the ego-maniac. Well, that got Sledge on her side, N'Dizi and Alakazam were never going to like this outcome.

Outside Dickinson Cottage
Evening

Interest

Yay! Dara gets to work as clean-up crew at Crystal Hall, the perfect job for her. A big meet and greet on the first Saturday of the school year is always fun, so many things could happen. Dara is out for a walk and overhears Mari and Story's chat about what happened to Mari's family, the curse, and the demon. Hey, Kayda is not a bit of a spaz, she just has issues and is a trouble magnet.

Dara actually heard about Vowelless and the beauty pageant, the incident where Ayla helped with the demon. Dara, no, stop thinking like this. Yes, it would be exciting to be a demon slayer, but this isn't the kind of demon you can fight physically without a lot of prep, at least I hope with the right tools you can fight it physically. And stop thinking of yourself as an expendable girl. Well, that is one way for Dara to join them and even get some sparring in.

Wakanda

Ah, glad Dara's enthusiasm has cheered up Mari. What is the voice guiding her up to today?

Being a precog could be invaluable, but trying to figure out what all the feelings, visions and hunches meant could be maddening. What was this all leading up to? And was she doing the right thing? Sometimes she misunderstood the hints and ideas. Was she doing that now?

At least you can't see too far into the future, otherwise that would drive you nuts trying to stop the visions from happening. Dara blurts all that out, I'm so glad the voice says to accept Dara. Mari needs more friends and people in on the secret about the demon.

Outskirts of Gorham, New Hampshire
(7 miles south of Berlin)

Nora Brown gets a knock on the door and finds a young Black boy only 8 or 9, dressed like that and with that accent, uh oh. Please let this just be a lost kid and not what I suspect, that He Who Does Not Walk has taken on a human guise. Sandley Baptiste and she goes to call 911. Only to have flies come at her. Darn it, it is He Who Does Not Walk in human guise.

“I'm sorry,” the boy said, his voice deep and ancient. “I normally wouldn't do this, but my prey has been kept from me for far too long. I'm very hungry now.”

Nora tried to run. She didn't get very far.

This demon needs to be destroyed completely.

Mariselle Baptiste aka Wakanda, sitting under a tree watching the school gates. Ouch, nowhere to go and can't leave, Mari has it rough. Why is leaving campus a death sentence? From Haiti, all that was done by her parents due to a curse hanging over Mari's head, whoa. Stalked by a demon that hunts her family and killed her mother, no wonder she was forced to live as a street kid to survive just to stay even one step ahead of the demon.

I was making pictures for all the Tigers about 2-3 weeks ago, and came across Wakanda. Reading her wiki entry my muse latched onto her situation. I saw a chance to bring in old characters and have lot of cameos of characters who haven't shown up in a while, and while I was out with the flu, my muse insisted I write her story. This was a weird marathon session, but I came up with a beginning and end for the entire saga, major plot points, characters, and an edge of your seat ending.

Sought help from someone in a yellow house, Jean Helsing, if the Helsing family couldn't help this demon is formidable.

The story had a demon in it, I needed a way to throw the Helsings in there.

Dara Sok is out and needs to go home to her parents soon, I can see why her parents worry about her being out after dark. Smaller than a 10-year-old despite being 14, manifested and her BIT seems intent on making her the size of Santa's elf from her perspective.

While making some art, I got a picture of an Asian girl who was just a little off, not inhumanly so, but enough to kick in a bit of uncanny valley. Asked some people what her power should be, and multiplication was mentioned. It seemed interesting. Then I realized she would fit in very well in this story, and she became the second MC.
And her BIT isn't making her small. She was always short due to being a proportional dwarf. Her BIT only made her skin go oddly smooth, but she passes as a baseline by almost all visual respects, just an odd one.

Wait, part ways with her clone and then a race, what is this game. St. Lawrence River, no, she intends for one of her to die and the other to live, she needs therapy now!

Exemplar 3 runs that fast. She tries to drown herself, but stops when she senses her clone is dead, and considers the clone lucky, this is very unhealthy. Jumped in front of a car to commit suicide, you don't involve other people like that!

She was supposed to be the only one who got hurt. She didn't matter.

Please get her into therapy soon, this is scaring me.

Demon Haunted isn't just for Wakanda. Interest has her own personal demons to deal with. In fact almost every character has a few demons hanging off their backs. We'll get to see them all up close and personal as the story goes on.
And as I was developing this idea, I kept messaging Dan, going "Holy F#(k, I have an evil idea." Most of them involve Dara.

10 hugs already that morning, good grief, Dara is going to be a few hours away, and her mother is smothering her like this. Canadian-Cambodian, huh, I was wondering about Dara's heritage. Chantrea, she still has to breathe. Little brother Narin is a little taller than her, oof. Ah, limitation on her cloning ability, the more clones she has out the less intelligent each of them is.

I was trying to show that her family loves and cares for her in as short of time as possible. So lots of hugs. Her problems come from something other than her family.

Shuddering, needing to take pills, what is wrong with Alexa? A vest, two lights, one blue, one yellow, but the yellow one turns blue once she puts in a new battery, uh oh. A devise keeping her alive.

“Chimerical Trait Acquisition. It's a problem that some mutants get. I'm one of the lucky 0.05 percent. I somehow got non-human DNA in me, and it's transforming my body. Basically I'm turning into a plant, a potato to be exact.”

I didn't know that could include plant DNA, that is even more horrifying than I previously thought. She has it under control, is a cyborg, and causes chronic pain, crap. From a family of potato farmers, now that is a cruel twist for her CTA.

Another character who was created from an odd picture of a girl with two blue lights on her chest. It took a bit of work figuring out what her problem was, then once I reread CTA, it all clicked.
She's got a lot of stuff coming her way.

Mari is a part of the Tigers, *sigh*. Ah, she is one of the nice, friendly members who doesn't mind others watching and joining in informally.

“Yeah. My friend, Storyteller, is in Dickinson and the Tigers too. We'll be practising against each other in the basement gym or outside sometimes in the evening. If you really want to learn, you can join us. But we don't take it easy on each other, you will get bruises.”

Ouch, they take Ito's style of training to heart.

The one speaking line Wakanda has when she's with the Tigers is just telling them that Chaka and Tempest are tightly connected (by hatred). So I had a lot of room to play with her personality. If she was like N'Dizi or Kazam, I would have dropped her instantly.
Instead I can play up her fish out of water, since being from Haiti she has a pretty unique perspective for Whateley, and her demon situation makes it even worse.

The girls are back and ready for the tour, I hope Starbright keeps her opinions to herself. Good speech so far, especially about not bullying the girls from Whitman, that really needs to stop. Ugh, I knew Starbright wouldn't keep her bigotted mouth shut. Better listen to Mari's advice and warning, Starbright, or it will end up costing you.

I ran this by Morpheus first, and was told that generally Starbright just goes for targets of opportunity. Who seems weak, who gives her an opening to be nasty, etc. So I tried to play that angle here.

I'm a level two exemplar, with ESP and precognition. That means I can detect connections between people and objects. I have a pretty powerful danger sense. I get hunches sometimes that are usually true, and I can see a few seconds and occasionally minutes into the future.

Whoa, Mari is a lot more powerful than she realizes.

I'm a level four warper, I can make copies of myself. But unlike most multipliers, these copies are identical to me in every way. They're flesh, blood, and independent until they die or are let go. I'm also an Exemplar three.

And that makes Dara one of the more powerful students because as long as she has at least one clone out she can't truly die. Hehehe, I love the reason for her codename being Interest.

With Mari I added in the danger sense, which makes sense with her precog skills, and Exemplar 2. It gives her a small edge, and helps explain how she caught up to her classmates and learned English as quickly and as well as she has, after being an orphan and street kid for a while. Everything else was already canon.
She's tough, but still human. Which I like.
Dara has a pretty strong power, but her getting stupider the more clones she makes, helps even it out. And as we can see, she's got issues which also helps keep her from being OP for her group. And I'm glad you like the name. There aren't many good names for a person who can multiply.

*reads what happened with Alexa manifested* That is pure nightmare fuel. Crap, if hurt don't heal her or she will turn into a plant quickly, she is living a nightmare.

How to screw with a character? Remove the healing ability.

Nice to know there are other faiths and religions represented at Whateley besides just Reverend Englund. The Grove isn't the only supernatural part of the woods around Whateley from the sounds of it. Either that or the Grove is a lot more malicious to trespassers than I previously thought.

Rose Bunny mentioned the Rabbi in her Sanguine story, so I wanted to bring him up. Religion will play a bigger role for my characters in Gen2, but dropping some stuff in Gen1 helps expand things, so why not bring it up?
And the Grove is the only one of the supernatural no-go areas specifically mentioned in canon, but there are others. It's mentioned in Knock-Off 2, about avoiding them.

Yeah, in those grudge matches, not everyone follows that last rule of playing nice after it is all over. Eep, not the Anvil incident, he learned his lesson the hard way. Venus Inc., I don't think Starbright's attitude would work well with the girls in that group. Balderdash, ouch, still having to do combat training and be a part of a training team even if you have no experience, better here at Whateley than out in the real world.

Call backs and cameos galore here. Balderdash is roommates with Slingshot, Centurion's girlfriend. She's brought up in Absinthe's story providing devises for Centurion and his friends. She also almost breaks down in tears at the thought of fighting. I tried to keep to her personality as much as possible here.

The Workshop kids team is called the Gremlins, now that is priceless.

I thought this would be a good name for a Workshop team.

Bwahaha, if she knew the truth about Jane. Dang, those foods Mari wants sound really good.

A few people chuckled over that line. And I wanted to bring up food because when you leave your home country, especially for a long time, food is usually a big part of homesickness. When I was in China, I'd pay a lot for a good hamburger and pizza.

Tell her tonight after supper, and Ebony says if she doesn't they will spar and she will beat it out of her, I like their playful banter.

I had to make a new character to be Mari's friend. None of the Tigers really worked for what I needed. But even though I specifically made them to be good friends, how easily they gelled surprised me.

*eyes but out* She did all that with her eyes closed and did it as practice for her precognition, that is one potent ability. That is how she fights and she practices without it as well, she is going to be an incredible fighter in no time. Ooo, never says that to someone, Starbright, you sound like a rich, elitist snob.

I wasn't sure if I was going to have Mari fight anyone in this part, and I wanted to show off her power. It's not foolproof but it is powerful.
And again with Starbright, this was an easy target. But Mari is confident enough to handle the sniping. It worked well showing off both their personalities. I also didn't want to make Starbright a racist, she works with Iron without any problems. She's insulting Mari for being from a poor 3rd world country. And she went after Dara and Alexa for their GSD. Those were the easy targets that actually matter to her.

Nice schedule for her classes and not adding additional ones just because she can make clones, good, we don't want another Jade/Jinn situation. Two class schedules, I spoke too soon.

LOL!
I did get this idea from Jade/Jinn. It makes sense, and while having a really annoying voice her adviser is competent, so she'll mention it as a possibility.

Alchemical sits down and makes small talk with Dara.
...
Self-defense sprays for non-lethal protection, now there is a worthy endeavor.

I needed a devisor or a gadgeteer. And it just so happened I had one hanging around. Alchemical was in Sins of The Father Part 2. The gadgeteer who had been friends with Just Me, until she assaulted him to get his self-defense sprays. I really need to give the poor kid a break.

Okay, that weredog creep needs to learn to not pick fights like this. Hurting Alchemical just because he didn't get far enough of your path, I can't stand bullies like this. Crap, this is why one of her clones was creating a lot of clones at once.

Rotti from What's New Pussycat, where Tink gives him a flying lesson.
He really should learn to leave people alone.

Stinger has MATD and his Stinger form is insect-based, oof.

Stinger had no speaking lines and was only mentioned once as having manifested dragonfly wings and an insect-like tail and stinger.
I looked over the characters and realized I'd hit the girls hard with bad stuff, so decided to throw some crap at Stinger to ensure I was an equal opportunity asshole. His growing GSD isn't his main problem.

N'Dizi, Alakazam, Shuttle, and Mace, their attitudes are horrible. Stunner has the right idea for the direction the Tigers need to go, and if those 4 don't agree and force them out over the matter I say they are better off without the creeps. Stinger as a government superhero, good for him, making his own path in life. Kazam needs a serious attitude adjustment, teasing someone for taking accounting, what a B. A good plan to get others in on this, I hope it works out and doesn't cause the Tigers to split into separate groups.

One problem I knew I was going to have was the Tigers pleasant attitude towards other races.
Fortunately Stunner's previous times in story, and the lack of screen time given to most of the Tigers gave me an opening to moderate things. I'm not going to make it seem that everything is fine and never bring up race, but it's not going to be front and centre of the story.
So I used Chaka's long talk with Stunner in "A Fistful of Chaka", as the basis for the girl to get the backbone and take a stand.

Ouch, Dara doesn't know what her clone got up to, having to face Sgt. Harris because of it. Dealing with multipliers must be a real pain for security, especially one whose clones are all independent. Power testing Thursday will be fun, I hope she doesn't drive the power testers too crazy.

This was a fun scene to write. I really do feel bad for Sgt. Harris.

Makes a clone to go to Doyle, but flips for it and loses once again, Dara has the worst luck with coin flips. Oh boy, that poor nurse having the conversation with Dara, dealing with students who have independent clones who sometimes don't get the memories of said clones must be a headache and a half.

Technically Dara did win the coin toss, just not the Dara we're following. And pretty much every interaction Dara had with people in this scene made me smile.

Alchemical's real name is Dave, nice and simple. Aww, she is cute when she blushes I bet. Ouch, how bad was his collarbone?

My daughter really likes Dave's name as well. For some reason she's latched onto the guy and wants good things to happen to him. Unfortunately he's in one of my stories, so he's going to need therapy once I'm done with him.
And his broken collarbone was kind of based on something I heard about. A guy I knew in university was short, slim, had long-ish hair, and frail. He had one story of when he was a teenager. One of his friends ran towards him, tripped, and rammed his head into his shoulder. The friend was fine, not even a bump on his head. He on the other hand had a broken collarbone and had to go to the hospital.

Mari's psychic vision sure works uniquely.
...
Crud, begged Sara for help but was told it would cost her her soul. Story is right, other students have defeated demons, He Who Does Not Walk can be defeated, it is just a matter of figuring out how.

All this came from previous stories.
And the fact that Story and Mari will be going around seeking help and advice from other students is why I decided to write this story. If it was all just going to be new characters, I woudn't have written it.
With Sara, I needed to bring up why Mari didn't take up the offer. Not wanting to sell her soul, and thinking she could turn to the demon as a last desperate move, kept her from taking the deal back then. Pretty understandable.

Cauldron brings up what Dara's clone did, waiting for showers and she is the topic of conversation. Dang, so she finished the cleaning easily with all 12 clones out and Arnold had a hard time making her realize she was finished, she gets very dumb with all her clones out. A job for her scholarship and cleaning Crystal Hall and the kitchen is good with her, she has the perfect power for it.

Being too stupid for a short time to get bored, would be a nice power when doing chores. Having twelve people doing the work instead of just one, would be nice to.

Alexa did not exaggerate the number of scars from surgeries to remove the tumors. Yikes, Alexa, I don't care how many scars your body has, you are alive and beautiful. Alexa, I know you are trying to be strong, but you don't have to hold it all in for the sake of others.

I didn't plan Alexa's little talk. It just went straight from my brain to the keys, and I realized it was perfect. Sad, but perfect.

High-end Exemplar two, Mari, you learned English faster than most, you should be proud. Stunner, Story, and Stinger sure work well together when they plan how to convince others of an idea. Phalanx and Spinner seem on board.

Mari is not the happiest of people, she can be a bit hard on herself. I also wanted to show that she's not the best talker in the world. Socially she's pretty weak, especially when it comes to thinking on her feet or trying to be subtle.

Oh no, please don't let Shuttle ruin their plans. He actually calls white people 'Crackers', oh brother, save for that for the bigots. Shuttle, you are an ass for saying that about Stinger's uncle.

At first I was thinking Shuttle could be one of the side characters who helps Mari. Then I read "The Big Idea", and "Straight From The Squirrel's Mouth", and Shuttle became an antagonist almost instantly. He's not a nice guy.

Calling another black person an Oreo, Alakazam, you need to stop bashing your own people like that.

African-Americans need to stand together against our White oppressors,” N'Dizi said. “If they want to bend over and kiss the White man's ass we don't need them. They'll only weaken us.”

Ugh, he is the type of person I can't stand. N'Dizi, calling someone a race traitor because they have friends who aren't black is racism.

Yep.
I don't like people who take anything to extremes, especially when it involves tearing others down for something they can't control. Which is why, after checking with Bek, I decided to drag the Tigers towards a more moderate stance. The biggest assholes won't magically turn nice, but they won't be at the forefront anymore.

Shuttle, you went way over the line right now. Now it is a fight between Mari and Shuttle, I hope she teaches him a lesson he won't forget. Shuttle's warper ability is a tough one to deal with for almost anyone. Dang, her precognitive fighting is even more impressive than I thought it would be. Taking hits to force him into a corner, then some brutal blows to take down the ego-maniac. Well, that got Sledge on her side, N'Dizi and Alakazam were never going to like this outcome.

At first I was thinking of having several fights, but that didn't feel right.
Having one of them go WAY over the line, and making Mari fight them just worked the best story wise and for realism. And Sledge has always just wanted a good fight, he respects people who can take a hit and give one back. In one of Phase's stories, he even gives Phase a tiny smile and nod of approval after sparring.
With Shuttle making an ass of himself and getting the crap kicked out of him, and Sledge making his approval known, it was a clear win for Stunner.

Dara actually heard about Vowelless and the beauty pageant, the incident where Ayla helped with the demon. Dara, no, stop thinking like this. Yes, it would be exciting to be a demon slayer, but this isn't the kind of demon you can fight physically without a lot of prep, at least I hope with the right tools you can fight it physically. And stop thinking of yourself as an expendable girl. Well, that is one way for Dara to join them and even get some sparring in.

I'm probably evil, but when I thought of 'expendable girl' I chuckled. It fits her thoughts so well and has the morbid humour I enjoy.

Wakanda

Ah, glad Dara's enthusiasm has cheered up Mari. What is the voice guiding her up to today?[/QUOTE]
All shall be answered in good time. I put a fair bit of thought into the voice, how it works, and more importantly what it is.

Nora Brown gets a knock on the door and finds a young Black boy only 8 or 9, dressed like that and with that accent, uh oh. Please let this just be a lost kid and not what I suspect, that He Who Does Not Walk has taken on a human guise. Sandley Baptiste and she goes to call 911. Only to have flies come at her. Darn it, it is He Who Does Not Walk in human guise.

“I'm sorry,” the boy said, his voice deep and ancient. “I normally wouldn't do this, but my prey has been kept from me for far too long. I'm very hungry now.”

Nora tried to run. She didn't get very far.

This demon needs to be destroyed completely.

I'm going to have SO much fun with this demon. You have no idea how interesting and sheer evil he is.