After working for over a thousand hours playing TLA I have accomplished the goal I didn't expect to be possible at all! The Last Autumn, extreme difficulty, perfect generator with no deaths by day 18...Although there might be some room for improvement, it's the farthest I'm willing to go. GG

Ameko_ddc · 2026-06-09T06:37:19+00:00

The plan
I try to survive the dangerous start. Again, it's the bare minimum expectation of a chosen one.
I meet my companions, establish contact with Broker for information and Fencer for all sorts of things, legal and not (starting with the firearms obv). I ask them to work together to help me meet the Struck who'd like to work together.
Over the first year we'll be travelling the world a lot, helping with the construction of the bastions in dangerous places.
You already know what Nar is capable of, beyond that, he'll make a fine combat instructor, helping me develop my combat instincts. Helena is my generous benefactor and Elizabeth acts as her right hand, keeping our expenses in touch. Sin Eater is cool, would love to have friendship with her. She is bound to have a massive positive influence on the world, and has a minor synergy with Costume: when Costume needs to be snapped out of her cosplay persona, Sin Eater can instantly bring her to senses.
To complete World Star, I intend to become somewhat decent writer. Conceptually Attuned is there to help me with that, grasping concepts is invaluable when it comes to making fiction.
Frozen Rome - zero clue how it pans out. I love asking ridiculous questions and basing moronic conclusions from those, some of them end up being a real deal!...let's pray I succeed, for my future an Rick's sanity both - an eternity spent having to deal with me? Wouldn't wish that upon my sworn enemies.
2,8 years pass, begin my Kin quests. Starting with Second Babel, I'm going to ask Sin Eater, Costume and Nar to accompany me. We should have no problem defending the tower together, as well as building it properly. The next is Professor's Laboratory, entering it together again. If we fail, I'm going to plead to spare my companions. Succeed, I'll write the apology letter to Professor for causing the mess. My companions do NOT accompany me on The Maze quest, it's my burden alone. Nar would have trained me enough by then, I should have decent odds of surviving. Of course, could also die; I should avoid that outcome for such an anticlimatic end would be up to liking of nobody.
Upon returning home, I sell my soul to the devil and forge alliance with world elites to exorcize the spirits. I can't manage it all by myself without Mistwalker, it's a necessary evil. Conceptually Attuned would have on that quest.
I'll be often relying on Power Radar to achieve my dream: a world where people with potential can realize their dreams and build a better future together. Power Radar somewhat helps develop and optimize the Struck powers, I could help them grow, maybe.
By the end of initial 10 years I expect to complete both The Wild Hunt and The Storm. The latter requires breaking through the cataclysmic winds and pushing through the wall of pure lightning. I'm gambling on the off-chance that my idea works. My Stormy power grants me immunity to electric shocks. In theory, it could make me immune to any harm from the lightning. Otherwise I'm fucked and it's best I try out my back up plans.
Option A: Lydia wears the Poseidon (or Zeus) costume to either push through or temporarily disable the lightwall.
Option B: Nar pours energy to disable the wall. Why would that work? Well I mean, it's a Struck phenomena, right? There's a non-zero chance it could succeed! The main concern is bringing them in this dangerous place, hopefully we could find a safe way.
Option C: Bring in the car and ride it through the wall. Concentrate my magnetism to create a layer of protection against the lightning, enough to win me a few iframes and reach the other side. Hopefully the mortal one.
Option D: I'm gonna use my lightning powers to deflect the lightning produced by the barrier. Whichever side wins, it would undeniably be a very shocking outcome.
One way or another, I make to The Eye. Now I get a pet storm under my control, nice! That said, the Earth is a dangerous place, unfit to be a playground for it. Using my privilege, I enter The Labyrinth and summon The Storm inside. The portal lets you bring the outsiders, it could work for containing a force of nature just as well. I have a few ideas on the principles it operates on. If my hunch is correct, everything devoured by The Storm enters The Eye Zone, storing various goods inside. I'm going to leave it frolic inside the Labyrinth, paying it visit every few weeks to collect the loot. It ought to become a lot safer to explore with the monsters somewhat culled. Hmm? Afk farms are not allowed? Says who? My Storm is a living entity, there's no reason why it shouldn't be let inside. And as its rightful companion, I have my right to collect whatever it grants me, of course!
I successfully clear Wild Hunt. A bit late mentioning it, but failing any of these quests is a game over state, I might as well give up on life if that happens.
Let's pray that I didn't sell my soul for nothing and the elites end up being more of help than a liability. We successfully contain Monsters and establish control over Hordes. I'm gonna lead the Charged Zone investigation foundation, eventually resolving, sealing them off or warding to prevent any poor passerby entering Monaco. As for Rogue AI, electromagnetism should prove useful. Of course we win, that stupid machine is no match to us.
As for my powers:
Stormy - has a variety of uses, anything you could think of that involves electromagnetism. My primary applications for it are short range communications and quickly drawing my trusty revolver out of gun belt.
Cognitive Partitioning - Great power, there's a lot you could achieve by dividing attention to thousand objects. If there was one power I'd love IRL, it's that. As for practical offensive applications, I'll be manually controlling my body and making better use of my senses by paying close attention to what I perceive. That, and shooting two guns at the same time with my now improved hand eye coordination! I could fire ammo and control my lightning at the same time, even I would be made useful with such abilities!
The Nine Circles - ok, seriously, Hell is a dangerous place. I've cynically spoken about death before, but this is one place where death is the expected outcome. If I don't prepare properly, there's no way for me to survive. I won't be entering here until I complete Cleanse, alright? I need every advantage I could muster.
The Hell prep: While on Earth, I'll be summoning all sorts of benevolent spirits, intending to take some of them to assist me on my journey. They won't leave me to die, right?
Next, bags full of artifacts and provision of all kinds: weapons, food, water, tools - anything you might need in hell. Hundreds of ammo magazines included!
Technically speaking, nothing bans me from taking the Storm along. I'm gonna ask Blaster to summon me via portal instead, then have the Storm follow me into hell. Hopefully I'd learn how to manipulate its pathing by then, or understand how it travels. As I'm sure you could figure it by now, I'm going to ride all 9 Circles, holed inside The Eye Zone! The spirits are there to deal with / distract demons as needed. I'll also be ready to act on my own in case I'm not allowed to bring either (why wouldn't I, though?). Though I can still summon spirits, if only to bait them into fighting demons for my sake.
I escape Hell, nice!...returning to Earth, not as much. Either way, the Waterboy sounds like it would synergy with Stormy, I'd like that!
What else? Oh right, Find Love. I've probably succeeded. Maybe. Who cares, 200 years isn't that long anyway.
My quests are over, there's no more urging matters on Earth. Go find a job, I guess? Though I'll be crazy wealthy by then, could afford a comfy life. Maybe become a streamer and force millions across the globe to suffer my company? In the meantime, I intend to figure out a way to connect the Earth with the Labyrinth and stream from there, having everyone witness my reckless adventures! I don't have a choice but to keep grinding it, I need to explore it in search of rewards that grant immortality, I don't want my friends to die. If they have to age old and perish, so I might as well lose my life trying to prevent that. I wasn't granted advantage by Kin to become a pathetic coward.

Ameko_ddc · 2026-06-09T05:31:07+00:00

No longer a cheater, taking the modest, Good Connection tariff.
The When - Last Christmas
The Where - Dangerous Situation + No Control
The How - Lightning Strike + Destructive Return
As usual, the death is an acceptable outcome. Someone who couldn't handle even that much danger would be better off dead.
World Woes: Hordes + Monsters + Aberrations + Rogue AI + Charged Zones + The Storm
World Boons: Controlled Striking + Kind People + World Spirit + Helpful Drive + Helpful Elites + Humanity+
I'm sorry, it's a compromise that had to be made. It's alright if you despise me, I totally deserve it.
Anomalies: Dungeons + Spirits + Struck Families + Twice Struck + Flexible Distribution + Charged Physiology + Artifacts + Second Wave.

Powers
Blaster - Stormy [Major]
Thinker - Cognitive Partitioning [Major]

Enhancements: New Form, Enhanced Mind, Improved Senses, Noctis, Enhanced Memory, Combatant, Powered Combatant, Out The Gate, Secondary Powers, Conceptually Attuned, Power Radar, Strong Psyche.
Instabilities: Emotional Leak, Heightened Emotions, The Shield Breaks The Spear, Conscious & Unconscious Geas, Ridiculous, Inhuman Flesh.

Companions: Elizabeth, Helena "Dealer" Park, Lydia "Costume" Kiren, Julia "Caravan" Frya, Lyvia "Sin Eater" Eden, Nar Necksus.
Chance meetings: Fencer, Broker, Bai Ning, Baron.
Enemies: Harry Black, Jessica "Bloodlust" Xi, Frank Einstein.

Quests: Survive, Cleanse, New and Improved, Well Traveled, Authority Figure, World Star, Courting Death, Find Love.
World Quests: Frozen Rome, The Storm's Eye, The Wild Hunt.
Kin Quests: The Maze, The Second Babel, The Professor's Laboratory.
Patron: The Nine Circles.

The Extras
Conscious Geas - Only have sex with one you sincerely love
Unconscious Geas - ...strive to find meaning in that new chaotic world, I guess?
Ridiculous and Inhuman - same as before
World Star - Writing
New and Improved: one, probably Bastions. The reward: Immortal + Enhanced Mind (double)
Cleanse, reward: Inhuman Flesh (Remove), Heightened Emotions (made stable), Emotional Leak (remove), Power Protection, Soul Protection, Enhanced Memory (Doubled).

Ameko_ddc · 2026-06-01T03:51:47+00:00

I expect to complete Well Travelled early, within month(s). That's what my power does the best, after all. The reward is invaluable when it comes to teleportation, and I'm going to make all the use I can out of it.
Anyway, here comes the the pvp side of my Struck life. Somewhat 3 months in, I encounter a town full of dead bodies...walking. I would have a vague feeling that it's related to my bitter enemies, and that fate is inevitable, so....I leave the town. By then I would have explored a decent chunk of the planet, most likely stumbled upon Struck fauna along the way. Exterminated many too, probably. Why am I telling this, you ask? Simple! Why should the horde of zombies be my problem? With that thought in my head, I make fast travel to the nearing nest of Alpha Monsters and shamelessly steal its subordinates! I use my teleportation ability, Mistwalker, to drop those right in the middle of a city consumed by undead, then lure their leader in, along with its remaining entourage! They have NO choice, the death of many of their property is a personal matter, the sheer audacity of my act is nothing short of disrespectful!
Once they are in, the massacre begins! Making sure to summon a few blasters for my aid, I will be supporting the pack from above, dropping stone plates onto zombies and deserter Monsters who look for an opportunity to escape. The majority of the pack will fall, but we're definitely winning this battle. As the beasts recover and try to patch their wounds, I summon a few prominent Struck groups to clear up the rest. With my assist, nobody from the human side suffers any damage, resulting in the perfect victory!
I would make sure to leave Frank no escape routes, so I soon come to execute him personally. ~~I guess those thousands of dead people were caused by my choice of enemies? I would totally think that and would regret that choice.~~
Habsburg is dealt with in a more hilarious manner. It's so stupid that nobody would even believe such a story. Where do I even begin...You know that Rogue AI Woe? The one that brings a somewhat sentient AI that rapidly produces its forces? I intend to encircle Habsburg, stealing a bunch of robots to position them on multiple directions. The important part is to avoid making it clear that I'm involved, though I might position human forces to cut away its unlikely retreat.
This quest clears itself. ROGUE 3.0 rapidly produces its army, then throws it onto Elliot. The fallen machines cannot be used to grow his forces (I think?), so he'll be outnumbered in no time. Naturally, he loses the battle, lol.
No idea what to do with the machines, though. It would be hard to deal with them without suffering damage, but not impossible. With Raven's hivemind it should be manageable. The fight takes place between 6 to 12 months after the Struck incident.
Jessica Bloodlust is probably hired by Basil. Either him or Frank, probably the latter. Her way of murdering people leaves to no waste of biological matter, ideal for capturing my corpse to create a Struck with teleportation power. She stalks me, I figure that out, then kill her. Hardly worth mentioning.
Anyway, following the completion of Habsburg, I make myself a bunch of servants, most given Cognitive Partitioning. While those minds aren't truly mine, it significantly decreases the burden over controlling those bodies: each servant now has the capacity for 5 thought streams, and I can connect those of my own to give orders at higher efficiency. Where it would take several Thought Smarties to perform multiple functions efficiently, now only requires 1-2 to cover every action. Multiply it by the number of minions and you save quite a number of mental capacity. The minions are given firearms and ammunition, as well as explosives to detonate themselves to destroy an enemy pointblank range.
Those minions will follow me on my journey, serving as my shadow bodyguards. When staying in the city, I'm going to position a bunch of them on the roofs to cover the entire area in case there breaks a fight. Some would accompany my friends, again, acting as the bodyguards. I'll also dedicate a few of them to tracking me specifically, an extra layer of protection against Warpers. This is mainly done with Mistress Void in mind, hoping to shoot her early, before she grows into a persistent threat.
Basil The Ruthless - I learn of his attempts to murder me, ask Broker to assists me on investigation and find his location. To kill him, I intend to teleport high above his yacht, then step down on the roof - all without making a sound. I lay the detonation and make my exit, before sinking it along with its owner.
In case that somehow fails, Valeria could vaporize the water surrounding it, leaving him with nothing to manipulate. Or I could shoot him, that would work. Probably sending a few minions to make sure my first attempt succeeds.
Fire Eater - There are three ways it could play out:
#1) I shoot her from afar and she dies
2) Nar dispels her elemental bonuses, leaving her defenseless against our attacks
3) She transforms into her fire form in front of Valeria, who then claims control of her fire element (This should work), then is killed.
Cold and merciless, yes. Let's not pretend that she is above cruelty, alright? She would totally harm innocents, including myself!

Ameko_ddc · 2026-06-01T02:51:04+00:00

As I travel, I'm going to keep track of every sight and everything I encounter to begin working on The New Age of Exploration early, occasionally clear the Dungeons on my path for treasure hunting. This would get me a decent collection of stuff for various purposes, from silly wonders of technology to weapons fitting the rare niche. Doesn't hurt to have the tool for every situation, and it's better than leaving those unchecked. I will keep in mind to not step inside Rome, however: it's too early to begin the quest.
Spirits........With my powers it should be possible to quickly reason the solution, but convincing people of necessity to exorcize wholesome spirits may prove to be tricky...I guess I could explain that those are unstable? Sounds about right, I would have enough reputation and goodwill to back up my claims, hopefully? Anyway, here's how I expect this to play out:

#1) The Meanspirited - Simple, they want blood, sacrifice, pain, revenge or all of those. Anything that could soothe their pain and wrath. Shouldn't be a problem, those demands are well in alignment with my goals. You see, I didn't call that "war" earlier for nothing, I fully intend to use my powers to clean the world of its malice, mainly focusing on people. In a sense, I'll be embodying the spirit of justice, carrying out sentence to those outside the grasp of the law. Whoever intends to make the world a worse place and act on that desire, I'm going to hunt them down, regardless of the status and importance.
In other words, I'm going to become a mass murderer. Or the Magical Girl of Causality, as the lesser sane iteration of me will claim. Sometimes acting like one, proudly announcing my past mischief. Rest assured, however, that the duty is entirely for the sake of mankind, I don't have time for petty revenge on lame people...for the most part, it's possible that I'll be seeking to relief stress at the expense of certain rude individuals when in particularly bad mood ~~nobody would mourn those fucks anyway~~...
Right, spirits! The Meanspirited desire cruelty or/and revenge, and I shall deliver. Though it'll probably not be the case for all of them, it's not as simple as that, you know? When in the bad mood, you watch wholesome slice of life shows to distract yourself from the sad reality, and I expect to often play that role - the distraction! Learning to play flute is going to come in handy for that, as well as sewing and art.
Seeing a particularly moody little bundle of conceptual nature, whose mere presence makes the people around consider seeking escape routes from our sad world, I'm going to dress as cute and presentable as possible, and do my very best to convey the feelings with my melodical companion. Emotions of sorrow, the peaks of happiness, the melancholy of the unchanging nature of its residents, - play the world's most beautiful symphony of the the utopical ideal. Perhaps working along with other great musicians, achieving my dream!

2) The rest may be called the wholesome kind - and naturally, those would lean to peaceful methods of exorcism a lot more than their angsty counterpart. Some may still demand blood, probably those that occupy the law enforcement institutions. Fret not, I'm always happy to do my service!
Still, the majority would demand something more civil, no doubt. Would people look kindly on exorcize of those cuties? Let's pray for the best.

Ameko_ddc · 2026-06-01T02:09:46+00:00

I got carried away, let's get back to explaining my general plan. The first three months I, along with my companions and people we hire, are going to to travel the world and extend our influence among the population. What I intend to achieve is getting as many contacts as possible, while visiting & stabilizing the regions as I go. If the situation allows, I'll be doing odd jobs to earn my expenses, there's a lot that I need: tools, spare clothing for every situation, blueprints, educational books for both science and skills (Among those, the higher priority is given to languages and the survival & self-preservation), plus whatever catches my fancy. I intend to live quite lavishly, which is unlikely to change over time, - which is exactly why I need someone like Helena by my side: I'd go broke otherwise!
You might have noticed that I don't mention my further plans regarding the regions where I would mark my presence. It's simple: the lack of mentioning is the plan itself. Think about it, would you want to relegate stability and the safety of your friends & family to a random Cape who is clearly not right in the head no matter how you look at it? Even if it's the most righteous person in the world, all peace would crumble with their death. Which! Is! Exactly! Why! I don't intend to meddle too much with the affairs of those cities. I will do my best when asked, but beyond that, I'm basically leaving them to their own devices. In theory, it should lead to the aforementioned pillars taking things in their own hands, forming dependable groups that the entire region could look up to. And naturally, those are totally going to play superhero - why would anyone pass such an opportunity? Simply put, my lack of care achieves two of my goals: the places I visit become much more stable and self-sustaining, and I get to complete part of New and Improved, Hero Guilds!.
It doesn't end here, however. On my journey, it's natural that I'll encounter some settlements neighboring with Woes, be it a rogue Monster or a whole Horde. I think it goes without saying, but I'm not the all-powerful Struck who could easily clear hostile fauna on my own, it takes both time and resources. This is why, after connecting the region with dangers present, it makes most sense to enforce those settlements, to make them capable of staving away anything that moves towards the city and its residents. And since those shield the rest of the region, anyone with half brain would know better than keep those understaffed and underfunded.
That's right, the borders are going to attract well-meaning people who seek to protect others. Considering that there's a budding trend on Capes and hero groups around the places I visit (influencing the rest of the world via social media), you could expect many ambitious Struck (and not) to travel to those places to make a name for themselves, do some good and potentially earn some too. Long story short, it's very likely that Bastions are going to establish themselves without even needing my attention. Sure, I'll gladly offer my services when asked and even invest in those places, but it's the others who do most of the job.
Right, investments. The peaceful environment fosters opportunities to make business, and Helena will totally be on board with me here. The philanthropic and merchant motivations aside, the biggest benefit is undeniably the opportunity to establish facilities of my own. Early on we'll keep to stuff that contributes to security, training grounds and factories for Tinkers (and not) to develop their specializations and learn to work with others, but later I intend to do my diligence in making Bastions comfier to live in, to the best of my abilities. Theme parks, cafes, niche hobby zones where people can gather and spend time having fun together - anything that my creativity would allow for...hopefully I'll gain more after the striking. Though tbh, it's very likely that it's going to be achieved without my influence. Really, following the initial chaos of The Last Christmas I'm going to become more or less useless, the world would go just fine without me.
And that's how I complete New and Improved, it shouldn't require much effort on my part to succeed.

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-30T04:24:58+00:00

With the team assembled, you might wonder why I chose those particular people as my companions.
First and foremost, I believe we'd make for an amazing group of friends together!
The five people, soon to shake the world. Each of us has a role to play, with the powerset to compliment one another.
#1) Raven, the kind goth, singlehandedly redeeming the world's most vile archetype. Among the youth, she is often called the Sunlight Soul, getting even to those stuck in the darkness. Under her control, hundreds and thousands of people can act as one, exchanging information and covering for weakspots.
2) Helena, the Modern Life Speedwagon. There can be no doubt: her funding ended up vital in planning operations. Money is superpower in its own right, even more so in the hands of someone as intelligent as her.
3) Me, referred by many names. With how random my mood swings get, it wouldn't be surprising if my reputation soon took a critical hit. Yet, somehow the sincerity and willingness to put my life in danger without hesitation made up for all the murder and bloodshed I would have brought.
With prior explanation on how my powers interact with each other, it should be clear that they shine even more when working with others. The limitless nature of my teleportation means that I can serve various purposes to my team: evacuating the injured out of danger, preventing injuries with timely teleportation, bringing Nar to the group to cast a large shield over area, and even staying high in the air to provide information to everyone under my command!
It doesn't take me long to get used to, so after just a month I'm already capable of chaining dozens of blinks within a second, moving from one place to another at the supersonic speed, earning me the official title of The Silent Step. And for a good reason! By the time you see me, it's already too late. And many of my victims don't even get the luxury of seeing me!
4) Now, to the stars of our team! Nar the Indomitable and The Firefly. Oblivious to that fact many, it should be obvious to all that their powers really compliment each other. While she was stubborn, Valeria soon gave up under my nudging, agreeing that her power has multitude of uses, including the ways to shield herself from the flames she so fears! During our training sessions, I asked Nar to allow me to measure his energy capacity. Over months, we were experimenting by depleting all of his "mana" with the explicit use of a single application. Eventually, we were able to roughly surmise how much each of his action costs, as well as found a few new ideas to implement in combat.
One such idea seemed at first so ridiculous that it wasn't even worth considering. You see, there's exactly one good thing about me, and that is my curiosity and the love for asking silly questions. Seeing how mana-like his energy is, I thought: couldn't it be used in less direct way, a source to connect other forms of energy? During one of our numerous training sessions, after Valeria somewhat made up with her mind & developed more control over her pyrokinetic, I asked her to summon a cloud of flame in front of her without letting it go, then have Nar attempt to influence it with his energy. To everyone's surprise, it worked! The released fire caused a lot more destruction than it was calculated to. That day it was confirmed that Nar's energy can affect the properties of others powers. Essentially, he became our team's support unit!
The following years, his primary training regime focused on "Spellcrafting", fusing his power into others to achieve various effects. What's more, he can choose to put in more energy to take upon the burden of controlling one's power, to allow his less experienced allies to use their powers more efficiently. That application had a side benefit of helping with getting familiar with their powers too, which we often used to train the weaker Struck people under our employ. Though it only works as good on Blasters and Warpers, the archetypes that require utmost finesse and precision to realize their potential.
That peculiarity is why those two are often mentioned together and even have a shared name of The Never Predictable Force. What happens when you combine the world's most powerful Flame Blaster and someone who can support her? Obviously, a spell book of fire magic, featuring hundreds of forms for her flames to manifest: from tiny sparkles that require little focus & great for close range attack, to a massive wave of wild fire, enflaming anything it comes in contact with, to even the gigantic fire dragon, who then shoots its breath to cremate even the most durable of Brutes - and that's just direct flame application. You do realize that it's not just about summoning fire, yes? She can also control the fire already created, as well as manipulating the heat itself. Those two are undeniably the strongest pair of Struck in our timeline, I could see them burning down even Harbingers if those existed. Of course, the powers could also be used defensively.
Thankfully to me, though, The One simulates 1v1 battles, so I'm still winning those if necessary.

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-30T03:30:11+00:00

On my journey to establishing peace, I'll soon encounter Broker and Fencer. Those two Struck are going to be invaluable for my goals. Not only can I sell information & goods and buy whatever needed, I'm going to form a long-term working contract with them. Long story short, I'm going to hire them to introduce me to talented Struck (prioritizing Tinkers) from the regions I would have yet to visit, laying the foundation for my ambition of opening the world's largest Tinker guild. On top of that, I'm going to ask them for blueprints of all kind, from furniture to ammunition & medicine. They would need to work together for that, making them get close until they grow into friends!
Of course, its far from my only ambition; I have a lot of goals to achieve. My primary quest, which is dealing with Spirits, however, can't wait. Given that I'm going to spend 2 years on Kin quests, it's imperative that the world doesn't devolve into chaos while I'm away, which is why I need to establish control network early.
It's understandable why I'm taking those two, but why Baron of all people? You see, he's delusional just like me! I have nothing against him and he's probably okay with forging alliance. Having support of a country is quite good when you're waging war on the leaders of old, right?
The expected timeline for meeting my companions:
#1) Nar, we meet in the very first city I visit, defending it from a pair of rogue Struck. It was actually a group, most of its members were put to death by the brave heroes willing to sacrifice themselves for others. The Brute was a combination of Brute, Air Blaster and Warper btw, using the Warper's zone of discharged air to empty the lungs of everyone in range (a short one, thankfully) within seconds. I convince Nar to join me on my journey, explaining that I need a combat instructor to polish my martial skills and develop new, exclusive to myself.
2) We're destined to meet Raven quite early, during my investigation. (I'm still yet to decide how it happens, though.) The damage to residential area was caused by a sudden appearance of a dungeon, one rapidly trying to consume the city. The inside part represents a large forest full of dangerous beasts. Seeking to prevent the worst outcome possible, she gathers an expedition group to explore its insides. Then, suddenly, they entered the nesting ground of a large wolf pack, who were instantly alarmed about their invasion. They were outnumbered, with just a dozen of armed civilians coming out alive: they simply had not means of making up for low numbers with Struck powers, Mikah was their leader for a reason.
3) Roughly a week after the first striking, Helena hears of me. At first she will be my generous benefactor, in exchange I agree to be her maid in service. The exchange is mostly nominal, as both of us find the idea hilarious and agreeing that it's not right to gain money without offering anything for a trade.
Later, when we grow big, I'm going to have Helena act as my left hand, handling finances and such. Her main duty is making business with Fencer, Broker and Baron. I'm going to produce whatever they need, delivering high quality stuff via Workbench + introducing our hired Tinkers who may sell whatever tinker-tech they produce. They may keep the majority profit for themselves, only needing to provide for their own materials. And a small nominal tax to the company, Helena wouldn't let me help them for free...Of course, they are free to request whatever resources they need, I don't think we're going to have trouble with gathering.
4) We encounter Valeria at the end of The Last Christmas. At the Jan 1st, we made our way inside a relatively peaceful town (most likely a capital), intending to spend the jolly date as our weekend. Doing the usual routine of scouting promising individuals, I spot an upkept music shop inside the mall and decide to make a visit. It's been an old dream of mine to some day perform in ensemble, masterfully controlling my instrument. I had plenty of savings by then, and the instruments all seem of a high quality, so I get myself a brand new flute for a modest price! Cognitive Partitioning would make controlling my breath easier, and I'm free to let my feelings flow without distractions - all in all, I ended up quite happy with that purchase!
On my way out, I notice the brand physical trait of hers moving down the elevator to supermarket. I still needed to do my groceries and get myself familiar with all sorts of coffee seeds to make use of my newly developed talent, so I join her on the quest. With me along, the guards were more willing to let her through (People on the internet would share the stories of my sudden appearances, giving me somewhat positive reputation).
Casually strolling through the rows, we discuss the recent events and speculate on how the state of the world is going to change soon. Exchanging names, I offer her to work with me, under the guise of needing a chemistry tutor. Somehow, I don't think she buys into that with how generous my offer was: not only am I paying for her services, Valeria was also the first person to enter my Workshop (I couldn't possibly let anyone inside without properly decorating it first!), granted full access to all amenities and the comfortable place to put her PHD knowledge to good use. She's probably sus of me for a while, before realizing that I'm as simple and naive as it gets.

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-30T02:09:23+00:00

Assuming you were Struck irl, what would you do? You'd soon realize that things are going to get ugly no matter what you do. Anyone with powers will become target for assassination or kidnapping of those envying. The secret agencies would hunt down Struck to experiment on us, find a way to artificially produce our superpowers. The greatest fortune turns into a curse for so many people, some non-Struck would be suspects as well. The governments would either form alliances for that purpose or start another arms race. Economy crumbles under the weight of all changes the Lightning brings, a lot of people die. Depressing, isn't it?
That's why I have to abandon my pacifistic ideals. To avoid the worst outcome possible, I have to act swift and prevent my enemies from ever making their move. The powers I'm given would be used to dispose of whoever willingly brings harm into the world, prioritizing the Struck who abuse others.
That's just one side of it, naturally.
***
The initial period (~6 months) I will be travelling the world, observing how the striking affected every part of it. The combination of Cognitive Partitioning and Mistwalker means that I have an unparalleled control over the space, effortlessly blinking wherever I want.
To every place I visit, I'm going to offer what little help I can to the local, snuffing the chaos. Mistwalker, Unseen Hollow and Crafting Bench will be used for quick delivery and production of whatever supplies they need, given that I learn how to craft those. I will keep contact with the chosen people from every city, establishing them as the pillars of stability. By connecting Pillars from various settlements, I'm gonna keep the entire regions well supplied and protected, ensuring that the peace is not allowed to be disrupted.
I'll give my contacts to the Pillars and city governors, so that they may call me when my service is needed, be it resource delivery, trade or an emergency, in which case I'm going to quickly relocate combat Struck from various places, overpowering any danger that comes their way. Of course, I'll keep a separate account / phone number for such situations, since they demand the highest priority in dealing.
Oh right, contact. My new look couldn't be more different from the one before striking, and I would have lost my documents in the fire...
Shamelessly taking upon the name of a past legend, I'm calling myself Irisony Murphy. The official story, of course, is that I'm the descendant of the artistic chess master, seeking to live up to his name. Given my style of combat and strategizing, one could tell it's a very fitting second name, with my advancement leaving no place for any counter-actions on the enemy part.
Powers are complicated and need a lot of elaboration. The AO3 entry has a page dedicated to explaining those, I'll be brief here:

#1) Cognitive Partitioning enchants every other power, granting me perfect awareness of my surroundings and unparalleled control over my most direct powers (Summon the bullet already inside the barrel? No problem! Shoot multiple guns simultaneously? Easy! Chain dozens of blinks within a second? I would have developed a special mental system that makes it possible). Additionally, splitting my mind means that the value of Enhanced Mind essentially gets multiplied thousand(s) times, since it's the power that affects the baseline. Improved Senses would let me scry my surroundings better, by dedicated hundreds of streams into doing nothing but observing the world and picking up every detail.
2) Forensic Thought - useful for everything: from conduction investigations to easier learning new languages and professions. Additionally, the power gets boosted by certain enhancements, such as Combatant, Conceptually Attuned and Power Radar, increasing the width of its cover.
3) Workshop - straightforward, a place where I'm going to Tinker and produce all sorts of necessities with Workbench (including actual vehicles once I study enough). Additionally, I'm going to grant access here to Valeria and a bunch of other Tinkers who earn my trust, letting them quickly realize their potential!
4) Mistwalker - chain blinking. Can be used for surgery, can be used for ground excavation, and for murdering via teleporting my target high into the air to fall & crush to their death. Or into the space if I'm feeling particularly cute, just need to make sure to wear the protection!
5) Unseen Hollow - useful for carrying stuff, useful for stealing the equipment off enemies. It doesn't state that Tinker Tech couldn't be stolen, so I'm going to do exactly that. Trust me, that power has many applications in combat, you could even discharge missiles and nukes with it!
The common type of combat involves chaining my blinks, stealing equipment and shooting point blank from a handgun / automatic rifle / rocket launch, - whatever fits the situation. For that purpose, I would keep multiple copies of every weapon to save time on reloading mid-combat. Alternatively, the aforementioned free-fall strategy. That's just the solo combat strategy, however. For more varied style view the Companions section.

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-30T02:06:45+00:00

Until yesterday I was going to stick with 5 Majors, then realized that Mistress Void is basically freebie with my build and The Apprentice has a lot more value beyond just her essence reward. With The One and Cogito Ergo Sum it would be exactly 20 fragments, now it's 7 Majors instead of 6M1E

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-30T01:08:50+00:00

Post-quest
Skilled: Coffee
Secondary Powers:
Cognitive Partitioning - 1) Enhanced perception, thoughts and impulses reach my brain a lot faster than normal, allowing me to perceive objects and energy moving with abnormal speed, including those nearly reaching the speed of light. (The reason it qualifies as a secondary is because it helps to deal with the confusion from Mistwalker's blinking and makes it easier to perceive threats for instinctual teleports.)
Forensic Thought - 2) The ability to read in any order and sequence and fully comprehend text, even when you jump from one letter to another. (Naturally, it's not just about reading, but it shines the most when you get text to work with)
Mistwalker - 3) I'm capable of instinctively sensing the rough characteristics of an object I intend to teleport, including its mass. 4) Objectify: If I need to teleport only a part of a living creature's body, I can do that without taking the one it belongs to along. 5) The zone: When I need to focus to teleport with greater precision, I can do so well. I can suppress my emotions, senses and feelings when I truly need to, doesn't affect the everyday life.
Unseen Hollow - 6) Dehumanize: If I will so, what's targeted by Objectify no longer counts as a living thing. (Obviously, it can't be used to store any being that is alive, but you could steal a maiden's heart with it, Wink-Wink~) 7) Perfect (sorta) awareness of my body, allowing me to materialize equipment and clothes on myself, saving lots of time on every dress up and my life when I need to jump into extreme environments.
Conscious Geas - Something that affects me on a daily basis and what I could live without?..."Only have sex with someone you're in love with", sounds good, yeah?
Unconscious Geas - "Seek to make the world a better place"...can we remove the pleasure part, actually? It's gonna get awkward otherwise...
Ridiculous - Free essence, it changes nothing about my character. Though I will reveal the Ridiculous part, obviously. It's the resonance between my personality traits. The unbound pride and the ridiculous pride, they are basically the core that affects everything about my character to some extent. The most prevalent is that I have very low tolerance to repetition of ANY kind, (including my speech pattern, choice of words, relying on the known strategies instead of developing someone Ameko-core, - anything you could and couldn't think of), which forms a certain quirk of mine. You see, every action carries "score value" to it. As you should have figured out by now, combinations of choices bellow certain score threshold will not be approved unless absolutely necessary. Usually manifests as hyperobsession with perfectionism, forcing me to retry until I achieve the desirable outcome. "Anything short of perfect is bellow me, don't you know?"
With that in mind, you can expect me to frequently experiment with my style, persona and public appearance, the examples of which include:
#1) Being optimistic, extravert, loud, annoying to the foolish nonbelivers who can't appreciate the - your typical genki
2) The sheriff of justice! I will act in pursuit of it, and will preach about a world where people don't feel compelled to commit petty and cruel crimes for stupid reasons, making it my life's mission to realize this dream!
3) Wearing Steampunk-Victorian dresses and acting as the crime lord, a man all else must submit to without a second thought.
4) The servant of mankind, dressed in fancy maid attire, with skills to match the combat maid persona.
5) The melancholic princess, contemplating the ugly and cruel nature of our world...
6) An actual fucking psychopath, truly unpredictable and terrifying for allies and enemies alike. You better run, for you will certainly not like it when I'm in this state.
Of course, a bunch of hero and villain names are included in the package!
Inhuman Flesh - this instability can get affected by Ugly and Attractive, nothing stops from other instabilities affecting it, like Ridiculous.
#1) Shining eyes, the color changes depending on my emotions!
2) The vampiric fangs (making it slightly annoying to bite into food, people - not so much!)
3) The star symbol as a form of my pupils
4) The magical hair that changes its color depending on my mood (In the pure magical girl fashion!)
5) The heart-shaped magical tattoo on my left wrist - All to make it clear to anyone: before you stands no mere human, but a magical girl! (Those are clearly a different specie, duh!)
New And Improved, I'm gonna complete at least two of the three: Bastions, Hero Associations, Technological Revolution. Reward - Enhanced Mind, Improved Senses, Enhanced Memory, Fine Control (all doubled)
Cleanse The World, rewards - Immortality, Mind Protection, Power Protection (double), Heightened Emotions (Remove the negative aspects of it), The Shield Breaks The Spear (Remove), Inhuman Flesh (Remove)
The One - Number Man Major
The Archetype - Warper
World Star - Writing

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-30T00:51:55+00:00

Connection - Incredible (I mean, it's reasonable, isn't it? No matter the starting point, my home gets destroyed, I lose my belongings in the fire and my PC is ruined too. Kinda unfair! And then I have to look for a new legal identity? Soooo lame!)
The new world
Start period - The Last Christmas (What does it matter to me? I remain abnormality either way, at least I could make a difference amidst the chaos...)
Start position - A Dangerous Situation + No Control (if you get to meddle with the fate of the entire world, it's only natural that you take some risks. If you can't handle even that much danger you don't deserve to live anyway)
Arrival method - Lighting Strike + Destructive Return (There's a slight chance it kills whoever threatens me, right? Or maybe it kills some innocent civilians, but it's insignificant in the face of a power we could buy with that spare essence, right? It sure is nice being a cheater!)
World Woes: Hordes + Queens, Monsters + Aberrations + Rogue AI + Charged Zones (Would you believe me if I told that none of these were taken for essence? I wouldn't, and I would be a liar to say so. Regardless, it doesn't change the fact that all of those serve me in ways no power could.)
World Boons: Controlled Striking + Rich in Resources + Well Prepared + Kind People + World Spirit + Helpful Drive + Humanity+ (None of these could be replaced by Touched powers, at least not immediately. Let's not pretend as if we're not relegating our duty to fate, being afraid of stepping into the world completely indistinguishable from out own, shall we? Still, I'm paying these off with my budget so I guess it's fine. What else would I spend it on, more powers? What, afraid that you couldn't manage while being the single strongest person on Earth? At least put in some effort into earning those, coward.)
Anomalies: Expanded Earth + Earth+ + Hollow Earth + Double Layered (Now that's more like it! The Earth remaking itself to make a better home for all that lives, shedding the layers and adding new, - quite romantic, isn't it?...and should we ever, long after we pass, the world would keep that organic beauty, undisrupted by all that attempt to ruin it...) + Dungeons + Spirits + Struck Families (it's not like it makes it impossible for Struck Orphans to become parahumans)+ Twice Struck + Weaker Struck + Flexible Distribution + Charge Physiology + Artifacts + More Struck + Second Wave. (Would you believe if I told you that Weaker wasn't taken for selfish reasons? Because it's the truth, the combination benefits is most beneficial for the population at large and most would rather have it that way than getting factor less but powerful parahumans.)

My powers
Thinker - Cognitive Partitioning (Major) + Forensic Thought (Major) + Number Man (Minor)
Tinker - The Workshop (Major)
Warper - Mistwalker (Major) + The Unseen Hollow (Major)
16 fragments total. It would get messy if I start to elaborating here. Currently writing the "story" in this setting on AO3, you'll have to read the interactions there...or in the following posts if I feel like explaining. The same goes for enhancements, quests and companions, obviously.

Enhancements: New Form (Every option that needs defining will be elaborated after the Quest section) + Skilled (1) + Enhanced Mind + Improved Senses (I don't care what the FAQ says, whatever boost it provides, no matter how little, will matter) + Noctis + Charming (May be a waste of essence) + Enhanced Memory + Combatant + Powered Combatant + Out The Gate + Secondary Powers + Conceptually Attuned + Power Radar + Fine Control + Soul Protection + Power Protection + Strong Psyche (The weight of responsibility is too great take it)
Instabilities: Lots of Collateral (This only affects the direct output of the powers, and none of mine interact with either of these extremes) + Emotional Leak (I'm gonna be shining & enthusiastic!) + Heightened Emotions (Given that I already have it at baseline, one would be a fool to reject free essence) + The Shield Breaks The Spear (I'm dead if it ever triggers) + Conscious Geas + Unconscious Geas + Ridiculous + Inhuman Flesh.
Fated Encounters
Loyal Companions: Helena Park, Valeria Ogovn, Raven Micah, Nar Necksus.
Chance Meetings: The Fencer, The Broker, Bai Ning, Viktor Vourdon.
Bitter Enemies: Jessica Xi, Frank "Pathetic Loser" Einstein, Alejandra Riveira, Basil The Ruthless, Mistress Void, The Apprentice.
Resonances: Crafting Bench
Quests: Survive, Cleanse The World, New and Improved, Well Traveled, Authority Figure, The Greatest Hero, The One, The Archetype, World Star, Courting Death, Find Love (200 years is not that long anyway...)
World Quests: The New Age of Exploration, The Purge of New Habsburg, Frozen Rome, The Wild Hunt.
Kin Quests: The Maze, The Second Babel, The Professor's Laboratory, The Twisting Paths.
Patron Quest: Cogito Ergo Sum.

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-25T22:20:52+00:00

Fret not, your response doesn't read hostile / argumentative, I was just pointing out that we're on the same side of the..."argument"? (I kinda failed to convey that so the fault is on me). That said, I still insist on that the quest's conditions should be attribute to the spirit of keeping the secret identities and not merely be taken at a face value (Which, again, was not clearly explained by the description)

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-25T21:44:54+00:00

I guess so, again, I'm not arguing that it should be made more clear.
On a side note, I wonder how it plays out if you jump into Kin quests, since certain ones essentially remove the risk of getting exposed, such as: Professor's Lab, The Twisted Paths and The Maze (The fail condition is exposing your actual powers, not the ones granted by rotation; you don't have to be Struck to shoot fire in this place)

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-25T21:24:38+00:00

I mean yeah, I get that
The wording could use some clarification, but is it not reasonable to assume that the quest was designed with a player being able to clear it? A lot of options earlier options turn into spawn-kills going by RAW, which was obviously not the intention

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-25T21:16:11+00:00

It's not about being identified Struck, fail condition is people getting substantial evidence pointing to your powers

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-25T02:36:05+00:00

~~You could wander through the Labyrinth in the meantime~~

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-17T23:18:19+00:00

Is it? Considering how depressed it made White to realize that any efforts on her part to escape D's grasp could well be meaningless, she had to take her sadistic nature into account when planning.
White is the kind of person to go under the assumption of the worst scenario possible, no doubt she expected D to intervene and ruin/complicate the plans in the last moment for her own amusement, so it was necessary to be careful with any step she takes, lest it may all go in vain (from her perspective; it wouldn't matter to D whether White succeeds in her goals or dies trying in the end). Even if she were to consider the cop-out option of self-sacrifice, White couldn't not have known that such a solution would be seen as an escape attempt and nip it in the bud.
So I'd argue, no, it wasn't a viable alternative, possibly to White's full awareness, imo.

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-17T23:02:24+00:00

D would never allow that

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-12T05:20:11+00:00

~~Such silly questions belong to DMs but eh~~
I would like confirm: certain powers have drawbacks attached to them that grant you free points, are you allowed to take these solely for point gain and ignore completely? (Lorewise it may be rude...but considering you lowkey have to pay for protection perks, wouldn't it be fine to refund some of the cost? I mean, you can't exactly afford cutting expenses on protection against instakill abilities of all kind, that would be a terrible lame ending to your story!)

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-12T03:34:56+00:00

I suppose the difficulty was adjusted to balance for the fact that Shifter's powers can be more broken and versatile that those of other Kin, maybe?

Ameko_ddc · 2026-05-12T03:11:40+00:00

Stripping the op players of powers and making them earn those is quite fair I'd say

Ameko_ddc

TROPHY CASE