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Iced Cocoa
Jul 14, 2011

This, this is the chapter where I snapped. I had expected him to work on something small, like the lock of his chains and cell. And then he tortures a mouse to death. And he kills gives minor injuries to Black. Now Railrunner has no excuse for his actions.

This marks the first deliberate non-accidental kill of a human made by Railrunner in first person. The rest of the chapter is too vague to mark a killcount. But it doesn't mean that the rest of the book will be as vague.

JosephWongKS posted:

NO NO NO NO NO! NOW HE GETS loving BLOOD-BENDING ON TOP OF LIGHTNING-BENDING AND METAL-BENDING? THIS IS BULLSHIT! MIGHT AS WELL GIVE HIM ENERGY-BENDING WHILE YOU ARE AT IT!

:argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh:

There is at least one more Bending power left in the last chapters of the book. And it is Glorious :allears:

JosephWongKS posted:

List of Railrunner’s powers

Chapter 15
23. Bend blood
24. See in the dark

25. Heightened sense of smell (used to find an exit of all things)


Bobbin Threadbare posted:

Goddamnit. I knew this would happen, but I didn't expect I'd be so literal about it.

I hadn't expected it as well. Because I was kind of expecting some kind of literary device where Black was sort of equal to Darkrail if not the same person, so having Railrunner be just slightly annoyed by Black, who is comically evil, and then dispatch of him like no big thing, it didn't say good things about the final climax of the book.

quote:

I took a shortcut through the woods. It felt like the night I spent with Clare, but after this night, those days were over. Never again would that be a reality, only a dream. I ran to the edge of a cliff. It was the one where you could see every bit of Huntersville. I scanned below, within no time, I spotted the history museum. In the brambles behind it, were Thunderbark and the gang. I threw back my head and howled like a wolf to signal that I had arrived. I could feel that Thunderbark was happy as could be. And so was I.

I can't believe no one caught this yet.

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Mercedes
Mar 7, 2006

"So you Jesus?"

"And you black?"

"Nigga prove it!"

And so Black Jesus turned water into a bucket of chicken. And He saw that it was good.




Detective Black... Noooooo!!!!!! :argh:

Punished Chuck
Dec 27, 2010

Yeah, Miranda, I thought X-Men 2 was a pretty cool movie too.

Also, think of it as a good thing that Detective Black is finally out of this story, and able to find one that deserves him :angel:

attackbunny
May 1, 2009
Railrunner runs away like a coward while Detective Black stitches up his own chest.

quote:

I then pulled my wheels apart, the mouse squeaked in sudden
shock. Its fragile bones snapped as it suddenly got on its hindquarters. It cried in pain. I watched in pure amazement, I was manipulating the metal within the mouse’s body!
Rodney's a sociopath.

I can't seriously believe Miranda wrote those sentences about this mouse's fragile bones snapping while it cried out in pain and still decided this was an awesome new skill.

John Lee
Mar 2, 2013

A time traveling adventure everyone can enjoy

Man, if I discovered I could move people's bodies with a thought, my first thought would not be to test a creature to destruction, just to see if I could. Like, this is getting seriously messed up. I was willing to give a pass on the multiple murders, because... hey, rage, UNSTOPPABLE ROLLERCOASTER POWERS, etc. It was poorly done, but one could make the excuse. But there's no excuse for "Whoa, I can move this mouse! *CRUNCH SNAP* AND I can break it's bones! Neato!"

Rahonavis
Jan 11, 2012

"Clevuh gurrrl..."

John Lee posted:

Man, if I discovered I could move people's bodies with a thought, my first thought would not be to test a creature to destruction, just to see if I could. Like, this is getting seriously messed up. I was willing to give a pass on the multiple murders, because... hey, rage, UNSTOPPABLE ROLLERCOASTER POWERS, etc. It was poorly done, but one could make the excuse. But there's no excuse for "Whoa, I can move this mouse! *CRUNCH SNAP* AND I can break it's bones! Neato!"

To be fair, the way Bloodbending (which this "manipulate the miniscule amounts of metal within a living creature's body" power essentially is, just totally different and original you guys cause this version is based on Earthbending instead of Waterbending) is introduced in "Avatar", we see the person who figured out the technique starting out by doing unpleasant things to little animals while she was imprisoned, then moving on to her captors. She doesn't kill any of them; just the act of controlling people against their will is worse. In any case, endless font of creativity, thy name is Leeks.

Should note that "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and it's sequel-series "Legend of Korra" are both incredibly awesome, so please do not skip them just because they are referenced in this huge clusterfuck of a novel.

JosephWongKS
Apr 4, 2009

by Nyc_Tattoo
Chapter 16 – Robbery

quote:


“So, you figured it out?” Thunderbark asked.

“Yes, after a while I did.”


These guys have blood-bending, metal-bending, fire-bending, lightning-bending, super-strength, super-agility, immunity to bullets and healing factor. I really, really don’t understand why they are so afraid of being discovered by humans or why they spend so much time and effort trying to hide their existence.


quote:


“All right, time to carry out the plan. Static if you will –.”

“Certainly.” He replied rolling toward the back door. He stopped just a few inches away and held his cable straight in the air.

“Might want to cover your ears.” Merrylegs smiled.

I obeyed her and anxiously watched Static. An electrical spark ran through his tail. The cable vibrated, making a strident beep. It was very high in pitch, so high that the dogs barked for miles. The sensor at the door began to smoke and hiss, and then it shut down completely, unlocking the door.

“Human technology can be poo poo sometimes,” Static laughed. “The whole circuit should be disabled now, but it will only last, in my calculations, ten minutes. Best if you hurry.”


Human writing is poo poo in this book only because were-amusement park rides get all kinds of stupid Mary Sue powers.


quote:


“Thanks Static, now travel to the security room and stick by the controls in case the circuit is switched back on.” Thunderbark ordered.

“Can do.” He said going inside.

Merrylegs went into the museum next and Thunderbark and I followed.

The white coaster looked at all the corridors, and then he signaled for me to adhere behind him.


“Adhere” =/= “Follow”.


quote:


We walked through a long dark hallway to a door on the right. I opened it to reveal a long flight of stairs that led upwards.


They also have the power to shrink and expand at will, because that’s the only reason a pair of twenty-foot long, twenty thousand pound roller-coasters can manage to fit into a museum corridor and a staircase.


quote:


I started my decent [sic] up the shaft, pushing through the stairways at ease; Thunderbark followed a few feet behind.


Oh yes, they have the power to control gravity too.


quote:


We finally reached the sixth floor, I burst through the door.

Thunderbark climbed out and stood with me. My eyes scanned the area, and then a daunting thought crossed my mind.

“You think the heat sensors are still on?” I asked.

“Let’s see -,” he said. Thunderbark then bent down and blew out an icy mist. It made the air cold and bits of frost pop up here and there. One by one little red lasers showed up.


And now they have the power to breathe “icy mist” as well.


quote:


“You were right.” He said staring in amazement at the web of sensors.

“drat.” I replied. I looked around for some answer to this predicament. I noticed that there were none on the ceiling. I smiled, and then I extracted my claws and stuck them into the wall. I climbed upward, gripping the ceiling and navigating upside down. Thunderbark followed my action.


And the power to walk on walls and ceilings, notwithstanding the fact that they weigh twenty thousand pounds.


quote:


“Good thinking on your part!” he congratulated.

“Thanks! It’s kind of like going through a loop.” I replied.

Finally I could see the display case holding the Augu Ra.

“Almost there.”

“Good because our time is running out.” He said coming next to me.

“How much is left?” I asked, as I carefully pressed onward.

“Three minutes.”

“Next time keep that comment to yourself.” I groaned. Thunderbark then shook his head.

“Fine, there are no sensors surrounding the Augu Ra, we can drop.” He said as he detached from the ceiling, twisting around so he landed on his wheels like a cat would land on its paws. I followed his action, astonishingly, my wheels made a quiet impact on the thick carpet.


And the power to fall and land quietly on their feet wheels, notwithstanding the fact that unlike cats’ paws, wheels are neither soft nor padded, and also cats weigh around ten pounds while roller coasters weigh twenty thousand pounds.


quote:


I took one of my claws and drew a large circle on the glass case surrounding the Augu Ra just as a spy would. Thunderbark caught the glass as it fell to the floor. He sat it aside, and then grinned at the necklace and me.

“Go ahead, Railrunner, It’s yours.” He said looking at me with his blue eyes. I sighed and reached my wheels in. Their nylon tips touched the Firinium necklace. A ripple went down my back.


Are wheels typically tipped with nylon? The things I’m learning from this book.


quote:


“Can you feel its power?” Thunderbark encouraged.

“Yes, I can.” I said taking it from its holders. I pulled it from the case and held it in the air, moonlight from the windows flickered from it, making it shine like sequins. I held it over my head, and then let it fall gently around my neck.

A cold mist raced through me, as my muscles tensed up. Power was restored to my body. I felt stronger than I ever was, except from when I rolled on the track. I let out a deep sigh in satisfaction and pleasure.

“Ready?” The white coaster asked.

“Ready, Thunderbark.”

We quietly made our way down to the lobby to where Static and Merrylegs waited.

“We must hurry! Time is getting short! The sun will be up soon!”

Merrylegs said galloping to the exit.

“Yeah, we must hurry if we are going to see Clare. Also the police and FBI plan to invade us.” said Thunderbark bravely.

We ran as a pack in the direction where Clare lived, the Augu Ra had given me new strengths, but it would not give me support when I had to say goodbye to the one I loved.


“Invade” =/= “Capture” or “Arrest”

JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Apr 21, 2013

JosephWongKS
Apr 4, 2009

by Nyc_Tattoo
List of Railrunner’s powers

Chapter 4
1. Remotely shatter glass
2. Possesses claws that are 15-inch long and perfectly sharp

Chapter 5
3. Ability to run “faster than a car at top speed”
4. Can “hear anything and everything”
5. Heightened stealth

Chapter 7
6. Bend lightning
7. Bend fire
8. Super strength
9. Super agility
10. Predict when things will happen, except death
11. Sense trouble
12. Never get sick
13. Venomous
14. Sight of a dragon
15. Gain power from amusement parks and carnivals
16. Control the speed of rides and how long they last

Chapter 10
17. Healing factor

Chapter 11
18. Immunity to bullets

Chapter 12
19. Can change at will if wearing the Augu Ra
20. Can move between the worlds when wearing the Augu Ra

Chapter 13
21. Can fire concussion beams

Chapter 14
22. Bend metal

Chapter 15
23. Bend blood
24. See in the dark
25. Heightened sense of smell

Chapter 16
26. Shrink at will to fit into confined spaces
27. Control gravity so that they can "descend up"
28. Breathe “icy mist” that reveals infra-red sensors
29. Walk on walls and ceilings
30. Fall and land quietly on their wheels

JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 16:11 on Apr 21, 2013

JosephWongKS
Apr 4, 2009

by Nyc_Tattoo
List of damage caused by Railrunner

Chapter 4
1. Shattered the beer bottles being held by his friends Buddy and Sly, injuring their hands
2. Killed a cat
3. Wrecked the ambulance that came in response to Buddy and Sly's injuries
4. Wrecked a bar, killing at least 1 civilian
5. Attacked the bar-owner
6. Attacked the police officers who came in response to the chaos, killing 5 of them

Chapter 5
7. Killed and ate a bull

Chapter 8
8. Attacked his girlfriend Clare

Chapter 9
9. Attacked Detective Black when he jumped in front of Clare to defend her from Railrunner's assault
10. Ran through the carnival, destroying nearly everything in his path, from toppling over small rides to completely obliterating food stands
11. Killed and ate a "fat black and white dairy cow"
12. Attacked and killed a SWAT officer who came in response to the chaos
13. Attacked his girlfriend Clare again
14. Attacked Detective Black again
15. Tried to attack Thunderbark with lightning

Chapter 11
16. Cold-bloodedly murdered a gang of thugs who had accosted Clare but who had swiftly surrendered after seeing Railrunner's were-roller-coaster form
17. Attacked a pair of police officers who had come in response to a report of armed robbery in the area
18. Pushed large trucks out of his way while chasing the abovementioned police officers on the road, presumably causing multiple vehicle collisions

Chapter 13
19. Killed a police officer by biting him in the neck
20. Killed another police officer by deflecting a bullet back into the police officer
21. Caused mass destruction to a group of police officers by firing a “concussion beam”
22. Flattened some more police officers by “flipping their cruisers” and crushing them underneath

Chapter 15
23. Cruelly destroyed a mouse by manipulating the metal in its blood
24. Inflicted a minor injury on Detective Black
25. Slammed a few police offices on to a wall
26. Smashed a few more police officers with his tail
27. Knocked out a police officer by popping open his restraint
28. Attempted to crush a FBI captain by throwing a police car at him

Chapter 16
29. Broke into a museum and stole a piece of jewellery known as the Augu Ra

attackbunny
May 1, 2009
Rodney and his minions hatch a plan to steal a mcguffin from a museum. The plan is carefully explained to the reader beforehand and goes off without a hitch thanks to several spontaneously-generated superpowers. Miranda Leek doesn't know how to write books.

quote:

“Good because our time is running out.” He said coming next to me.

“How much is left?” I asked, as I carefully pressed onward.

“Three minutes.”

“Next time keep that comment to yourself.” I groaned. Thunderbark then shook his head.
Yeah, Thunderbark, you douchefuck, stop answering questions people ask you.

quote:

“Yeah, we must hurry if we are going to see Clare. Also the police and FBI plan to invade us.” said Thunderbark bravely.
What's there to be brave about? Literally the only police officer or FBI agent who's caused these overpowered dickbags more than eight seconds of trouble is currently otherwise occupied sewing up his torso.

attackbunny fucked around with this message at 16:24 on Apr 21, 2013

my dad
Oct 17, 2012

this shall be humorous

quote:

adhere/follow
invade/capture
:psyduck:

Miranda's word choice errors are really weird. They'd make sense if she weren't from an English-speaking country (hell, I made worse on this very forum), but since she's from the US, I'm just... baffled.

attackbunny
May 1, 2009
Is it possible that 'adhere behind him' is meant to mean 'stick behind him', in that Thunderbark is telling Railrunner to stay back? 'Adhere' has got to be one of the words you'd get if you looked 'stick' up in a thesaurus. Same for 'invade' and either 'capture (a nation)' and 'attack'. So all she's doing is looking up the word she actually wants in a thesaurus and picking something that sounds fancier regardless of its actual connotations.

Pretty sure I'm putting more thought into Miranda Leek's word choices than she did.

Crowetron
Apr 29, 2009

"Human technology sucks," says the bumper car.

hyperhazard
Dec 4, 2011

I am the one lascivious
With magic potion niveous

quote:

He said as he detached from the ceiling, twisting around so he landed on his wheels like a cat would land on its paws. I followed his action, astonishingly, my wheels made a quiet impact on the thick carpet.

Good thing the curators thought to cover the room with wall-to-wall high pile carpet!

Iced Cocoa
Jul 14, 2011

JosephWongKS posted:

These guys have blood-bending, metal-bending, fire-bending, lightning-bending, super-strength, super-agility, immunity to bullets and healing factor. I really, really don’t understand why they are so afraid of being discovered by humans or why they spend so much time and effort trying to hide their existence.

...

“Invade” =/= “Capture” or “Arrest”

I think she really meant "Invade" here. Remember when the only way to go between the worlds required Firinium? Don't worry if you forgot, because Miranda forgot too. :downs:

I believe that this is a kind of a trope. Human invading fantasy land to take over everything. At least it is kind of familiar. There's the history of witchhunting, throughout several fantasy books all fantasy creatures or people with magic have been afraid of regular humans. I believe Frankenstein to be the earliest example of it, where the pitchfork brigade really makes its appearance.

Though why I feel it like this is the case is kind of hard to grasp for me. I've been trying to find examples for humans destroying or enslaving fantasy worlds but it kind of falls short. Maybe it's more like how the industry of humans is killing the nature and all that somehow translated over to this mess of a book. If anyone knows a bit more about this sort of thing please tell me.

And also:

JosephWongKS posted:


Chapter 16
26. Shrink at will to fit into confined spaces
27. Control gravity so that they can "descend up"
28. Breathe “icy mist” that reveals infra-red sensors
29. Walk on walls and ceilings
30. Fall and land quietly on their wheels

This is Thunderbark's power, not Railrunner's. Don't worry, Thunderbark will give his very stupid reason for why that is so later.

Iced Cocoa fucked around with this message at 16:56 on Apr 21, 2013

GrizzlyCow
May 30, 2011
I don't think she meant gravity control when Railrunner "descended up". I think she just meant they climbed up but wrote it in a roundabout way.

Oblivion4568238
Oct 10, 2012

The Inquisition.
What a show.
The Inquisition.
Here. We. Go.
College Slice

GrizzlyCow posted:

I don't think she meant gravity control when Railrunner "descended up". I think she just meant they climbed up but wrote it in a roundabout way.

Of course that's what she meant, the problem is that descend means: "to go or pass from a higher to a lower place; move or come down." No usage of descend can mean upwards movement, so the only way to "descend up" is if gravity is upside down at the time.

Rahonavis
Jan 11, 2012

"Clevuh gurrrl..."

JosephWongKS posted:

These guys have blood-bending, metal-bending, fire-bending, lightning-bending, super-strength, super-agility, immunity to bullets and healing factor. I really, really don’t understand why they are so afraid of being discovered by humans or why they spend so much time and effort trying to hide their existence.

And really, all it would take for an explanation is, "We don't trust humans because (pick one) if you learned about our powers you'd find some way to exploit them / you tend not to react sensibly when you encounter something really unusual or shocking, so we just don't want to have to deal with your reaction to real live dragons living rollercoasters / we saw what you did to the Dodo Megalania." That's such a cliche in fantastic fiction that it shouldn't even bother me anymore, but it really does. My guess is that Leek's thinking here is, "Well the Wizards in Harry Potter keep themselves and all other magical beings and objects secret because of Plot Reasons; I guess my totes awesomesauce rollercoasters have to act that same way!"

With these lists of new-powers-as-the-plot-demands, I almost want to go over to the DeviantArt thread and round up the most (unintentionally) hilarious dragonlike OCs to see how they compare with Railrunner and the gang...

TombsGrave
Feb 15, 2008

The opposite of descend is "ascend! They "ascended" the staircase.

Yannow, the logical response to "how are they going to sneak around as roller coasters" is "they don't." Sneaking into a museum should've required them switch to their human forms and use their wits and mundane skills to win the day. That would've gotten us on the hero... er, protagonist... ...viewpoint characters' side, because then we'd see that they're not just the ostensible protagonists because they have sweet powers, but because they're brave enough to risk themselves to accomplish their goals, even without sweet powers backing them up.

But no, being a roller coaster is unanimously superior to not being a roller coaster. Freeze breath and gecko toes ensue!

hyperhazard
Dec 4, 2011

I am the one lascivious
With magic potion niveous

JosephWongKS posted:

List of Railrunner's powers
...
Chapter 16
26. Shrink at will to fit into confined spaces
27. Control gravity so that they can "descend up"
28. Breathe “icy mist” that reveals infra-red sensors
29. Walk on walls and ceilings
30. Fall and land quietly on their wheels

Don't forget "spontaneously grow claws even though he only has wheels for fingers."

quote:

I took one of my claws and drew a large circle on the glass case surrounding the Augu Ra just as a spy would. Thunderbark caught the glass as it fell to the floor. He sat it aside, and then grinned at the necklace and me.

“Go ahead, Railrunner, It’s yours.” He said looking at me with his blue eyes. I sighed and reached my wheels in. Their nylon tips touched the Firinium necklace.

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

JosephWongKS posted:

Are wheels typically tipped with nylon? The things I’m learning from this book.

On a roller coaster? It's entirely possible. Roller coaster wheels surround the track on three sides and are made of hard plastic to allow some give while providing a strong grip. Wheel placements usually hold three or six wheels, which is why the illustrations use the wheels as "fingers" rather than hands.

my dad posted:

:psyduck:

Miranda's word choice errors are really weird. They'd make sense if she weren't from an English-speaking country (hell, I made worse on this very forum), but since she's from the US, I'm just... baffled.

I've already alluded to this sort of thing as Roget-approved purple prose; it's common among inexperienced writers who want to sound fancy.

JosephWongKS
Apr 4, 2009

by Nyc_Tattoo

hyperhazard posted:

Don't forget "spontaneously grow claws even though he only has wheels for fingers."


This was already shown in Chapter Four. They can grow claws out of their wheels.

Chapter Four posted:


He reared back and out of his wheels grew three fifteen –inch stainless steel blades that were perfectly sharp. Railrunner racked [sic] his claws across the quartz counter...



Miranda Leek has also drawn a picture of their wheel-claws:

Iced Cocoa posted:


But what's more gansta than a hidden weapon of sorts?



JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Apr 22, 2013

hyperhazard
Dec 4, 2011

I am the one lascivious
With magic potion niveous

JosephWongKS posted:

This was already shown in Chapter Four. They can grow claws out of their wheels.



Miranda Leek has also drawn a picture of their wheel-claws:

Goddamnit. I must have repressed that. :(

JosephWongKS
Apr 4, 2009

by Nyc_Tattoo
Chapter 17 - Love Hurts

quote:


We prowled quietly among the backs of houses. Clare’s neighborhood was silent. Not even the crickets chirped. I led the way through bushes and trees. Wet grass brushed against my metal as we walked. Merrylegs was right; the sun would be rising soon. If it came up before we reached the portal, we would have to wait another day, by then the authorities would capture us and we would be on national news. Dooming Amusement Park Between on so many accounts.


Good! You guys are terrible and deserve to be doomed.


quote:


Finally we reached Clare’s house, I quietly sneaked over her fence, to find Clare drinking coffee on her back porch. “Railrunner!” she said dropping her coffee and running to me. She wrapped her arms around me as far as they could. “Thank goodness you are okay! What happened to you?”

“I was captured by Black and the FBI, but later escaped. That is why I haven’t got very long to -,” I said trailing off. I could not say it.

“To do what?” she asked concerned.

I gulped. “To say goodbye.”

Clare looked at me startled. It was obvious that she was tearing up.

“Oh, Railrunner, Why do you have to leave?”

Thunderbark appeared up next to me for support. Clare looked at him in awe. She then watched Merrylegs and Static climb out of the brambles. “Miss Clare, I am Thunderbark.” The white coaster addressed her like a gentleman. “It is so very hard to tell you this. The FBI and the press is on our tails, if we are captured we will be exposed to the public. The worst will probably happen to us. Amusement Park Between will be lost to an evil dictator that wants nothing but the blood spilled from our race.”


Shouldn’t it be “oil” or “lubricant” spilled?


quote:


“I see.” She replied quietly. “Will you ever return?”

“I will momentarily after I defeat Ironwheel.” I began.

“You mean you can’t stay?”

“It is not possible. Most people cannot accept me for what I am unlike you. That’s why I love you Clare, because you have stuck beside me for all these years. Through thick and thin, and through our ups and downs.” I coaxed, trying to get her spirits up.


Most people cannot accept you for what you are because you an amoral, sadistic, murderous psychopath. That Clare can accept you speaks very poorly of her.


quote:


“I feel the same way about you. I like you just the way you are, even if you have metal instead of skin.” She giggled nervously.

A small smile spread across my face. I wanted to kiss her and cradle her in my arms, but I couldn’t.

“Railrunner, I will never stop loving you, I will never love anybody else, and my heart is yours, forever.” Clare smiled as a tear went down her cheek.

“And mine is yours.” I replied.

She jumped up and hugged me, tears rolling down her face onto my shoulder. Tears produced from my eyes too. They fell onto her soft blond hair.

“You’re a strong woman Clare, I greatly admire that.”

“I still think you’re a strong man, even though you’re not human” she said looking up at me wiping her eyes. She then leaned in cautiously and kissed my cheek. I smiled at her and gently licked the side of hers.


What happened to “I wanted to kiss her… but I couldn’t”?


quote:


“I know that’s not considered a real kiss,” I said frowning a little.

“Its alright Railrunner, any from you is fare [sic] game. You had better get going before they find you.” She said as she lowered her head and let more tears stream down her cheeks. I sighed and gently placed a wheel just under her chin; making her look back into my eyes.


“Placed a wheel just under her chin.” Just when I thought there was no way this “romance” scene could be any dumber.


quote:


“Clare, I’ll be back soon. Don’t you worry,” I said smoothly.

“Soon seems like a long time.” She sighed.

“It does not have to be. Your frog prince will be back before you know it.”

Clare giggled at my comment. I gave her a final hug as Thunderbark, Merrylegs, and Static said farewell to Clare and headed out the gate. I slowly followed them, I turned to look back to see Clare wave.

Suddenly loud sirens pierced through the crisp night air, sounding like thousands of screams.

“Railrunner! Run!” she pleaded. I nodded and ran to join my troop. It was true what they say, love does hurt.


I hope you all get caught by the police and locked away in jail forever, you horrible monsters.

JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 13:03 on Apr 22, 2013

Iced Cocoa
Jul 14, 2011

And here Thunderbark has apparently changed his mind about Railrunner being in love with a human. In fact, in the last chapter it is he who brings up seeing Clare before they leave. Why is Thunderbark suddenly approving of the relationship now? Did Railrunner manage to change his mind in the same part where Thunderbark tells Railrunner about the concussion beam power?

Next chapter is going to be Amazing :magical:

where the red fern gropes
Aug 24, 2011


Just making sure... she's writing a second one, right? At least she's doing what she loves - writing self-insert fiction about how she'd sleep with a rollercoaster if she could.

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

Ah, the perfect, unending, undefeatable love of adolescence. Back when you still think that love is some irresistible force and not more about finding reasons to stand each other.

Seraphic Neoman
Jul 19, 2011


I just caught up to the blood-bending. That is the cheapest bullshit cop-out I ever saw.And don't worry, guys. Having his chest ripped apart just pisses Detective Black off more.
Goddamn it's like every member of the law enforcement is a badass. FBI "Captain" Vicks pulled some Black Lagoon poo poo when he attacked Psychocoaster with his loving RPG. I mean how long does it take to reload one? And he was firing them in a fairly rapid succession!

~*Fanfiction*~ posted:

Detective Black woke up in a hospital bed. His entire body ached from Railrunner's assault.
Captain Vicks entered the room, his arm in a sling "He got you too, huh?"
Detective Black looked down at his chest. The doctors went overboard with the bandages, he didn't even need them.
"It's just a scratch. I'll be more prepared next time." He growled
Suddenly, he straightened up "Vicks, my men! They were in the hallway when he escaped! How are they?"
Vicks shifted uncomfortably "Most were right in his path. They were doing everything they could to stop him. One even tried to copy your trick with the machete."
"drat fool."
"That's what I said. But he wanted to impress you. They look up to you, you know? Anyway, they took a few bruises but for the most part-"
"Vicks, don't sugar-coat it"
"We lost a few, Black. Both on my team and yours"
"I see." Detective Black's face darkened. "Send my regards to their families. No, better yet, I'll do it myself. The second these doctors let me go."
Suddenly Vicks' radio crackled to life "We found the fugitives! Requesting backup!"
"I gotta go! You stay and rest."
"Are you sure? I can-"
"Yes! Don't worry, I got Vanessa here. I'll be fine." Vicks hefted his RPG and deftly reloaded it using only his good arm. The new rocket had "hugs and kisses" hastily scrawled on its side.
"Hey Vicks."
"Yeah?"
"Try not to miss this time. I don't want you to redecorate someone's garage like you did mine"
"rear end in a top hat" Vicks chuckled.
The two men waved to each other as Vicks ran out of the room.

What has this thread done to me?

attackbunny
May 1, 2009

SSNeoman posted:


What has this thread done to me?
Only good things.

quote:

Thunderbark appeared up next to me for support. Clare looked at him in awe. She then watched Merrylegs and Static climb out of the brambles.
Merrylegs, okay, but how the gently caress does a bumper car climb out of anything?

my dad
Oct 17, 2012

this shall be humorous

attackbunny posted:

Only good things.
Merrylegs, okay, but how the gently caress does a bumper car climb out of anything?

Well, it's a bumpy ride.

Shonagon
Mar 27, 2005

It is impervious to reason or pleading, it knows no mercy or patience.

SSNeoman posted:

What has this thread done to me?

I'm this close to writing some Black/Railrunner slash fic. I feel sure that Detective Black's hostile attitude is actually rooted in his secret desire to be rendered helpless by a strong rollercoaster's tender wheels.

linall
Feb 1, 2007

quote:

“Human technology can be poo poo sometimes,” Static laughed. “The whole circuit should be disabled now, but it will only last, in my calculations, ten minutes. Best if you hurry.”

Yeah, stupid useless self-healing electronics.

quote:

“Railrunner! Run!”

Do that thing you do! I would forgive everything in this book if random people kept asking the main characters to do things that are in their names. Thunderbark! Bark!

linall fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Apr 23, 2013

Jeek
Feb 15, 2012
Thank you, JosephWongKS, for taking us on this :magical: journey.

Shonagon posted:

I'm this close to writing some Black/Railrunner slash fic. I feel sure that Detective Black's hostile attitude is actually rooted in his secret desire to be rendered helpless by a strong rollercoaster's tender wheels.

I am quite sure that the slash fic would end up having higher literary value than the original.

horriblePencilist
Oct 18, 2012

It's a Dirt Devil!
Get it?
Just caught up on this thread and holy poo poo there's so much :magical:

First of all, I'm not entirely clear on the Amusement Park Between. The book description describes it as "amusement ride heaven", where decommissioned rides go, but apparently rides that aren't regular rides but rather organic creatures are born here which are supposed to be related to actual rides in the real world but not really? Also, if nothing but rides exist in Amusement Park Between, what do the rides eat? And how would roller coasters possibly evolve into predatory creatures? And why would Thunderbark possibly hang onto Static if lightning is already part of a rollercoaster's powerset?
Man, I can't believe there's a book with lore that gets me more aggravated than Rosario + Vampire.

Also,

Twisted posted:

The rides only hope is the key to their prophecy, "The Red Will Defeat The Black".

Twisted posted:

Detective Black
Leek has the subtlety of, well, a roller coaster.

I want to know what an Amusement Park Between Power Builder from Legoland would look like. Maybe I can commission Leek to draw one? Needless to say, should it not have the smuggest possible expression and rock-hard abs, I want my money back.

horriblePencilist
Oct 18, 2012

It's a Dirt Devil!
Get it?
:spergin::science: Time!

Assuming Railrunner has magnetic abilities, and assuming the stupidity of "only being able to manipulate a few grains of iron at a time" is valid and would actually prevent him from just straight up moving the cell bars, let's see how bullshit it STILL is for Railrunner to pull off what could be the most far fetched and improbable escape for the sole reason of shamelessly ripping off The Last Airbender!

According to MedlinePlus, the normal amount of iron in the blood of a human is 60mcg/dL - 170mcg/dL. (For imperial unit folks, mcg/dL stands for microgram per deciliter, with microgram being a MILLIONTH of a gram.) Furthermore, a human body contains 5.6L/56dL blood, so let's give Leek the benefit of the doubt and say that police issue cereal is really high in iron, therefore our Detective Black has the maximum healthy iron amount of 170mcg/dL. Which equates to a whopping 9.520 milligrams of iron for Railrunner to control. As crazy as she might be, Miranda got one thing right: 10 milligrams are a tenth of a large sand grain, so yes, manipulating all the iron in a human body is actually well within Railrunners scope of abilities. Unfortunately for him, standing in the rain is more effective than moving that amount of iron around. But for the sake of the argument, let's say Railrunner is capable to induce a massive amount of upward momentum in the natural iron stirring in Black's body, so much in fact as to negate the effects of gravity and – as the book states – make him suspend in midair. After all, those of roller coaster blood have superhuman strength. If that was the case, just how hard would he have to push?

Black sounds like a fit man – despite high cereal and donut intake – so lets say he weighs 80 kilos: 60 kilos brains and brawn, 20 kilos pure fighting spirit. Newton says he'll apply 784 Newtons of pressure through gravity. To negate gravity, Railrunner has to apply equal or greater force on his body. Force equals mass times acceleration, and since we don't have a whole lot of mass, it's going to take an awful lot of acceleration to make up for not even 10 measly milligrams. In fact, it takes 82350000 m/s^2 to get him airborne. He would have more luck trying to lift him by blowing at him. Then again, he probably has superbreath too.

Oh, and keep in mind that in The Last Airbender, bloodbending can only be done during the full moon, when a Waterbender's powers are at his peak, and it took the first person to use it years to master it. So even then the writers were sensible enough to make it sound more challenging than learning how to juggle.

Oh god I've been watching too much Mythbusters.

Iced Cocoa
Jul 14, 2011

horriblePencilist posted:

:spergin::science: Time!

Oh god I've been watching too much Mythbusters.

What I've always wondered was much energy it would really take to bring Railrunner to 200 mph, all 20,000 pounds of his, but I've never been good at physics to find the right formulas for that, all of them seem to be about acceleration. I do though remember a similar discussion here about a gigantic dragon in Christian Humber Reloaded, I think the results of that physics discussion was that in order to get the dragon flying a city would be leveled.

horriblePencilist
Oct 18, 2012

It's a Dirt Devil!
Get it?

Iced Cocoa posted:

What I've always wondered was much energy it would really take to bring Railrunner to 200 mph, all 20,000 pounds of his, but I've never been good at physics to find the right formulas for that, all of them seem to be about acceleration. I do though remember a similar discussion here about a gigantic dragon in Christian Humber Reloaded, I think the results of that physics discussion was that in order to get the dragon flying a city would be leveled.

I am in no shape or form a certified science goon, but let's see what we can do. Feel free to correct me, should I gently caress up. I'm using basic physics here, I could very well be wrong.
The Bugatti Veyron can get from 0 to 200 mph in a mere 24.2 seconds and weighs a mere 4,162 pounds. Since Railrunner is better than any mortal car but also five times heavier, he can match that speed in 25 seconds. That gives us an acceleration of 89.4 m/s^2. Using the F=m*a formula, that gives us a force of 811019 NEWTON JESUS.
But wait, Railrunner has a whole bunch of legs, right? That'd mean that the force is distributed between his legs. For the sake of simplicity, we'll say he'll push his entire body with all of his legs at once. According to this picture, Railrunner has 10 cars, with four legs each, bumping his leg count up to a whopping 40. A quick division, and we know each leg applies a force of 20275 Newtons. According to this article, the peak force when jogging is around 1500 Newton. That means Railrunner is 13 times stronger that a human. Plausible? You decide. All I know is he needs some serious stamina to keep this up.

Next up, let's see if I can't figure out how bullshit it is for Railrunner to land on his feet as gently as a cat!

:spergin: edit:
I just realized Railrunner's head is a car too, and since it doesn't have appendages, that'd mean he only has 36 legs. Which means each leg now has to create a force of 22528 Newtons, 15 times more than the peak force of a jogger.

horriblePencilist fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Apr 25, 2013

PIZZA
Jun 22, 2004
I would like nothing more than to see Miranda find the thread, take all the notes to heart, and re-write Twisted as a Great American Novel for her generation.

Since that won't happen, lets pool some money and get EPG to do it.

Nyaa
Jan 7, 2010
Like, Nyaa.

:colbert:

horriblePencilist posted:

But wait, Railrunner has a whole bunch of legs, right? That'd mean that the force is distributed between his legs.
What if he move his toe sideway and have the wheel power thrust him into acceleration and the actual legs are there to control turning and breakin--- Wait wait wait, I am not doing this, gently caress.

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McCloud24
May 23, 2008

You call yourself a knight; what is that?

PIZZA posted:

Since that won't happen, lets pool some money and get EPG to do it.

I think this is a job for T.B. Thread.

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