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ANTARCTIC CIRCLE - JUNE EVENT
ANTARCTIC CIRCLE
Monsters are nothing new to this world. While they were thought to be nothing more than legend in the pre-confluence days, the first modern kaijuu attack was recorded in 1954.
Everything people knew to be true was challanged time and time again, but it has been decades since a threat showed itself. The Guild System has kept things manageable, peaceful even. It has afforded metahumans a sense of peace and a place of belonging in a world that once viewed them as disruptive and dangerous.
And so when the reports begin trickling in about a threat manifesting at the South Pole, the senior most members of both guilds head out under cover of night. They're certain they can deal with this quickly and quietly, without placing the burden on the new metas who never asked to be brought to this world.
But when they return at dawn, battered, broken and near dead - the decision is pulled from their hands. The usual theatrics of the guilds are pulled aside as the government officials muscle their way in, taking control of the Alliance command center. Within less than an hour the message is splashed across every screen, interrupting whatever people may have been doing prior.
EMERGENCY GODFALL PROTOCOLS ARE ACTIVE.
ALL ABLE BODIED METAHUMANS ARE EXPECTED TO REPORT INAT ALLIANCE HQ REGARDLESS OF ALLEGIANCE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THIS IS A COSMIC LEVEL THREAT.
WITHOUT INTERVENTION IT WILL BEGIN AT T-MINUS 72 HOURS.
Everything people knew to be true was challanged time and time again, but it has been decades since a threat showed itself. The Guild System has kept things manageable, peaceful even. It has afforded metahumans a sense of peace and a place of belonging in a world that once viewed them as disruptive and dangerous.
And so when the reports begin trickling in about a threat manifesting at the South Pole, the senior most members of both guilds head out under cover of night. They're certain they can deal with this quickly and quietly, without placing the burden on the new metas who never asked to be brought to this world.
But when they return at dawn, battered, broken and near dead - the decision is pulled from their hands. The usual theatrics of the guilds are pulled aside as the government officials muscle their way in, taking control of the Alliance command center. Within less than an hour the message is splashed across every screen, interrupting whatever people may have been doing prior.
ALL ABLE BODIED METAHUMANS ARE EXPECTED TO REPORT INAT ALLIANCE HQ REGARDLESS OF ALLEGIANCE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THIS IS A COSMIC LEVEL THREAT.
WITHOUT INTERVENTION IT WILL BEGIN AT T-MINUS 72 HOURS.
STRATEGY MEETING—
You’ll find no one is forcing you to attend this strategy meeting… but most of the metahumans gathered here don’t appear to have any real power to speak of. Many of them are scared civilians. One can levitate rocks, another sneezes fire. All the major guild members are in critical condition, but most are expected to pull through.
They won’t say who isn’t.
The only person left in any kind of condition to help is Chaos Gate, who holds out her arm to display the reason why: one of the Sunset Falls blossoms has bonded to her. And though she’s singed and had been exposed to risky levels of cosmic radiation, the flower itself is fine. The intel the guild leaders brought back is enough to form a plan.
The entity is from another dimension, as is the flower. And so it stands to reason that people from other dimensions would be likewise immune. Even if they aren’t, upgrading existing anti-kaijuu weaponry is their best shot at stopping the threat in its tracks.
Any metahuman who is technologically inclined is called in to lend their skills to adapting the existing anti-kaijuu technology. This is your chance to shine if you’re not much of a fighter. You have twenty-four hours to get these machines ready for combat.
They give you the rundown of the technology that powers the robots. Multiple minds working in sync, meta-energies syncing up to replicate your existing power set on a massive scale. However, as they're powered by metahuman energy, doing this for an extended period of time will be incredibly draining, so it’s recommended for each robot to have a dedicated team of pilots to trade duties. At minimum, two people are required to operate each robot.
Additionally, memory-sharing is a known side-effect of this technology. It’s strongly recommended that no two pilots during active combat be from the same world - better still if you’re complete strangers - as its possible to completely lose yourself in these memories.
You can use this time to find partners or teams - and maybe stake a claim on the coolest-looking robot, if you feel like it.
They won’t say who isn’t.
The only person left in any kind of condition to help is Chaos Gate, who holds out her arm to display the reason why: one of the Sunset Falls blossoms has bonded to her. And though she’s singed and had been exposed to risky levels of cosmic radiation, the flower itself is fine. The intel the guild leaders brought back is enough to form a plan.
The entity is from another dimension, as is the flower. And so it stands to reason that people from other dimensions would be likewise immune. Even if they aren’t, upgrading existing anti-kaijuu weaponry is their best shot at stopping the threat in its tracks.
Any metahuman who is technologically inclined is called in to lend their skills to adapting the existing anti-kaijuu technology. This is your chance to shine if you’re not much of a fighter. You have twenty-four hours to get these machines ready for combat.
They give you the rundown of the technology that powers the robots. Multiple minds working in sync, meta-energies syncing up to replicate your existing power set on a massive scale. However, as they're powered by metahuman energy, doing this for an extended period of time will be incredibly draining, so it’s recommended for each robot to have a dedicated team of pilots to trade duties. At minimum, two people are required to operate each robot.
Additionally, memory-sharing is a known side-effect of this technology. It’s strongly recommended that no two pilots during active combat be from the same world - better still if you’re complete strangers - as its possible to completely lose yourself in these memories.
You can use this time to find partners or teams - and maybe stake a claim on the coolest-looking robot, if you feel like it.
MOVE OUT —
At dawn the following day, you’re sent off. Though the atmosphere is one of hope, Chaos Gate drops her usually flippant smile to lay down the facts: you may not come back alive.
But if you don’t go? Then everyone dies. The seers couldn’t say for sure whether you’ll succeed, but those that glimpsed futures where you never left at all made it clear what that led to.
Sync up with your fellow pilots and deploy yourselves, or jump into the med bot following behind. Feel the brush of another mind against yours and the power that comes from controlling an enormous steel giant. Take this time to experiment with the powers and abilities in the real robot, not the simulation you only had a few hours to train in.
But if you don’t go? Then everyone dies. The seers couldn’t say for sure whether you’ll succeed, but those that glimpsed futures where you never left at all made it clear what that led to.
Sync up with your fellow pilots and deploy yourselves, or jump into the med bot following behind. Feel the brush of another mind against yours and the power that comes from controlling an enormous steel giant. Take this time to experiment with the powers and abilities in the real robot, not the simulation you only had a few hours to train in.
ENGAGE —
There are five kaijuu in total. Their bodies roughly shaped like a tortoise, a dragon, a phoenix, and a tiger - with the final one an unknowable mass of flesh and tentacle, protected behind a barrier. Each of them measure roughly eight hundred feet, and are leaving massive damage in their wake. Scattered across the corners of the globe, they’re moving towards the South Pole where the largest beast lays in wait. The closer they are to this destination when you engage them, the more reality seems to be break and bend around them. Space and time are fragile here; there may be some odd effects, things like gravity and time rolling backwards. These creatures bleed cosmic radiation, so it’s recommended that you try to kill them as quickly and bloodlessly as possible. This may be difficult as while they’re in possession of breath attacks, they’re more keen to engage in hand-to-had combat.
Each of them is also spawning smaller copies of themselves, which seem to be moving towards the coastlines - towards major cities, specifically.
Those who believe themselves to be better suited to battling the monster directly can engage the kaijuu outside of their jaegers. But anyone exposed to their irradiated blood will catch a doubtless disorienting glimpse of infinity, and anyone who gets wounded is likely to fall into the ocean and be lost in the chaos. Do this at your own risk.
Those who aren’t piloting can also join medical or maintenance crews, which will be teleported out to any robot crews that require assistance.
Mercifully, once the four celestial beasts are slain - their ringleader seems to lose its power. The barrier that has been protecting it has fallen. And with no defenses of its own, it goes down easily. Reality returns to normal. And exhausted but victorious, you give the signal to be teleported back home.
You can sign up to strike a final blow here.
Each of them is also spawning smaller copies of themselves, which seem to be moving towards the coastlines - towards major cities, specifically.
Those who believe themselves to be better suited to battling the monster directly can engage the kaijuu outside of their jaegers. But anyone exposed to their irradiated blood will catch a doubtless disorienting glimpse of infinity, and anyone who gets wounded is likely to fall into the ocean and be lost in the chaos. Do this at your own risk.
Those who aren’t piloting can also join medical or maintenance crews, which will be teleported out to any robot crews that require assistance.
Mercifully, once the four celestial beasts are slain - their ringleader seems to lose its power. The barrier that has been protecting it has fallen. And with no defenses of its own, it goes down easily. Reality returns to normal. And exhausted but victorious, you give the signal to be teleported back home.
You can sign up to strike a final blow here.
AFTERMATH—
It’s a brutal fight. Maybe not all of you made it back. Once the threat is clear, recovery teams are deployed to try to reclaim and revive any bodies lost in the surf.
Back at guild HQ, you’re welcomed back as heroes. The civilians are eager to know their new saviors - identifying yourself as such is sure to thrust you into the spotlight. Much of the fight has been live-streamed and so your great bravery or cowardice is public knowledge.
Deeper inside headquarters, blue-skinned representatives from the underwater nation of ATLANTIS are shouting at suited lawyers. The kaijuu blood in the water has made their home largely uninhabitable, and the combat has destroyed much of it. Are they going to get the same rescue that the surface world did? You’re welcome to volunteer to visit the rubble that was once their Antarctic settlement and rescue the seal-like selkies from the bloodied water.
Back at guild HQ, you’re welcomed back as heroes. The civilians are eager to know their new saviors - identifying yourself as such is sure to thrust you into the spotlight. Much of the fight has been live-streamed and so your great bravery or cowardice is public knowledge.
Deeper inside headquarters, blue-skinned representatives from the underwater nation of ATLANTIS are shouting at suited lawyers. The kaijuu blood in the water has made their home largely uninhabitable, and the combat has destroyed much of it. Are they going to get the same rescue that the surface world did? You’re welcome to volunteer to visit the rubble that was once their Antarctic settlement and rescue the seal-like selkies from the bloodied water.
IN SUMMARY...
- Giant monsters have appeared. Their mere presence is warping reality. Smaller clones of them are heading towards coastal cities.
- The heroes of this world are no match for it. The government has chosen to enact the Godfall Protocols Act, meaning all metahumans are expected to report in to stop a potential apocalypse. Not everyone has to go and pilot the robot, others can stay to defend the cities from any potential dangers.
- Player characters will be hopping in giant robots designed for two or more pilots. They can read each other's minds to operate in perfect sync. An unintended side-effect is memory sharing. You can get lost in these memories. Any action taken in memory will be replicated by the giant robot.
- After the defeat of these monsters, everyone is brought back to Guild HQ for a heroes welcome. You can sign up for your character delivering a final blow here.
- If you want your character to protest the Godfall Protocols and/or to try to disrupt anything going on, please report your actions here.
- The Atlantean people are begging for help as the robots have destroyed their Arctic cities and the blood in the water has harmed their selkie civilians. Player characters can go search for these selkies. Please report selkie rescues here.
no subject
[ Her best squirrel friend is absolutely not participating in any kaiju fights, especially not near the ocean!
She takes the bottle of disinfectant, and after a moment's hesitation, just pours some over each of the spikes in turn before quickly retracting them with a wince. ]
Frig dangit that stuff stings I hate that part!
[ That's honestly the closest she gets to swearing. ]
... Okay. Okay, I'm good. Bandages are go.
no subject
You really do have a squirrel doctor! [He'll take her hand and start wrapping up her knuckles. He's practiced at simple first aid like this by now.] Well, I'm glad you have someone. I've had to patch myself up, it's never fun. And the actuators have a horrible bedside manner.
no subject
[ This is said with a fond grin. They've been together since Doreen was a teenager, and they've been through a lot! ]
Back home, Nancy would help out too, but... [ but if she thinks about her best human friend she's gonna get homesick again, so NOPE ] yeah, very glad we're not doing this alone. I'm surprised at the actuators though! They're all business, huh?
no subject
[Otto frowns, remembering that machine-like focus. If he listened to them now, would they still be pushing for the reactor to be rebuilt, even two universes and several months later? He expects so; it was their purpose.
He doesn't want to think about this now.]
I'm glad to have picked up that much first aid, in any case. It's come in handy. The last Spider-Man showed up here with a bullet wound in his side.
no subject
He what?! Oh my god! Was he okay? I mean, probably, I can guess as much from the context, but did he get to a hospital or something?
[ It's hard to imagine Spider-Man getting shot. The one from her universe is... ok, she isn't sure how old he is, but he's been webslinging since Doreen was a kid. Hell, she had Spider-Man merch growing up. She knows logically that he's just a dude, but someone like that can't just get shot! Does he even have a healing factor? ]
no subject
He was fine once he quit trying to run off and join the fight again. I patched him up enough until we were able to get him to the medics. I know he's got some kind of healing ability, but it was terrifying.
[Ask Otto how he knows Spider-Man's got a healing factor!]
no subject
Yeah, I think getting shot is a good reason to take a breather, even if you do have healing powers! Jeez!
[ ok but what if she asks him that, and then he goes 'I DON'T KNOW IF HE HAS ONE...' and then Otto just worries even more! What then!! ]
no subject
I thought so, too! I must say, I'm surprised you agree.
[He considers all the teen superheroes - and maybe even the adults - to be wildly reckless, perhaps. Maybe they're only like that about themselves? He finishes bandaging one hand and gestures for the other.]
no subject
What? I take breathers sometimes! I mean, okay, after the fight's done, there isn't usually a good opportunity to go "hey, time out" when you're in the middle of fighting somebody, and sometimes there are people that need saving.
[ That's... not exactly disproving Otto's point, BUT STILL ]
Besides, I'm taking one right now, this doesn't even count as getting hurt! Plus, I'm super good at dodging, it's a whole thing.
no subject
[He's sort of impressed that this is the result of her physically punching a kaijuu. Although that doesn't really contradict his point!]
But I do think you all push yourselves too hard. I understand why you do it, but this world's overflowing with superheroes. It's alright to take a break for a rest, or to take care of your own life.
no subject
[ the kaiju would probably be easier, too! ]
Seriously though, I do this stuff because I enjoy it. I like helping people, whether that means stopping a mugger or wrasslin' a dinosaur. I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day so I could do all the stuff I like, but even being cloned didn't help with that, so what're you gonna do.
no subject
[The "or worse" is quite obvious to everyone, but even if they all come through everything physically unharmed...all this constant superheroing doesn't seem very good for anyone, to Otto's eye. Especially the kids. How are they going to build a life for themselves if they're only focused on this?]
My wife would have said - you can't pour water from an empty jug.
[He finishes her other hand, giving the bandages one last tug to make sure they're tight in place before releasing her hand again.]
no subject
... God, what if Otto unzips his head, and it's actually just Maureen Green wearing a supervillain suit inside? What if Maureen Green shows up here, and Doreen just gets double-teamed by both of them? The nightmare scenario!! She's kinda freaking out a bit! ]
Hey, I'm good, I promise! There's nothing to worry about, no burning out, no ominous-sounding 'or worse'. I've taken down Galactus, Thanos, and Dr. Doom multiple times, and I'm just now realizing that you don't know who any of those guys are, but they're big deals, and I've survived a lot worse than them! It's fine, everything's fine and under control, eventually I'll pick up classes where they left off, and everything will be great forever!
[ She steps back and flexes her hands, testing out the bandages, and gives him a double thumbs-up for good measure. ]
Seriously though, thanks for these! Also didn't know you were married, that's a cool fact!
no subject
[This is very much the least of what Doreen has said, but it's what Otto catches on as she steps away. That was quite the flood of words! He can't help but feel like perhaps he's overstepped. Doreen's an adult, technically. She's doubtless been at the superhero business far longer than Otto himself.
Still - they're all stranded so far from home. Away from anyone who might have ordinarily said things like that to her. Anyone who might have stepped in, even if only to patch her up and make sure she went to school in the mornings.]
Yes - yes, I was. [For once, Otto's able to smile.] Rosie would always get on my case for overworking myself. Even when we first met.
[The two free actuators, sensing something amiss, curl inwards to look at him. The motion snaps Otto immediately back to the present.]
I suppose someone ought to take up that cause.
[Don't worry about his own current work habits! They don't involve fighting kaijuu and are therefore fine!]
no subject
[ She needs to clarify that! It's not humblebragging if it's true!
That said, when Doreen freaks out or starts feeling out of her depth, she starts talking and basically just doesn't stop, and since it's starting to feel like she's being adopted by Otto Friggin' Octavius, this definitely qualifies! It's admittedly kind of sweet in a bizarre way, but this is easily the weirdest day she's had in months, and she has dealt with everything from vampire cows to gigantic ultron dinosaurs!
(She also doesn't miss that his wife is being mentioned in the past tense here, so that gets filed in alongside 'tentacle sentience' as 'possible touchy subjects')
... Dude, if you ever get bored of the prosthetics job, you should try being a guidance counselor or something. You could sit backwards in a chair and everything.
[ Everyone knows that's how you relate to cool teens! PS Doreen is twenty and definitely not in need of counseling or therapy kthxbye (ok maybe the therapy but that's a BIG MAYBE) ]
no subject
Oh, no. I don't have that kind of patience.
[He tries with the kids around here. Honestly, he tries a lot more in general these days. AI or no AI, Otto feels like he learned something about himself while he was Doctor Octopus - an unexpected capacity for cruelty that still haunts him. He cannot let himself slip.
But, then, the kids around here generally make that pretty easy.]
Though I do think they ought to have college programs for young metas, as well as the high school. The Spider-Man from my world was struggling with his schoolwork too. A regular courseload is obviously too much.
[Maybe some kind of online courses? Really, just some professors who would be understanding about the whole thing is most of what you'd need, he thinks - though it's been decades since he was a student.]
no subject
[ That's the real problem with being the only superhero in the world, Spidey had no support system! Things would have turned out much differently if he'd opened up a bit and had a study group. ]
That's not a bad idea, but it'd be hard for anyone trying to do the secret identity thing. Your identity isn't gonna stay secret very long if your teachers know what your whole deal is, and if anyone figures it out, then it's only a matter of time before some jerky supervillain with a grudge barges in like "Not only am I going to fight you in the middle of Introduction to Database Systems, thus inconveniencing you and jeopardizing your education, but now I have an entire classroom of other students to threaten!"
[ Surprisingly, she isn't speaking from experience here, this is basically just what she imagines would happen. (Although if you want to get technical, it does happen to her eventually in a future canon update!) ]
no subject
[That is VERY specific!]
You should have more support, at least. Without having to go through all this Guild business. I hate to see you all struggling like this.
[Certainly when Otto himself is doing quite well, through what he considers to be no particular merit of his own!]
no subject
[ And if they show up here, Doreen will be shouting 'MELISSA MOREBECK IS A JERK' from the rooftops! ]
It's okay! I've got the basics, you know? Ms. Starling was a really big help. Is that what this is about? Dude, don't feel bad, everyone's handling this whole 'stuck in another dimension' thing in their own way, everybody has different circumstances that they're dealing with.
[ She, for instance, can hide her tail down her pants, whereas Otto, uh... does not have that luxury. That said, ha ha holy shit he is never allowed to see her shoebox of an apartment if this is how much he's worrying already! ]
no subject
Well. As long as you're sure. But if there's ever anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask - you should be able to have more in your life than just this.
[An actuator waves idly towards the General Aftermath of Today's Insane Chaos.]
no subject
[ She spreads her arms wide, also indicating The General Aftermath of Today's Insane Chaos, but in a much more positive way! They saved the day with robots, punching, and giant robots that punched things, that's a big win in her book. ]
Seriously though, thank you. And... I'll work on the whole 'work/life balance' thing, I promise.
[ She does love being a superhero! But... she also loves computer science nerdery, and that has been taking a backseat lately. Eventually she'll go home and hopefully pick up where she left off, assuming that the rest of her class and her friends haven't graduated already or, god forbid, are like decades older than her by the time she gets back (and WOW she is not thinking about that today, no thank you!), but in the meantime, that's no reason to get rusty. ]
no subject
[Otto didn't mean to downplay that! There was just a bit of a remove from that aspect of it all, from where he was standing. Tech support, even for giant kaijuu-punching robots, is not an especially glamorous job.
It is a vital one, though. He's not complaining either.]
Good. See that you do. [He's joking.] If you're feeling better, I think I'm going to go help with some of this clean-up. I don't think the actuators are likely to be affected by this radioactive blood.
[They're naturally proof against regular radioactivity. This stuff seems half-magical, but - well, sometimes science is just "try it and see what happens." The worst-case scenario would appear to be Otto just keeling over and having some very strange hallucinations, in which case there's already medics on site.]
But I'll let you know the next time I'm in Central City. We should catch up outside of a doomsday scenario.
no subject
[ Tech support and maintenance is vital at all times, but it's especially important when dealing with giant kaiju-punching robots! ]
Yeah, good call. I'm gonna head back into town to find Tippy and the gang, they'll be wondering how everything went. I'll catch ya later! Careful with the radioactive gunk!
[ She crouches down, and makes a thirty-foot leap over the milling crowds and onto the sidewalk. From there, it's just a matter of scaling the nearest tree and getting onto some rooftops as she makes her exit. ]
no subject
[He's never seen her do that before! Is that just a thing she does? Well, no matter - after watching Doreen go for a moment, Otto picks himself up and heads in the other direction, down along the coastline. Let's go see what the damage is.]