ANTARCTIC CIRCLE - JUNE EVENT

[metamods]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Comments

[chin_godzilla]

(Alright, this is actually happening. And the human seems really excited about it, too! Maybe he hasn't tried it, either, so this is gonna be a learning experience for both of them. Maybe more so on Godzilla's side of things, but really, how difficult could it be to pilot one of these things?

Godzilla climbs up the mech with ease, hunching down when going through the entrance. Loads of metal shiny bits circle them and the lizard takes a moment to look around. It's the sort of thing really smart people surround themselves in, he surmises. Not his thing, but he won't deny the benefits.

His attention is inevitably drawn towards one of the podiums, where pilots are meant to stand. Two of them, side by side, and he imagines each of them need to take one. He gets into position, carefully moving his tail out of the way to avoid the tripping hazard.)

[planetary_bonds]

[Yusei looks up and down once he enters the cabin. Since he had volunteered to do maintenance on these things, he'd been given a basic dressing down on how they work, but that's nothing compared to the thrill of giving them a shot for real.]

Seems like you have the right idea.

[He'd been about to point out the two podiums, but since his new lizard buddy(?) has already picked out one, it's time for Yusei to pick the other.]

From what I've been told, they're supposed to be really intuitive to run...? Once you connect yourselves - [he demonstrates by putting his hands forward, and a hologram screen just...appears] I think it should start up once we're both in...?

[oh man, here we go. how would this even work? let's see.]

[chin_godzilla]

(Once they're both ready to go, the machine will just...know, right? There's not much in the way of buttons, which is probably a good thing. Godzilla's not sure how a control scheme would work with something like this. Holding a hand out to a hologram seems simple enough, though. Godzilla follows Yusei's gestures and the Jaeger comes to life.

And the memory sharing begins.

The surroundings shift to a tropical island, serving as a base to forces with alien technology. A band of humans, the members of H.E.A.T., stands on the beach, quickly surrounded by airships and a giant, cybernetic reptile, discolored and partially decayed. It was clearly dead for some time and literally resurrected through technology. Before either of them can make a move, another surfaces from the ocean. This time, it's Yusei's co-pilot, standing thirty stories tall and with a loud roar as if attempting to bring everything to a pause. One of the humans cheers for the big guy's arrival, but another corrects him and sheds light on the current scenario:

The cyborg kaiju is his true father and he knows it. He hasn't been on the humans' side since making this discovery.

Despite the blond man's claims, the big guy is visibly confused and distressed, looking between the cyborg kaiju and H.E.A.T., one man in particular among them. What's he supposed to do in this situation? Family waits for him just over there, but...his family is right here, too. And right now, there's no means of uniting them. He has to make a choice and there's no going back once he does.

Another light skinned man, seemingly more disheartened than the others, looks on as if he understands the conundrum all too well. Despite anxious eyes fearing the worst, he cups his hands together and calls out his adopted son's name:

Godzilla!)

[planetary_bonds]

[The memories slam into Yusei and he gasps, almost physically recoiling at the sensation of having his mind filled with thoughts that aren't his own. Thoughts that are surprisingly more coherent than he would have expected from a giant, friendly lizard. Thoughts of family, of doubt, of wanting to unite two disparate sides. His heart lurches in concern, in sympathy.

Godzilla? This guy's name is...]

Gah...You're...You are...?

[On Godzilla's ends, the scenery is just as dire, if not completely different, aesthetics wise. An old memory that still burns fresh, it's one that the recent events have brought back to the forefront for reasons that will soon become apparnt.

It's a dark, dreary island, covered in the wreckage of an old city, in the dead of night and overcast without even a single star to light the way. Instead, all the lighting is eerie and purple, lit up by ghastly fires that don't seem natural in any way possible.

The fires make the shape of what seems like a man.

Godzilla's co-pilot is in the midst of those fires, driving on a bright red motorbike as a silvery-starry dragon follows him, eyes focused on someone who looks like a ghoul brought back from the dead. The ghoul cackles in mad delight, and each harsh syllable feels like a stake in Yusei's heart, guilt, sorrow, I tried to save you, please believe me, stop stop stop

People come forth into the flames, and as Yusei recognizes them as people from his hometown (their hometown) the guilt ramps up into fear, fear, what are you doing, why are you bringing them into this need to protect, can't fail again, can't can't and he screams at his friend, desperate to receive some kind of counter to his fear, that all of this is some kind of dream.

It's not a dream, and his friend (what friend? where is the friend he once knew? his friend wouldn't have done this) sacrifices them. The people of his hometown are consumed, turned into bright balls of light that decorate the sky in a sick parody of a starry sky, fed into a giant stone heart, and-

The earth splits apart. There's a beast crawling out of the earth, hungry and vicious and furious, as large as the kaiju they're currently fighting againsts, glowing bright with the souls it has taken, so full of hate, and he can't stop it, nothing is working, he's failing again, he doesn't, he can't, he can't-]

[chin_godzilla]

(These feelings aren't his own, but they're genuine. Feelings of regret, wishes that more could've been done, blaming oneself...it's not just the fear of failure; it's the fear of failing again. The fear of failing loved ones again. Who can't understand having loved ones you want to protect?

All of those feelings are rubbed in by a familiar...no. Something else wearing a familiar face. He spots Yusei on his bike, locked in this tense moment with someone that looks so...unnatural. Possessed. Godzilla's seen similar in people and monsters being brainwashed, bringing back unpleasant memories of his own. All of those people sacrificed to feed that...thing. He can almost hear the innocent screams die out as their anguish fuels that abomination. Helpless or no, memory or no, Godzilla can't stand by and watch this atrocity go unchallenged. A roar of protest fills the air...

A roar that simultaneously takes place in his own memories, forcing himself out of inaction to shoot down the nearest alien ship. Godzilla's genetic father, bearing an endless rage towards mankind, would never forgive them for killing his children. The only one that survived stands with them and stands between them and eternal slavery. A fight breaks out and H.E.A.T. rushes out of the way; nobody wants to get in the way of a pair of very angry kaiju.

Godzilla gives a valiant effort, even delivering a few good hits in against the cyborg, but alien spaceships quickly swoop in to fire on him from all angles. He refuses to stop now, but he won't last long under constant enemy fire. H.E.A.T. points out an unoccupied space ship they can commandeer to lend their aid, if they can figure out how to operate it.

Memories blend ever so slightly in the heat of the moment. Where there were control panels on each side of the pilot's seat, instead fades in the familiar controls of Yusei's motorbike, retractable playing field and all...)

[planetary_bonds]

[Revenge. Rage and fury against something you were powerless to stop, so devoted to ending everything around you in your wrath. So absorbed in your desire to eliminate that you can't see the feelings of your loved ones in front of you. Brought back from the dead, all for this one wish twisted out of control until it's no longer recognizable.

Are they facing down Kiryu, or this mechanized kaiju? It all feels so similar.

Godzilla's adopted family finding that ship, fumbling over the controls. Yusei, watching his controls fade into something a little more familiar.]

I want to help you. [he finds himself, thinking. Even if it's an old memory, it feels so real, so present, that Yusei can't help but sympathize.] I couldn't face him down without my friends supporting me.

[He misses them.

He wonders if Godzilla feels the same way about the members of H.E.A.T.

The scene in front of Yusei shifts to the second duel he'd had with Kiryu. The Earthbound God is still there, but Yusei is more prepared this time around, more aware of the God's abilities.

He draws, ready to start his next turn. But. But.

These aren't his cards.]

[chin_godzilla]

(Truth be told, Godzilla would probably be dead if not for H.E.A.T. The leader, Nick, found him, and happenstance lead Godzilla to think he was his father. His feelings never changed, even after learning that wasn't true. They're a quirky bunch and maybe some of them won't ever fully trust him, but they're his family. They always try to come through for him, and he always does the same.

That's what he always had that his father didn't: people he could count on. Friends. At the same time, would he have been much better off with allies, like Godzilla has? Would Godzilla have become a true monster if he was alone?

Like the sacrifices before him, the spirit of Cyber Godzilla's card bursts forth to fuel the Earthbound God, the card itself fading away and empowering the enemy with the deep seated rage of what's almost an Earthbound God in his own right. It didn't need the power boost, but it has it, and the world feels all the darker because of it...)

I couldn't do it alone.

(A similar thought echoes, as if in response to Yusei.)

But we never were alone, were we?

(What they've become is reprehensible. What they've done is worse, but in memory of who they were, the only option is to stop them and protect the friends still at hand. Yusei's side of the field fills with smaller monsters, ones the Earthbound God could easily crush beneath its might. Familiar faces from H.E.A.T., the Signers, the silhouettes of Kiryu and Cyber-Godzilla, fragments remaining after the rest of them were warped by pain.

The spirit of Godzilla's card begins to shine, resonating. Absorbing the cyber kaiju's power made it a kaiju itself, allowing Godzilla to be special summoned. For all of his power, he too would lose a direct battle against the Earthbound God.

Were it not for the card Yusei just drew...)

[planetary_bonds]

[But we never were alone, weren't we?

Such a simple truth. Something so easy to forget. Something so easily lost amongst doubts and fears and worries.

Even now, he'd forgotten, despite all his efforts to remember.

Godzilla himself is special summoned, and the smaller monsters disappear in light, coalescing together. A familiar sigil burns on Yusei's back - and on Godzilla's as well - warm and soft and reassuring, like a hand on the back, so many hands, pushing them forward. Dreams and wishes and promises of dear friends and family so many worlds away, but never forgotten.]

You're right. We never were.

[The lights shimmer out into stars, and a dragon comes forth from their forms, long and sinous and beautiful. It and the forms of everyone - of H.E.A.T. and the Signers and everyone else - all stand beside Godzilla, all of them glowing fiercely like small supernovas as the Savior Star Dragon's effect activates, draining away the combined God-Kaiju's effect. The darkness lessens.]

And with this...!

[United we Stand is slammed on the field, the energy encasing Godzilla with that same electrifying warmth, the comfort and safety of friends by your side, watching your back. Never leaving you alone, even when the world is at its darkest.]

Nothing will be able to stop that.

1/2

[chin_godzilla]

(The warmth from others starts to grow, encouragement from so many others standing with him. They may not be here physically, but they're here in spirit. That's what matters most.

Savior Star Dragon starts to combat the encroaching darkness, light returning as Godzilla begins preparing his atomic flame. With United We Stand taking effect, his dorsal fins begin glowing brighter and brighter, an almost electric hum growing in intensity. Encouragement from others, their support, their power, starts to surge through the kaiju and culminate into a powerful attack aimed towards the Earthbound God.

Godzilla's eyes glow bright green as a powerful roar escapes the lizard, a powerful laser firing forth with enough intensity to crack the ground beneath his feet. The green laser engulfs the Earthbound God, peeling away at its being as the attack is concentrated only on him. The laser grows in power, overwhelming the other monster until nothing is left. With its destruction and Kiryu nowhere to be seen, the area returns to normalcy, clear skies overhead. Godzilla shakes his head after that attack. Taking a moment to collect himself after that super attack. All straightened up, he looks back at Yusei with something akin to a smile on his face...)

2/2

[chin_godzilla]

(The vision fades and the Jaeger plays a chime of confirmation. Godzilla doesn't fully know what it means, but he can make his assumptions. The memory share was a success! Successful enough for him, anyway.

He turns towards his co-pilot with a look of fondness.)

[planetary_bonds]

[Oh. Right. They were doing this to test out how piloting one of these mechas worked. That was a thing.

They've barely moved, and he already feels winded, emotionally. But on the other hand, the exhilaration from successfully linking up, the reassurance he's gotten, and the mutual reassurance between them.

The grin Yusei returns back is uncharacteristically wide, a hair longer than it usually is, teeth showing. With his goggles still on, it almost looks manic.

But the delight and enthusiasm there is unmistakable. It seems safe to think that maybe...he just might have made a new friend.]

So...Godzilla, is it?

[A very straightforward, if not slightly redundant way of extending a greeting. At the same time, after what they've just shared, there's no better way to begin, right?]

[chin_godzilla]

(The shrunken kaiju gives an excited whine. It's the best way to begin. Frankly, it's what Godzilla hoped for most! For as many harsh memories it brought up between the two of them, they're able to walk away from it with a smile and a better understanding of each other. It's the closest he's come to telepathic communication and that's been exclusive to Loki so far.

But this? This comes damn close, especially with how it metaphorically let him meet Yusei halfway.

Speaking of which, the lizard's eager to share some of his enthusiasm and gratitude with him. He was willing to hear him out in the first place, let alone make it through this, so it's only fair Godzilla show his thanks the best way he can:

A good old fashioned lick on the cheek.)

[planetary_bonds]

[aha ha ha oh my god this is amazing. He's seriously made friends with Godzilla, who apparently can understand and even sympathize with how he's feeling, and they're piloting a robot together and Godzilla seems just as pleased as he is.

Maybe he hasn't really been able to communicate like this before. It's not like Yusei could understand lizard-speak normally. And if Godzilla had other ways to share his thoughts, he probalby would have done so without going through all this trouble.

If this is the case, then no wonder this guy seems so happy, despite reliving what seems to be such a difficult memory.

Well then. Let's finish things off, then.]

You probalby saw in my memories, but I'm Yusei. [A proper introduction, for a proper new friendship.]

It's good to meet you, Godzilla.

[chin_godzilla]

(Yusei. Godzilla will remember that. In return, the big guy bows his head slightly and gives a grunt of confirmation. It's definitely one way to meet someone, but damn if it wasn't worth the effort. Godzilla is absolutely beaming with his tail swishing in excitement.

And from this ordeal, the two of them find one more commonality: the whole thing left the kaiju emotionally drained. Even with the solidarity in knowing they'll always have their friends cheering for them, it was a lot of baggage to sort through. As a result, the big guy's just about had his fill of the robot and gestures towards the exit, wearing a look of curiosity. Knowing they can use this thing is all well and good, but maybe there's enough time to take a breather.)