charles edward allan brock (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
frenchkissed) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
metalogs2022-07-20 07:50 am
frenchkissed) wrote in metalogs2022-07-20 07:50 am
Can You Do It In The Dark?
Who: Eddie Brock frenchkissed, Peter Parker tinglesense, and you!
What: Meddling kids lead to an entire city of people losing their powers.
When: Jul 20 — Jul 31
Where: Excelsior!
Content Warnings: Potential violence, identity issues
Opt-Out: Don’t be in Excelsior during this event!
RUMOR MILL —
Just as people are beginning to work through this city-wide blackout, the real trouble begins. Not long after this loss of power comes, well, a loss of powers. All the juice in the city has to be used to fuel up something. Instead of a super-mega death ray, or some other magnificent murder device, the machine in question sucks away superpowers.
Metahuman abilities, extraordinary talents, basically, anything that makes a metahuman different from their average human counterpart, is drained away and trapped within. Of all the devices for Spider-Man to stumble into...
AFTERMATH —
frenchkissed, Peter Parker tinglesense, and you!What: Meddling kids lead to an entire city of people losing their powers.
When: Jul 20 — Jul 31
Where: Excelsior!
Content Warnings: Potential violence, identity issues
Opt-Out: Don’t be in Excelsior during this event!
CAN YOU DO IT IN THE DARK?
An investigation headed by Eddie Brock and Peter Parker results in not only a city-wide blackout, but hundreds of metahumans losing their powers!
In the days that follow, those affected by the blast will be forced to contend with what it means to exist without their powers. All the while, bad guys will be looking to take advantage of the situation and move in on vulnerable areas within Excelsior. People who are used to relying on their abilities will need to find new ways to fight back.
In the end, all powers are restored, but not without some hijinks along the way.
In the days that follow, those affected by the blast will be forced to contend with what it means to exist without their powers. All the while, bad guys will be looking to take advantage of the situation and move in on vulnerable areas within Excelsior. People who are used to relying on their abilities will need to find new ways to fight back.
In the end, all powers are restored, but not without some hijinks along the way.
RUMOR MILL —
Everyone loves a good urban legend. There's the story of Bloody Mary, the vanishing hotel room, the one about the tall, slender man who dresses in a tuxedo, that story about the abandoned bunker beneath Excelsior that no one can get into, the one filled with untold riches and gold... Naturally, some stories are more far-fetched than others. Some die off as whispers in the night, while others get entire forums dedicated to them. Leave it to bored teens take it upon themselves to go urban exploring in the dead of night, or hokey paranormal YouTube reporters saying they've found the clue that everyone's been missing.
Maybe you even went poking around yourself, having caught wind of these rumors and wanting to see the land of legends for yourself.
Unfortunately, most hunts lead to dead ends and boring drives home. There's nothing to see, really. The bunker doesn't even exist. It's all just a thrilling goose chase to pass a boring evening.
...
Maybe you even went poking around yourself, having caught wind of these rumors and wanting to see the land of legends for yourself.
Unfortunately, most hunts lead to dead ends and boring drives home. There's nothing to see, really. The bunker doesn't even exist. It's all just a thrilling goose chase to pass a boring evening.
...
But if it did exist, shouldn't something more practical than a mountain of gold lie inside? Eddie Brock seemed to think so.
If nothing else, these rumors sure are a conversation starter.
If nothing else, these rumors sure are a conversation starter.
Stranger Than Fiction
Unsurprisingly, like most rumors, there's a hint of truth to this bunker of gold story. With Spider-Man's technomancy powers and Eddie's investigative prowess, the two are able to find the source of all these rumors. There's no untold riches, but there is a treasure trove of strange, old technology.
However, investigating this space quickly goes awry when Peter's technomancy accidentally brings something to life.
Upon being powered on, a machine rapidly begins draining the power from the city. One by one, skyscrapers flicker out, televisions go dark, refrigerators stop humming. The entire city is steadily plunged into darkness, silence. Like with most power outages, most wait for the lights to flick back to life. Here, there's no such luck. Waiting for things to right themselves won't yield any results.
Once that realization sets in, it might be best to help those who really need it. Beyond the crying, frightened children and the teens who can't bear to part with their computers, there are those for whom the darkness holds unseen terrors. Be there for those in need, for those afraid of the dark, for those who've gotten separated from their families and can't find their way back on their own.
No power also means no computer systems, which means no credit cards. And who carries cash these days? No, in times like this, it makes sense to go back to the old bartering system.
Someone on the street is hawking four flashlights and a can opener in exchange for some batteries. Someone else is looking for what he can get for two cans of tuna and a roll of dimes. Get in there and make a deal!
Or... you could get in with the good crowd and begin looting stores. But, no, you're heroes! You should stop the looters! Ignore that little voice telling you otherwise. Instead, join up with those organizing shelters for everyone and working to get people out of the city as quickly as possible.
However, investigating this space quickly goes awry when Peter's technomancy accidentally brings something to life.
Upon being powered on, a machine rapidly begins draining the power from the city. One by one, skyscrapers flicker out, televisions go dark, refrigerators stop humming. The entire city is steadily plunged into darkness, silence. Like with most power outages, most wait for the lights to flick back to life. Here, there's no such luck. Waiting for things to right themselves won't yield any results.
Once that realization sets in, it might be best to help those who really need it. Beyond the crying, frightened children and the teens who can't bear to part with their computers, there are those for whom the darkness holds unseen terrors. Be there for those in need, for those afraid of the dark, for those who've gotten separated from their families and can't find their way back on their own.
No power also means no computer systems, which means no credit cards. And who carries cash these days? No, in times like this, it makes sense to go back to the old bartering system.
Someone on the street is hawking four flashlights and a can opener in exchange for some batteries. Someone else is looking for what he can get for two cans of tuna and a roll of dimes. Get in there and make a deal!
Or... you could get in with the good crowd and begin looting stores. But, no, you're heroes! You should stop the looters! Ignore that little voice telling you otherwise. Instead, join up with those organizing shelters for everyone and working to get people out of the city as quickly as possible.
I Don't Want To Be You...
Just as people are beginning to work through this city-wide blackout, the real trouble begins. Not long after this loss of power comes, well, a loss of powers. All the juice in the city has to be used to fuel up something. Instead of a super-mega death ray, or some other magnificent murder device, the machine in question sucks away superpowers.
Metahuman abilities, extraordinary talents, basically, anything that makes a metahuman different from their average human counterpart, is drained away and trapped within. Of all the devices for Spider-Man to stumble into...
How this power loss manifests varies from person to person.
A keen observer might notice the correlation between someone's emotional attachment to their powers and just how difficult it is for them to be taken away. Someone who has a strong connection to their powers, for example, might go through immense pain when it comes to losing them. On the other hand, someone who never wanted powers in the first place might not even realize they've lost their abilities until it's too late.
A keen observer might notice the correlation between someone's emotional attachment to their powers and just how difficult it is for them to be taken away. Someone who has a strong connection to their powers, for example, might go through immense pain when it comes to losing them. On the other hand, someone who never wanted powers in the first place might not even realize they've lost their abilities until it's too late.
Like the power outage before it, simply waiting for your abilities to return to you won't be enough. Even if you leave the city premises, your powers won't return to you. For all intents and purposes, this is who you are now.
Punch, Kick, Bite... Fight!
What better time to contemplate your identity without your powers than in the face of danger? Ne'er-do-wellers exist in all shapes and sizes, and some take it upon themselves to take advantage of this chaos. While powers might have been the preferred method for taking care of trouble, knives, fists, and guns still work just fine. Hoodlums and robbers roam the streets, wielding all sorts of makeshift weapons. They'll corner anyone in an attempt to see what they can get.
Even if you don't encounter them, there's no telling what number of con artists, thieves, jokers, and jesters you'll encounter. Be sure to keep your wits about you!
Chief among these miscreants are Lola and the Gang, a once quiet gang of Pink Lady and Greaser-types armed with brass knuckles, switchblades, and cigarettes.
Chances are you'll smell their brand of smokes before you see them rolling up six deep and ready to brawl. Hand over everything you own and they'll leave you be, but put up any resistance and it's time to scrap.
Of course, you could try to talk your way out of this, but their patience for talking is small enough to flip your lid. So make like a tree, and get to fightin'.
Chances are you'll smell their brand of smokes before you see them rolling up six deep and ready to brawl. Hand over everything you own and they'll leave you be, but put up any resistance and it's time to scrap.
Of course, you could try to talk your way out of this, but their patience for talking is small enough to flip your lid. So make like a tree, and get to fightin'.
Even if you don't encounter them, there's no telling what number of con artists, thieves, jokers, and jesters you'll encounter. Be sure to keep your wits about you!
Topsy-Turvy
With the recent spur of Confluences, more metas have made their home in this world than those who crafted this device had ever accounted for.
Eventually, both in part to a team of dedicated scientists and due to the device's own shortcomings, the device containing all of the powers in Excelsior will combust. Powers, neatly contained like orbs, are sent bursting through the sky on their hunt for their rightful owners.
These orbs, somehow, know where they're meant to go. They're far from sentient, but they know their homes and they know they're meant to be there.
Things rarely go as planned, however, and these power orbs are eager to get into anybody, or any body, they see. Once they're free, chances are you won't make it far without taking an orb straight to the chest. Within moments, the new power is absorbed into your body and, congrats, you're now capable of super sonic hearing! Or acid spit! Or the ability to have pockets that never get full! Who knows what you might end up with.
Along with the new dose of powers comes an image of their rightful owner, something that the orbs brings along with them—a mental portrait of someone you may or may not have met before. You could do the right thing and help these wayward powers get to the right person, or you can take your new abilities for a spin and try your hand at being a god for a day.
Be careful, however, because these powers won't stick around for long. They've got a home to get to! The last thing someone needs is to try out their new flight abilities only to lose them mid-air.
Eventually, both in part to a team of dedicated scientists and due to the device's own shortcomings, the device containing all of the powers in Excelsior will combust. Powers, neatly contained like orbs, are sent bursting through the sky on their hunt for their rightful owners.
These orbs, somehow, know where they're meant to go. They're far from sentient, but they know their homes and they know they're meant to be there.
Things rarely go as planned, however, and these power orbs are eager to get into anybody, or any body, they see. Once they're free, chances are you won't make it far without taking an orb straight to the chest. Within moments, the new power is absorbed into your body and, congrats, you're now capable of super sonic hearing! Or acid spit! Or the ability to have pockets that never get full! Who knows what you might end up with.
Along with the new dose of powers comes an image of their rightful owner, something that the orbs brings along with them—a mental portrait of someone you may or may not have met before. You could do the right thing and help these wayward powers get to the right person, or you can take your new abilities for a spin and try your hand at being a god for a day.
Be careful, however, because these powers won't stick around for long. They've got a home to get to! The last thing someone needs is to try out their new flight abilities only to lose them mid-air.
AFTERMATH —
With the device in shambles, power steadily returns to the city and, though it may take some time, all superpowers end up returning to the right people. There's no clear indication of who this technology belonged to or what its original purpose was, but surely Reddit, Facebook, and Conspiracy!YouTube will be in a tizzy trying to figure it out.
IN SUMMARY...
- Peter and Eddie stumble onto a device that wipes the city of its power and all metaheroes within it of their superhero abilities.
- During the blackout, gangs attempt to take hold of the city.
- Those who leave the city will not regain their powers, but those who enter the city will lose them. Eddie and Peter will also be asking for help from any mech-heads, scientists, tech specialists, and anyone else who might know how to turn off the machine.
- When the machine is destroyed, powers don't immediately go to their rightful owner. Characters might cycle through as many as ten different powers before their rightful abilities are returned to them.
- Ask any questions here!
Peter Parker | MCU | ota
PUNCH, KICK, BITE…FIGHT?
TOPSY TURVY
DESTROYING THE MACHINE
no subject
And, look, Eddie is sorry about all the times he called Venom a parasite. And all the times he said he looked 'too gooey'. And the times he refused to let Venom eat the neighbors. He's taking all of that back, every single comment, because there's some dude falling out of the sky, and he could really use some help here, bud.
Nope? Nothing?
God, okay, Eddie's just going to have to do his best on his own. Which means hurling his body forward like a linebacker and positioning himself to catch the twink hurling towards the ground. He's not a physics major, but weight times gravity equals a bad time for him, and breaking Peter's fall means getting hit with a metric ton of weight, which sends him to the ground.
Landing on a squishy dude has got to be better than landing on the ground. If Peter ignores the groaning, he might be able to see that there's really not much of a difference.
"...Ow..."
no subject
"Oh my god, I'm…I'm so sorry," he says, once he can suck enough air into his lungs to talk.
He forces himself to his feet, thinking about how he hurts in places he didn't know could hurt. All that from a little fall? How did he live for fifteen entire years before he got bitten by that spider? Jesus.
He turns to offer whoever he fell on a hand up. He forgets for a minute that Eddie Brock is one of the people in this place who actually doesn't know Spider-Man's identity.
"Eddie? What are you doing out here? Venom isn't with you?"
no subject
"Spider-Man. Hey. Uh. Out here? I was totally trying to, y'know, save you from, pffft, splatting onto the ground like a weird... spider... pancake..."
So he's not being offer that hand? That's fine. Eddie can scramble to his feet all on his own.
"Just to clear the air. A lot of people say we have beef. Y'know, the whole Venom and Spidey thing... For the record, I don't have beef with you. We're cool. So don't feel like you have to, like, fling me into the sun with your webs."
no subject
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…fall on you. Something weird is happening with my abilities."
Then Eddie says something that gives him pause. Do they have beef? He hasn't heard this from the other Peters yet. What's that about? If Venom were here, would something bad happen? Ugh, too many questions, no space to answer them.
"Don't worry, I'm not flinging you anywhere. Venom probably wouldn't like it if I did," he says, in a terrible attempt at humour.
PUNCHY KICKY
He turns, planting himself at Spider-Man's side as he stares the other looter down, then turns at mutters quietly to him. ]
Hey, man, I still have the machete if you want it.
no subject
[ Though he's still reeling a little from that hit — another reminder of just how fragile regular people are, damn, and they just live like this? — he turns to face the other looter as well. He tries to look menacing, but even at his very best, he really never does. Despite what that trashy website says about him, Spider-Man isn't actually menacing at all. ]
Machete? Uh, I only do non-lethal force, so…I think I'm gonna have to pass on that one.
[ The looter seems unsure, though, like this fight might not be worth the risk. ]
no subject
Well, I think he'll be fine. Still, you —
—should probably get him some first aid, don't you think?
no subject
You should probably do what he says.
[ The looter, visibly shaken, decides to take that advice. Saying something about how he didn't plan for this, he's hesitant to get closer to Dylan and Spidey. But he has to in order to get his friend more or less dragged away. ]
That…man, that was not how that was supposed to go. It's been like 36 hours and these guys are out here stealing TVs or something.
machine
He's hunched over a random schematic like he's about to doze off, and a glance at him reveals that his skin is sallow and eyes sunken, like he hasn't slept in days.
(Try weeks. Or perhaps months. Let's just say it's a miracle that he's even awake at all.)
But his hands are moving far far too quickly for him to be just sleep-twitching, fidgeting with a pen in one hand and a piece of scrap metal being squeezed in the other. The schematic is littered with what seems to be random notes.
When Peter comes close:]
What do you think is the best way to go about cutting this thing's source of power? It has to be using something to drain all this energy from the city.
[Something or somethings. Yusei isn't naive enough to think that there's only one major conduit of electricity, if it's managing to drain an entire city.]
Re: machine
He glances at the schematic; he's looked at a few but he's mostly doing this on intuition at this point. It was his power, his ability to connect to machines, that woke the thing up in the first place. He figures the answer will come less on accident, but maybe along the same lines.
He hadn't even thought of the power bit yet; he'd been too focused on the machine itself.
But his eyes go a little wider at Yusei's question. ]
You think cutting the power is the best approach? Uh…I…hang on, I'll see if I can figure out where it's drawing from.
[ Before he goes back to the machine to do that, though: ]
Hey, um, sorry if this is kinda forward or anything, but…are you okay?
no subject
[After all, most every part of a machine needs power, right?]
... [He stiffly turns to glance at Peter. It almost looks hostile, with his shadowed eyes and tense shoulders, but the voice that comes out is soft, morose.]
I'm...fine. Just that being without my powers left me more drained than I anticipated.
no subject
Man, there's so much going on. Like...it must have a power source, right? I keep getting distracted by the stuff it's storing to make power.
[ Aka, the powers it stole from metas.
He takes a step back at the look on Yusei's face. What did he say wrong? But then Yusei just seems kind of...still tired. ]
Oh. Yeah, of course. If you're used to having something and it's gone, that's pretty terrible.
[ He can't talk about his own power loss here, how clumsy and slow he feels, untethered and weak and all of that. He still has the whole secret identity thing. ]
I got lucky enough to keep the computer stuff that I got coming to this place through the Confluence, but the fact that there even is a machine that can take us down like this? Makes me hope this is the only one of its kind.
machine
So, what can you tell me about this A.I.?
no subject
And okay, sure, they live together, but neither of them has been home much, or home much at the same time. Peter tried to do the hero thing and got pretty hurt about it before he came back to this, trying to stop what he started.
(It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to stop it before, he just hadn't made much headway there and the blackout was causing a lot of other problems.)
He slides into a chair and looks up at Otto. ]
AI. Right. Well, it's…this massive machine. It seems to crave power. I guess kinda like that Electro guy, you know, just sucking all the power from sources that are plugged in. I don’t know how far that's going to spread and I'm not entirely sure of the reason.
It isn't the sort of advanced learning AI, like, on the level of Stark tech.
[ Oh, right. No Stark in Otto's world, right? ]
Or, um. Well. Nothing that adapts on the fly, I guess I mean.
[ Great explanation, Peter! ]
But I think…it confused power and electricity. That's how it sucked everything out. I'm kinda hazy on how it's able to affect people so entirely, or the…the origin of the machine. It's been here a long time, just waiting.
I wish it was more advanced so maybe I could trace, like, who created it or when but that info isn't easy to access.
no subject
(Also to let people crash on the couch. These ones were temporary, but it seems like that's just a habit of his now.)
Stark...Otto does remember the name coming up before. He'd like to follow up, but there's more pressing matters right now.]
Almost seem like it has a magical bent, with all of this. What machine can steal so many superpowers of different origins so effectively...?
[Just musing, but he does wonder. Otto reaches out with an actuator, resting an open claw gently against the machine's outer chassis. This is quite far from their original use, but they were intended to work with power, too. They have a good sense for energy.]
I don't believe it's converting any of it to a different form. It's only storing it all, for now.
no subject
[ Peter was way tired of magic long before they got here. Now, he's almost resigned to it. The combination of tech and magic frustrates him; while he's studied pretty diligently under Dr. Strange's supervision, he still doesn't understand enough about magic to really know if something is or isn't magical without a very clear sign. ]
But hold on. The confluences, we're not sure those are magical either, right? I wonder if a machine like this…I dunno. If there's something this big just hidden here and we were able to find it, maybe there's more tech like this just waiting out there. Who knows what it all does.
[ But that's just speculation. Focus, Peter. ]
You know…I think you're right? It clearly doesn't need all that just to power itself, and it hasn't been outright malevolent attacking us or anything. The question is what it's storing it for.
no subject
[Otto's got less experience with magic than Peter, but none of it was great! He's not much of a fan either. He got some recommended reading from Strange several months ago, and he's at least picked up the basics, but he's finding it's not always enough to help much when actually in the field.
Anyway, the thought of more bunkers beneath Excelsior's alarming, but let's stay on track here.]
Why don't we focus on the mystery machine we've got, for now? [Though really, it's hard to say from what they have here...] I wonder if the creator didn't intend some kind of attack against the city. It would have been effective...
[It basically has been that, if unintentionally!]
Though just storing all that power's a waste. May as well use it.
[Is there any sort of output capacity? Surely there must be. Otto's looking for that without the actuators, though, wary of having them too close to anything like that.]
punch kick fight!
One of the looters turns around just in time to get an angry squirrel thrown in his face. Doreen's missing her powers, sure, but she and Tippy-toe have been together for years, and even if they can't speak the same language anymore, they still have an Understanding when it comes to crimefighting (plus, miming goes a long way!). That takes care of one of the jerks, at least - when you're scrambling to pry an angry rodent off your face, you can't concentrate on punching anyone.
"Hey Spidey! This sucks, huh?"
no subject
Doreen is compensating a lot better, but maybe that's just the squirrel's assistance.
Peter hasn't finished his little spider drone yet (something he makes a mental note to do immediately), and without power, any tech he could convince to help them out is offline, so he's on his own here.
He…realises he has no idea what her hero name is and he'd hate to get it wrong so he just doesn't address her by name.
"Sucks has gotta be an understatement," he says. "These guys hit pretty hard, actually!"
That remark annoys the one guy, the one without a squirrel in his face, and he swings again. Peter manages to dodge again but he doesn't land the rebound swing.
What he does have, though, is webs. Those still work, since they're not really reliant on specific power. He can't swing from them, but he can shoot them.
His aim isn't completely shit, and he hits the guy with a glob of webbing. He's going for face, but hits…neck? Well, it's a start.
no subject
Sometimes, though... sometimes you have a lightbulb moment, and the opportunity to fight smart instead of fight hard comes up.
Doreen grabs the squirrel-in-the-face guy by one of his flailing arms, and smacks his hand into the webbing on the other guy's neck, so that they're stuck together at an awkward angle.
"Hah! Yes! You just got webbed, jerks! Now go home and... uh..." She gives Peter an aside glance. "... This stuff does dissolve, right? Eventually?"
no subject
What a mess.
"Yeah, it takes a couple of hours," he answers.
To the confused would-be criminals, he says, "Gotta watch out for your bad ideas. Sometimes you're stuck with the consequences!"
It's a terrible joke, but it's on brand.
Back to Doreen, though, "Let's leave them to figure that out, huh?"
no subject
Buuut yeah, they really should get out of here. She gives the jerks some fingerguns before turning to leave alongside Peter.
"So, hey, this is probably weird, but there's another You in my universe, and we're kinda work friends? I'm Squirrel Girl, usually I have a tail, it's a whole thing. Nice to meet you!" The Spidey from her universe is also taller than this guy, but she's tactful enough not to mention it!
no subject
"Squirrel Girl? Honestly, this is the least weird thing to happen in days," he says, amicably, and slides out the door. He holds it for her. Where they go after this, he's not sure. He can't climb up a building and because of the strength and flexibility differential, he can't web sling either.
"But it's nice to meet you, too." He's almost waiting for the height comment, since everyone likes to point it out, but bless her for not saying it out loud.
"Normally I can actually, y'know, fight. But everyone's powers kinda got zapped by this machine thing," he says. He can't cop to it being his fault here while he's Spider-Man, but whatever. He wouldn't be surprised if Squirrel Girl knew already, since apparently Peter Parker's secret identity is the worst kept secret in several universes.
no subject
"Gosh, right? This sucks!" She says, following after him and throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. "Literally everything about this sucks right now. It's like trying to fight in slow-motion! And not in a cool, Matrix-y bullet time kinda way. Is your balance way off, too? I could barely even walk for like an hour."
Don't worry about the secret identity, Doreen doesn't know his whole deal, and Peter's found the one person in the multiverse who's worse at keeping her identity under wraps than he is! Although, uh... Otto offered to let her crash on the couch, so that might complicate things!
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