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CONFLUENCE 03
THUNDERSTRUCK
This time there was warning. Any being with precognitive abilities finds themselves brought to their knees a few hours before the event, plagued with a hazy vision of chaos and fear. There's not enough detail to say what is to happen, but at least they have the where and when.
Excelsior, Washington.
The people seem annoyed when they are told to evacuate. After all, Excelsior was built to last. This is a city exempt from the unpredictability of nature. They have weather control systems set up to ensure nothing disrupts their research. This a city built upon scientific advancement, with every inch of infrastructure reliant upon it, and they are confident that they are safe within its borders.
And even without the stubborn minority, the Alliance knows there isn't enough time for a full evacuation. But still, they try. They call upon every available hero to race toward whatever chaos may be about to drop over the city. The Society has sent a few faces too, more quietly. Whether to help or hinder is anyone's guess, as there's whispered encouragement to do both.
The city isn't anywhere near empty when the air goes very still. Everyone and everything pauses and looks skyward as a few drops of rain begin to fall, and the artificial sky fades to reveal roiling clouds.
The Confluence begins.
Excelsior, Washington.
The people seem annoyed when they are told to evacuate. After all, Excelsior was built to last. This is a city exempt from the unpredictability of nature. They have weather control systems set up to ensure nothing disrupts their research. This a city built upon scientific advancement, with every inch of infrastructure reliant upon it, and they are confident that they are safe within its borders.
And even without the stubborn minority, the Alliance knows there isn't enough time for a full evacuation. But still, they try. They call upon every available hero to race toward whatever chaos may be about to drop over the city. The Society has sent a few faces too, more quietly. Whether to help or hinder is anyone's guess, as there's whispered encouragement to do both.
The city isn't anywhere near empty when the air goes very still. Everyone and everything pauses and looks skyward as a few drops of rain begin to fall, and the artificial sky fades to reveal roiling clouds.
The Confluence begins.
ITS RAINING (SUPER) MEN
Rain slashes sideways as the skies darken, taking unnatural colors with every flash of lightning. It's beautiful and awe-striking, but knowing that somehow this bizarre phenomenon is the calm before the storm keeps anyone on the ground from enjoying it. Even the those who lack self preservation in the scientific community don't want to investigate the cause of this.
There's a flash of light and a boom. Those still caught in the streets waiting evacuation brace themselves.
And then people begin to fall.
If you are one of these people, you awaken to find yourself hurtling towards the ground at breakneck speed. You come into awareness just in time to register you're about to make impact with the ground, or a car, a building, whatever is underneath you. The impact pulverizes the surface strike, leaving a sizable crater, and as you pull yourself up you find yourself unharmed. Yet there's energy crackling in the air around you. If there are bystanders near you they whip out cellphones to capture the occurrence for their followers or for scientific posterities, crowding around the craters a buzz of excitement. Some of the more fearful ones simply turn and begin running in hopes they can beat the storm.
There's a flash of light and a boom. Those still caught in the streets waiting evacuation brace themselves.
And then people begin to fall.
If you are one of these people, you awaken to find yourself hurtling towards the ground at breakneck speed. You come into awareness just in time to register you're about to make impact with the ground, or a car, a building, whatever is underneath you. The impact pulverizes the surface strike, leaving a sizable crater, and as you pull yourself up you find yourself unharmed. Yet there's energy crackling in the air around you. If there are bystanders near you they whip out cellphones to capture the occurrence for their followers or for scientific posterities, crowding around the craters a buzz of excitement. Some of the more fearful ones simply turn and begin running in hopes they can beat the storm.
CRYPTO OR CRYPTID
Confluences give people powers. That's part of the deal. And while those of you who just fell from the sky are discovering your new gifts, others are also suddenly uncovering their own brand new talents.
Excelsior isn't exactly known for natural superpowers. Most of its heroes are self-made geniuses, armed with metasuits or other augments. Those that do have powers got them from scientific accidents, transforming due to experiments gone wrong or accidentally tumbling into toxic waste. They have emergency medical protocols ready for that - not for random people on the street suddenly gaining abilities.
Newly empowered townspeople may jump in to help deal with the evolving chaos, but their lack of control of their powers makes them a bigger threat than whatever threat they were trying to stop. Others will shamelessly take advantage of the chaos to live their villainous dreams, robbing stores and taking revenge on their shitty bosses, landlords, or exes.
The reserve members of the Guardian Alliance spring into action. The heavy hitters are elsewhere, trying to deal with the loss of power and getting the city back online, and so you're left with the rookies trying to keep pace. Many of them are inexperienced and unable to keep up with the raw power and ruthlessness of newly awakened metas. Fantastic, an aerokinetic and one of the newer recruits, seems to be the only one even remotely holding his own.
It's clear they need your help to contain this!
The storm doesn't peter out after the new arrivals have all landed, either. The panic and chaos below seems to fuel it to a second peak. Clouds roil, electricity snakes, and the thunder builds into a deafening crescendo. Then with one final, blinding burst of light, everything goes dark and quiet.
The power is out.
More than just the power — Excelsior is out. The powergrid has been downed, its internal networks corrupted, anything that makes the city function is completely fried, that last surge of the storm apparently having acted as an EMP blast. All of Excelsior's internal systems are now offline. The lights are all out.
Vehicles are stalled out in the streets. And then comes the first crashing boom of a falling hover car. There are more still in the air, but anyone who might be in a position to save them will have only moments to do so before they smash apart on whatever or whoever is unlucky enough to be stuck below them.
And it's not just that. Hospitals are now without power.
Excelsior isn't exactly known for natural superpowers. Most of its heroes are self-made geniuses, armed with metasuits or other augments. Those that do have powers got them from scientific accidents, transforming due to experiments gone wrong or accidentally tumbling into toxic waste. They have emergency medical protocols ready for that - not for random people on the street suddenly gaining abilities.
Newly empowered townspeople may jump in to help deal with the evolving chaos, but their lack of control of their powers makes them a bigger threat than whatever threat they were trying to stop. Others will shamelessly take advantage of the chaos to live their villainous dreams, robbing stores and taking revenge on their shitty bosses, landlords, or exes.
The reserve members of the Guardian Alliance spring into action. The heavy hitters are elsewhere, trying to deal with the loss of power and getting the city back online, and so you're left with the rookies trying to keep pace. Many of them are inexperienced and unable to keep up with the raw power and ruthlessness of newly awakened metas. Fantastic, an aerokinetic and one of the newer recruits, seems to be the only one even remotely holding his own.
It's clear they need your help to contain this!
The storm doesn't peter out after the new arrivals have all landed, either. The panic and chaos below seems to fuel it to a second peak. Clouds roil, electricity snakes, and the thunder builds into a deafening crescendo. Then with one final, blinding burst of light, everything goes dark and quiet.
The power is out.
More than just the power — Excelsior is out. The powergrid has been downed, its internal networks corrupted, anything that makes the city function is completely fried, that last surge of the storm apparently having acted as an EMP blast. All of Excelsior's internal systems are now offline. The lights are all out.
Vehicles are stalled out in the streets. And then comes the first crashing boom of a falling hover car. There are more still in the air, but anyone who might be in a position to save them will have only moments to do so before they smash apart on whatever or whoever is unlucky enough to be stuck below them.
And it's not just that. Hospitals are now without power.
VLOG SQUAD STRIKES BACK
In every disaster, the best and worst of human nature can be found. The best shines in every outstretched hand and combined effort, in every life saved. The worst is a gaggle of young adults that live together in the city's least favorite content creator house, known with equal parts irritation and secondhand embarrassment as The Vlog Squad. It seems five of the eight streamer/vlogger/influencers have developed meta powers, including one with the power to record, edit, and broadcast with her mind. The entire group made an on-stream pact to become (non-guild affiliated) supervillains, and their views are skyrocketing.
One of them jumps off a building to demonstrate how he can put holes in everything below him.
Playlist, the ringleader with a sizable following on Youtube and TikTok, has the ability to Freeze, Rewind, Fast Forward reality. Be unlucky enough to be caught in her gaze and find yourself frozen in place, talking in reverse, or zipping around faster than you can control. Good luck getting someone to understand you when you sound like a chipmunk.
Then there's there's the second in command, Filter, an up and coming Instagram star. Filter's powers seem to be tied to their phone. If they get a picture of you in the air - welcome to anti-gravity, you're now stuck floating like a balloon until someone can get you back to Earth. If they slap a sepia filter on an unflattering photo of you, you're now encased in stone until someone drops a compliment. Each filter does something a little different and the unfortunate effects are yours to find out.
The rest of their squad is less notable, both in terms of power and in terms of following. There's a young man who can project his voice for miles around. A young woman who can compel people to dance to the beats dropped by her literal soundcloud. There's one unfortunate fellow whose only real power seems to be to turn people's heads into emojis for 30 seconds.
They're targeting known heroes, but will settle for property damage if it means getting attention. New metas may find themselves accosted by a unpleasant young adult with a camera, mockingly asking if they plan to become heroes. No matter the answer, the result is the same - they'll mock your choice and reasoning and try to get away with a cruel prank.
One of them jumps off a building to demonstrate how he can put holes in everything below him.
Playlist, the ringleader with a sizable following on Youtube and TikTok, has the ability to Freeze, Rewind, Fast Forward reality. Be unlucky enough to be caught in her gaze and find yourself frozen in place, talking in reverse, or zipping around faster than you can control. Good luck getting someone to understand you when you sound like a chipmunk.
Then there's there's the second in command, Filter, an up and coming Instagram star. Filter's powers seem to be tied to their phone. If they get a picture of you in the air - welcome to anti-gravity, you're now stuck floating like a balloon until someone can get you back to Earth. If they slap a sepia filter on an unflattering photo of you, you're now encased in stone until someone drops a compliment. Each filter does something a little different and the unfortunate effects are yours to find out.
The rest of their squad is less notable, both in terms of power and in terms of following. There's a young man who can project his voice for miles around. A young woman who can compel people to dance to the beats dropped by her literal soundcloud. There's one unfortunate fellow whose only real power seems to be to turn people's heads into emojis for 30 seconds.
They're targeting known heroes, but will settle for property damage if it means getting attention. New metas may find themselves accosted by a unpleasant young adult with a camera, mockingly asking if they plan to become heroes. No matter the answer, the result is the same - they'll mock your choice and reasoning and try to get away with a cruel prank.
POWER RESTORED
The power is restored. With it, a belated message makes it to guild and society phones: the guild says restrain the Vlog Squad however you can and await authorities.
Meanwhile a very different message hits the airwaves. Mechanima's digitized voice comes across official channels, torn between amusement and annoyance. He says deal with them, don't care how you do it, but start with the broadcaster.
Once that's done, the guild places a call back to its headquarters to bring everyone back with a teleportation spell. The spell reaches out for whatever metahumans it can find in the area and pulls.
All the metahumans who were involved in the Confluence — new arrivals and old — to a white training space that has already transformed into a luxurious waiting room.
Atomight arrives quickly and makes the following announcement:
They hand out cellphones to all present. Once everyone gathered has been looked over and attended to they're directed to the Diadem in and handed a credit card.
Later into the night, another message comes across those phones. The Society of Villainous Reformation formally extends an invitation to all those villainously inclined. Reply for more info.
Meanwhile a very different message hits the airwaves. Mechanima's digitized voice comes across official channels, torn between amusement and annoyance. He says deal with them, don't care how you do it, but start with the broadcaster.
Once that's done, the guild places a call back to its headquarters to bring everyone back with a teleportation spell. The spell reaches out for whatever metahumans it can find in the area and pulls.
All the metahumans who were involved in the Confluence — new arrivals and old — to a white training space that has already transformed into a luxurious waiting room.
Atomight arrives quickly and makes the following announcement:
Thank you for your help out there. The casualties would be so much higher were it not for those of you who risked your lives to save strangers. To those of you grappling with your new abilities, please rest assured that this room will give you a much needed reprieve. We have staff on site who can work with you to gain control of you new abilities, and nullifiers if you find it's still too much.
You are the third set of newly powered individuals this confluence has brought. Though many of you are native to this world, others among you have come from far off universes. To those of you who have been flung far from home, we'll put you in connection with the others. Many of them are here today and can advise you of what your new reality is here.
We of the Guardian Alliance are committed to doing everything we can to get you home, and to give you some time to get your feet under you. And as this may be your home for a while longer, I wish to formally extend an invitation to those of you who wish to use your powers to defend the innocent to join us.
You are the third set of newly powered individuals this confluence has brought. Though many of you are native to this world, others among you have come from far off universes. To those of you who have been flung far from home, we'll put you in connection with the others. Many of them are here today and can advise you of what your new reality is here.
We of the Guardian Alliance are committed to doing everything we can to get you home, and to give you some time to get your feet under you. And as this may be your home for a while longer, I wish to formally extend an invitation to those of you who wish to use your powers to defend the innocent to join us.
They hand out cellphones to all present. Once everyone gathered has been looked over and attended to they're directed to the Diadem in and handed a credit card.
Later into the night, another message comes across those phones. The Society of Villainous Reformation formally extends an invitation to all those villainously inclined. Reply for more info.
IN SUMMARY
- New arrivals are falling from the skies. They're unharmed despite what should be a lethal impact. People in the city also begin developing superpowers upon landing.
- Players are free to create their own powered NPCs for these encounters and can use them.
- A notable group of online content creators called the Vlog Squad have developed powers and are terrorizing the city and are livestreaming every minute thanks to their powers.
- The Vlog Squad has declared on camera that they do not intend to join any guild and are already showing signs of disrespecting the code. For those already committed to guilds, this means:
Atomight will ask player characters in the Guardian Alliance to deal with them peacefully.
Mechanima demands that members of the Society of Villainous Reformation deal with them — whether this means incapacitating them, forcing them to join, or killing them is their choice. - If anyone wants to engage Mechanima or Atomight, HERE is a top level where we will summarize their responses to PC questions and comments. Please also reply to this comment with what your character plans to do with the Vlog Squad. We encourage you to make posts on the OOC comm plotting out conflict and responses. You may also use this top level to ask event-specific questions about the effects on this page! (Please refer general questions about the setting to the FAQ, and refer any player plots to the PLOTTING page.)
VLOG SQUAD ENCOUNTERS
For each event with a clear antagonistic NPC force — such as the Vlog Squad, in the February arrival — interested players can pitch their characters' encounters with those NPCs. Whether characters are heroic and suited to the role or not, the aim is the group effort of pitching in, so we highly encourage collaborating on these encounters. Once enough NPC encounters have been submitted, we'll determine if and how the trouble has been addressed, and select one of those encounters to be the final, conclusive one in the game. Everyone else's encounters will also have taken place, but may have been temporary stopgaps in addressing the conflict rather than a conclusive blow. For this Confluence, we are asking that submissions be finalized by 3/5.
How it works:
How it works:
- Reply to the relevant top-level comment with an encounter and/or questions about the encounter. The mods are happy to go back and forth with before locking in exactly what a character or group of characters does. Any conversations between characters and NPCs will most likely be happening prior to combat unless specified by the players.
- The mods ask that players present two options. In one version, the character or group of characters kills, immobilizes, or otherwise apprehend the villain(s). In the other version, one way or another, the villain escapes or overcomes the character or group of characters. Players who wish to have a specific spot in the timeline (near to the beginning or near to the end) should make this request explicit, and the mods will make efforts to accommodate this.
- The mods will RNG the results for the final encounter. For all other submissions, the escape/overcome option is selected. Open calls for collaboration which result in multiple player characters contributing to an idea or solution (see: Kamala Khan's solution to the Cerberus fight) have a much higher chance of being the final encounter, as we want to reward player collaboration and innovation. Please be sure that after everyone has weighed in you return to the top-level comment to report exactly what is happening and who is doing what.
- The mods will reply to player submissions with a brief outline of how all of the run-ins go, whether it's a fight or a slapstick series of hilarious accidents that involves the character(s).
Request NPC encounters using the following form —
EXAMPLE—
Character(s) involved: The Iron Giant and Hank Hill
Details of the encounter: Hank will ride in Iron Giant's hand as they search the city for the Vlog Squad, eventually spotting them in a public park. They land explosively in the middle, throwing all of the squad off of their feet while the Iron Giant sends out a signal to scramble their livestreams and begins trying to catch the offenders up in both hands. Hank will try to tackle at least one of them.
How might the villain escape or overcome the player character(s)? Playlist slow motions Iron Giant and they easily duck its grasp, and Filter leaves Hank floating upside down as they make their escape.
How would the player character(s) kill, immobilize, or apprehend the villain? Iron Giant grabs Playlist before she can slow it, then picks up and captures all but Emoji; Hank throws a branch and beans that guy right in the head. Iron Giant gathers him up too, and they turn them in to the first batch of emergency responders they find.
EXAMPLE—
Character(s) involved: The Iron Giant and Hank Hill
Details of the encounter: Hank will ride in Iron Giant's hand as they search the city for the Vlog Squad, eventually spotting them in a public park. They land explosively in the middle, throwing all of the squad off of their feet while the Iron Giant sends out a signal to scramble their livestreams and begins trying to catch the offenders up in both hands. Hank will try to tackle at least one of them.
How might the villain escape or overcome the player character(s)? Playlist slow motions Iron Giant and they easily duck its grasp, and Filter leaves Hank floating upside down as they make their escape.
How would the player character(s) kill, immobilize, or apprehend the villain? Iron Giant grabs Playlist before she can slow it, then picks up and captures all but Emoji; Hank throws a branch and beans that guy right in the head. Iron Giant gathers him up too, and they turn them in to the first batch of emergency responders they find.
no subject
"Maybe it's some kind of coffee shop conspiracy. 'Meet someone new by spilling your drink on them!'" He rolls his eyes at his own tone, clearly not believing in the conspiracy he'd just voiced. Then again, anything seems possible in this crazy place.
He indicates that the other guy should get in line in front of him. "At least let me buy. No reason for you to pay for two drinks, when mine caused the problem in the first place."
no subject
"Before we descend into a never ending 'no, me' gentleman's battle, I will cede, because I do think I'll have to get these cleaned, so we'll call that even." He steps into line at the gesture. The pants will be fine in the wash, and talking to someone who isn't insufferable is easing his irritation. "I'm Balthier, by the way."
no subject
He relaxes minutely when the other man cedes; it's hardly a battle but it still feels good to win at something. Even better at it being something inconsequential, something normal. Normal like a coffee shop encounter; normal like an introduction. "Bucky," he offers, along with the offer of a handshake. "I will try not to spill more coffee on you."
no subject
Balthier gladly takes the hand. Normalcy is not entirely familiar to him yet either, but it's welcome. There is absolutely something pleasant about being able to walk into a coffee shop and talk to a stranger without worrying about wanted posters and empire guards. Or, before that, everyone knowing whose son he was.
"Balthier. And it would be most appreciated."
He has been here long enough to notice, however, that locals are more likely to comment on his accent and loud clothing. Bucky does neither. As the line inches forward, Balthier debates the best way to ask the man if he's another Diadem resident without revealing himself as a meta if he isn't; he's been here long enough to see the negative end of attitude spectrums.
He lands on, "How long have you been in Central City?"
no subject
Not that Bucky thought to dwell on such contemplation. No, he focused on the handshake, on not gripping too firmly. While powers going haywire seemed related to the confluence events, or so he understood, he still found himself overly conscious of how firmly he gripped things. The crushed coffee cup was only one accident, but that didn't mean it couldn't happen again.
The question made him frown though, because he still hadn't wrapped his head around the whole arrival thing. "Not very long at all. I'm a recent arrival, one would say. Very recent."
no subject
"A few weeks for me." What, six now? Seven? "From a very long way off, though. No one from home here."
no subject
They're nearly to the front if the line though, so instead of pursuing it further where they can be overheard, Bucky shifts conversation to the weather. "At least the sun's out today, though I don't suppose that means much this time of year. Sunny and warm one day, a foot of snow the next."
Boring, but no one wants to eavesdrop on conversations about the weather.
no subject
There’s a thought he hasn’t considered yet, one that leaves him mildly dazed. Will he still be here next year to use it?
no subject
"Good coat is never a bad investment." This coming from a man whose fashion sense is best described as nondescript. Then again when one's goal is to remain as anonymous as possible, it works. He inclines his head toward the door: "walk and talk, or stay here?"
no subject
Balthier considers the question. He's sore all over from the Confluence still, but the man also being a possible meta has piqued his interest, and conversation is more distracting than work. "Let's walk," he says. A change of scenery always does him good.
no subject
But he welcomes walking. Bucky finds a that the simple act feels so novel: to stroll, unhurried and with no distinct direction. And no spilled drink mishaps on their way out the door; already his luck seems to be improving. "I'll defer to you on direction; I haven't done much wandering myself."
no subject
"This way's more pleasant," he says with the jerk of his head. Fewer tourists, more interesting architecture.
It doesn't seem entirely wise to have an open conversation about being metas, not with the attitudes in Central City, but he's still curious. He's met more people who are from worlds similar to this than as different as his own. Bucky blends in better than he did, better than Diana, but maybe not as well as David.
"How similar is this to home for you?" he asks. He takes a sip of his tea to stave off the chill of the weather.
no subject
Bucky follows the lead in direction, sipping his drink and letting his eyes rove over the scenery. It could almost be any city back home, which is a weird enough thought. "That's the funny part," he muses in response to Balthier's question. "This could be home. Even the existence of people with superhuman abilities isn't out of the realm of possibility, where I'm from. But it's not, and I'm still trying to decide how I want to feel about that."
On the one hand, he's not a wanted man here. And if HYDRA isn't here, then he should potentially have very little about which to worry, in terms of his own freedoms. It's liberating, in a way. But on the other hand— "And I'd love to know why we're really here."
no subject
Balthier considers Bucky's words. That's a fair point; he remembers from his travels at home that places that were more similar were often more off-putting than those that felt entirely foreign. "To be quite honest I'm not sure which of us has the better deal. There's little in common here with my home, but that's also made it somewhat easier to just ride the winds. Though I'm jealous of the folks who have someone they know in the area."
As to the second comment, he's considered that himself. "I haven't decided if I think there was a grand reason, or I think there was some sort of random selection. It's a taxing question though. I'd prefer random, I think. I've had my fill of fates and gods and the like meddling in my affairs."
They cross over another street and into a residential area. There's a park a block or two down that he steers them toward.
no subject
Balthier brings up a fair point though; familiarity tends to breed comfort, whether it be in the form of person or place. To be completely adrift might bother others; for him, who had been running - literally - for his life before his arrival, this has been a welcome respite.
"I suppose that depends on how you feel about people who know you," he finally answers. "And what they might want."
Which bleeds into Balthier's own statement about fates and gods; Bucky hums in agreement as they turn toward the park. "Here's free will but it's only free if you do what we want you to do. Sounds about right."
no subject
"Sounds like we have had some similarly charming beings in our lives. Cheers to them not appearing to be here."
He doesn't miss the irony that his father had thought he was defying those fates and taking the reins of rule back in the hands of man, but he had just been a pawn himself. And Balthier, who ran so far to get away, never did escape. Except in coming here; he hopes that escape holds true and isn't just another chapter in that horrible predetermined story.
The park is fairly empty today. It's chilly and school hours, though there are a few people milling about. The trees are large and old and there are winding paths and benches. It's a nice reprieve from the city landscape.
no subject
• walk in the park interrupted by giant stuffed toy brought to life
• our mighty heroes sigh profusely but still do the mighty hero thing because someone has to
• their drinks probably go cold, which is sad
• maybe they accidentally discover Bucky's healing power???
• ?
• ??
• idk, profit? Feel free to add anything I missed]
no subject
I moved the stuffed animal to the new log b/c I wanted to thread the ridiculousness, but happy to swap that out if you wanna do something else. I handwaved in my starter that the first time was a man who could command birds to attack people. ]
no subject