metamods: (Default)
meta moderators ([personal profile] metamods) wrote in [community profile] metalogs2023-06-10 02:45 pm

DOWNBURST: PART I

 
DOWNBURST (I)

➢ This log will cover the next three weeks of in-game time – from June 10 to June 30. This period will kick off with Kon freaking out with his friends with the Alliance HQ attack occurring soon after.

➢ Arcadia is open for business and tours, even if no one moves in. If anyone wishes to investigate Arcadia, they can feel free to – for what someone might find, please hit up the mods with any questions below.

➢ Around June 21st, Mechanima will announce that the parasitic infestation of Central City has been stopped. He’ll give credit to the efforts of Spider-Boy, Spider-Man, and Sleeper for their efforts in stopping the spread of the parasitic entity. But the quarantine is not lifted – he’ll cite the attack on the Alliance HQ as part of his reason for maintaining it. The subtext is that he doesn’t want to give Fantastic back “his” toys.

➢ During the last week – with the assumption that no one, or almost no one, has moved into Arcadia – the guards will begin bearing down on the Starfallen more obviously. Whoever’s giving them orders is antsy, and the guards are being made to act on that.

➢ What happens with (or even to) Arcadia will be decided by the playerbase. If you have any ideas, please feel free to hit us up! We’re down to hear what anyone has in mind.

➢ Fantastic’s big move will happen in the next event log on June 30th, as it will be dependent upon actions here. We’ll let you know if this date changes on mod channels.

➢ For characters seeking The Fixer, Frances, or Atomight, there will be comments below. We’ll be treating them like NPC engagement threads for the sake of ease.

➢ For any questions pertaining to this log, please hit the mod question thread below, as that is where we’ll be responding to any questions in or around this event.

THE JUSTIFICATION

It begins with Kon. On the surface, there were no obvious plans for Fantastic to take over the Alliance. On the surface, Atomight should have been allowed to continue in the same shoes, no matter how much disdain he started to receive from the public and his fellow heroes. But these plans had been in motion for a while, with Fantastic eventually being the beneficiary. When the trigger comes to set off Kon, it’s meant to show that Fantastic was the right choice all along. And wasn’t he? After all, Kon’s destruction was evidence that a stronger, firmer hand was needed. Fantastic wouldn’t showboat about it. Kon needed help.

The end result—Kon’s explosion of sorts—was proof enough. Not that Fantastic would say this. No, the Alliance leader wouldn’t let such a thing be used for publicity. That would be too much. It’s better if publicity makes itself.

Enter: the Alliance HQ in Central City. If Kon’s takedown can be passed through word of mouth, the attack on the Alliance HQ was meant to be breaking news that would get around-the-clock coverage. After all, the Alliance is meant to help metas of all stripes – Starfallen and otherwise. Fantastic even had a headline in mind: “Fantastic Stops Challenge to Alliance Authority.”

However, nothing ever goes as planned. First: a weird bodyswapping parasite arrived in Central City and forced Mechanima to place the city under quarantine. Second: it was meant to be a two-pronged attack, but Fantastic’s guy putting everything in place didn’t have the hold on his subjects that was meant to be in place.

So, the Alliance HQ attack is one Starfallen who can’t control herself: Doreen, also known as Squirrel Girl. But here, she’s known as the Felonious Fox. Taking her down is of the utmost importance – and so is figuring out what happened to her. It might not be a bad idea to ignore Mechanima’s quarantine on Central City as a whole to make that happen, lest she be forced to do something she’ll regret.

As for Fantastic? Without his two-pronged Starfallen attack to stop, he has to improvise.


ARCADIA

Within 12 hours of the attack on the Alliance HQ, Fantastic is on television making a statement:

“Hello, hello.” He flashes a smile – it’s clearly meant to disarm the audience, as seeming confident is most important in times like these. “I have been involved in an investigation for the last day about a number of Starfallen who have been engaging in duplicitous acts and have come to a troubling realization. These Starfallen have been manipulated and implanted with dangerous directives in order to bring harm to both themselves and others. Needless to say, this discovery was alarming … and worrying. The suspect is a hypnotist with no known powers.” Here, a picture of The Fixer flashes on the television. “This man is on the loose and we welcome any leads to stop him.”

With no preamble, he continues: “I hoped to make this announcement under better circumstances, but ah – better sooner than later, right? Today, I’d like to introduce you all to Arcadia.” The video cuts out to show a beautiful, state-of-the-art compound near Excelsior – which can be seen in the distance. “For months, the Starfallen have arrived in this world with little support beyond what the Alliance has provided them, and we’ve put together a project that we hope will be of great service to new and old Starfallen alike. We thank the great citizens of Excelsior for working with the Alliance in making this dream a reality.” Fantastic pauses again to smile – he attempts to exude as much warmth as possible, but he mostly just looks proud of himself.

“Now, let’s introduce you all to … Arcadia.”

Fantastic is now gone, and a video begins, flashing a logo covered in Greek olive branches: Arcadia. The subtitle? “A Place For All the Travellers of the Stars to Feel Safe.”

THE VIDEO

➢ First off, the beginning of the video makes one thing clear: all Starfallen are welcome to visit Arcadia and take a tour as soon as they’d like. There are openings today for tours if they would like, and these tours are as safe as anyone might like.

➢ The video itself is a guided tour of Arcadia. Meant to be a permanent residence for all Starfallen, it’s a compound that has state-of-the-art technology designed to keep the Starfallen safe. The only way to enter the compound is by passing a number of randomized screenings, ensuring that no one can enter unless they pass one of these checks.

➢ Arcadia is pristine. Neither the Alliance nor the architects and engineers of Excelsior cut any corners when it came to ensuring that the location was beautiful. Most significantly, while it largely resides on a patch of cleared land outside of Excelsior, there are options to elevate Arcadia above ground should the people there need to protect it. Arcadia is able to rise up like an island in the sky to offer protection to its people.

➢ All of the homes inside Arcadia are beautiful. All of them come pre-furnished, and Starfallen will be able to pick the interior colors, types of appliances they’ll need, and any other amenities they might require. Need a hot tub? No one at Alliance HQ will be asking any questions. Have specific dietary requirements? Never worry – Arcadia will provide anything needed so that someone can live their lives as discreetly as possible.

Security is important. Beyond the randomized screenings for entry, there will be guards in Arcadia around the clock to ensure that Arcadian citizens are not harmed. These guards will be armed with depowering devices should anyone attempt to attack the Starfallen, largely making it possible to neutralize their attack. Some of the guards are even shown without their gear in the video: they’re all generically attractive men and women of all stripes. If they weren’t guards, they could easily be models.



The video ends with a request: “Come and see Arcadia today. We’ll do everything we can to make this the home of your dreams.”



NOTES ON ARCADIA

➢ With its introduction out there in the world, Arcadia’s doors are open! While there are scheduled tours, it doesn’t seem as if anyone will be denied entry if they want to check out the location. Visitors are provided with a guest pass for a day – unless they choose to sign up to stay before they leave. (Hint hint: there will be a lot of pressure to sign up, but no one will be forced to stay.)

➢ Arcadia is a bit like the Tardis from Doctor Who. While it doesn’t seem like it could possibly house all of those different apartments for Starfallen, it seems to be endless. Anyone who’s able to sense magic can guess that some spellwork went into this accomplishment.

➢ Should anyone visit and go off the beaten path and explore without a guide – or just wander off to “find a bathroom” and end up somewhere they shouldn’t, for example – they’ll find strange engraved symbols on the lowest level of Arcadia. Near here, there will be an additional magical residue that differs from what might be sensed throughout, as it’s much darker and insidious in nature. At the core of the compound, near a sign indicating that it’s the Mechanical Room keeping Arcadia afloat (figuratively and literally – should it need to elevate into the sky like an island), the magical residue turns into magical resonance. Something powerful is happening in there. Something dark.

➢ Guards are present throughout doing patrols, but they’ve been directed to not make contact with the Starfallen at this time. Trying to interact with them will lead to some small talk. These guards seem like your average Joes turned guards. They have families, pets, and favorite movies. They also think Fantastic is really, really cool.

➢ Even if the tours are guided, characters are largely allowed to move freely. They can visit several times before making a decision, but the pressure to sign up for a spot in Arcadia will escalate over time. No one is being held here against their will, but leaving isn’t the safest decision.

➢ Given Excelsior’s reticence toward metas and Starfallen, anyone heading into the city to get a sense of the sentiment toward Arcadia will get mixed opinions. But the people there are largely accepting of their fate. Having Arcadia nearby will mean that any dinosaur-shaped problems won’t be allowed to get out of hand. The Starfallen will surely help. The people of Excelsior will be able to explore their ideas, even if they turn into people-eating plants, and the Starfallen will help. Of course, many of the businesses in Excelsior have either been blackmailed into accepting their fate – or paid off. No one is happy, but they can see the upsides. Albeit reluctantly.

➢ As if geo-tagged, edits of the same video advertising Arcadia will appear wherever the Starfallen are, whether it’s on televisions in department stores, on ads on their social media, or elsewhere. It’s apparent that Arcadia is being pushed and it’s being pushed hard.

PROTECT AND SERVE

With the Fixer on the loose and loudly described as a danger to all Starfallen, the guards that were hired to protect Arcadia will now appear elsewhere, especially in locations where Starfallen frequent. Want to get your quadruple-shot caramel macchiato? A guard will be there, ensuring your safety. Want to see the newest multiversal pic of epic proportions with a generic and predictable ending? A guard will be buying a ticket, too. These guards are there to keep the Starfallen safe – and avoiding them will be difficult.

For a select few Starfallen, the guards won’t just be keeping an eye on them and monitoring their movement. They will be acting. In some cases, this action will be positive – but in others, it will be negative and threatening. Trying to challenge the authority of the Alliance is an unwise move when the Starfallen are at risk.



NOTES ON THE GUARDS

➢ For most, the guards will be an ever-present, creepy part of their lives. They won’t be immediately violent toward anyone that they’re observing, but they will be quick to act if someone tries to dodge their surveillance. Unless someone effectively goes into hiding, the guards will mysteriously be able to spot them again to “protect them.”

➢ Engaging with the guards violently will lead to problems. At this stage, they’ve been directed to only act in extreme circumstances – attacking them counts as extreme. These guards have been equipped with teleporters, enhanced speed and strength, as well as immensely powerful power inhibitors that depower any Starfallen within a five-foot radius.

➢ For a handful of Starfallen, their actions will be marked as threatening without provocation: Mark Bryant, Bart Allen, Heron, and Huvrye Tirvio. Since they pose a threat to the ability of the Alliance to protect all Starfallen, the guards will seek them out and attempt to apprehend them. Should they be successful, the Alliance will release a statement to the media about how some troublesome Starfallen have been stopped for the greater good. How these interactions go is up to the players themselves – the guards do not have to be successful.

➢ One Starfallen in particular, Ken Kaneki, will be approached by a guard without her mask as she offers him a place in Arcadia. The Alliance has noticed that he seems to be having a hard time adjusting to his new world and they’re here to help. The guard in question has no idea about why Kaneki might require additional assistance, but will promise that all of his needs will be met. If they’d like to talk in a more casual setting – including with her imposing armor off – she’s happy to go change. (Of course, the armor can be reapplied at the touch of a button, but she won’t be telling Kaneki that.)

➢ When the guards first appear, they will largely be omnipresent and creepy, but harmless otherwise. As the weeks go on, however, the guards will get antsy and will be hovering closer. Engaging with them at this stage is likely to cause an altercation – with the guard insisting at some point that the Starfallen may need to be brought into custody “for their own safety.” These altercations will only begin near the end of the period this log covers.

➢ Any captured Starfallen will be briefly imprisoned in Excelsior before being offered a spot in Arcadia. Jailbreaks and escapes are welcomed and encouraged.

knewaguy: (2047)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-06-27 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, sure.

[You wanna believe he's got faith in you being that good for it, kid? Knock yourself out. Logan will probably call something in at some time, if he needs to, but he just likes ensuring it sounds fair even if he doesn't get shit back at all.]

You convince me to move there, then what. Not talking about me here, talking about you. What're you going to do after that.
reneger: (you know you got me to help out.)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-06-27 09:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Working on that still.

( he's improvising, thank you. hard to go into something with a plan when he's running off theories rather than confirmed information. )

Why? Betraying you'd just be stupid, a double cross like that'd just land me in more shit than it's worth.
knewaguy: (84)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-06-30 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
You don't actually have a plan going into this? You're doing it for what- clout?

[He knows what clout is. Please tell him you're not just doing this cult dance for clout.]
reneger: (i'll be here waiting、 ready.)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-05 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, 'cause I broke into a cult is something I want on my resume.

( maybe approaching this guy was not a great idea. first he gets mistaken for a rent boy, now he thinks jason's in it for attention. )

I want to take it down.
knewaguy: (11499)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-05 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Why are the youth so ambitious.]

With who? Anybody else?
reneger: (i don't like them innocent.)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-05 05:18 am (UTC)(link)
Does it matter?

( he's guessing the answer is yes. but jason really doesn't give a shit. )
knewaguy: (2047)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-05 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, 'cause if you don't tell me you have a list of names...

[Guess what.]

Then my old ass is going to feel obliged to keep you from getting your ass handed to you, worst case scenario.
reneger: (sipping kerosene、 waiting for a spark.)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-05 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
Don't.

( it's abrupt and sudden, because jason doesn't want back up unless it's one of the few he told he'd try and throw an sos to if it came down to it. but he does follow it up-- )

If I'm getting my ass kicked, it's likely because I meant to put myself there. You don't need to do jack shit.
knewaguy: (089)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-05 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
So don't get your ass kicked and I won't have to do anything.

[Threat. Agreement. Whatever have you.]
reneger: (you should be scared of me.)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-06 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
Sorry, who're you again? 'cause you don't look like my dad to me.

( it's an even funnier joke because jason wouldn't listen to logan if he was one of the few father figures he has had in his life, either. but the whole point of going outside his own circles was avoiding idiots like this. now logan has ruined it. )
knewaguy: (0023)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-09 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
I'm your golden fucking ticket into Jonestown, you gotta listen to me.

[He's amused? Don't look. He's smiling in a stupid, cocky kind of way.]
reneger: (pic#11802618)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-09 05:53 am (UTC)(link)
Or I could turn 'round, take my leave, and find some other person I can drag in who's less likely to ask me if I'm a hooker.

( he sees that look. jason's still deciding between being amused back and being mildly irritated, so he settles for a smarmy little grin in return. somewhere in between. )
knewaguy: (8596)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-09 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
Still mad about that, bub?

[An actual laugh. Sorry.]
reneger: (pic#11802622)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-09 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
If I was mad, you'd know it.

( jason's anger burns hot, intense enough it tends to leave ash in it's wake, not easy grins and loose shoulders. if he was angry, he wouldn't be sitting casually. if he was angry, the entire bar would know it.

jason gestures at the cigar in logan's hand instead. )


Got one I can bum off you?
knewaguy: (089)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-09 06:22 am (UTC)(link)
Not a chance.

[He's got another in his pocket but, you know. Boundaries.]

They have smokes at the corner gas station.
reneger: (deceit so natural.)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-09 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Nah, I don't need one that badly.

( a loose lift of his shoulders; before he's waving down the bartender. )

Quit 'bout ten years ago, sometimes I just get an itch.
knewaguy: (6681)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-10 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
Look into a light long enough and it'll go away.

[So cute, being healthy and all that shit.]

Or chew some gum.
reneger: (a chest filled with diamonds and gold.)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-10 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Or I could just--

( reach over for logan and try to snag the cigar out of his mouth. see how far that gets him. )
knewaguy: (13329)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-10 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[You'd be surprised then, he lets it be taken - only for him to swipe his hand up fast enough to cut the lit tipped half of the cigar off and stick the three tips of his claws into the bar counter. He still has reflexes when he wants them, and maybe his shoulder'll hurt later for this cocky display, but hey. No spilled blood. Just:]

Great, now nobody gets it.
reneger: (just one of those nights.)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-11 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
( he's not expecting that. but jason doesn't flinch, doesn't react in any noticeable way.

instead, he takes what bit of the cigar is left and puts it between his lips. pulls a lighter out of his pocket. )


Still some left.

( nice to know his gut still hasn't let him down. it'd be a shame if he picked someone boring. )
knewaguy: (9020)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-11 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
You're a little shit.

[Not that riled up, he just - pulls free the claws, letting them retract before his arm's back on the counter and he's using that hand to pick up his drink. The wounds take a moment to heal, but he doesn't do much more than curl his lip and look sidelong at Jason.]

Do that again and I'm taking your hand off at the wrist.
reneger: (you know i wanna keep you around.)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-11 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
( retractable claws and a healing ability. that's handy. though the guy definitely looks worse for wear. jason flicks on the lighter and holds it below the cigar, breaths in to light it up before he's putting the lighter out and shoving it back into his jacket. his cigar now, thanks. )

I'd like to see you try it.
knewaguy: (5673)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-11 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
You want my help, don't antagonize me.

[Just. Because. Logan will crack and say "go fuck yourself" and it took 200 years to recognize that before it happens.]

Go make your kool-aid and tell me when the fuck I have to move in.
Edited 2023-07-11 06:57 (UTC)
reneger: (pic#13836917)

[personal profile] reneger 2023-07-11 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
I just can't help myself, especially when you make it so easy.

( jason's pulling himself up to his feet. reaches into his jeans' pocket once he's up to pull out an old brick phone. there's one number programmed into it, labeled with an "R" and nothing else--and he's sliding it on over until it's in front of logan. )

'll call you.
knewaguy: (12361)

[personal profile] knewaguy 2023-07-12 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
[Logan mutters something like 'jesus christ' when he looks at it, but nods his head. He'll take your Nokia shit, sure.]

Good.