CONFLUENCE 04

[metamods]

Who: All everybody
What: A Confluence strikes!
When: March 27, 2022
Where: Sunset Falls
Content Warnings: Comic book violence, ghosts and demons.

CONFLUENCE

Weird things happen in Sunset Falls.

This is a given. The residents of the town have never known a time where the paper didn't feature a mysterious occult murder as a headline, or a student wasn't being outed for using a little mystical enhancement to boost their athletic prowess.

So when the Alliance arrives, stating that residents must vacate the area as quickly as possible, nearly every person grabs a go-bag and gets the hell out of dodge. If something is big enough to earn the capes' attention, then it's surely not worth risking life and limb to find out if they're bluffing.

Guild members receive an emergency bulletin telling them to teleport to Sunset Falls at their earliest convenience. The notice warns them to prepare themselves, grimly remarking that if Confluences have been bad in the other cities then they will be a complete and utter nightmare in Sunset Falls.

This time, however, there is no great fall to kick things off.

New arrivals come into awareness seconds before they make impact - but this time, they're flying up and through the floorboards of Sunset Falls' high school gymnasium. The ground underneath flickers an ominous purple, a lingering gaze may feel the void gazing back in confusion... and then there's a burst of burning wind. Something rushes out of the void as it closes, leaving you to crash back down to the ground. There’s nothing left but broken shards of gym flooring scattered around you…and the lingering touch of something angry and malicious being freed.

Exiting the gym brings you directly into the main lobby. You can see people standing outside the doors, seemingly unaware of what has transpired behind them. Suddenly, there's a rush of wind and energy behind you, making a mad dash for the doors. They swing open hard enough to crack the windows, and then all is suddenly quiet.

01. SPRING THAW

Spring thaw has come swiftly this year. In the span of a few moments the temperature has gone from frigid to a balmy summer day, and only continues to rise.

As the disoriented new arrivals step outside, they find themselves standing in what could be a sweltering summer day. The heroes standing guard jolt in alarm as the doors behind them swing open. Air rushes out, a blast of frigidity that's a relief in the suddenly sweltering night. They turn, and spy the new arrivals. It seems like they’re almost - though certainly not quite - as confused as the rest of you. The recent Confluences have all happened with a bit more fanfare than this.

But the night is only getting hotter. If that’s the end of it, no one’s going to complain. And it must be over now, right? The citizens of Sunset Falls have already started to return, vague figures in the distance trickling out of alleyways and from behind buildings. Fantastic, the squad leader on this expedition, attempts to radio back to headquarters with this news - only to drop the communicator when it begins to wail in unearthly woe.

The people gathering around the school are getting closer. One by one they step into the streets, into the halogen glow of the streetlamps, and...

Something seems a little... off about them. Their eyes are distant and they appear to shimmer slightly in the dim light. Heroes and villains alike pause and glance between each other, a confused murmur breaking out as some recognize certain faces amongst the crowd. Some of the heroes born in this world shout out names in elation; others shrink back as they spy a less friendly face amongst the ghoulish collection.

The metas closest to the doors — Fantastic of the Guardian Alliance and Chaos Gate of the Society — take a few steps back. They're not naive enough to believe this is a good sign. Fantastic gestures for the new arrivals to get back inside the school and shut the doors. Chaos Gate extends a hand to summon her staff and gives a merry shout: everyone should prepare for a mess! This is a horde of ghosts, and they probably aren't that friendly.

Some of the apparitions appear to be wearing costumes that belong to decades past: spandex and capes in bright neon colors and embroidered with psychedelic shapes. Others simply look human, wearing civilian clothing marked with arcane symbols.

Either way, they're metahumans, to be sure - all of them know how to use their powers, and they’re looking to use them on all of you. Former hero or former villain, it doesn’t seem to matter. None of them seem to entirely register who or what it is they’re fighting; they won’t respond to attempts to talk them down, even from those guild members they used to know. They’re just attacking, lashing out with something like desperation. If you want to get through this, you’re going to have to fight back.

Spectral though they are, striking one of the ghosts feels like hitting someone of flesh and blood. But the more damaged they are, the less human they look. They begin to crumble and decay, looking less like living people and more like ghouls the more they’re beaten down. When they’re finally defeated, they burst in an explosion of unknowable spiritual energy…and also ectoplasm. Slimy!

02. SUMMER SWELTER

Should new arrivals, or metas who came along to help with the Confluence, break free of the throng of ghosts and flee into Sunset Falls, they won’t find themselves entirely safe. The ghosts won’t pursue, but they aren’t the only thing that slipped through the cracks in reality tonight.

The farther you get from the school and its host of the dead, the hotter it gets. The heat is oppressive; a shimmering haze rises over the pavement, and all the various birds and bugs of the evening have gone utterly silent.

The first sign is a pressure in your lungs, the air growing scalding to breathe. Then, without warning, pieces of your surroundings begin to spontaneously ignite. The roofs of the dark and vacant houses start to smoke; power lines burst and shower sparks and bits of melted wire and plastic. At the epicenter of the inferno, you can see a luminous shape shimmering through the air: a fire elemental.

It needs to be put out before it incinerates everything! You won't be able to rely on punching or regular fighting here - fittingly for a creature born of Sunset Falls, you'll have to rely on a more creative use of powers, and maybe some magic.

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:

• 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 —
<B>Characters involved:</b> Name (username) <b>Details of the encounter:</b> What's the plan? <B>How might the villain escape or overcome the player character(s)?</b> <B>How would the player character(s) kill, immobilize, or apprehend the villain?</b>

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.

03. SAFE AND SOUND

The foes finally vanquished, Fantastic - covered in ectoplasm, scorched, and thoroughly pissed - shouts that he's radioing back to HQ. If anyone doesn't want the ride back, they have five minutes to get out of his sight. The new arrivals have less of a choice in the matter as he's not bothering to clarify what "a ride" means. He simply slams the button on the communicator and barks into it that they've handled things and are ready to go. With a rush of arcane power, those who haven’t vacated the area find themselves somewhere else.

The gymnasium has been foregone in favor of a more permanent arrival space. Powers are still dampened here, but not turned off entirely. Anyone displaying intentions to harm others in the space is met with a swift time-out. Fantastic can be approached for conversation, although he doesn’t seem terribly interested in offering any actual assistance.

The guilds check over new arrivals, and once given a clean bill of health, a hot meal and the option to take a nap in a secured space, they are shuffled off into the Diadem Hotel. Recruiters from both the Society and the Alliance approach in the hotel lobby, each pitching an offer to join their respective side.

04. PACTS FORGED AND BROKEN

Evil is a very real presence in Sunset Falls, lurking in the shadows and waiting to manifest in the hearts of men. The more angry and down on their luck a person is, the easier it is to sway them to make things just a little easier on themselves.

The new arrivals have escaped and made their way to Central City, seemingly safe for the time being. But not everything that slipped free from that strange void was a human spirit. It seems that something may have followed you home.

It begins with the sound of whispering. Your deepest desires, your greatest fears: this voice knows them all. It waits until you're alone, or in a moment of desperation against a foe far stronger than yourself, and then it begins to beckon.

The demon will offer pacts, offering their greatest wish in exchange for but a shard of their soul. Power, money, fame - all of it can be yours if you're willing to offer succor for this starving creature who only wants to make your dreams come true. He's got a compelling voice and you may find yourself inclined to agree, offering what he asks. How could you ever refuse such a deal?

Agreeing will result in a sharp pain somewhere indescribable, as if your very existence is being splintered. For but a split second you're incomplete - and then something slips inside the crack that is left in its wake. Each pact made seems to make the world just a little worse - Sunset Falls and Central City in particular seem to have increased amounts of bad luck, as if it’s following the new metas around.

One does not make a deal with a demon lightly. Please report any pacts made here.

SUMMARY

• New arrivals will be erupting through the floor of Sunset Falls High’s gymnasium. After the fighting ends, they are brought to the Guardian Alliance HQ. Older characters are given the option to teleport with them or can make their own way home.


• The breech has also set free a number of souls who were laying dormant. These souls manifest in the streets and will attack player characters. They appear confused and disoriented but cannot be talked down.


• A fire elemental has also manifested. Player characters will need to work together to put the fire out. Players are encouraged to use the OOC comm to coordinate, and can report their attempts here to find out how they’ll play out.


• A demon has tagged along. He will tempt people into forging a pact with him, granting them a wish in exchange for a fragment of their soul. This is a player plot opportunity and the consequences of this are not immediate. Please reply here if your character strikes a deal with this demon.

Comments

Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl) | Marvel comics | ota!

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Spring thaw!
[ When possible, Doreen always, always, always tries to talk things out with people and come to some kind of understanding before she resorts to fighting. Unfortunately, the surprisingly solid superhero ghost that she is currently wrestling with is not very open to conversation, since he keeps trying to blast her face off with his distressingly lifelike eye lasers. ]

Look, all I'm saying is that ghosts are usually all about wrapping up unfinished business, and I'd be more than happy to help you with that! Shooting lasers at people does not count as unfinished business, and if you don't think I'ma punch a weirdly solid ghost, you have been sadly misinformed!

[ She punches that ghost! ... And unfortunately, the ghost explodes hard enough to cover her in ectoplasm, along with whoever was unfortunate enough to be standing nearby. Doreen pauses for a few horrified seconds before glancing over at you. ]

... first of all, oh my god, second, I am so sorry.

Safe and Sound
[ The fight is over, everyone has been teleported away to a safe location (which somehow feels just as weird as falling upwards through the floor of a gym and fighting a bunch of exploding ghosts, but that's something to be dealt with later), Doreen has squeezed most of the ectoplasmic gunk out of her tail and cleaned up her costume as best she can, and now she is just chilling. She is sprawled out in an armchair, staring up at the ceiling with the thousand-yard stare of someone who has had an incredibly long, incredibly strange day. ]

Ok, today was weird, right? Even for us?

[ She's talking to the little grey squirrel perched on her shoulder, but she could just as easily be talking to you! It has been a super weird day! ]

spring thaw

[hevenly]

[ Angela wipes the goo from her face and shakes it out of her hair, but her stoic expression does not falter. ]

I do not believe these shades to be natural. [ Are ghosts ever "natural?" ] They will not listen to reason.

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ ... Oh, wow. This badass-looking warrior woman just got gooped in the face and didn't even flinch! Doreen is in awe, both at her composure, and her whole vibe! ]

I don't think they can even hear us. I've been trying to talk to them, and it doesn't even register! They're like... like semi-translucent zombies or something. They get even more zombie-ish when you punch 'em.

[hevenly]

[ Angela nods, but she frowns. ]

Zombies are one of the few types of monster I do not have experience fighting.

[ It shouldn't stop her from kicking butt, though. Just going to be a bit of a mess. ]

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

... Ooookay, we're gonna have to circle back to the monster fighting thing later, because that sounds amazing?

[ Seriously, she is SO COOL! ]

Shouldn't be too hard, I think. We just have to remember that these guys used to be people, probably, so we should take them out as respectfully as possi--

[ Right on cue, another ghost goes right for Doreen's face, and she sends it flying with a solid right hook to the face. ]

Come on, dude! Trying to make a point, here!

[hevenly]

[ Another ghost tries to get a jump on Angela, but her reflexes are too fast, and she whirls around and beheads it with one swing, reducing the body to an explosion of goo. ]

They forfeited all rights to respect when they attacked without reason!

safe and sound; okay to keep tdm thread or not!

[thecoolerloki]

[Loki is seated on the ground nearby, playing with ectoplasm like it's a children's slime experiment. He doesn't look up as he answers,]

I suppose.

let's handwave it, then we can skip the 'omg loki why are you a baby' convo!

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Oh yeah? Is Ghostbusting a regular Tuesday thing for you?

[ She lightly nudges him in the shoulder with her tail, being careful not to get any ectoplasm goo on his shirt. ]

waves hand!

[thecoolerloki]

[He looks up with a small smile, and actually does make sure to get some of the ectoplasm he's examining on her tail. Mischief!]

My BFF is Hela's handmaiden. I've spent more than a few Tuesdays amongst the dead and undead as a result.

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ Augh!! What a brat! Doreen grimaces and flicks her tail, sending some of the goop right back at him. ]

Soooo what you're saying is that you ain't afraid of no ghost?

[ Is he too young to get that reference? Doreen isn't sure, but Ghostbusters goofs are pretty universal, plus Loki is thousands of years old, even if he still looks and acts like a preteen. ]

Seriously though, you good? Did you get slimed out there?

[thecoolerloki]

Not until just recently, when I was accosted with both goo and old people references.

[And he is judging her for both as he tries to wipe off his clothes, pouting.]

Spring Thaw

[doctopoda]

[Up until this point, Otto's managed to keep himself pretty clean. His actuators are another matter; those things are probably never going to be clean again. But they've done their jobs admirably, shielding him and keeping the attackers at a good distance - right up until now, when they and Otto are both distracted with a small group of nearby ghosts, and that burst of ectoplasm just hits him square in the face as he turns.

There's a beat of surprise. Several tentacles turn to look.]

It's fine. [He removes his sunglasses to squint down at them and grimaces. Ugh.] It was bound to happen sooner or later.

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ OH GOD, SHE JUST SLIMED DOCTOR OCTOPUS. RIGHT IN THE FACE!!

He seems... surprisingly chill about it, though? Huh. Doreen's never actually met the guy, but she'd been under the impression that he was the kind of person who reacted to minor slights with furious vows of revenge and wanton mayhem. Also, from what she remembers, Doc Ock was a short dude with a questionable bowlcut and some kind of onesie situation going on, which is definitely not the case here.

While this whole train of thought has been running through Doreen's mind, she's been staring up at Otto with the wide-eyed, squirrel-in-the-headlights expression of someone who 100% knows him as a notorious supervillain, and has absolutely no poker face. ]

Uh... here, want some kleenex?

[ Doreen pulls some surprisingly dry tissues out of her utility belt and offers them up. The little grey squirrel who has been hiding in the neck of her shirt skitters onto her shoulder, and chitters at one of the actuators. ]

[doctopoda]

...thank you.

[Yeah, Otto sees that look. He knows that look. Frankly, he's getting really sick of it, but what business does he have complaining?

Sighing, he accepts the kleenex and starts to clean off his glasses. It's getting dark enough out now that they aren't entirely necessary, but with the amount of lasers and other glowing powers being flung around, he'd much rather have them than not. An actuator hovers by his shoulder, looking at Doreen on his behalf.]

I'm guessing you're also from the world where I... [He actually knows no specific information about this other guy.] ...have been fighting Spider-Man for a decade, or something like that.

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ Aw man... this Doc Ock doesn't look like a supervillain, he just looks like a tired, sad guy with four robotic tentacle-arms who's had this conversation way too many times. Doreen feels a pang of sympathy for him... and instantly brightens up the moment he mentions 'her world'. ]

... Oh! Ohhhh, you mean there's some alternate timeline and/or multiverse stuff going on? That explains a lot, actually!

[ The fact that this is a totally logical explanation to Doreen probably says a lot about her universe. ]

Yeah! I never tangled with you personally, [ she did fight him once in a nightmare and beat him with the power of computer science, but she isn't sure if that counts! ] but you seem considerably more chill than the guy from my world? Pretty sure our dude had some kinda Napoleon complex, which is probably not the case here. [ Seriously, this guy is crazy tall. More importantly though, his tentacles are drenched in ectoplasm, which means that they're fighting on the same side. ]

Anyway, hi! I'm Squirrel Girl, nice to meet you, apart from all the exploding ghosts. We good?

[ 'We good?' in this case probably means both 'you're sure you're not mad about being hit in the face with a glob of ectoplasm?' and 'you're not going to go all supervillain on me, right?' ]

[doctopoda]

Multiverse stuff, yes.

[She'll get a full explanation of the Confluences and their history from the guilds later, no doubt. Otto's more interested in what she has to say; he glances up at her with his actual human eyes, brow furrowing at the mention of a Napoleon complex. Dimensional counterparts obviously aren't identical - he's seen the Peters - but he's never really given thought to the other Otto's appearance. Sort of weird to know he's short!]

Otto Octavius. I don't use any of those other names.

[He smiles at her for a moment - he does look really tired when his glasses are off - and then puts them back on and shifts his weight to accommodate two of the tentacles grabbing a nearby ghost and crushing it into another burst of ectoplasm.]

We're good. It's nice to meet you - and I'm glad my counterpart hasn't been a problem for you personally. I don't know much about him, but I've heard he's...difficult.

Safe and Sound

[pinkxeno]

[ Mina is very lucky that her acid cleans up the ectoplasm easily. Not so far away from Squirrel Girl, a pink girl creates acid from her hands and basically passes it through her hair - the acid quickly eats away the ectoplasm and Mina's hair does remain (it's resistant to acid at least).

But she is close enough to hear the woman, and offers her a big grin ] Never fought ghosts before! It was kinda cool, I think!

[ she didn't realize she was talking to the squirrel, no ]

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ Hey, neither of them mind! If you don't know Doreen can talk to squirrels, all of her conversations with Tippy sound like one-sided monologuing. Doreen sits up and grins back at Mina, giving her a thumbs up (that Tippy-toe mimics as well as she can, considering she doesn't have thumbs.)]

Not gonna lie, I wish we could've talked things out with them, and I really could've done without the exploding, but otherwise, yeah! Pretty cool!

Did you just get here too?

[pinkxeno]

[ Mina finds Tippy adorable, actually, especially how it tries to mimic her owner (? maybe not owner. Companion!) ]

Hmm- I dunno if they could have understood us? I mean, they didn't look like they were in control of themselves. [ they are ghosts, so Mina doesn't feel bad about it, in her eyes, she had to protect other people first. Living people ]

I didn't! Been here for a couple of months now. But I always come to the Confluences to give a hand.

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ Companion is right! Tippy is her own sentient little lady! ]

Yeah, they... they definitely weren't down for a conversation.

[ Doreen's honestly a little bummed about that; in a perfect world, she'd be able to sit down and figure things out with living people and the dead, but sometimes it doesn't work out like that... and the dead guys just explode all over the place instead. Man! Today was a lot! ]

Heck yes! Superhero fistbump?

[ She holds out a fist. C'mon Mina! Don't leave a girl hangin'! ]

[pinkxeno]

[ Confluences always are a lot , it's true

But the fistbump? Hell yes!! Mina is all about that - she is super excited to meet other heroes. SO naturally she quickly holds out her fist to bump it against Squirrel Girl's, and after she also waves at Tippy, pretending to fistbump the tiny rodent too ]

Ehehe- I'm Pinky!! Nice to meet'cha!

Spring thaw!

[howlett]

His cigar hisses and smoulders— snuffed out by the ectoplasmic explosion she so swiftly delivered.

He looks at the ruined stogie and gives it a shake. Maybe it's salvageable? Maybe smoking ghost juice isn't worth the risk.

"Always nice t'see you Dorie."

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Smoking ghost juice is just a bad life choice, that leads to the question of whether or not you can vape ectoplasm, and that isn't something anyone wants to know!

Doreen turns to look at Logan, and the second she makes eye contact, her tail poofs up like an agitated cat.

"Logan?!" The tiny, bitter part of her that still holds a grudge against the guy distantly wonders if he stole somebody's cab to get here. He friggin' would. "What're you...? Aw jeez, sorry about the cigar."

[howlett]

She's just one of those people who are fun to annoy a little bit. Like Parker. And Rogers. And Summers. And maybe this says more about him than her.

His sniffs at the cigar a moment and makes another attempt to light it. It won't catch though. Going to have to let that dry out.

"I don't know if they make Perdomos around here, you know..." Defeated, he stuffs it in his pocket. "What am I doing here? Your guess is as good as mine, but I been here doin' it for a couple months. You just fall outta the sky or what?"

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

"You never know. They might be called... Moderpos. Or something." Doreen knows nothing about cigars, part of this is just regular optimism, and part of it is her not wanting to agree with Logan out of sheer stubbornness. She's been holding a grudge over a stolen taxi cab for years, and she ain't gonna stop now! (This is a lie, she will eventually stop)

"Fell upwards out the floor of a high school gymnasium, but yeah, kinda. Are the exploding ghosts a normal thing around here?"