Ari

Well, the people unlucky enough to live in the Fens already have lots of problems besides helping out random vigilantes with terrible luck. I think it would fit best if there was initial resistance, and Kingy had to actually do something so they'd have a reason to back him up.

GM Jane squinted at him for a moment before replying slowly "Yeah...the mayor keeps them at the town hall. Doesn't know what to do with 'em, just hopes they'll be useful for somethin'. Only one caught fire that I know of, the first one, telling him 'I guard Springsvale with my life. Fear nothing'. Just jumped into the air and burned to a crisp. No smoke though." A soft camera-click turned her swiftly back to the object of her mission, as some of the Phoenix students had paused on their way to the snake and were, as Nick expected, snapping photos of the strange duo and their outlandish backdrop. One of them, a little younger and sandier-haired than the rest, stepped up to the ranger and necromancer with a cheerful smile. "Hi there! I'm Karen, came here with the Phoenix crew, school paper." she said to Nick, gesturing to the giant snake husk "Is that thing from, uh...where Terra-King hangs out? Sum-Terra? Ooh!" her eyes lit up "Is Set comin' here? Set's thing is snakes, right? All those At Large files he's got his picture's in, he's wearing that snake-mummy getup."

Sold!

Mind-Set's Initiative: 10.

GM Polarity's outburst stunned the Dragons into silence. From the questioning glances being shot from one to the other, many ending on the impassive bulk of their leader, this was not something they'd anticipated. The leader himself took a moment to reply. "Forgive me, ma'mselle, but...what of it? It isn't a game to me either, in fact this test is deadly serious to me and the livelihood of my comrades. You can hardly blame me for wanting to keep things light. And this...thing," he gestured to the jerking, stuttering Cyberdragon "is nothing more than a work of craft. Once you destroy it, we shall rebuild it, and stronger than it was. Your pity, if that is what makes the anger burn in your eyes, is wholly misplaced." Smoke drifted from the dragon-mask as it turned to Nevermore. "And you?"

Opposed Grapple check: 19. But it rolled a 1, so automatic failure. Cyberdragon is Bound once more! GooseInduced, if Polarity wants to do anything, feel free.

"Isn't it a law or somethin'," the driver was looking even groggier than before, the shock and blood loss beginning to take their swift toll, "that I don't...have to say an'thing? If...it'll 'criminate meee. You...I'm gonna wait for my lawyer b'fore I say another word..." Slumping even further against the bricks, his ragged breaths getting more regular, the former getaway driver fell unconscious. The car smouldered calmly behind him. The bit of paper was mostly illegible. It was ripped and scuffed, a mass of crinkles after being rolled and unrolled countless times. But just enough remained of the minute letters and numbers to make out 418 88th Ave., a residential area in West End that used to be one of Freedom's larger emigrant centers. The famous core from which the troubled district had grown.

GM The details of 'how' aside, Core-A's goal quickly revealed itself to the watching Star Knight: keep the Blue Star barely inside the Celestia's thin force-field envelope, without getting either too close or too far from the ship, so the field could absorb and disperse the excess energy. Unfortunately, such a simple plan was obviously pretty tricky. Even while solving equations on the holo-screen that looked like they'd stump some of Earth's super-brains, Core-A was obviously have a lot of trouble keeping that delicate balance from tipping into dangerous extremes. From outside, he could hear the cheerful laughs and bawdy jokes coming from the dining hall. The crew seemed surprisingly calm about the situation they were in. And Prince Zanvir's laughs, rising far above the rest like rolls of thunder, was downright gleeful.

GM "Psychic block." was the crisp reply. Hanks regarded Young Britannia dourly "Our race is better adapted to low-light environments than most on the planet, from my work it would appear we instinctively avoid making our environment brighter. It protects the retina, and makes us less susceptible to predators. Which is more information than you've supplied, so it seems there's still work to do." Resting his chin on his knuckles, Hanks lapsed again into silence. It was quiet enough for the ticking of the antique clock stuffed in one corner to gradually dominate the atmosphere. Suddenly Hanks' slowly closing eyes shot open. "So. Here you are. How can my conglomerate and Chessmen be of assistance, Ms...Britannia?" his forehead creased "Look, do you have any other name I can call you by? It's just that 'Young Britannia' sounds so...jejune."

In the awkward silence that followed Rose's final words, Alden cleared his throat "Huh...thanks." Drumming on his calves with scarred fingers, the masked man digested this disquieting news. Super-teams('Wait, should it be "Power-"? Nah, that's just being a tosser') usually were pretty closed affairs. In a lot of ways they were like modern versions of secret political societies from the 18th and 19th centuries, with rigorous control over what was and was not known to the public, an-oft uncomfortable edge of tribalism, and not a little outright disinformation meant to keep their blood-thirsty and vengeful enemies at bay. Sorting out what was a fake-split and a real break-up of a team was largely impossible for anyone not close to a member. This time at least, Osprey had some insider clues. 'So, let's review: the Royal Squadron's feelin' washed-up, already starting to fray at the edges. The kind of time when every tiff turns into a little riot. So...something happens, and it hits 'em right at their weakest point. Whatever it was drives home the final nail in the coffin, upsets everybody, but...what? An' how?' Rubbing his chin furiously, Alden struggled to make a coherent picture of what he knew 'It can't have JUST been a squabble. Vanguard was clean-cut('cept for Diamond, but anyway), but they made sure to let people know when something was wrong most of the time. An' it's not like they didn't argue in front of people now and then. So...a real difference? A REAL fracture? Enough to make them just stop being a team?' 'Wait...Headcase and Champ. They were at loggerheads so much, it could be...something happened, and nobody could agree how to solve it, so one of them takes action, they argue, stuff gets said that can't be unsaid, they split for good and all, Champ rigs up the Haven to make sure nobody else knows what happened or why so nobody gets blamed, everyone else just takes off.' Alden shook his head, having paused in mid chin-stroke. It was thin. What kind of threat could the team have been dealing with that they'd be that fractious over the solution? But it was hard to see any other explanation. He looked up again "Say, Eel," his brown eyes sought out her black "don't suppose the Ministry's got any dossiers on any enemies of the Vanguard still around? The, uh, old, Vanguard" he added quickly. "Think I've got a pretty good idea of where to look for the reason Champ put cyber-zombies in the floor."

[Per Chat, clarification that Dir. Powers is leader of the agency, not robo!Jack Simmons. And that he's not a jerk.] Avenger makes a good point. If our good star-buddy wasn't obviously intelligent the same way most aliens are, could be they'd get mistaken for something else. Which might mean they get unintentionally ill-treated.

Landing gently on the grass, Mind-Set glanced up at his sister chide her gently "Maelstrom, we don't know that he's-" only to be drowned out and transfixed for the second time by something crashing through Earth's atmosphere. The noise as it descended hammered down, hard enough to make your teeth vibrate. Nathan managed to splutter 'AGAIN?!' over the mental link, staring in dumbfounded frustration as another UFO streaked to a halt mere yards away. Edging back thanks to the heat radiating from its hull, the square-jawed and colorfully-garbed champion of free thought was about to call to their new neighbor until it spoke. And suddenly everything became crystal clear. That did it. Stepping forward, Mind-Set pointed furiously at the Curator drone "Hold it! You don't have any jurisdiction here! If one of your prisoners escapes, you take it up with the...uh..." he faltered, glancing anxiously at the nearby teens(and giving them both a polite wave), trying to think of who would actually be a 'proper' authority. He had never heard about any alien robots that cared about that sort of thing, anyhow. And the robots from last year had even taken over Star Knight's armor 'Oh yeah, she's a big shot in space, right? So, if she's with the League-' snapping his fingers triumphantly, he pointed again at the alien artificial intellect "-you can take it up with the Freedom League!" Crossing his illusory arms over his illusory chest, Nathan's confident smile at the drone quickly wilted at its next unambiguous message Oh. Well, that made this a little trickier. 'We can't just leave that guy, though...even if he's a criminal or something' "Who is that-well, why was that person in your custody, Curator Drone?" he asked hesitantly, his force field murmuring invisibly into place. Just in case that was classified as "confronting." Suddenly, it struck him that he'd "confronted" the drone only seconds before. This was going to be way tricky...

She knows exactly what McGruther looks like and has a good idea of his voice. And she also knows that he never sits with his back to a wall.

Garn. Sorry Supercape, for some reason it totally slipped my mind about how Snares work. Okay then. Spending a HP(0HP left) to Stunt Healing 10(Extras: Area(Burst), Total; Flaws: Distracting, Tiring, Unreliable(5 Normal uses))[10PP] off of his Conch Device's Array. Surging for a new Standard Action. Wave-Eye is Fatigued. Using it to Stabilize the Dying Passengers. DC10 roll, and with the rank being 10, that's most likely an automatic success. 4 uses left, and Wave-Eye is Exhausted.

Yes. In one or two days it should be begun. if not tonight.

Sure. That'd put her after the Cyberdragon and Nevermore then. Knight, feel free to act again. The enemy is still Dazed, so no change to round order other than Nevermore: Bruised(x1), 1HP Cyberdragon: Bruised(x2), Dazed, Staggered(x1)-GM Polarity: Unharmed, 2HP

So if I understand Polarity's action correctly Goose, you're passing on your turn this round?

Resting his burning head on a blessedly-cool slab of rock, the young man named Nathan Colletta('Nathaniel' to those who humored him) was watching the sky and its flocks of clouds idly from Freedom City University's elegant garden path, lost in an academic reverie. His broad shoulders hunched forward, with powerful arms supporting his head and his neatly combed black hair stirred gently in the breeze, Nathan looked a little like some unusually lazy classical sculpture. '...And if you change the apparent trigger of an implicit memory, then the patient themself should-the hell is that?!' His unfocused eyes took a second to catch it, and his far-off mind was surprisingly good at blocking out things that broke his train of thought, but the screeching, howling noise that suddenly filled the air was impossible to ignore! Jumping to his feet, careless of the papers the explosion of movement sent flying, Nathan stared up, slack-jawed and and blue eyes almost staring out of his head as the comet-like thing screamed over the city. He watched it as long as he could until it vanished behind the distant trees, unable to move thanks to what felt like iron bands holding him fixed to the ground. All around him he felt a buzz as the minds of almost everyone nearby was suddenly fixed on the same thing. It was like a hive of bees, and all of them in perfect sync. He vaguely knew that other students were looking at it too, some pointing and yelling to each other about it. Then he realized just what he had seen flash overhead. It hadn't been flying fast enough to be a meteroite, and was way too big. That left worryingly few options. 'What...what was that? Oh God, it better not be aliens. I better make sure Rachel's al-' Nathan's eyes lit up, and the anxious look melted away at once. it was ridiculous, but somehow it was still a little comforting just to 'hear' the familiar voice. Hastily cleaning up, the young psych student began making his way to a more secluded part of the school grounds, answering the mental call as he did 'You bet I did, Sis! I'll meet you at the usual place and we'll check it out together, okay?' ducking into a spacious alleyway between the biology lab and the physics building, Nathan gingerly disposed of his hefty backpack and book bag on top of an artful ledge. Just high up enough that nobody would see, and low enough that he could get them again later. Than done, the thought-shaper slid against the blind wall, closing his eyes and willing into place around his body a stream of color, something that twisted and sharpened itself, creating the shape of a lantern-jawed champion of justice! Resplendent in his sunset-themed costume, MInd-Set strode confidently into full view, arms folded confidently across an impossibly broad chest and watching the sky once more. This time though, he scanned it carefully for any sign of Rach-Maelstrom's approach. And not for the first time, wished he wasn't the earth-bound twin. "I'd give up at least one of my badass brain powers," he grumbled under his breath, eyes flicking across the blazing blue heavens "just so there wasn't such a hassle. Every time something comes up, I swear..." he sighed "I should just buy a motorcycle." 'Hey, Rachel' he called out mentally 'think we ought to get in on the motorized transport thing?'

It'd be a Knowledge(Current Events) or Knowledge(Streetwise) check, let's say DC15.

Ordinarily I'd be a lot stricter about keeping to the age thing, but in this case it's hardly a problem. Okay, looks like I have my gang. If more folks want to get involved, just say so, though I'd prefer if they showed up after combat. It'll be crowded enough without even more people dog-piling the Salamanders.

No, that is not necessary. Though it is customary for characters first to have attachments to canon PCs, it's not required to do other kinds of threads.

What: There's a new gang of young supers in town, foundlings of the humanitarian WYRM(World Youth Rescue Movement, as per the tag above) organization dedicated to saving teenaged exceptionals from abusive, corrupt, criminal or neglectful circumstances. The ones they save are taken to Freedom City and given the best training and education the Movement's obscure yet fabulously wealthy backers can afford, and encouraged to become superheroes in their own right. It's a group founded partly in fear of what disadvantaged metahumans might become if not given a 'proper' upbringing, and partly on real charity. And in a city as big as Freedom, there's plenty of space for an accidental meeting while taking on some fire-based villainy! Who: Fourish Claremont students, including Cho Lee. I was hoping for a lineup of lighter, fun-loving sorts. PL isn't too much of an issue, 8-10 preferred. How: Combat opening, talky ending. Plenty of space for bizarre or novel tactics over simple blasting.

Avenger speaks the truth! And thank you Valcili and Ecal for the interest. Also of note Valcili, non-canon posts count for half of a normal post. So if you posted 20 times in this one in a month, and 20 times in a canon thread, you would only be counted as having posted 30 times that month. It's one of the reasons non-canon threads are so rarely done.

Nope. Mind-Set tagging this.

What: Master Mage Adrian Eldrich, in a ludicrous display, loses one of his manifold off-screen battles with monstrous, mystical madmen from beyond the veil! Not only is he conquered, but his body is turned into a facile puppet and his soul enslaved! Said conqueror(their identity unknown) promptly rolls into the World of Freedom, seizing the mystic reins unseen and and directing the dimension's very essence into one more suited to their will. They masquerade as the good-hearted magus to the rest of the dimension, but bit by bit, enough pieces fall out of alignment(weird things happening to physics when 'Eldrich' is supposedly fighting otherwordly beings; powers, people, places or memories altering at seeming random for the smallest fractions of seconds), enough clues are found by the wary or specially-attuned, for a smattering of Earth's denizens to realize something is very wrong. And that larger changes are soon to come. The thread starts with the rebels first banding together and pooling their discoveries, in conjunction with a rare public address by 'Eldrich'... Who: 3-5 PCs, PL open, no theme necessary. Alternate takes on said PCs welcomed. How: That's largely up to the players once they've gotten a game plan. Taking the fight to the Dark Lord, gathering support and power by public words and deeds, seeking aid from beyond Earth or the physical world, even pretending to ally themselves with the two-faced sorcerer, the options are all open. Depending on how play goes, it can skew anywhere from being a massive brawl against the forces of world-warping evil, a subtler, skill-focused game or anything in between or outside those boundaries.