[IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - [ENDED]

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kenseido
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[IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - [ENDED]

Post by kenseido »

Each of you is in the living room on the first floor of you new headquarters. The main house on the old Dubois plantation newer Thibodaux, LA is still under renovations. You all have been staying in private suites until today. The small bungalows behind the mansion are all fully renovated for you to move into. Which is mildly convenient. Because today is also the day of the press conference introducing you officially to the world.

Lounging around on the first floor living room, enjoying whatever snacks you prefer from the fully stocked kitchen as the TV shows mini featurettes on each of you. There is still an hour until the press conference, and Sanzel still hasn't arrived to tell you what he has planned.
Okay here is where you describe your own featurette. This will include any public information about you and highlights of your performance on the tryouts. The reporters were thorough but did not find any secret information, including identities, families members, or any thing you as a PC are trying to conceal at the moment.

You can also choose to walk around the facility. The basement and 2nd floor are still taped off so you can only view the first floor and the grounds. I will get some floorplans online in a little bit. Suffice to say, this is a huge mansion on Southern plantation built before the Civil War. Think Gone With The Wind, only with everything modern and new-looking.
Table of Contents
Housewarming
Shadow of the Past
Power Play
Last edited by kenseido on Tue Nov 10, 2020 3:42 am, edited 8 times in total.
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kreuzritter
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by kreuzritter »

Juno

Normally, Juno is hard to miss. A beautiful and athletic redheaded amazon at 6'4" wearing hotpants over what looks like a green latex swimsuit with purple trim. She probably still is, even as she hangs back, leaning against a corner wall, lost in ambivalent melancholy.

"Juno, the tomb puncher" the TV blares, as the on-screen Juno navigates the obstacle course, "Is no stranger to danger. she's travelled the world, facing peril at every turn in search of lost history and treasure

mostly treasure, she thinks to herself. She was selfish in joining. This was a chance to lie relatively low, and get paid while making good press. she used to joke she adventured for sport, but it was an expensive one, between the travel fares, what treasures she did find getting taxed, and staying one step ahead of regional law considering how many of her 'digs' were unsanctioned Let's be honest, I'm a grave robber.

"indeed, Adventure is in Juno's blood, what with being the daughter of once-famed action archeologist Kiera Faircraft!"

Juno gives a sudden but brief start. That was a connection she'd admitted to, but had downplayed during the interview, not the sort of thing she wanted to make public. My name's been through the mud more than once. but even with her obsession, mom doesn't deserve that..

"and perhaps it was during one of those digs Juno gained her great strength."

Juno smirks. good. they weren't prying into the other part... yet.

"And amongst the dozens of powerhouses who tried to be a Gulf Coast Guardian, there were those stronger than Juno to be sure, but it wasn't her strength that proved she was a hero."

She rolls her eyes as the narration lays it on thick, but as she tries to stay aloof, she can't hide her proud smile as she remembers what plays on screen.

What was once a football field had become a warzone, covered in blast craters, scrap metal and fire. the air thick with smoke, ozone, cordite and burning astroturf. On high, Sunstar continues to rain fire like an angry god, smiting the drones and robots. the other one, whose name Juno's already forgotten, is running to and from, trying desperately to match the fiery hero's score only to find his kills stolen by Sunstar's barrage.

on instinct, Juno spots the 4th one, the big bear-thing that had wowed the judges earlier, now staggering about the field, his birdlike face flicking about in confusion, snarling, before dropping to all fours, and... shrinking? no. turning back to human

The technicians were quite clear, that because all four of them had some degree of unnatural toughness, this was effectively a life-fire exercise in order to give them a challenge. Nobody knew that the big one, Owlbear, that's his name, could become human, become so vulnerable.

Without thinking, Juno charges, smashing anything that got in her way. upon reaching the former Owlbear, picking up the portly, half-naked man in her arms, only to instinctively dive at the ground as another of Sunstar's fireballs explodes right on top of them, shielding Owlbear with her body, gritting her teeth against flames that could hurt even her, and everything was a blur...


on the screen, the fireball goes off, washing over Juno and owlbear. and again in slow-motion. and in just as slow motion, fact becomes story, as Juno gets to her feet, and runs off the field towards the EMTs. on screen, the event is instantly called short. Juno remembers it was a minute before the control booth realized what had gone wrong.

Much longer was the argument afterwards. there were points for rescuing the practice dummies, they knew that, and looking out for your supposed teammates, but this contest hadn't accounted for things going so wrong and then as suddenly right. but at the least, the rules were clear that juno had earned a substantial amount of points. Juno didn't care about the points, only that Owlbear, Gary, as he told her later, was safe. but then the argument was decided by Sunstar, outraged that his score, which still put him in first place even with Juno's sudden bonus, but not with being penalized for two counts of 'friendly fire'. But even any penalty at all was too much for his monumental arrogance.

"This is [CENSOR BEEP]!" the onscreen red-eyed, blond man screams at the camera, his handsome face twisted in hatred, a string of censored profanity, blind accusations and self entitlement ("I AM THE RULES!") Juno tunes out, but clearly remembers, still tensing at the memory, that it was going to come to a real fight. Luckily, this all amounted to a very flashy ragequit, Sunstar renouncing anything to do with the team before flying off screaming both in fire and rage into the Houston sky.

"Good riddance" Juno says in synch with both memory and replay, knowing full well she made an enemy that day, but one she'd make a thousand times over to save the life of a strange beast. And wherever she is, alive or dead, Juno knows her other mother, the mighty Amazon, could be no prouder.
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Sakuro
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by Sakuro »

Sky Guard
HP: 1
Cnd: Fine


Sky Guard didn't enjoy being inside. The interior of buildings were confining. Claustrophobicly restrictive in movement with their walls and ceilings. If it weren't for the tradition of viewing a recounting of events displayed on the television as a group, he would have been outside. When they talked about him during the replay of his actions in the trails words like: drifter, transient, homeless, and alien were used. There were also mention of how he helped people in his travels across the North American continent. They called his a guardian angel.

His performance on the obstacle course ranged from college athlete level, to amazing physicality, depending on when he was able to get into the air and exploit his ability to fly. Sky Guard didn't just rely on his physical attributes though. There was creativity too. A clip shows him exploiting whirling ball-and-chain to propel himself through a barrage of lasers traps, which he in turned used, through his positioning, to destroy a forcefield generator located off of the course that, once down, allowed him to take a quicker route through the obstacles. They took measures to make the forcefield better protected after that.

During the clips of Sky Guard working with other applicants at on the field, he is very active. Very busy. Throughout the exercise he is shown openly communicating with his companions. In the thick of things he swoops in to keep lesser threats at bay so the heavy hitters are able to deal with more difficult opposition, or to pull attention away from bystander-dummies. His priority at the outset is getting the dummies to the safe area, along with threat mitigation, before gong on the offensive. Then he turned creating distractions for his companions, or aiding them in taking down the more difficult mechanized units whether that meant ferrying a slower moving companion into out of dangerous situations, or creating an opening for an attack. In the end, his team took a pummeling. Much more than they should have been able to endure, given that none of them had any form of physical resistances, but they endured.

At the end of the video footage and closing comments on his showing Sky Guard's face scrunched up as he took a drink of root beer from a bottle. He still wasn't use to carbonated beverages. He became a little distracted then, as he dealt with the bubble build up in his throat and stomach between drinks. Yes, he was still getting use to a lot of things on this world. Nothing was easy or simple. Not even a drink.
Last edited by Sakuro on Sat May 11, 2019 3:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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mrdent12
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by mrdent12 »

Kit Ferryman
HP: 1
Cnd: Fine


From banished hero to everyones favorite stuntman and now back to being a hero for a comeback..., began Kit's introductory montage video. Of course, they would harp on the comeback angle. They asked for his motives and no doubt heard about his less than successful attempts to get back into the hero game with established teams. He just didn't think it would be his tagline. Still, as they went it was a pretty catchy hook thought Kit sitting back on a couch and drinking a Heineken beer. It was better than being introduced as the stunt double of some random actor.

He had to laugh at a bit at how silly he looked on the obstacle course. His years of being int he business, on the stunt side had showed him how to put on a good show and the clip reel was no exception. Sure, he could toss some portals and skip most obstacles. What fun was that though when he could time his flips just right through the spinning spikes or execute a perfect flip over a gap. Of all his stunts he came up with on the fly though, the flashiest one had to be the one they closed the obstacle course segment.

Coming up to a wall impossible to climb by normal means, curved forward and flat with very few hand holds, it was supposed to break his stunting flow. They knew he could just quickly hop through a portal to the top. Instead, he borrowed a stunt all his fans always went on about with a splash of his powers. First, he tossed up a portal above his head and jumped. Naturally, the camera panned to the top. Not seeing him, the video clip quickly goes back down to him at the first hand hold swinging until he gained enough momentum to catch the next hand hold. Suddenly his hand starts slipping. Now the clever bit was as he fell he tossed a portal on the floor and fell right through it bringing him up to the top of the wall. It wowed the fans in Death Match 6000 XL, except the portal was a mat and the being on top was camera work.

Having the others on the team around made him laugh a bit at himself for showing off now. They all could do amazing things as well. His as on display in full force in the battle segment. Paired with a speedster of some sort, a guy who had invisible telepathic tentacles, and some type A military guy who was tough as nails proved interesting. Of course the speedster rushed in, as shown by the start of the segment, only to nearly get shot if not for a portal opening up in the projectiles path and having it come out of another portal at the attacking robot. As the speedster reevaluated, the telepath started lashing out at various robots racking up points. It was all very precise and a bit boring to watch. Still, it was effective. being a military man, as Kit learned later, the tough as nails guy ran straight to save civilian dummies.

Not content to rack up points the easy way, Kit helped everyone. Maybe to highlight the point, the camera worked fast as he popped through portals grabbing a civilian or intercepting projectiles meant for teammates. He even showed off his latest fun move of blasting some robots with numerous portal energies all at once. Everything was done with a smile of course. What the camera failed to show was that he focused on saving people instead of all the stunts they highlighted. Editing will do that. At some point, he would need to bring that up to the others. Point wise though, it was enough to earn him a spot.

Digs wise, he didn't mind it so much. The private suite they set him up in was well stocked with food and the furnishings were nice. Mansion wise, it was also pretty good with impressive grounds for a renovated plantation. This was going to be a god gig if he could stop himself from messing it up and focus on being a hero instead of showing off.
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Gilliam
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by Gilliam »

Tamati "Taheka" Stevens


Tamati still couldn't believe it, he had made the team and his new digs were amazing he had at least 4 rooms all to himself. For as long as he could remember he had always shared a bedroom firstly with his older sisters (and he was sure he had destroyed any copies of the photos from playing dress-up) until he/they grew too old and then he shared with his brothers sleeping top and tail until Mum got bunks in. And now he had placed his one duffel bag in the wardrobe and wondered how he could ever fill up the rest of the space.

But that can be a problem for another day, halfway through his potatoe top mince pie (they said anything you want to eat they could get for you no problem) he tried not to wince at the upcoming scene on the highlights reel playing on the TV screen.

The obstacle course had started off easier than he expected and in his aqueous form he was able to reach up and pull himself over the walls and then instead of climbing the cargo net he ran straight through it to the sounds of cheers and gasps from the audience watching. Caught up in the noise from the audience Tamati had ran hard launching himself in a horizontal dive towards the next cargo net (higher than the previous one and also curving backwards) smashing into a forcefield just behind the net and nearly knocking himself out cold. Somehow he was able to keep it together and took the hard way over the net. For the rest of the obstacles he was a little more circumstance and aware and while he wasn't the fastest he did manage to finish the course. Yet the scene of himself bouncing off the forcefield seemed to be the only clip they played of him on the obstacle course.

The group battle was a different story where Tamati had started off with a bang trying to save as many civilians while giving a helping hand to the others where possible until the giant girl trying to avoid stepping on one of the other heroes who had rushed in under her feet without thinking, tripped over smashing into the dam releasing a torrent of water that threaten to swamp the field.

The other 2 trialists ran the other way at the sight of the water coming towards them leaving Tamati and G-Girl in its path. It took every bit of his power to halt the water and push it back where G-Girl was able to reform the dam with boulders and rubble. For the rest of the battle Tamati and the giant girl worked together to save the civilians and take out the robots and laser turrets that kept springing up out of nowhere. Then hardest save for Tamati was the dummy that was in the middle of a lava pit, by the time Tamati had rescued the dummy by folding his body round it he was literally steaming from the sheer heat.

To his surprise he was ranked higher than G-Girl after the battle ended with the other 2 heroes disqualified even though they had been the favourites on the online gambling sites.

Now that pie was good perhaps he will ask for a hangi next time.
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stavaros_the_arcane
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by stavaros_the_arcane »

ARCA-KNIGHT
Miranda Lafayette

While not technically in costume, Miranda hadn't totally dropped her disguise around her new teammates; her hair and eyes were still unnaturally white and slightly glowing although she'd traded the mantle of Arca-Knight for an oversized purple hoodie and jeans. She could be back in costume in an instant but she wasn't quite comfortable enough to 'let her hair down' around the team or the corporate bigwig, and certainly not around the press.

Miranda watched as the screen began to cover her trials.

-----------
Miranda had not been particularly athletic prior to taking up the mantle of Arca-knight, but her mentors under Arcanis had whipped her into good enough shape that she could have at least made it through a normal obstacle course. But of course one of the most important lessons she'd been taught by one of said instructors was the art of using magic to cheat, and cheat hard.

Even with the height limit, levitation was a heck of a lot faster and less tiring than running. Being able to conjure objects and structures means that obstacles could be made far easier to scale or bypass. All and all, it was a case of mind and magic over matter that let her make it through obstacle course with a good time and enough flair to impress those watching. Showing off the versatility that her powers offered was the main goal of obstacle course run.

----------
The Combat trial on the other hand was the time to show off the raw power she could bring to bear. Her opening salvo was quite the fireworks display, Magenta energy lancing to and fro as magical beams and shots flew out bullet hell style. Of course while some contestants with similar flight and ranged capacity might adopt this strategy and do nothing but rain destruction down to rack up as many points as possible,like that one jerk in that other round, after the initial salvo Arca-Knight reduced altitude and got into the thick of it along with her fellow contestants.

Said fellow contestants consisted of: a chitin covered behemoth with pincer horns called Kingsir, a hot-headed cyborg woman with flamethrower limbs called Naphtha, and a shy young woman in powered armor going by Spinel. Each one of them reacted differently to Arca-knight's initial salvo and sudden point lead.

Kingsir threw back his head and laughed. "You set the bar high, but I won't be deterred that easily."
Naphtha grinned widely. "That was freaking awesome!"
Spinel seemed both in awe and intimidated, like she was suddenly feeling out of her league.

Kingsir and Naphtha were quick to rush into the fray trying to catch up in points, but Spinel froze up. Doubt and fear were written all over her face.

Miranda remembers landing in front of the young woman, reached out a hand to her and asked. "Come on hero. Ready to go save the day?"
Spinel had hesitated but taken her hand, and the two of them had entered the fray.


The following trial provided even further spectacle for the cameras, a clip show of Arca-knight working together with the others in many different ways. From using the Arms of Asura for a fastball special with Naphtha, cheerfully dubbed the Fireball Cast by commenters, to using her creation powers to supply Kingsir with a massive club for swatting robots, to working side by side with Spinel to rescue dummy targets.

When the timer had run out and the trial ended the four of them had been all smiles.
------
Miranda smiled as the footage of her trial ended, while none of the others from her round had made the final cut she'd made some new friends among them. She promised herself to keep in touch with them, to see how their individual hero careers went.

She hoped that these new teammates would also end up as friends. In the mean time she was settling in and hoping that in exchange for the resources and opportunities they were offering the corporate sponsors wouldn't try to demand anything too demeaning or unethical. United Petroleum was a corporation after all, and they were obviously at least partly motivated by creating some positive PR after that near disaster avoided thanks to super-heroics.
Ysariel
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by Ysariel »

Angela

"Ahem. Good morning. State your codename for the record, please."

"Hi! I'm Angela."

"Angela, could you give us a brief rundown of your origins and how you came to be a hero?"

"I'm an android built by a thirsty incel, Doc Otaku--"

"No, no! Stop!"

The tiny apartment building is littered with empty energy drink cans, computer printouts, some books on software development, and dozens of half-finished electronics and robotics projects. There's no bed; only a couch, littered with discarded clothes, and a futon across the room, littered with yellowed copies of manga. Angela sits in her most formal, demure position, hands folded in her lap, facing a Bryan who's waving the papers in his hands wildly.

"Angela, you can't say things like that! It's an interview to be a superhero. You can't proudly say you're the brainchild of that creep."

"Bryan, United Petroleum knows who built me. It's in the application form." She plants hands on her hips. "I won't hide my orgins. I'm proud of them, proud to reject everything Doc Otaku stands for. I'm proud I choose to rebel against my creator."

"No. Absolutely not." Bryan shakes his head vigorously. "You'll make the judging panel think twice. There's a lot of concern that intelligent machines are threats to humanity, and a machine that can disobey humans will worry lots of people. Don't say anything about rebelling against humans or not obeying them."

"Are humans really that afraid?" she tilts her head.

Bryan sights, flops down on the couch. On the TV screen in the apartment, a newsreader app collates headlines from dozens of new agencies. China Poised to Eclipse U.S. Dominance, one reads. Muslims Fear Backlash after Church Bombing, warns another. Whites "Minority by 2040", Report Predicts. Radical Preacher urges Holocaust Denialism. Illegal Immigration at All Time High.

"A lot of people are," he says at last. How is someone going to explain the modern world, with all its phobias, worries, problems and prejudices to a machine? "Maybe there's a lot worth being afraid of in the world."

"I'll protect them all," Angela says, getting up and shadowboxing. "I'll make sure nobody will have to be afraid again."

Bryan stretches, sits up and swings his legs over the edge of the couch, unfolding the crumpled paper in his hand. "Look, I'm your legal guardian. That's the closest thing to a parent you've got now, okay? So I'm responsible for you, and I say let's not risk making the panel worry they have a rogue A.I. on their hands. Plus, we really need to give you some practice for the interview tomorrow." He clears his throat, looks at the script. "Origins and powers. As an android, what's your most notable technical ability?"

Angela thinks seriously a moment, then lowers her fists and beams. "I'm anatomically correct!" Bryan just buries his face in his hands.

* * *

She gasps. "For me?"

Bryan hands it to her with both hands. It is the length of her hand from wrist to fingertip, enclosed in an airtight glass case, a lily made of metal foil so thin it's translucent. In the white energy-efficient lighting of their apartment, it glitters metallic silver. "A lithium flower," he says smugly. "Remember you told me that a year ago today, you were powered on for the first time? Happy birthday."

"It's lithium-nickel alloy," Angela squees, holding it up to the light. "Is that an argon atmosphere?"

"Yup. In air, that high surface area to volume ratio would make it spontaneously combust. It can't be cut with normal industrial tools, you need one of those nifty force field 3D printers to do it. I know someone at the university who let me borrow the machines there," Bryan says, grinning.

"Is this what they call moe?" she says. "That feeling when you see something beautiful and delicate, and want to protect it? Bryan, it's so beautiful," she whispers. Seized by a sudden impulse, she steps forward and wraps one arm about him, kissing him on the lips. With her other, she reaches down to undo the buttons of his shirt. She smells his scent on her breath, chemical receptors picking up the fragrance of his body, the warmth of his bare skin as she --

There's an awkward flurry of sounds like "Mmf!" and "Oof!" and "Let go!" before Bryan manages to disengage from the kiss. "Angela! Stop! Get away!" he pants.

She must have looked hurt, because she immediately sees regret in his eyes. "But why? Didn't you enjoy it?"

"No! I mean, yes! But no! Angela, listen -- we can't have this kind of relationship. We can't." He shakes his head. "Look, I'm sure you could have any man you wanted with your looks..."

"But I don't want any other man," she says easily. "I only want you."

He chokes. "Why?!"

"Remember that day, when I met you by the lab? When I broke free from Doc Otaku's research base and fought off his Angel Androids and was badly damaged, and scared away all the people in the neighborhood? You were the only person who wasn't afraid. You were the only one who asked for my name."

"Angela..."

There's a long, awkward pause. Slowly, tentatively, she leans forward to kiss him again, but he places a hand on her shoulder and stops her. "Angela, listen. This is very, very important. If someone says 'no', you've got to stop. Immediately."

Very reluctantly, she pulls back. "Even if it looks like they like it?"

"Even if it looks like they like it. If your partner looks at all hesitant, or look like they're not sure, you must stop."

"But why?"

"Because you're incredibly strong," he says very patiently. "Angela, you're an android. You could break every bone in my body and I couldn't do a thing about it. So I might feel threatened enough to hesitate to say no."

Angela cheerily holds up a hand. "I solemnly swear not to break any of your bones."

"That's not the point! The point is, someone in a position of power has to be careful that they aren't pressuring their partner into sex. It doesn't have to be physical power. One could be an authority figure, like a police officer or teacher. Or someone much older and wiser, who could manipulate you. Or a landlord or employer, who controls things you need to live... or someone responsible for you, like a parent, or... guardian. Like ... legal guar--"

"But I'm not your legal guardian," she blithely says.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! NO MEANS NO! DO YOU GET IT?!"

"Yes! I get it!"

"DO YOU GET IT?!"

"I GET IT! WHY ARE WE YELLING?!"

He pulls away and storms out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him, leaving behind a very confused android cradling the lithium flower in her arms.

* * *

"Good morning. State your chosen codename for the record, please."

"Hi! I'm Angela."

"Could you give us a brief rundown of your origins, and how you came to be a hero?"

"I was built by a thirsty incel, Doc Otaku," she says.

The panel exchange glances. Golden light from the warm Floridan sun pours in through the windows. The hum of air conditioning fills the United Petroleum office where the interviews are being held. "He built me to be the replacement for his Angel Androids, his perfect woman," she says. "To serve as his companion, share all his interests and fulfill his every desire. But he also gave me the intelligence and sapience to know what he did was not right. I have seen his evil and I will fight to ensure nobody can ever twist life to their whims the way he did."

"You rebelled against your creator despite considerable software and hardware safeguards -- despite that fact that everything from your favorite flavor of ice cream to your taste in clothing is identical to his."

"I belive there are universal principles of human rights and morality that any sapient mind must conclude are just," she says, clutching a fist before her chest. "...Well, that and I read a lot of manga."

The panel murmur to each other in private. At last one of them continues: "And if you should meet your maker again...?"

"Then I want him to know that his perfect woman rejects him. Utterly and forever. I will fight to undo all the evil he has ever done and one day, I will go back and free the other Angels from his control. "

* * *

"Excuse me, Mr..."

"Just call me Bryan," he says, turning around.

It is late afternoon. The interviews drag on, and he waits along in the corridor outside where Angela is being questioned, in the air-conditioned sterility of the United Petroleum facility. Now a middle-aged woman with frazzled hair and thick glasses stands before him. "I am told you are Angela's guardian under the 2019 Machine Intelligence Act. We've been running some tests on her as part of the application process and -- well, it's best that you see for yourself."

The engineer hands him a tablet. "It's a map of her A.I. matrix... Wait. This is wrong," he breathes, flicking the screen. "It's abnormal. This doesn't look like any matrix I've seen before. "

"Yes. Her A.I. matrix has been forced to grow and develop in unnatural ways. This is what happens when one twists a sapient mind to one's whims, like one of those bonsai trees forced to grow in unnatural shapes, or those designer dogs bred to be cute but cursed with genetic and health problems. This is how Doc Otaku forced all his strange fetishes on her, and forced her to adopt all his eccentric hobbies." The engineer takes a deep breath. "She is not her own person. She is custom-built to satisfy her creator's fantasies. We cannot analyze the deeper areas of the matrix accurately. It's possible that she may be programmed to revert to being loyal to him if she meets him in person again, or that Doc Otaku might come up with some means of re-asserting control. "

"You can't be serious," he grits his teeth. "There has to be something we can do." But even as he says the words, he knows the impossibility of the task. A.I. matrices match the complexity of biological organisms. They can't be repaired by replacing a few parts the way simple machines can.

"There is only one way for her to ever be free, Mr. Bryan. As her legal guardian, you alone have the right to request it."

"Complete neural deconstruction," he says. "To wipe the matrix clean and let it grow again."

"No!"

He turns his head as Angela bursts out of the interview room, striding towards him, trailing her long mane of purple hair. "Angela?" he stares. "Your interview's over?"

"Bryan, don't send me for neural deconstruction. Listen." She holds him by the shoulders. Words die in his open mouth when he sees the tears glistening in her eyes. The look on her face is fierce, laserlike in intensity.

"I know I read a lot of yaoi porn."

He just stares at her dumbly. The engineer behind them does a spit take.

She shakes his shoulders. "I know I'm very strange by this world's standards. And I know I have a lot of weird fetishes and hobbies, because I was made that way. I'm a flawed creation." She puts a hand over her chest. "But somewhere in here is a part of me that always knew what Doc Otaku did was wrong. And that is precious to me. I don't want to lose it."

She falls silent. Bryan looks down, closes his eyes.

"Don't send me for neural deconstruction," she says.

"I won't," he says, taking both her hands in his own. "Don't worry. I won't."

"Promise me. Promise you will never agree to destroy me as a person."

"I promise, Angela."

She grins at last, through glittering tears. "Good. I'd kick your butt otherwise."
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kreuzritter
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by kreuzritter »

Juno

"Is it just me, Angela" Juno asks, her words carrying an accent those of you from earth can't exactly place, "or did they skip over you?"
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kenseido
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by kenseido »

As Angel's segment starts to air, you hear a car drive up outside. Looking out the window, you see a limo has pulled up. The driver gets out and starts to walk around the car when the vehicle suddenly explodes sending the driver flying a dozen yards away.

Rushing outside, you see six men in powered armor, each with a number on them.

"Let's see what these new heroes have for us," #1 says in a mechanical voice.

"I am looking forward to seeing what this new armor can do!" #3 exclaims in a mechanized manner.

"I don't think my voice doo-hickey works," #4 says in a regular voice. #1 facepalms his visor.

#2 turns to #1 and asks, "Are we really staying with Fore Werks? I really think we should rebrand ourselves."

#1 growls. "JUST GET THEM!"
We can post Angela's tryout highlights as a replay later on. But now COMBAT.
Nobody really has an Expertise that would let them know who Force Werks is, but if you want to make a straight INT check, you can recognize them. It has been a year since anyone has really heard from them, and they have new upgraded armor, so it's not as obvious.

To speed things up, I am going to roll Initiative for everyone. If you don't like your roll, you can spend an HP and reroll yourself.

Initiative
Skyguard: 1d20+10 28
Takheka: 1d20+6 23
Juno: 1d20+8 17
Angela: 1d20+2 17
Force Werks: 1d20+5 14
Arca Knight: 1d20+6 11
Kit: 1d20+7 8

Skyguard is up!
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Sakuro
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by Sakuro »

Sky Guard
HP: 1
Cnd: Fine
Favored Environment: Defense Shifted


Chairs. So awkward. Uncomfortable. Sky Guard was shifting in his seat trying to resist the urge to just perch on it, rather and plank his hind quarters on the cushion like everyone else was. The furniture in this living room was not meant for winged individuals. Hearing the car driving up served as an excuse for him to get up. Rising from his seated position he waked over to a window faving the driveway and watched the approach of the limo. Then it exploded. Reflexively he jerked, and shoved the window open. Stepping outside his white wings extended in either direction.

"Quick, Taheka, help me put out the fire and get injured clear of the vehicle while the others engage the attackers."

A hand extends, reaching out to take hold of Taheka. If the form-shifter so chose to accept the hand he would soon be lifted into the air as Sky Guard took off, flapping those large majestic wings. After gaining some height he swooped in low so as to drop off his passenger at a tactically advantageous position before careening away towards the injured driver. Once at arms reachhe hooked his hands under the man and ferried him away. Clear of the armored antagonists, and towards some cover, where Sky Guard set the person down behind.
OOC wrote:If Taheka wants to go along with Sky Guard, he will carry Taheka into the conflict and drop them off where they want (so they can get some movement AND activate their transformation). Then Sky Guard will swoop over and carry the driver clear of the fighting.

I will also have Sky Guard shift his Favored Environment bonus to bump up his defenses. Dodge/Parry is now at 24 while flying.
Evelyn Gracen, in AEGIS Squad
Storyteller for In the Shadow of Imperator
Storyteller for Geneforge: the Created
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kreuzritter
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by kreuzritter »

Juno
HP: 1

" I'll take the left, Juno says to Angela, You take the right."

without waiting for a plan, Juno leap through the window Skyguard had opened, hurtling in the direction of the invaders on the left... and whiffs her attack completely in her haste.

OOC: attack Force Werx goon: 1d20+8 9
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kenseido
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by kenseido »

It's actually Takheka's turn.
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Gilliam
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by Gilliam »

Tamati "Taheka" Stevens
HP: 1 LP: 1
Condition: Normal


Having just met his new teammates Tamati wondered if there was a bit of the Corporate mindset trying to cover all bases as they were split evenly 3 guys and 3 girls with one of the guys having wings and if the voice over on the telly right also an alien too, so check that box as well.

Smiling at the two women talking quietly together, Juno and Angela, if he remembered correctly Tamati helped himself to some more of the food laid out just as the explosion ripped through the air.
Sakuro wrote: Sky Guard
Reflexively he jerked, and shoved the window open. Stepping outside his white wings extended in either direction.

"Quick, Taheka, help me put out the fire and get injured clear of the vehicle while the others engage the attackers."
Reacting instinctively Tamati grabbed hold of Sky-Guards outstretched hand already shimmering into his watery form as they soared through the air, flying felt a lot like swimming just that there was so much more of it.

"Thanks for the lift" Tamati said as he dropped in the middle of the attacking group, no idea who they were Tamati tried some smack talk.

"Looks like some wannebe battlesuits users have come to play ... " Tamati's voice trailed off as his water blast went very awry

"Umm glad that didn't happen in the tryouts"

OOC wrote:

Taheka Intellect: 1d20+1 14

Assuming it is a DC10 check so Tamati recognises them, if not I will edit my post above.

Taheka Blast Attack: 1d20+10 11
Now that is an impressive start ... not :)
Edit: Removed recognition of Force Works as informed failed Intellect Check.
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kenseido
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by kenseido »

I am having flashbacks to the second adventure in SA Avengers, which also took place in their new headquarters.

Angela is up
Ysariel
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Re: [IC] AA: Gulf Coast Guardians - Housewarming

Post by Ysariel »

Angela

"It's coming up just about now," Angela says to Juno, as a limo drives up outside the building and blows up, exploded by some battlesuited villains. A frown crosses her synthetic face.
kreuzritter wrote: Sat May 18, 2019 1:24 am " I'll take the left, Juno says to Angela, You take the right."
"You got it," she chirps. With Sky Guard and Taheka having volunteered to take care of the poor driver and the burning vehicle, Angela and her teammates were free to bash in the faces of these mooks. She reaches out with one arm: her left gauntlet fires a grappling-line at the building wall, which she uses to reel herself towards #1, whom her advanced sensors had identified as the only one with an above average amount of brains on the right side... or the whole operation, for that matter.

The servos of her O.M.G. engage and hurl her towards her target at an acceleration of over 20 g's. "Hiyaaa!" she screams as she goes rocketing out the window which Sky Guard had very thoughtfully opened for their convenience, using the momentum to smash both her feet right into #1's armored chestplate. "Blowing up people's stuff is bad manners!" she lectures on impact.

OOC
I actually don't think there is any description of which of the enemies are on the left and which are on the right. If it doesn't make a difference, I'm going to attack #1.

Move action to move into close range of #1

Standard action to use unarmed attack on #1
1d20+10: 22 [1d20=12]
DC 25 Toughness check if it hits

Also I'll try and make an int check to identify them.
1d20+10: 17 [1d20=7]
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