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The Young Avengers Initiative

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005 - Those Who Watch D
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    • Winner: I just really like hanging out with Gwen.
    Number of voters: 8

    "It's... not as complicated as you seem to think," you respond after a few seconds consideration, "I just really like hanging out with Gwen. I like hanging out with my squad, too, but... I dunno. I guess I didn't think that hard about it. It's been a while since she and I have really been able to enjoy each others' company instead of just running or stretching or whatever, and I wanted to catch up with her."

    Other Gwen nods along with you, then finally shrugs. "Okay." You eye her for a moment, but she says nothing more on the subject and you do nothing to press it, so it drops. Not long after, Gwen returns.

    "OK, we've been hanging out long enough that I'm hungry again. And I could use some fresh air. You guys wanna head into the city and get something to eat?"

    "... but that means I'll have to put on paaaaaaaaaants," Other Gwen says as she gets up from the couch and starts marching, zombie-like toward her room.

    "You're wearing pants."

    "Reeeeeaaal paaaaaaaaaants..."

    "It's New York, Poole, nobody's gonna judge you for wearing pajama pants."

    "I will judge me," she insists, and shuts her door.

    You excuse yourself to change, as well, and eventually the three of you are nestled into Mile End, a little deli in Greenwich Village. Not long after you all finish your amazing late lunch, Gwen lowers her head and touches your arm.

    "Hey. Be cool about it, but our mystery guy just so happens to be across the street."

    You pause for a moment, then knock your fork off the table 'accidentally' and reach down to grab it, catching a quick glance as you pull back up. He is literally furrowing unimpressed brows at your little display. That or he hates his coffee. But it's probably you. He's looking at you.

    "Mystery guy?" Other Gwen asks.

    "Yeah, he... keeps showing up when Gwen and I are out in the city. Has been basically since we got back from winter break, right?"

    "Right."

    "So... why don't you guys go ask him what his deal is?" Other Gwen doesn't seem quite as concerned about him as either of you do.

    "Because... what if he's some creepster?"

    "Or a super-villain," suggests Gwen.

    "Only one way to find out!" Other Gwen has a way of making statements that fill you with panic and give you exactly enough time to do nothing about them. She stands up and starts waving at him across the street with both arms, pointing, and gesturing for him to come over.

    "What are you doing!? Get down!" Gwen hisses.

    "Wha--why? He looks nice! He's all burly! An' he's got a little coffee! Aw, presh!"

    A confused look crosses his face, and he shakes his head, turning to disappear into the crowd.

    "Great, now he's leaving!"

    "I thought you wanted him to stop watching you?"

    "Yeah, but we didn't want him to know we knew!"

    "C'mon, Gwen," you reason, "he knew."

    "Okay, but now we don't have any info on him. What if he never comes back!?"

    "Problem... solved?" Other Gwen shrugs her shoulders, and sits back down.

    What Do You Do?
    [ ] Go after him
    [ ] Let him leave.
     
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    • I still don't know what the purpose of the last vote was, why Gwen asked us that question, what she got out of it or who this weird ass dude is. This issue is just full of questions isn't it.

    [X] Let him leave.

    I honestly don't care one way or the other. Hopefully he stays away.
     
    [X] Go after him
    I want some answers, and given who I'm guessing this is, it should be relatively safe. I mean we also won't catch him, but it's the thought that counts.
     
    So, I have today off. Quite blissful. I'm taking a break from playing League of Legends, watching Legends of Localization play Final Fantasy VI in five different translations at once (because i know how to have a good time) and eating a sandwich. I figured I might pop in here and share a little backstory for me starting this quest thread, and a little info about me, as well.

    I used to play text-based adventure games on my grandparents' PC when I was young. Never got too far because either I was bad or the games were... I don't remember a lot about them. One was about a detective and felt like I was coming in the middle of a series where I was already supposed to know a lot of characters and plot points. The rest were Totally Not Dungeons And Dragons, You Guys. It was my first encounter with a mind flayer, quite a few years before I ever got my hands on the old blue books. I also loved Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was a kid. It wasn't until YEARS later that I got involved in questing online, which is basically the advanced version of those games/CYOA. I did an image-based horror quest over a number of years on a few different forums I was once involved in, and it was my first intention for a thread here on SV, but I was worried the "graphic" (sprite-based) depictions of violence and gore might push the limits of the site's rules and I wasn't looking to risk getting banhammered over pixelated gore.

    A few months later I had an idea to try again, with a TMNT quest. I'd been slooooowly writing a TMNT fanfic and I wanted to take similar ideas into a quest to sort of... help me keep it up more regularly, but the more I considered it the less I was comfortable with handing over decisions being made for some of my favorite characters into the hands of others. In hindsight, that was a stupid conclusion; this place has a good player base who seems to honor character motivations over... random whim and self-indulgent/destructive impulse. Then I thought a Final Fantasy-inspired quest might be fun... but I had a very complicated concept of the first voting block and didn't understand the voting system, so I got discouraged and scrapped the idea again for a few months.

    Finally, I was poised to make a very similar version of this quest a few months ago; the Young Justice Initiative. I'd run a game for a friend of mine where he played a version of Static joining Young Justice; a smaller team of about 24 characters in total, instead of the ninety-some we have now, or my original idea for this quest around a dozen. The main character was going to be determined by a vote, but there were going to be a number of preset characters. I'm not sure I had decided who all was going to be involved... the vote for the main character was (to over-simplify it) going to be between Pantha, the Terror Twins, Bombshell, Steel, Blue Beetle, Bumblebee, Artemis, Speedy, Solstice, Jinx, Omen, Argent, Terra, Isaiah Crockett, Cassie Sandsmark, The Ray, Misfit, Stargirl, and Traci 13. Some of those with similar powers I might've been planning on narrowing down. I'm looking at notes, here, and there's not a lot written. For those on your team, I was going to cut down the people involved in my friend's RPG... which was Wally West, Donna Troy, Bombshell, Jinx, Blue Beetle, Tim Drake, Spoiler, Solstice, Terra, Kid Eternity, Lagoon Boy, Long Shadow, and Bumblebee. Obviously there's some overlap there, hence part of why they'd be pared down... and also because even in a pen-and-paper version of the quest it was a lot of people to keep track of. Hence... six people on your squad in this game, but a larger school population to make the world feel more populated.

    I had a whole DC timeline I came up with to integrate a bunch of characters and ideas I was super fond of. Had a history of the actual Justice League, including replacements for Cyborg and Black Canary who serve similar roles to War Machine and Mockingbird now. At almost the last minute, I decided to go with Marvel instead of DC, because I'm more comfortable with Marvel. I know more about the world and major events within it, and I can draw more broadly from Marvel lore on the fly with confidence. Even when I need some more obscure information, I have a general idea of where to look that I just don't have with DC. Which makes sense; I read a broader array of Marvel comics, watched more Marvel cartoons, played more Marvel video games... had a BUNCH of different trading card sets... whereas my DC exposure was almost entirely Super Friends, Linkara videos, and 90's Batman until about a year ago when I started watching Young Justice.

    Anyhow, just thought you might be interested to see how amusingly long I agonized over what to do with this quest before landing where we are now! <3
     
    005 - Those Who Watch E
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    • Winner: Go after him
    Number of voters: 8

    You consider your options for just a moment, grimacing as you try to quickly decide between the two most obvious courses of action that present themselves... but you finally push up from your table, throw some money down, and head out the door. The streets are busy enough, but not so crowded that you've lost track of your quarry. The man isn't even running or trying to make a clever exit. He's just calmly walking off to the East, like he didn't expect to be followed... or doesn't care. You hear the door open and shut behind you and Gwen quickly catches up to your side.

    "Poole's settling the bill. Are... are we doing this?"

    "I'm tired of feeling uneasy every time I'm in the city," you explain, "this doesn't have to end in violence, but I want answers." There's also a small part of you that's sort of offended by how nonchalantly he took Other Gwen waving at him. If you were stalking somebody, that would be a clear panic moment. But he doesn't care. What does he want? What could he want?

    "Hey! Brawny Man!" Now that she mentions it, he does bear a passing resemblance to the paper towel mascot, with his red flannel shirt and grizzled mug. "You wanna talk, or do you just prefer to stare?"

    "Buzz off, kid," he waves dismissively without even turning around. His voice is gravelly and harsh. You expected it to be warmer for some reason...

    "Nah, you don't get that luxury!" She's not shouting, so much as being audible... but it is drawing the attention of a few other people on the street. "Stop and explain yourself, or I'm telling the cops."

    He finally turns around, giving you both a chance to catch up. There's a look on his face when he first turns that you can't quite place, but it turns into mild frustration. "Just drop it! Ain't no law against--"

    "Against what? Stalking teenage girls?" You're not sure pushing his buttons like this is a great idea, but you're trying to match Gwen's intensity.

    "I'm not stalkin'-- RRRGH." He slowly squeezes his hand into a fist and exhales, clearly trying to keep his cool. "Look, you don't wanna turn this into somethin' it isn't. Just go back to your dinner an' forget you saw me."

    "Or," Gwen folds her arms over her chest, "you can tell us what this is all about, and we can decide for ourselves what to do about it."

    Things are getting a bit high-tension... "Maybe we can help you," you offer. "You seem... agitated."

    He grimaces again, growling softly, but relaxes his clenched fist a bit. "Yeah... maybe..." There's conflict written on his face, but in the end he shakes his head. "Fine. I'll talk. But not out here."

    "Of course not," you agree, "that would be stupid."

    "Let's go back to the deli," Gwen suggests.

    "Deli's too public," he insists, "there's a bar nearby..."

    "Can't really do that, man. Neither of us are old enough to be in a bar."

    He actually looks shocked by that. "You serious? How old are you kids?"

    "Eighteen," you answer simultaneously. A ghastly look crosses over his face, but he shakes it off. "Jesus. Fine, deli it is. Let's just... be careful what we say, yeah?"

    "You sound like someone with a lot to hide, Mr. Stalker," quips Gwen as you return to the deli.

    "Pretty sure all of us do, Spider-girl." Now it's her turn to adopt a ghastly look.

    The three of you return to the deli to find Gwen tucking into some fruit, yogurt, and granola, looking unimpressed as you walk in with your mystery man in tow. The money is still scattered about the table. It's honestly as though she hasn't moved.

    "Didn't wanna come stalker stalking with us?" Gwen asks.

    "Nah, I knew you guys'd be back," Poole taps the side of her head, "good intuition or whatever." She nods to the man. "Hey, bub."

    He screws up his brows, but seems sort of amused. "Hey, yourself."

    "Have a seat," she kicks out the chair, "ordered you the Mish-Mash and a coffee. Figured you'd wanna pick up the tab?"

    "Yeah, sure." His expression is very flat, but not argumentative. He takes a look around the deli and sighs before sitting down. "So... where do you want me to start?"

    "Let's try the beginning," Gwen suggests, "like why are you following us."

    "Yeah, OK," he sighs. "I work for--- eh... used to work for this little group. We did... hm." He stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jacket, trying to choose his words carefully. "We got involved in stuff that most people don't see. Mutant stuff, mostly. The kinda jobs that happen in the dark, away from prying eyes... in abandoned subway tunnels." He looks very pointedly at you and Gwen when he says that. Once he's sure the point he was making has sunk in, he breathes a long sigh and continues. "End o' last year our boss gets offed. Whoever did it snuck right past us, an' right back out... like they were never even there." He taps the side of his nose, "but they left their stink on everything. An' I followed that stink. Followed it to an empty little subway station, an' back out again. It was faint, but I kept searchin'. Was close to givin' up... ... but then you two started showin' up, with your pink-haired friend. An'... it was there. Barely, just barely... but it was there. So I watched for a while before movin' in... but... you don't seem like the types to do what got done. Not enough skill. Too warm-hearted. Been tryna decide how to proceed an' then... well."

    He sips at his fresh coffee and relaxes a bit into his chair. The waitress as she brings him a plate of meat and eggs, then returns to the back. He looks around the table for just a moment, then grabs a knife and fork and helps himself.

    Question Time! (Choose THREE)
    [ ] Who are you?
    - Likely to dodge the question.
    [ ] Who was your leader?
    - Likely to dodge the question.
    [ ] Who else was in your group?
    - Very likely to dodge the question.
    [ ] Tell us more about your group.
    - Very likely to dodge the question.
    [ ] How could a scent persist on us for two months?
    [ ] Do you have any idea who could've done this?
    [ ] You think you sort of understand who he's scenting... explain what you know about Dr. McCoy.
    - This option is the result of a successful Aptitude check.
    - This does not give you any answers, but may help gain his trust.
    [ ] Write-in
     
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    • [X] You think you sort of understand who he's scenting... explain what you know about Dr. McCoy.
    [X] Who are you?
    [X] Do you have any idea who could've done this?
     
    [X] You think you sort of understand who he's scenting... explain what you know about Dr. McCoy.
    [X] Who are you?
    [X] Who was your leader?
     
    [X] You think you sort of understand who he's scenting... explain what you know about Dr. McCoy.
    [X] Who are you?
    [X] Do you have any idea who could've done this?
     
    [X] Who are you?
    [X] How could a scent persist on us for two months?
    [X] You think you sort of understand who he's scenting... explain what you know about Dr. McCoy.
     
    [X] You think you sort of understand who he's scenting... explain what you know about Dr. McCoy.
    [X] Who are you?
    [X] Do you have any idea who could've done this?
    [X] How could a scent persist on us for two months?
     
    [X] You think you sort of understand who he's scenting... explain what you know about Dr. McCoy.
    [X] Who are you?
    [X] Do you have any idea who could've done this?
     
    [X] You think you sort of understand who he's scenting... explain what you know about Dr. McCoy.
    [X] Who are you?
    [x] Who was your leader?

    Not sure about the "who could have done this" question. Sounds like we're telling him beast did it and then asking if he has any suspects.
     
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