Okay, the low roll for intrigue sucks...as does the anger meter rising, but we had to start that action eventually, especially before we wind up getting swamped with a billion other things in the future, where the action then keeps getting delayed and out off to deal with whatever crisis we have that week.
In better news though, we got a Nat 100 for the park action, which will come into play somehow for the next update/interlude thing.
Edit: Just reread the update and realized we got Stan Smith coming our way, despite him probably not being a hero unit, this should lead to some silly situations.
Edit: Just reread the update and realized we got Stan Smith coming our way, despite him probably not being a hero unit, this should lead to some silly situations.
Martial: 24 (A trained United States Marine, Daffy is as unpredictable in combat as he is in normal everyday stuff. Has a confirmed kill count of over 300 hostiles, it's unknown how many more have fallen to Daffy's hands before, during, and after his time serving in the military.)
Getting The Band Back Together!
DC 480
34+10=44
44/480
Your hopes were raised when Alex came into your office one day saying that he found one of your old workers. Hands shaking, you take the phone he offered you while listening half-heartedly to his smug retorts about how easy it is to track down a raccoon around here.
You spent the next three minutes watching the video of a raccoon try dragging a pizza box through a wooden fence.
Alex quickly left once you started destroying your office in a frenzied rage.
CONSEQUENCES: Benson's Anger Meter will impact his Anger Management section!
Alright so 2 more heroes minimum until we have enough for all actions, we do need to find an occult guy to unlock those actions but it's regular show, this place is full of wizards
Well, he was a marine, and a pretty good cosmologist. So probably martial and Diplo focuses. I'm just wondering what happened to Stan now since Roger has risen to become a king.
Looking like the Kankers are about to hit the town not the most dangerous compared to few other powers out there but certainly very dangerous...hope we're ready because win or lose this will likely be a defining moment for the quest. If we win lot of eyes will turn our way, if we lose...yeah lot of bad things could happen considering who we're dealing with.
"Mr. Benson," Bellum spoke from outside. "The government's liaison has arrived. A mister... Stan Smith, I believe."
Ah. Damn. You were hoping to have more time to prepare before he arrived, but you could never count on those government agents on showing when they said they were. They loooooved strutting around their stuff like they owned the place. A small, vindicative part of you couldn't help but feel satisfaction at how some of the other Kings were poking holes in their already broken structure before you pushed that aside. Wouldn't do good to have first contact with the government start off on the wrong foot.
Least of all a guy whose chin takes up half the picture they sent me of him.
"Mr. Benson?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, uh, send him in, Sara. Thank you."
The door opened and in walked the man of the hour himself. Donning a tailored-made suit fresh off the CIA presses, the faint outline of a service piece hidden in his breast pocket, and displaying a chin bigger than your own head, here came agent Stan Smith. All you really knew about him was that he came from some place called Langley Falls up in Virginia and that he's been a field agent for the CIA for many years.
You tried to hide the wariness you felt being in the same room as a government spook as you stood to shake his head. "Good morning, Mr. Smith. I take it the flight over here was okay?"
Stan Smith extended a firm handshake, his eyes locked onto yours with a serious demeanor. "Morning, Benson. The flight was uneventful, as expected. You know how it is when Uncle Sam sends you on a mission."
"Heh, couldn't tell you, to be honest. I'd be lucky to get into a second-class seat, hahah!"
Your chuckles awkwardly trail off at Stan's blank stare.
Clearing your throat, you gesture for him to take a seat, which he does.
Stan took a moment to glance around the room, sizing up the surroundings. "Nice place you got here, very... unique," he remarked, his tone a mix of curiosity and scrutiny. "I've been assigned as the government liaison to you, the so-called 'King' of southern California. Quite a title you've got there."
You frown at Stan's remark. It didn't sound rude, but the implications there got under your skin a bit... "Yes. It's one I wasn't expecting coming back to Earth, but it's one I'm prepared to deal with, no matter what may come."
"Uh-huh?"
"Yeah. And let me tell you right off the bat that I have no interest in world conquest or corporate espionage like any of these other Kings around us. That Slade guy, Mandark, Dark Kat, whomever. I'm one of the good ones, I assure you."
"Well then, I assume you wouldn't mind handing control of your territory back over to the government then, right?"
"Not gonna happen," you reply quickly. "I have no disrespect towards the red-white-and-blue, but you guys are still struggling to find your place in this country. From what I've seen, you're surrounded in your area by aliens, supervillains, and whatever the heck is going on in Maryland with that Ricky Spanish guy."
"Yes, we're... aware... of the situation."
DC 45
48+10=58 Success!
You notice Stan look uncomfortable at the mentioning of the threats around his government's land and wonder why that is. Until you remember: Langley Falls, based on what Sara informed you, resided in the metropolitan area around Washington D.C. The same D.C. currently turned into a wild, out-of-control drug binge of a party by Ricky Spanish.
You clear your throat, rubbing the top of your head awkwardly. "I'm... sorry about that. I didn't mean to stir up anything by mentioning those guys, it's just... hard trying to figure out how it could all go so wrong like that."
Stan sighed, rubbing his brow warily like yourself. "Believe you and me, I've thought about that plenty of nights too."
"Oh."
You bite your lip, drumming your fingers on the desk, before casually blurting out.
"Wanna talk about it?"
DC 100
26+18=44 CRITICAL FAILURE!!
"We're not here to talk about my tragic backstory, you bubble-gummed tyrant!" Stan exclaimed, pointing a finger at you. He looked very angry now. "You're not my therapist and I sure as hell ain't yours, so keep your claws out of my head, got it?"
"Crystal, okay? I was just trying to make small talk-"
"Yeah, right," Stan snorts. "That's how it all starts. You make one remark and the next thing you know, you find yourself hanging upside down from your flagpole naked and watching the world go to Hell all around you. And that's something I'm not gonna let happen again."
"I understand. I know what it's like to lose," you bitterly admit, remembering That Day in perfect, horrifying clarity.
"That much we have in common." Stan said, folding his arms grumpily.
A heavy tension hung in the air, neither one of you seeming to back down from the staring contest you found yourself in. Despite whatever curiosity you might have for Agent Smith's past, he was also just that: an agent. One sent to spy on you and make sure you don't step out of line.
Or else, I'll find myself facing down the barrel of his gun over a lunch meeting.
Your nostrils flare.
"Look," you quietly, passion evident in your words. "I know you're here on a job and I have no doubt that you hate my guts, believe me. You're not the first guy to question why things are the way they are, and you sure as hell aren't gonna be the last. I get that. But here's the thing. This country or kingdom or whatever you want to call it? It's mine now. Those people living in the City? They're my people. Same as the guys I got working for me in this Park, and anyone else within these borders. I'm not a bad guy, and I don't want to turn into one, but I will do whatever means are necessary to make sure that this place doesn't turn into one of these industrial wastelands you see on the news.
"I've fought against demons, zombies, corporate lawyers, and gods during a 9-5 shift. And I'll keep fighting them even from behind this desk. You say you guys want a partnership, then that's cool. Let's be partners. But don't assume that because you guys used to run the country that things are going to go the way you want them to. That time has passed. I'll do my part in helping you out, but don't think for a moment that you get to call the shots around here. I do. I'm the Boss."
You pause mid-monologue, mulling that over. The Boss... yeah.
You liked that term better than President.
Confidence rising, you continue speaking to the flabbergasted Stan. "My name's Benson Dunwoody, the Boss of the City. I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty to keep my people safe and will work with whoever wants to work with me to get things done. So yes, Agent Stan Smith, if your bosses want to play hard with me, then tell them that they better expect things here to move when I say they do. Understood?"
...
...
DC 90
87+18=105 Success!
CLAP.
CLAP.
CLAP.
You blink in confusion. "Uhhh..."
Stan grinned widely, clapping slowly for whatever reason. "God...damn, man!" he says enthusiastically. "That's one hell of a speech you gave there! You had your secretary write it up for you?"
"No."
"Even better!" he laughs, shaking his head
"'Even better'-?" you sputtered. "What is going on here?!"
"Benson, Benson, man," Stan says, chuckles dying down. "Relax. You passed the test."
"Test, wha-? What test?!"
"Look, here's the gist of it. Ever since these Kings or whatever you wanna call them started popping up all over the world, we send guys like me out to test the waters and see if they're friendly or not. Nine times out of ten, they ship the guy's body back to headquarters in a shoebox. You're one of the lucky few to be counted as friends, or as friendly as you can be with the government."
You warily raise an eyebrow. "So... you're not gonna kill me tonight or?"
"Oh, no, I'll take your word for it," he leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "Guy like you, being that wound up and passionate about a place like this? Nah, you're bound to be easy to work with."
You don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.
"I'll let my superiors at the CIA know that everything's good here and call off the snipers."
"Well, that sounds ni- wait, SNIPERS?!"
REWARD: Stan Smith now works as the liaison between your country and the United States' government. You have gone from being 'President' to 'The Boss'. Whistling a cheerful tune, Stan finished unloading the last of his boxes into the apartment he rented in-town, putting it in the corner with the rest.
"What a day," he muttered. Shedding off his suit and accessories, he laid down in the bed he'd made for himself and pulled out his phone. Dialing a number, he waited until the person on the other line picked up.
"Hey, it's me."
...
"Yeah, everything's good here, so far. This Benson guy is a bit of a tightass, but we can work with that. He's too focused on his City to pay attention to what we got going on here."
...
"Nah, I doubt any of his workers will notice too. Most of them are women, anyways."
...
"Sexist? The hell do you mean that's a derogatory remark, it was just a compliment! Women are great at house-work."
...
"...hey. Leave her out of this, alright?"
...
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll watch what I say or you'll send the hounds after me."
...
"Staging points? Nah, not yet. I've been distracted with my meeting with Benson and unpacking here that I haven't got a time to visit those spots you had in mind."
...
"I'll get on it tomorrow. I got plenty of time to kill here, might as well enjoy it."
...
"...really? That quick?"
...
"I see... I'll keep that in mind. Tomorrow morning, I'll begin scoping out those areas and laying the groundwork for them, don't you worry, Madame Director."
...
"I will. Good night, ma'am."
Stan ended the call and leaned back on his bed, sighing deeply. "Shit... this is gonna be bad. Still, no use overthinking it tonight, time to get your beauty sleep, Stan."
Rolling over on his right, he shifts into a comfy position before looking up... and freezing. Staring back at him was an ordinary photograph, one with him in it... along with a blonde-haired woman and a brunette boy, one of Stan's hands each on one of their shoulders; a dark-haired girl and a hippie in a fisherman's hat in each other's embrace; and a goldfish held in the blonde woman's hand, trying not to glance at the woman's chest above him with a lecherous grin.
At the edge of the photo was the last family member. A man, if you could even call him that with his gray skin, leaning up against Stan and flipping the cameraman the bird with a sly grin. His smile and the look in his eyes told anyone looking at the picture 'I can get away with stuff like this. And always will.'
He stared at that photograph awhile longer, before rolling over to the other side. He did not move from that spot for the rest of the night.
I hope we can have the chance to recruit the people who came knocking the first time around in the future.
I was honestly flabbergasted when I saw the thread pass Jinx as a Hero unit. I mean yeah she's a villain, but that fucking Occult score man, and we could've had Nicole keep her in check to prevent her from enacting any schemes.
Once we get some income and that round 2 for interviews we can get her then maybe.
Off i'm going to guess whatever happened to Steve,Francine, and Haley along with Jeff wasn't pretty and bad if Stan missing Jeff as well. Did Roger accidentally killed them?
Off i'm going to guess whatever happened to Steve,Francine, and Haley along with Jeff wasn't pretty and bad if Stan missing Jeff as well. Did Roger accidentally killed them?
Considering Roger is currently Ricky, i'd say something real bad happened and has left both Stan and Roger falling fully into new positions, Roger as Ricky and Stan as working with/under someone not Bullock, which is telling as he was mentioned in a previous report
So if we ever get in unfortunate contact with Ricky Spanish is the only way to beat him is by removing his clothes?
Because Rogers personality persona seems to be based on whatever clothes he wear and if he's not he's just Roger
Could be a reverse Sidney Hoffman situation, Ricky becoming his own being and fully taking over from Roger and going on the mother of all Rampage Parties
"Yeah, right," Stan snorts. "That's how it all starts. You make one remark and the next thing you know, you find yourself hanging upside down from your flagpole naked
"I see... I'll keep that in mind. Tomorrow morning, I'll begin scoping out those areas and laying the groundwork for them, don't you worry, Madame Director."
Could be a reverse Sidney Hoffman situation, Ricky becoming his own being and fully taking over from Roger and going on the mother of all Rampage Parties
So two things, Stan's a sad sack with issues but one we can work with.
On the other hand, Stan just got here and he's already helping Waller stick her hands into our territory.
Can someone pick up that phone because I fucking called it. Reaching out the gov just put a target on our back. Being Waller's Enemy is frankly safer than being her friend, though maybe she has a weak spot for crazy rich lunatics considering how much lex got away with
I mean, Ms. Bellum noticed we let the Criminal Groups in the City fester for too long. Easy odds we're about to interfere, and bamboozled whatever scheme Waller is cooking up.
Well, we gonna have to keep a close eye on Stan just because Waller is a bitch that never liked not being in a position that she cannot control everything.
Even when she mellowed out years after in Batman Beyond she was still on board to commit some pretty horrid shit just to in her opinion do the right thing.
God I somehow missed that Acceleracers somehow got in to this, I freaking loved the crap out of that as a kid, glad to see I'm not the only one who remembers
