Sandworm [Worm OC- Sands of Time theme]

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[X] [PRT] Stay in the Bay at PHQ. But sneak out. The Coil Campaign continues. Failure will be punished, but good results will be pardoned.
[X] [Endbringer] Yes.
 
[X] [PRT] Quit. You don't trust the PRT. They can't keep you safe, they can't keep your family safe, and they're full of politics and corruption. You won't be a villain, but you won't be Protectorate.

[X] [Endbringer] Yes.
 
[X] [PRT] Stay in the Bay at PHQ. But sneak out. The Coil Campaign continues. Failure will be punished, but good results will be pardoned.
[X] [Endbringer] Yes.
 

Scheduled vote count started by Ablative Id on May 31, 2023 at 6:26 PM, finished with 6 posts and 6 votes.
  • [X] [Endbringer] Yes.
    [X] [PRT] Stay in the Bay at PHQ. But sneak out. The Coil Campaign continues. Failure will be punished, but good results will be pardoned.
    [X] [PRT] Quit. You don't trust the PRT. They can't keep you safe, they can't keep your family safe, and they're full of politics and corruption. You won't be a villain, but you won't be Protectorate.
Click to expand...
 
Hell, Mexico
  • Threadmarks
    • Vote Rolls
    • [X] [Endbringer] Yes.
      [X] [PRT] Stay in the Bay at PHQ. But sneak out. The Coil Campaign continues. Failure will be punished, but good results will be pardoned.
    • Local roll out 1d6 => 3. About half.
      Global roll out 1d6 => 2 . Not great.


    The directors office is spartan. A well used coffee maker, two filing cabinets, a large wall screen, one desk with a computer and stacks of paper. The only chair is the one Director Piggot sits in. Behind her is an off-white machine with tubes running in and out. It takes a moment of staring before you recognize it as a dialysis machine.

    Director Piggot glances up from her keyboard and goes back to typing. She's a broad woman with a face creased by constant frowns and old scars. She doesn't acknowledge you again until she's finished.

    First she studies you, from bottom to top, lingering on the dagger at your hip. Her expression is hard and inscrutable.

    You break first. "You wanted to see me, Director?"

    She slides a paper towards you. It's a list of numbers, a ledger. Big numbers.

    "Paradox, this is our first meeting. Usually I would speak to your team leader, but the local Protectorate is between leaders at the moment. This is how much your last outing cost the department in civil property damage. It does not include the cost of departmental equipment, reputation, or loss of personal."

    "Coil-"

    "A B-rank villian who was content to play street games until you arrived. Do the two of you have history?"

    "Uh, no. Ma'am."

    "Really. Coil spontaneously decided to come out of hiding, making several uncharacteristically aggressive actions, including abduction of key Protectorate personal, and, by your own report, assassination. Primarily targeting you. And you have no idea why?"

    "No... uh, Armsmaster said Thinkers mess with each other?" You cringe at your own words. You sound like a child.

    "Mess. An accurate description of the situation. What do you think of this city?"

    The non-sequitur catches you off guard. "The weather is nice?"

    "True. You wouldn't know it was Fall. I was going to say this city is a house of cards, but in respect to the season I'll call it a pile of dry leaves. It will crumble at the slightest disturbance. Especially if someone puts their foot in it. Do you understand?"

    Her eyes are the color of steel, you note, as she stares you down. "You are a disruptive influence in a delicate situation. I want you gone before I lose any more troops."

    Is this about the driver that tried to kidnap you? "I was just defending myself-"

    "Chariot gave an account of your idea of self defence. The Youth Guard are very interested in your recruitment methods."

    "But your troops work for Coil."

    "I am aware. There are no less than three moles in this department. They are being monitored. I can afford spies, Paradox. But did you see the media circus outside? We cannot afford that. We live and die by our public image. My job is to ensure public safety and a threat to our funding is a threat to public safety. Coil's vendetta against you costs us money, lives and reputation. That is the threat, Paradox. Your presence threatens public safety.

    "If you were not outside my direct chain of command, I would flog you off to another department. Sadly, we must go through the proper channels. You have a choice, Paradox. Keep your head down until this blows over, or apply for a transfer. Either will get you out of my way."

    "Coil has my family."

    "I sympathize, but we cannot continue a losing-"

    The director is interrupted by something on her monitor. A second later, your phone rings. Through the door you can hear the chimes and buzzes of many phones sounding off like a panicked aviary. The Emergency Broadcast.

    The director's expression is unchanged. "Bad timing. Are you going?"

    As a child, you ran from the mere idea of Endbringers. A hero can't. You are a hero, aren't you?

    "Yes."

    "Then go." Director Piggot returns to typing.

    As you leave, you think you hear a belated "good luck," but you may have imagined it.


    The gathering point is a helipad on the edge of the PRT complex. There's an open gate to the street outside. Troopers fend off reporters, but there aren't many. People like to be with their family during an attack, and Endbringers are a different kind of news.

    Capes walk, fly, or simply appear on the platform. Some you recognise, most you don't

    You join Challenger, Assault and Battery. They're in full costume, with extra first aid kits.

    Challenger has what looks like a tank's gun turret slung on her back, and a five foot bearded axe with a blade that curves to cover most of the length. She's trying to balance it by standing the hilt in the palm of her hand. The ground around her is pitted and scarred from failed attempts.

    They nod as you approach. Grim faces.

    "Is this everyone?" You ask. "I thought there'd be more."

    "No one wants to fight the hero killer," Challenger says. "I'm surprised you showed up, young 'un. Oops."

    The axe tilts and falls straight towards you.

    You reverse time and smoothly step out of its way.

    "I'll be fine," you say.

    "Pfft, no you won't." Challenger retrieves her axe and resumes her balancing game. "Take it from an old lady, the Behemoth can chew up anyone, anytime. Run or die, hope Scion turns up, save who you can. That's how it's done."

    "You're not old."

    She laughs, which makes her drop the axe again. "I've been doing the cape thing for twenty years, kiddo. In hero years, I'm dead. Do you young people even remember a world that didn't have giant monsters chipping at it?"

    You don't. Battery says "the first Behemoth sighting was when I was three."

    "There's always been monsters," Challenger says, nostalgically. "They were less obvious before, but bigger in a way. Hiding behind logos and money. I prefer Endbringers. Gives me a face to punch."

    "Yeah," says Shadow Stalker, behind you.

    You jump, then use the awesome power of time travel to stop the teenage girl from sniggering at you. "Who invited the Ward?"

    "No one. I'm coming. Got a problem with that?"

    "I do." Battery steps towards the girl, but Challenger stops her with a word.

    "Let the kid come. She might have something that works."

    "Yeah, the Behemoth might be afraid of ghosts," Assault says. His sarcastic tone softens."Go home, Stalker. People will worry."

    "Fuck off. What the fuck, is that fucking Purity?"

    A woman made of light alights on the platform. "I had to arrange... nevermind. Am I late?"

    "Hurry up and wait for pick up," Challenger says with an unfriendly grin. "Where's your Nazi friends?"

    "I left that group," Purity replies. Even with her light dimmed, her white mask and bodysuit are hard to look at. "And they're not Nazis, they're extremist political reformers."

    The heroes laugh, Purity pouts, even Battery covers her mouth. There's a hint of hysteria behind the humor. A necessary outlet of tension to maintain a temporary truce. Everyone plays along for now. Tomorrow it won't be funny.

    A column of rings descends from the sky. Light flashes and a woman with hoops at her ankles, wrists and waist appears. She gestures and the rings rise and expand to the size of the helipad.

    "All aboard," she shouts. "Keep your arms and legs inside the circle. Zone is hot! Dispatch in three..."

    Challenger stops playing and hefts her axe. "When we get there, run."

    The rings fall around you. A flash of light and you are elsewhere.


    You don't believe in Hell, but you're told it's a town in Mexico.

    A man in thick stone armor stands with one hand supporting a wall made of overlapping stone shields. He yells at your group in a thick Canadian accent. "Movers get the wounded over there, Thinkers get over here, hitters and shielders follow that guy!"

    Lightning strikes the shield wall, leaving a glassy hole.

    Through it, you can see some of the battle. A violent, explosive display in the ruins of a city on fire. Capes, lit up like fireflies, swatted out the sky by the immense Behemoth. Buildings fall - deceptively slow - on the other side of the city. It must be a mile away, but you feel rumblings in the ground with each solid hit.

    The stone cape grows a new shield from his hand and plugs the gap. He turns to you and shouts. "Move!"

    You've been starring in shock. You reverse time, so you don't waste a second.


    What group do you join?

    [X] The Movers. Join Assault, Battery, and Shadow Stalker in moving the wounded. You're not the fastest or strongest, but you are good at dodging.
    [X] The Thinkers. Give out ten second warnings for the big attacks and try to figure out the Behemoth's objective. You don't know anyone there.
    [jk] Everyone else who can fight the Behemoth. Join Challenger and Purity in dying horribly gloriously.
    - You will not get close enough.

    Confession: the purpose of this mini-arc is to buy time to flesh out the Coil Campaign.

    Another confession: I posted an old version of Sort the Grains. It is stronger than it should be. But that's what people voted for, so I'm not nerfing it.

    "In Hero Years, I'm Dead" is a book by Michael A. Stackpole. A decent read, recommended if you like superhero fiction with a bit of thought behind it.

    "A Town Called Hell" is a movie from 1971, AKA "A Town Called Bastard". Old spaghetti western set in Mexico around 1900. Big name cast, but a lot of people find it weird.

    Thank you for reading.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] The Thinkers. Give out ten second warnings for the big attacks and try to figure out the Behemoth's objective. You don't know anyone there.
     
    [X] The Thinkers. Give out ten second warnings for the big attacks and try to figure out the Behemoth's objective. You don't know anyone there.

    could we keep looping the same 10 seconds?
     
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    [X] The Thinkers. Give out ten second warnings for the big attacks and try to figure out the Behemoth's objective. You don't know anyone there.
     
    [X] The Thinkers. Give out ten second warnings for the big attacks and try to figure out the Behemoth's objective. You don't know anyone there.
     
    [X] The Thinkers. Give out ten second warnings for the big attacks and try to figure out the Behemoth's objective. You don't know anyone there

    Ouch, poor Armsmaster, a pretty ignoble end.

    Well, he can't survive the Kill Zone yet so his dagger's offense is useless.

    But, being able to predict an Endbringer, even a measly 10 seconds is an enormous thing given their status as blindspots.

    Though I wonder what'll happen if he stabs the dead and dying capes beyond helping. It's a desperate situation and he could use the powerups.
     
    KNM said:
    Ouch, poor Armsmaster, a pretty ignoble end.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    He died the way he lived. Blindly following his ambitions while exploiting others, thinking he was doing good.

    KNM said:
    Though I wonder what'll happen if he stabs the dead and dying capes beyond helping. It's a desperate situation and he could use the powerups.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Must... resist... giving... spoilers...

    Edit:
    I don't like the way Regent died (a hamfisted way to reveal a game mechanic), so going forwards I'll make more effort to make each 'power up' more dramatic, impactful and a clear player choice.
     
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    [X] The Thinkers. Give out ten second warnings for the big attacks and try to figure out the Behemoth's objective. You don't know anyone there

    I still think we should have left the PRT they haven't really come through for us.
     
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    Achievement unlocked:
    Unanimous Vote
    Scheduled vote count started by Ablative Id on Jun 3, 2023 at 6:45 AM, finished with 8 posts and 6 votes.
    Click to expand...


    Edit:
    Sorry, I have no time today. Next update will be on the weekend. I feel horrible about doing this.
     
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    A Call for Heroes
  • Threadmarks
    • Vote Paradox Rolls Survival Rolls
    • [X] The Thinkers. Give out ten second warnings for the big attacks and try to figure out the Behemoth's objective. You don't know anyone there.
    • Thinker roll = 2d6t5 => (5 +5) = 2 successes.
      Brute/Mover roll = 2d6t5 = (1 +5) => 1 success.
      Synergy bonus roll = 1d6t5 = 6 = explode = 4 => 2 successes.
      5 total successes.

      Behemoth roll, just for fun: 10D6t4 => (1 +5 +3 +1 +5 +1 +5 +5 +2 +4) => 5 successes

      Mechanically, Paradox is a match for Behemoth.
    • Everyone has a 1 in 3 chance of dying to the Herokiller.
      So roll a 1d3 for each mentioned cape.
      1= dead.
      2 = disabled.
      3 = functional.

      Stonewall = 3
      Battery = 3
      Purity = 3
      Dragon suit = 3
      Dovetail = 2
      Raymancer = 2
      Tecton = 2
      Calavera Catrina = 2
      Relámpago = 2
      Hula Hoop Mover who's name you don't know = 2
      Pill Tinker who's name you don't know = 2
      Challenger = 2
      Assault = 2
      Shadow Stalker = 2
      Crystalclear = 1
      Paradox = 2. Reroll = 1. Let's keep the 2.


    Keeping your head below the shield wall, you crouch-run towards the stone cape,

    "Stonewall," he says, angling a new shield to act as a strut. "Guild. You, hero or indie?"

    You duck as the wall rattles and flames peek over the top. Time is a factor, so you adopt Stonewall's caveman speak. "Paradox, Protectorate."

    "Turn on your radio, any frequency, tell Dragon what you need."

    You get an earful of squeals and static before your helmet radio finds a frequency that isn't jammed.

    "This is Dragon. Protectorate communications have been linked. Say 'alert' to broadcast a message to all units. Alerts will be filtered to reduce distraction. This may cause a three to five second delay. If you meet anyone who is not equipped with an armband or radio, please relay any alerts you receive. Say 'Dragon' if you require support or extraction."

    "Dragon, my power needs line of sight. Can someone get me high up, quickly?"

    "Please hold."

    One of the Search and Rescue group peels away and flies swiftly towards you. You recognize her pink high-collared tailcoat from the crowd waiting in Brockton Bay. "I'm Dovetail. Do you need a lift?"

    You point to the tallest building you can see, a huge rectangle made of cement pillars and empty window frames, topped with a circular tower. "Can you get me up there?"

    "Sure," she hovers over you, sprinkling motes of light that expand and envelope you in a large bubble. "Easiest way to carry you. Hold on to your lunch."

    She grabs the bubble and flies before you can ask what she means, and then it becomes nauseatingly clear. Dovetail is fast and agile, her flight a swooping bird like motion. You are bounced around in a glorified soap bubble with every sharp turn stretching it thin.

    Dovetail carries you up the back of the tall building. Lightning catches and sparks on the skeleton frame. Miles away, behind cover, and fighting dozens of parahumans, but still the Behemoth can take potshots at a random flier. If you'd joined the attackers or the Movers you'd be dead already, several times over.

    At the top of the tower is an empty swimming pool. Its high, thick walls provide solid cover. Dovetail drops you in and pops the bubble with a fingernail before flying off, responding to another call.

    You're not alone up here. There's a young man holding a lens over his head, angled over the wall of the pool. Light gathers and seems to compress inside the lens before it fires a white hot beam.

    "I think he felt that one," says an armoured figure crouched over a laptop. He two finger types with gauntlets shaped like jackhammers. "He's lifted a leg. He's gonna stomp. Alert-"

    A thunderclap drowns him out and you struggle to keep your footing as the whole building tilts. The young man stumbles and drops his lens, which breaks and vanishes. The armored cape pushes his laptop aside and beats the ground with his piledriver fists. The building lurches the other way and sways back and forth, a little less with each calculated punch.

    You curse yourself an idiot and rewind time. As soon as the beam fires, you say "alert: earthquake in six seconds."

    "Huh?" The armored cape only now notices you. The deafening thunderclap sounds and he pounds the floor to counteract the building's tilt. It's faster to stabilize this time. The other boy doesn't even fall over. "You can predict earthquakes?"

    "No, but you can, and I can repeat any alert you give, ten seconds before you do. I'm Paradox. A precog."

    "Kickass," says the Blaster. He lifts the lens and charges another shot. "I'm Raymancer, that's Tecton, Chicago Wards. I do lasers, he does dirt and stuff."

    "I'm a tectonic Tinker-Thinker," Tecton explains. "This building has a good seismic detector I can use to predict big movements, like quakes, and keep the building from falling on someone. We thought it would be a good hard point for... shit, aftershocks." He pounds the floor as the building shakes violently.

    You rewind and issue an alert about aftershocks. Tecton punches the floor in advance. This building barely vibrates, but you can see others give in to repeated abuse and crumble. You rewind and add that to your alert.

    Peeking over the edge, you can see crowds of civilians being led out of the way of buildings before they collapse. Forcefields and controlled winds protect them from dust and debris. Then a bolt of lightning takes your head off. You rewind to just after your warning.

    "This can work," you say. "We need to get more people up here."

    "Yeah, I'll call it," Tecton says. "Dragon: we're setting up a hard point on top of the Hotel de México. Paradox is here. His precog is like a Thinker-booster. We need any ESPs who can detect attacks."

    A cape flies close to the Behemoth and bursts into flames. It doesn't stop her. When she connects, the Behemoth stumbles, the ground underneath shattering like a dinner plate. She flies out of the kill zone and the flames are sucked into an orb held by a green, ghostly figure.

    "Not to sound ungrateful, but what are Wards doing here?" you ask.

    "I have family," says Raymancer.

    "And I didn't want him to come alone," says Tecton. "We left the rest of the team behind. We're all melee types, too risky in this arena."

    "I don't know, I wish Gully was here."

    "If she was, who'd look after the others?" Tecton replies.

    The walls of the pool begin to bleed paint of many colors. It seeps out of invisible pores, twisting into exaggerated cartoon heroes. They have logos instead of faces and are scattered over a sprawling city. Dominating the center is a large and unmistakable silhouette.

    One of the heroes peels herself off the wall, but remains cartoonishly proportioned with a head too big for her small body. She still looks like a 2D skeleton wearing a large flowery hat and a shoulder-less gown. "Hola, me llamo Calavera Catrina. Ah, you can call me Catrina. You can improve powers?"

    "Sort of," you say. "This mural, is it accurate? Can it show the city in real time?"

    "Si, I reveal the heart of Mexico." Catrina steps back into the mural and it repaints itself. Now it shows a side long image of her peeking over the top of the tower. The figures begin to move, jumping in and out of depth, flitting and flowing faster until they match the chaotic speed of reality. The effect spreads to each wall, each showing a different view from the tower. Here the heroes swarm the shadow of the Behemoth. Over there, a river of civilians try to escape.

    The silhouette turns from black to red and expands to cover the city. You rewind just as you feel the first pin prick of heat. You issue the alert and this time Eidolon is in position to catch the fireball before it spreads. Only a dry breeze is left to wash over the city.

    It's a small thing, just an earlier warning, but it is working.

    You are joined by Relámpago - a man with an unmasked human face attached to a robotic body - who can detect energy build up, and Crystalclear, a young man pierced with chunks of opaque glass that reflect the future. With Tecton and Catrina, the four Thinkers cover the Behemoth's every move.

    You give alerts constantly, pausing only long enough to refill a portion of your ten second buffer, slicing time into thinner strips.

    A small thing, with a big effect. Caterina's mural shows the heroes becoming less chaotic and more coordinated. With a moments warning, the Behemoth's best attacks can be countered or mitigated. The desperate defense is becoming an organised fight.

    The Behemoth launches itself into a crowd of civilians and the shockwaves drive a wave of blood two stories high, drowning anyone who can't escape. But you unmake it, and this time the Behemoth hits a wall of stone, the shattered pieces teleporting away before they land. People are still hurt, but a massacre is averted and the heroes are ready when the Behemoth lands.

    More capes join you. Not just Thinkers, but any hero looking to regroup. Supplies are teleported in and a medical station forms spontaneously around a Tinker in a lab coat who dispenses pills and potions. Assault, Battery, Stalker and the rest of the Search and Rescue teams bring people here for evac by the bulk Movers. You see Purity down a packet of pills and a bottle of water before taking position next to Raymancer and the other artillery-like capes. Dragon stops filtering your radio, so you can communicate faster.

    The Hotel building grows into a fortress around you. It has become the heart of the city's defence with an empty swimming pool as the eyes and brain. In your hand, the Dagger of Time trembles from overuse.
    [ As before, so again, my hunger grows with each iteration. ]
    It's too good to last.

    Relámpago cocks his head. "The sound, the song of the ether, it has changed." He pushes buttons on his armband, Dragon's tech. "There is no signal. We have been silenced."

    Crystalclear turns in place. "I'm new to my power, but I can't see anyone. Or the building."

    In the mural, cartoon Caterina crouches behind the Hotel, clutching her skull. Thinker head pain, she called it. You see the shadow of the Behemoth turning its burning eye towards her.

    You rewind as much as you can and issue the alert, but your radio gives nothing but static. Your ten second timer is empty.

    You run up the side of the pool, shouting warnings. A flash of light and you see the rings of the Mover who transported you here. You leap from the wall and snatch her before her rings can descend around her.

    "Hadhayosh is attacking us directly," you shout in her face. "Move us, now!"

    To her credit, she only hesitates for a second before the rings grow to cover the building. But a second is too long. A ragged red river of plasma cuts through stone walls, forcefields, and those capes just shy of invulnerable. It touches the base of the Hotel de México as the rings flash.

    The Hotel falls, its feet vanished from under it. Capes, crates and concrete float in freefall before impact. You've traded one danger for another and find the exchange preferable. But now you must survive a building in the midst of collapse.

    Between your command of time and your body of sand, you will survive. But how many can you save?

    Sit rep:
    - Your efforts against the Behemoth were highly effective.
    - Most civilians were saved.
    - Behemoth has taken damage.
    - Surprisingly low amount of deaths, but high injury rate.
    - Mexico City has been destroyed, but such was inevitable.

    Pick 3 capes. Each will have their survival roll upgraded by 1 as Paradox bends time to save them.
    Refer to the Survival Rolls spoiler. Repeated below for your convenience.
    Everyone has a 1 in 3 chance of dying to the Herokiller.
    So roll a 1d3 for each mentioned cape.
    1= dead.
    2 = disabled.
    3 = functional.

    Stonewall = 3
    Battery = 3
    Purity = 3
    Dragon suit = 3
    Dovetail = 2
    Raymancer = 2
    Tecton = 2
    Calavera Catrina = 2
    Relámpago = 2
    Hula Hoop Mover who's name you don't know = 2
    Pill Tinker who's name you don't know = 2
    Challenger = 2
    Assault = 2
    Shadow Stalker = 2
    Crystalclear = 1
    Paradox = 2. Reroll = 1. Let's keep the 2.

    Who do you save? Pick 3:
    [X][Save] Stonewall, the Guild Shaker.
    [X][Save] Dovetail, the Independent Hero and Mover
    [X][Save] Dragon, the Guild Tinker
    [X][Save] Raymancer, the Chicago Ward.
    [X][Save] Tecton, the Chicago Ward.
    [X][Save] Calavera Catrina, the local painted Breaker/Mover/Thinker
    [X][Save] Relámpago, the local cyborg Thinker (Tinker?).
    [X][Save] Crystalclear, the young local Thinker (Case 53?).
    [X][Save] Hoolahoop Mover Woman who's name you don't know
    [X][Save] Pill Tinker(?) Woman who's name you don't know
    [X][Save] Challenger, the Brockton Bay Hero.
    [X][Save] Assault, the Brockton Bay Hero.
    [X][Save] Battery, the Brockton Bay Hero.
    [X][Save] Purity, the Brockton Bay Villain
    [X][Save] Shadow Stalker, the Brockton Bay Ward.
    [X][Save] Paradox. Save yourself.
    - If you don't save yourself, you will be evacuated after saving anyone else and Paradox's power will not be used in the final Behemoth scene.


    What next for the last stand of heroes?
    [X] [Next] With a desperate plan, the heroes try to drive off the Behemoth.
    - Only those with a Survival Roll of 3 (functional) will take part, plus the Triumverate and a random amount of unnamed survivors. They will make another Survival Roll. Choose wisely.
    [X] [Next] The heroes retreat, claiming as near a victory as could be hoped.
    - You still don't know what Behemoth's objective was, or if it has failed or succeeded.
    - Unless the objective was mindless destruction.
    [X] [Next] Crystalclear is fated to die. Feed him to the Dagger of Time. Fate cannot be denied.


    "This can work," you say. "We need to get more people up here."

    "Yeah, I'll call it," Raymancer says. "Dragon: activate the Babel fish. Ahem, Oh, ¿y ahora quien podrá defendernos?"

    Your radio repeats in English: (Oh, and now who can defend us?)

    "¡Yo, el Chapulin Colorado!" A figure in a tight red bodysuit stands over the pool, fists on his yellow shorts, antenna bobbing dramatically. Shielding his chest is a yellow heart bearing the letters 'CH.'

    (I, the Cherry Cricket!)

    Thunder booms.

    "Wow, the great superhero Cherry Cricket," you say. "But, um, are you a Thinker?"

    "Si! Mis antenitas de vinil están detectando la presencia del enemigo," he says as another earthquake shakes the building.

    (Yes! My vinyl antennas are detecting the presence of the enemy.)

    "That's, um, helpful."

    "Que no panda el cúnico." The man lifts a red plastic hammer with a yellow handle. It looks like a squeaky toy from the 70's. "¡Hadhayosh no contaba con mi astucia!"

    (Don't let the panda spread. Hadhayosh did not count on my cunning!)

    Brandishing the hammer, he runs and leaps into the fray, a mighty battle cry on his lips. "¡siganme los buenos!"

    (Follow me, good guys!)

    You, Raymancer and Tecton watch the hero fall. It takes some time.

    "We're about two hundred miles high," Tecton observes. "Does he have some kind of super jumping ability, or Mover power?"

    "He's more agile than a turtle," Raymancer replies. He leans over the side and calls "¿Te lastimaste Chapulín?"

    (Are you hurt Cricket?)

    "No," came the distant voice from below. "Lo hice intencionalmente, para darle una oportunidad justa a Hadhayosh."

    (No, I did it on purpose, to give Hadhayosh a fair chance.)

    You look between Tecton and Raymancer and ask "so who wants to jump next?"


    Relámpago is from Relámpago, el ser increible (Lightning, the Incredible Being) a Mexican comic circa 1960. Not to be confused with Relampago, the first Mexican American superhero, self published in 1977. Please consider this OC a tribute to both, though the resemblance is tenuous.

    La Calavera Catrina (the dapper female skull) is a famous and iconic image from Mexico, with a long history starting around 1910. I imagine she's the first pick for cape names in Worm's Mexico.

    El Chapulin Colorado is a popular Mexican superhero parody from 1973. He has a lot of catch phrases. The Omake does not do him justice, but any discussion of Mexican super heroes is incomplete without him. He's a brilliant character, satirical, hilarious and poignant.

    Hula Hoop Mover Woman is Stargate, an OC I made because I miss the TV show from 1997 and I'm bored of Strider.

    All other characters are cannon to Worm or Ward, though I take liberties in the absence of data.

    Hotel de Mexico became the World Trade Center in 1987, which is after Worm's point of divergence. I imagine that in Worm, it was fought over by cartels as a point of pride. This isn't very relevant to this chapter, but if Tecton's ability to stop the building from falling strains belief, imagine that someone reinforced the building and added tinker tech.

    The dice really like you in this update.

    Thank you for reading. Sorry for the delay. We'll likely return to the Coil Campaign next update, or soon after.

    Edit: Grammar: missed a comma and some capitals. Added a note about Hotel de Mexico. Hoolahoop -> Hula hoop
    Omake Edit: "Not that I know of," -> "He's more agile than a turtle,"
    Very late edit: Crystalclear finally has a line.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X][Save] Relámpago, the local cyborg Thinker (Tinker?).
    [X][Save] Paradox. Save yourself
    [X][Save] Hoolahoop Mover Woman who's name you don't know

    [X] [Next] With a desperate plan, the heroes try to drive off the Behemoth.

    I chose to save the capes that might be useful in a final assault with someone who can teleport, us and the person who can detect when behemoth is gonna blast us. If we survive Paradox's fame might increase because of his great contribution.
     
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    [X][Save] Crystalclear, the young local Thinker (Case 53?).
    [X][Save] Assault, the Brockton Bay Hero.
    [X][Save] Battery, the Brockton Bay Hero.

    We save the only death on the list, and then two heroes from our home town. Everyone else will recover.

    [X] [Next] With a desperate plan, the heroes try to drive off the Behemoth.
     
    Last edited:
    [X][Save] Crystalclear, the young local Thinker (Case 53?).
    [X][Save] Paradox. Save yourself.
    [X][Save] Hoolahoop Mover Woman who's name you don't know.

    the only death, us so our power can be used in the final behemoth scene and a mover for escape.
     
    [X][Save] Crystalclear, the young local Thinker (Case 53?).
    [X][Save] Paradox. Save yourself.
    [X][Save] Hoolahoop Mover Woman who's name you don't know.

    Prevents a death, saves ourself and a useful Mover.

    Also, nice. Paradox is really making himself useful. In regular fights 10 seconds is a long time, that is even more apparent in EB fights where a split second mistake means death.
     
    [X][Save] Crystalclear, the young local Thinker (Case 53?).
    [X][Save] Paradox. Save yourself.
    [X][Save] Hoolahoop Mover Woman who's name you don't know.

    [X] [Next] With a desperate plan, the heroes try to drive off the Behemoth.
     
    [X][Save] Relámpago, the local cyborg Thinker (Tinker?).
    [X][Save] Paradox. Save yourself
    [X][Save] Hoolahoop Mover Woman who's name you don't know

    [X] [Next] With a desperate plan, the heroes try to drive off the Behemoth.
     
    Adhoc vote count started by Ablative Id on Jun 13, 2023 at 8:13 AM, finished with 7 posts and 6 votes.
    Click to expand...


    Winning so far:

    [Next] With a desperate plan, the heroes try to drive off the Behemoth.

    [Save] Paradox. Save yourself
    [Save] Hoolahoop Mover Woman who's name you don't know
    [Save] Crystalclear, the young local Thinker (Case 53?).

    Vote is still open.

    The first roll is going to be Dragon attempting to reestablish communications. Hard to coordinate a fight without it.

    Not a single vote to kill Crystalclear.

    Edit: This looks like another weekend update.
     
    Last edited:
    [X][Save] Crystalclear, the young local Thinker (Case 53?).
    [X][Save] Paradox. Save yourself.
    [X][Save] Hoolahoop Mover Woman who's name you don't know.
     
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