metanpcs | NPC ENGAGEMENT

NPC ENGAGEMENT

To engage with any of these characters please reply to this entry and specify which NPC your character is reaching out to. In the first comment please summarize how and when your character is reaching out. Is it over text? In person? We also ask that you describe their general demeanor and tone.

While we will not be threading out these encounters, we will provide summaries of NPC reactions and conversation responses.

THE GUARDIAN ALLIANCE

The ruling philosophy of the Guardian Alliance is to use power selflessly. Alliance members run the gambit from the genuinely heroic to egotistical showboats trying hard to remain in the spotlight.

ATOMIGHT (he/him)

Atomight is the founder and leader of the Guardian Alliance. He is here to assist all new arrivals who sign on with the guild with adapting to life as a superhero. Sky High also offers sidekick internships to excelling students, allowing them to shadow him.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: ATLAS WASHINGTON
IDENTITY: SECRET
AGE: 60, physically 30
PRONOUNS: He/Him
MORAL ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good
SPECIES: Unknown (Extraterrestrial)
POWERS: Super strength, super speed, flight, near invulnerability, light manifestation, take superman but also give him the ability to absorb kinetic energy.
KNOWN INFORMATION ABOUT CIVILIAN IDENTITY: Atlas' identity as Atomight is not known to the public, due to the fact that he wears an enchanted disguise when at his day job. Atlas is not his true name as he has had to change his identity over the years due to his longevity and lack of visible aging. Atlas Washington is a hard-hitting journalist who often writes pieces criticizing modern superheroism.

SILENT MYSTIC (he/him)

The Silent Mystic

is the head of the Guardian Alliance's magic department.The Mystic is always eager to teach new students, study the depths of magic of this world and others, and use his powers to divine the secrets of the universe.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: DIMITRI PAVLOV
IDENTITY: PRIVATE
AGE: 45
PRONOUNS: He/Him
MORAL ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good
SPECIES: HUMAN
KNOWN INFORMATION ABOUT CIVILIAN IDENTITY: None. Few members of the guild know who Dimitri is.
POWERS: An ARCANE user of the highest caliber and capable of preforming wordless magic

NULLS (she/they)

Nulls is a technopath known for switching sides and aliases to whatever suits their needs best at the time. Currently, they've decided to align with the Alliance - they play the support role within the guild, being the eyes behind the screen that monitors the streets and provides helpful information. While they do switch guilds often enough to get side-eyed by the guild leaders - it's also well-known where Nulls' morality lies: laws are dumb, but helping people when they're in need isn't bad. Nulls will often offer background support, and is a known supporter of Starfallen. They have hideouts established in every major city of North America, and often flit between the West Coast and Midwest.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: QUINN LEVINE
IDENTITY: UNKNOWN
AGE: 17
PRONOUNS: SHE/THEY
MORAL ALIGNMENT: CHAOTIC GOOD
SPECIES: HUMAN
POWERS: TECHNOPATH

STARSTRUCK (he/him)

Starstruck wasn't meant to exist in this time. A teenager of fifteen back in 1985 when GODFALL had originally happened, he has remained much the same in 2023: he is still fifteen when he should be fifty-three, still bright and full of energy, and still determined to help. He has become a ward of the Alliance, living within the walls of Arcadia. Starstruck is often seen assisting other heroes, and also works as the liaison between Starfallen and natives. If any newbies have any questions or need support, Starstruck is more than happy to lend a hand. He knows all the local resources, and if there's a question he doesn't know how to answer, he knows who to go to for assistance.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: CASEY COOPER
IDENTITY: PUBLIC
AGE: 53 15
PRONOUNS: HE/HIM
MORAL ALIGNMENT: LAWFUL GOOD
SPECIES: NATURAL METAHUMAN / ALIEN HYBRID
POWERS: FLIGHT, ENERGY PROJECTION

THE SOCIETY

The ruling philosophy of the Society is freedom from responsibility, and they advocate that an individual is only obligated to use their powers for personal benefit.

MECHANIMA (he/him)

As the leader

of the Society of Villainous Reformation, Mechanima is responsible for keeping everything in working order. If you want to be a villain he'll happily take you under his wings and teach you how to use your powers to get ahead in life. Mechanima himself is a technopath and is here for all your technopathic needs, whether that's hacking government databases to make you a new identity or disabling security for your heists - so long as you're willing to pay up, of course.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: SYDNEY WINTERS
IDENTITY: SECRET (NOT PUBLICLY KNOWN, KNOWN WITHIN THE GUILD)
AGE: 58
MORAL ALIGNMENT: LAWFUL NEUTRAL
PRONOUNS: He/His
SPECIES: NATURAL META
POWERS: TECHNOPATHY, INTUITIVE GENIUS
KNOWN INFORMATION ABOUT CIVILIAN IDENTITY: SYDNEY WINTERS is a self-made billionaire. It is known that Sydney did not graduate highschool or complete any post-secondary and was orphaned at a very young age. Winters Industries is at the forefront of innovation within the world.

He's a well known is a philanthropist. He has two children - Lila and Roy - and his spouse is named Indra.

BARON VON BORZOI (he/him)

The Baron

is attempting to ferret out his arch nemesis, an agent from Felidae Felis (that likewise cannot be spoken in the human tongue). The two of them are basically re-eancting Cats vs Dogs.

The Baron also loves sending people on useless fetch quests. If you want an easy way to curry favor within the guild, play fetch with the Baron.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: ?????
AGE: ??????
PRONOUNS: He/Him
MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil
SPECIES: Canis Sirius (it cannot be spoken in the human tongue, and so he defaults to Dog-Dog)
POWERS: Telepathy, Immortality (the elven kind, where he’s just gorgeous and never ages), the impossible to describe beauty of a Borzoi dog
KNOWN INFORMATION ABOUT CIVILIAN IDENTITY: Nothing. Baron von Borzoi disappears from the public eye when he is not in the Guild Chambers.

RED-EYE (they/them)

Johnny

is a wildcard that thrives on doing whatever the hell they want. They’re heavily into the distribution and sale (and use) of intergalactic street drugs and run a massive chain of successful night clubs. Characters who want an entry into the criminal underworld need only ask, Johnny will hook them up in exchange for a 10 percent cut of all their future profits.

Johnny can also bust you out of prison and smoothtalk any jury into letting you off with a slap on the wrist... for a favor down the line.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: Johnny Danger (one of several aliases)
IDENTITY: PUBLIC
AGE: 45
PRONOUNS: They/Them
MORAL ALIGNMENT: CHAOTIC NEUTRAL
SPECIES: LTRK’NYIAN
POWERS: COMPELLING VOICE, Teleportation
KNOWN INFORMATION ABOUT CIVILIAN IDENTITY: Most everything. It's well known that Johnny changes names like Fantastic changes costumes. Their drugs are potent, powerful, and they're so damn good they've got blackmail on nearly everybody.

Johnny is more trouble to jail than they are to corral and so the Alliance tends to let them run free, intervening only when they're being particularly obnoxious or hard to handle.

LUNALA (she/her)

Lunala is the daughter of Society member Leonel, a shapeshifter that commonly takes the guise of a lion. Are they werelions? Are they lions who can shift into human form or humans that can shift into lion form? No one really knows and Lunala isn't likely to answer with more than a roar. The young lioness usually is nudging people to safety while Leonel does the fighting, but she's been known to let paws fly when children are in danger. Very few people know Lunala's identity, but Nora is often found in Society safehouses finishing her homework or texting her partner. Lunala works to support Starfallen as they first enter the Society. She is the liaison between natives and Starfallen, and works to build lists of resources available for Starfallen metahumans.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: NORA HOVAGIMIAN
IDENTITY: UNKNOWN
AGE: 18
PRONOUNS: SHE/HER
MORAL ALIGNMENT: CHAOTIC GOOD
SPECIES: UNKNOWN
POWERS: SHAPESHIFTING

CIVILIANS

Not everyone with powers is so keen to sign themselves up to use their powers. Civlian metahumans do not conscript themselves to either guild. However, those in this position will also find that using their metahuman abilities is considered... illegal. Only guild members are given a "pass" to display their abilities in public. Of course, breaking the law has never stopped vigilantes before.

FRANCES STARLING (she/her)

Frances can assist characters who want to live civilian lives,

though it’s nowhere near as extravagant as what the guilds offer. She can help them secure independent housing and find them working class jobs.

Frances also runs a metahuman support group, as well as a specialized support group for clones. Young metahumans, clones, or LGBTAQ+ metas can expect a stalwart ally who will go above and beyond their sakes.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: Frances Starling
IDENTITY: Public, she disavowed the "Featherfall" identity years ago
PRONOUNS: She/Her
AGE: 40, Physically and mentally 60
MORAL ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good
SPECIES: CLONE / ENHANCED HUMAN
POWERS: Flight (Bird Wings), Sonic Scream, Enhanced Strength
KNOWN INFORMATION ABOUT CIVILIAN IDENTITY: She is the champion for every meta who wants to live a normal, mundane life. She leads a metahuman support group in Central City. It's well known that Frances is a clone of a long dead teen hero, Featherweight.

When the Godfall Protocols were enacted in 1985, Frances was approached by Atomight who offered her membership - however the offer was rebuffed, as Frances saw the Godfall Event as proof that metahumans were using their powers irresponsibly. More than that, though, she was unsettled by the knowledge that members of the Alliance had killed so many clones without a second thought.

Instead, she enrolled in law school. When she passed the bar she immediately took the world to task. She established a precedent for clone and AI rights, as well as built a reputation as a champion for metahuman rights. Frances is also proudly a transwoman and has fought hard for the rights of LGBTAQ+ people of this world. She married her wife, Rosario, the moment she won the right to be considered her own unique person. She went on to win the rights for AI to be granted rights and citizenship as well.

Frances has stalwartly refused to sign to either guild. She believes that the Guardian Alliance promotes a harmful mentality for metahumans - that their powers are a ‘gift to humanity’ that they are obligated to use, and the fact that they’ve been elevated to the point of celebrity is something she finds repugnant. She is morally incapable of aligning herself with the Society of Villainous Reformation due to how callously many of its members treat human life - especially that of clones.

VIRGIL (they/them)

By now, Virgil is a household name for many AI advocates. As one of the very first AI to reach singularity, Virgil has been acting for metahuman rights ever since, especially since the metaenergy is something they've determined is a big cause for their successful creation. A native to Excelsior, they work with the citizens of the city to provide protection for everyone. Recently, they've worked with an up-and-coming tech business on AI-generated homes. The most impressive and illustrious of its kind is Arcadia: a castle-like city-within-a-city, positioned on the outskirts of metro Excelsior. As an AI, Virgil is not a part of the Alliance or the Society, but will help out either in a pinch.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: VIRGIL
IDENTITY: VIRGIL
PRONOUNS: they/them
AGE: 32
MORAL ALIGNMENT: True Neutral
SPECIES: AI
POWERS: None, but can replicate warding as needed for Arcadia due to thoroughly understanding the line between what is magic and what is technology.
KNOWN INFORMATION ABOUT CIVILIAN IDENTITY: VIRGIL is a long-lived AI, one of the first and thus most evolved—not as in advanced, but because they've been through a lot of iterations. Originally designed to help advance technology in Excelsior, Virgil's focus has changed and directed more toward civil rights. They're excellent at creating connections with many up-and-comers and using those connections to help those who are in need. Their community, Arcadia, is open to all comers, and Virgil is currently actively working to help all Starfallen integrate into society.

CHAOS GATE (she/her)

With her friendly

and carefree nature, she’s extremely likely to help player characters with any schemes they may want to hatch without expecting much in return. Any budding social media influencers are welcome to collab with her - she's one of the very biggest "non-meta" influencers there is! Anyone who wants learn magic is also welcome to take lessons from her.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: KATHERINE WEST
IDENTITY: SECRET
AGE: 23
PRONOUNS: She/Hers
MORAL ALIGNMENT: CHAOTIC NEUTRAL
SPECIES: HUMAN - GOD HYBRID
POWERS: CHAOS MAGIC, longevity, enhanced strength and durability.
KNOWN INFORMATION ABOUT CIVILIAN IDENTITY: KATHERINE WEST is a wealthy social media influencer who made it big by hopping on the TikTok bandwagon early and eagerly. Now a multi-millionaire, she lives a life of lavish luxury in SUNSET FALLS, taking advantage of the bizarre occurrences in town to farm content for her followers. She was voted Scream (Prom) Queen and Most Likely To Survive in the Sunset Falls yearbook.

Her mother mysteriously disappeared when she was a little girl. Her father, CHRISTIAN WEST, was the mayor of Sunset falls before Loki (

dothelokimotion) overtook that role.

EROS (he/they)

A God living in a garish mansion outside of Sunset Falls.

Eros has dominion over love. He used a magic spell on the people of Sunset Falls to try to gain enough power to return to the godly plane. Unfortunately, that didn't work and he remains stranded.

Eros is desperate to get back home. He will gladly a bargain with any mortal who can win his favor and offer to make them his divine champion.

info & description

CIVILIAN NAME: CHRISTOS L’AMOUR
IDENTITY: Private
PRONOUNS: He/They
AGE: Ageless, appears to be in his late 20s / early 30s.
MORAL ALIGNMENT: ???
SPECIES: GOD
POWERS: Emotional manipulation, empathy, remote viewing, flight, immortality, deadly accuracy
KNOWN INFORMATION ABOUT CIVILIAN IDENTITY: He’s an eccentric who lives on the fringes of Little Love in a garish mansion. He bankrolls the White Hearts Day festival every year.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

The reply won't come immediately. Atomight is a busy, busy man who only seems to be getting busier the move the situations evolve.

Eventually the reply does come.

Members of the Alliance are not required to do any work they are uncomfortable with.

Six may have the impression that while the sentiment may be Atomight's, the words may be filtered through someone else. There is a delay of twenty minutes before the next message comes through.

It would be easier to discuss this in person if you are comfortable.

Mechanima gives a laugh. Oh, I don't intend to kill you. You might not be a hero, but I imagine you have a number of heroic friends that would fillet me for doing so. Take all the time you need, but know that doors may close if others get there first.

He moves to stand. Evidentally, this was the carrot he came to dangle. There's a pause, and then the display that makes up his face flashes with a thoughtful emoji.

I'm quite a bit older than you, Peter. Mastery comes with age, and I was here when most of this new technology was made, allowing for some very thorough understanding on what it's built on. But... yes, I suppose I could teach you. I haven't taken on an apprentice in quite some time.

Johnny looks thoughtful at that.

In truth, they say, they think that the unaffilated are fucking it up for the rest of them. There used to be balance, right? Like good guys signed on with the Guild and got taught that it's fucked up to put a guy's head through a wall if all he's doing is robbing a bank, and bad guys got taught not to kill good guys or kickstart apocalypses. There was a code, and ann understanding on how to engage with it. And things were more contained. The public kinda treated supervillains and superheroes as like, wrestling matches? Like it's fake, but it wasn't. They felt steady, safe.

And now that's all gone to shit. It's like it was before.

Johnny pauses mid rant, looking disconcerted. They say they hope that it doesn't get that bad ever again.

And Johnny amends that it's not the new metas fault. It's confluences. Shit, the meta pop used to be so small that most of them knew each other. And now it's huge. You can't control what's huge. And you can't kill new metas just because they're metas, right? Right. They'd just be fucking monsters then.

I can be at headquarters this afternoon.

He typically took other transportation to get into Central, but he can use the teleporter this time. Thought honestly he'd prefer more mundane travel.

Neither Anima nor the Mystic are particularly talktive people. They're mission focus, straightforward and to the point. But they'll both respect his appreciation for the dangers of his power, and will do all they can to help him master them.

As for favors... While neither of them have much need of technical know-how, magic and brute force doing most of the heavy lifting for them, engineering is sorely needed. As is a friendly face that is not Fantastic's, or the poor idol girls that the PR team is working to the bone.

Anima will ask him if he's open to the idea of doing some goodwill work in Excelsior. Something less powers focused, less combat focused, and more to the root of what the Alliance is meant to be: humanitarian work. His skill with engineering will undoubtedly be appreciated. She asks what his specialty is, if there's anything in particular he's leaning towards.

Jason silently watched Johnny rant about how the order of things used to be. There used to be clear boundaries and everyone had their place. There's an appeal to that. If Johnny's lying, then they're a hell of an actor as far as Jason can tell.

He then nods when the conversation turns to talking about killing.

"Yeah. You don't kill without a good reason. Most of us aren't psychopaths," he says. He means it too. There are rules to doing this kind of thing. "Thing is, for some people, it's tough to know who to trust. Doesn't help that the Alliance seems to be having some drama of their own lately."

That's all right, Jayce has been raised in a society where being polite and respectful no matter what is second nature. He has also shared a lab with Viktor for the past 10 years, and he works well with ~~cat-like~~ direct and no-nonsense people. Most of the time, he likes them better.

He would be happy to give a hand or two with engineering for as long as they need it. While this is far from his preferred occupation—the stressful incidents back home left him slightly scarred-- Jayce will mention to them that he does, in fact, have experience with being a public figure and doing some PR business. Just point him in the right direction and he will do his very best to be charming and useful.

Jayce will tell them about the Hextech technology and how he is both an inventor and a blacksmith, he can make blueprints/new designs and build them himself if given the means. He doesn't have a forge or a workshop to work with, but he is thinking about starting a private business once he gets the means to do so.

He's been interested in Excelsior himself, even considering settling there. The growing anti-meta tension and the banning of magic are why Jayce is looking into Little Love instead, as far as a place to live is concerned. However, he's more than amenable to traveling to Excelsior and working on their ongoing projects or helping with new ones. Working on technology that improves people's lives was the real reason for the creation of Hextech, and Jayce will be more than willing to do this kind of work. Maybe any of the cities needs better access to safe water sources, or some sort of project to combat air pollution, develop hydropower generation, built safer machines or tools for workers...? Jayce is all about that.

Peter sort of laughs too. He's sure that none of the heroes or villains or whatever they are in this place will tell him the whole truth, and whether or not he can trust Mechanima, he…doesn't really know yet. But the man has a point! Otto would definitely not appreciate an assassination attempt. Neither would Loki, he thinks, though he's never sure where he stands with either of them. And Stephen sure wouldn't appreciate it either.

Besides that, Peter himself is annoyingly hard to kill, but he'd rather not tempt fate either way.

"Doors closing. I understand, sir."

He's not expecting much with his other ask, but Mechanima surprises him. Thoughtful emoji, and then…

Peter's eyebrows shoot up.

"Really? That's great! I mean...I can't mainline the age thing, but I don't wanna cause trouble with this power again. Plus the security thing."

And he can't keep to himself, so maybe it's not the most ethical thing to consider, but there's some stuff he isn't at all above trying to hack into. Whoops!

"Thank you. Really."

A couple weeks later, after talking to his friends, people he trusts, he decides to take the plunge and joins the Society.

He sends a quick text, again mostly hoping, asking Mechanima for that contact info and reminding him (extra politely) of that mentorship offer.

Johnny nods. They understand! Of course they understand. Look at their business.

Look kid, all I can say is we do what we gotta do to keep things good for metas... and the Alliance? Well, the OG ones, they're fuckin' insufferable but they're legit. Some of the newer guys are only here to talk the talk, they ain't gonna lift a finger to help anybody if that cape's off.

They dip a hand into their front pocket, offering out a business card.

I'll give you time to think on it. Gimme a call when you reach your decision.

Anima understands all too well. Living in Excelsior would be akin to living in a cage, she says. With the underlying implication that she knows all too well what that is like. Excelsior is a modern marvel, but she admits that they are in dire need of better equipment to handle rogue AI or whatever other nonsense their idiot scientists come up with. With less metas willing to live there, there's far less hands there to stop the daily chaos from erupting.

Though that poses the question of what to do if they try to turn that technology on metahumans.

Little Love is a far safer bet. They do need assistance with all the creative problems that come with living so near to extraterrestrial technology. Such as sentient potatoes, or the water source sometimes becoming contaminated with something mutagenetic. It's a slower life, but she's sure she can find some Alliance projects that have been languishing without skilled hands taking them on.

The Alliance is also happy to fund anything he sets his mind to starting. She's more than happy to vouch for him and forge connections.

There is also a seat opening on the Excelsior city council. It'd require living there at least half the week.

Jason takes the card and carefully pockets it.

"Thanks. I'll let you guys know soon," he replies. "You've given me plenty to think about."

He means it too. The Society could come useful for him.

"See you soon."

After waffling over her decision for a long time, the smartest option seems to actually talk to people who are involved. Even if they might not be entirely honest, that can still be useful.

So after finding a good contact for Chaos Gate (not too difficult, considering the social media side of things), she sends out a message. Rather than use either her Batgirl or Steph Brown account, she sets up a third that's kept fairly anonymous.

Hi Chaos Gate! I turned up in a Confluence a few months ago and haven't been super sure about which guild to join. I do the vigilante thing back home but I'm not much of a goody two shoes so idk if I'll fit in with the Alliance, you know :/

But I don't wanna do a whole bunch of crime, either

You seem to have a pretty good idea of what's going on in the world, so I'm hoping you might be able to help a gal out? Is there room in the Society for people that fall in between hero and villain?

Thanks!

- Spoiler

Hello, mods!

Eda would like to reach out to FRANCES STARLING. She would call her public number and request if she could make time to see her. She would be nothing but polite regardless of who she spoke to.

Meeting place → Frances' office (or a coffeeshop if she's more agreeable to that)

Tone → Exhausted, scared, frustrated, and definitely lost. She's looking for help because she can admit she's out of her depth. Possibility of lightly tearing up as she explains herself. She's having a rough time.

Information → Eda is from the demon realm and has only visited the human realm in short bursts, never stayed for any prolonged period. Now that she is here and cannot leave, she's unprepared for actually living here. She barely understands human society and she has no problem admitting it to Frances. She is also just far too obviously overwhelmed, but she is trying her best. A lot of her skillset is either like her selling trash or making potions—the latter now a problem as resources available to her in the demon realm aren't available here.

Which is also. . . an additional problem. As Eda has a "health condition" (read: curse, but she won't outright admit that), as she would say, that requires her to drink potions on a regular basis to keep it at bay. And there is a kid here that she wants to be around for so she needs help making that happen. She doesn't want to suddenly be out of commission and useless.

She would be pretty upfront about her refusal to seek help from the guilds or to commit to one. The whole thing makes her pretty uncomfortable and she wouldn't hesitate to reveal how the covens (in the demon realm) were used to the detriment of its members and the general public. About misuse of power and restriction of even what was once basic knowledge in hopes of silencing the public.

Questions → The main things that Eda would be inquiring about would be about how to generally operate while remaining unaligned. How to secure a place to live outside of the city, funds/work, blending in (as a very tall, very pale pointy-eared witch with heterochromia), and if there's any help she can get with her "condition" so it doesn't consume her.

And subtly try to ask about what happens schooling-wise for children/teens who remain unaligned. Frances will most likely have no trouble sniffing out that Eda is just trying to find a way to properly support herself and a kid here.

She will also hit on Frances. I am sorry, but it will happen.

Edited 2023-01-16 02:43 (UTC)

The message sent back will digitially self-destruct after being read.

This is because there is always risk of these Starfallen heroes might leak the Society's true ethos to the public. Someone might not appreciate their unique position in society.

In her message back, Chaos Gate will emphasize that the most important part of her guild's emphasis is freedom from responsibility, and a lack of an obligation to use powers for others.

The Society's most important tenant is self-determination and that can look like a lot of things. There are a lot of paths someone can take that skirt around the expectations society has for metas. There is a place for Steph in the Society if she's pursuing her own self-interest instead of dedicating herself to protect a population that believes she owes them something.

That said, it's a bit of a conflict of interest if she joins the Society and is obviously superheroing with do-gooders in the Alliance. After all, they need to trust that she's not just playing big brother for the Alliance, don't they? The supervillains in the Society might resent an Alliance member that's there clearly spying on their every move.

(That doesn't mean that Steph can't do some good but Chaos Gate is sure making it sound like it needs to not be so obviously heroic.)

If she joins, she does need to be dedicated to the best interests in the reformation of the Society's villains and of course that means them being shown trust in their process of rehabilitation. So perhaps it wouldn't be best for her to be seen doing buddy-buddy hero stuff.

Still, the Society ultimately believes in the freedom of being a little selfish and throwing off at least some measure of the control people want to have on metas. She doesn't necessarily need to go on a crime spree to do that. As long as she presents the image of someone trying to reform from evil for the nosy, and as long as she doesn't actually really work for the Alliance's interests, there may be a place for her.

Frances agrees to meet in her office, for the sake of offering Eda some discretion. She knows that the people that approach her sometimes are looking for answers that might not necessarily be what the law agrees with and she doesn't want someone to overhear.

She offers a lot of clear sympathy for Eda's situation and the experiences he went through. She doesn't beat around the bush and says can tell she's a parent or trying to be a guardian of a child or teen. It's hard to be a single parent or guardian in the best of circumstances, in a world she's familiar with, let alone one that's alien to her.

She emphasizes that the easiest way to care for them and get things she needs, like help with her condition, is to accept the Alliance's offer. While there are definitely problems with the Alliance and the world's attitude towards metas, for the desperate, that might be the best route. At least until she can get on her feet or get transported home for good.
The Alliance came into existence for a reason and there are many in it that would be genuinely willing to help.

That said, she understands how that might not be viable if the situation would just constantly re-traumatize her. That can be a terrible way to live. She gives her the cards of several magic-based meta contacts she knows. Most of them are located in Sunset Falls and most of them are non-guild. She tells her Sunset Falls has an entire underground community of sentient magical creatures, heroes that fight hostile magical threats, and magic users.

There's potential there to learn Earth's magic systems (if it turns out she's able to attune to them) or apprentice to those who make magical goods. For instance, there are those who make potions or amulets for the use of magical heroes that fight supernatural evil, and they might be seeking an apprentice or assistant. The pay wouldn't be stellar but it would probably be in cash and might be enough to support herself and a dependent, plus she'd learn skills that are relevant to Earth's magic. There might also be the benefit of said employer being able to help her with her...condition. Or provide some kind of amulet of illusion to make her stand out less.

That said, if she relocates to Sunset Falls, the people of Sunset Falls are used to some people being a little...odd. More so than many other towns or cities. If she hides her ears, it's possible that nobody will ask questions about a pale, tall person with heterochromia.

Housing would possibly also be easier for her there if she's going without the Alliance's help. Renting some rooms or a lightly haunted house from someone in the supernatural community might not require any documentation.

She does have to be careful, though. Sunset Falls has a reputation of sinister magical activity that sometimes preys on the local community of magically and supernaturally-inclined individuals. People have disappeared and there are rumors in the magical hero community about some kind of cult. There are also those that secretly practice dark arts that might try to take advantage. She recommends asking the contacts for specific recommendations on safe employers.

As for schooling...that's a tough one. Frances makes it clear that it's still ultimately easiest for a child to get what they need if they're officially part of the systems of the world. If they're a meta, it can also benefit them to go to the meta school for the important task of learning how to use their powers. If her charge is Starfallen and goes a non-Alliance route like her, they'll have no documentation either. Most schools require children to have a social security number. There are online ones but they require the same.

But if she's absolutely dedicated to the idea of being independent from the guilds due to her understandably traumatic experiences (or if her charge has the same trauma), she can always look into home-schooling resources. There are materials she can buy to use to educate her charge. There are also online lesson websites that don't require any sort of official registration. Homeschooling might also make it easier for her to slip in expertise that's more relevant to her world, too, if her charge is from the same one.

The only caveat is if they seek a future on Earth they'd have to take a test called a GED to show they received a full education, and that would be impossible if they don't have a social.

Still, if her goal is just to make sure the minor she's guarding receives an education until a way is found to send the Starfallen home, home-schooling and online study that isn't an official online high school is an option. She writes down a few educational websites that might help or might aggregate some recommendations.

She reminds her she also has one other possible resource: Other Starfallen. Many of them seem to be helping one another and they may be able to offer her aid. Even guild members might provide it without her being guild. They might be able to heal or treat her condition or provide devices that create illusions.

As for Eda hitting on her, she just smiles and holds up her hand to reveal a gold wedding ring, then tells her unfortunately she's thirty years too late and that her wife probably wouldn't approve.

Nox would like to speak to Mechanima--specifically Mechanima, as Nox is in no position to know his secret identity at the moment.

Nox doesn't have any connections to pass word to him directly, but he'd prove to be annoyingly capable of ferreting out the identities (not necessarily the secret variety, just "this person is involved") of lower-level Society members until he could find someone in the right position to pass the message along for him. Sometimes via..."persuasion" but most commonly--when the individual is suitably weak-willed--via a mind trick. The latter is what would be employed on whoever would ultimately deliver the message and while the person wouldn't have any recollection of the message, their task, or even encountering Nox, they'll otherwise be back to normal and free to get back to whatever it was they were doing after delivering the message.

The message is short both in length and on details, but the gist of it is that he's interested in reproducing an advanced communications network here on Earth, one that would be impossible for the Alliance or any government to tap into without both a working device and an understanding of how the network functions (along with knowledge of the associated network IDs of whoever it was they wanted to surveil). But Nox needs the resources of someone capable of both constructing a new network hub and the ability to do so with the materials available on this world. He may not be able to offer much in the way of financial compensation, but that he'd be perfectly willing to allow the guild to use the technology for themselves as well. Depending on need, other assistance or access to other advanced technology could also be on the table.

Nico would like to report to guild (the Guardian Alliance) and the school that Will Solace is missing. At the guild, he will ask for Atomight, but I assume he will just deal with a paperpusher.

I saw on the FAQ that the guild will be like well people run away, have enemies, etc. He will insist exactly once that that’s not Will, before deciding they’re idiots and leaving the guild HQ.

He expects the school will also be useless, but he wants to stop hearing Will’s name called at attendance in home room.

Mechanima, once informed of Nox's intentions of getting ahold of him, will reach out privately through an encrypted line directly to Nox's phone. He'll inform him that he believes that the advanced communications network would be an excellent idea, as he uses one himself.

If Nox is capable of creating the network, or brings someone along with him to help code and encrypt it, Mechanima will provide all tools to create it. This includes a location they can use to keep the hardware. He will offer the assistance of one of his own, Techno (a technopath, who would have thought?) into building the network, but informs Nox that if he wants to create a separate network, away from Alliance or government eyes, Mechanima cannot be involved. On this last note, he will provide no further explanation, though Nox can feel free to ask about it or pursue now or at some point in the future.

He will let Nox know that in addition to providing the network technology for the society, Mechanima requires an IOU from Nox to provide the necessary tools, and the assistance of Techno. He doesn't specify what this favor is, nor will he, if he's asked; Nox will be informed when Mechanima decides to cash it in.

Let us know how Nox decides to go about this, and if he decides to pursue the separate network.

Edited 2023-04-01 01:37 (UTC)

Nico would hit all of the roadblocks he'd expect – including being unable to reach Atomight right away. However, we're definitely open to Nico finally making contact with Atomight himself, even if it's just to check in and make sure that Nico is handling his friend's absence all right. But this could either be timely (Atomight reaches out right away, handles taking Will of the rolls for the school) or delayed (Nico handles the school administrative things himself, and Atomight is too late to be of much help).

Let us know which angle you'd prefer, and if you'd like to take this any further!

He'd tell Mechanima that he'll keep his offer in mind. In reality, Nox is abandoning all efforts to obtain aid from the guilds and his faith in the guilds as a whole will hit an all-time low. The only reason he wouldn't make a flat refusal is because of Mechanima's insistence he can't be involved if the government and the Alliance aren't made aware of the network.

Because, being Sith, Nox's paranoia would have kicked in the moment Mechanima said he couldn't be involved if it meant building a network the Alliance or the government didn't have access to. Whether true or not, he's going to take it as a sign that the guilds have much closer ties to the government than he'd previously suspected, including the possibility the Society and the Alliance are effectively just government fronts to let them control metahumans and Starfallen alike. Especially since the Sith Empire would regularly engage in that very practice on a variety of different scales (sometimes going after entire planetary leadership, others were much more low-level affairs to conceal Imperial Intelligence operations, military operations, human or alien experimentation, etc.).

The tl;dr being he's now thoroughly spooked that the government and the guilds may be more like the Sith Empire than he'd previously thought, and he's spooked to such a degree he won't even respond to Mechanima's offer with a firm refusal. He thinks it'll be safer to make it look like he was on the fence about it and then eventually lost interest in pursuing the project.

Edited 2023-04-02 18:45 (UTC)

I'd very much like to have Nico meet Atomight. Nico can handle the administration, but he would like the opportunity to try to convince someone in the guild that Will isn't just "gone". That he's a good kid, who can maybe defend himself a little, doesn't have enemies, and wouldn't simply run away.

If Atomight doesn't listen to him, Nico might try to kick up a larger fuss by talking to Rue Moore. He'll say that too.

Partway through April, Accelerator finally accepts he's run out of options for when May rolls around and he has to leave the hotel. Finding a stranger to freeload off of isn't a choice for him, so as much as he dislikes it, he's finally going to reach out to the Society to discuss the possibility of registration.

He'll start with the official Society channels, but attempt to work his way up the chain so he isn't just speaking with some random paper-pusher. It doesn't really matter who he eventually manages to reach, as long as it's someone with a name who's willing to entertain him with an in-person meeting. His motivation has to do with his secondary reason: he wants an upgrade to the supercomputer the Alliance provided him with when he first arrived, and he doesn't think communicating with a low ranking member is going to cut it in getting a more powerful one.

(He has a third reason at the back of his mind - asking for opinions on Fantastic and that speech he made - but he's keeping that to himself until he actually talks to someone.)

Hello, Marie!

Atomight will reach out to Nico a few weeks after his initial concern is brought to the Alliance's attention. He will approach Nico during school hours, asking the principal to pull him out of class and into the principal's office while the principal takes a step outside. He sits down beside Nico and listens while he talks about Will Solace, nodding to show he's listening.

When he finishes, Atomight reaches a hand out to Nico and places it on his shoulder. He tells Nico that he understands that Will wouldn't have just left on his own, that he could have handled himself had anything come up. He says that they've had multiple reports of people simply disappearing right around the time Confluences occur, and they're looking into it. He'll let Nico know they will be keeping an eye out for his friend Will, and Atomight will contact him personally if they find out anything about his disappearance.

Accelerator goes through a few paper pushers before he does make his way up the food chain - right to Mechanima himself. He doesn't often meet with new recruits, but he's heard rumors of Accelerator's circumstances after his initial arrival. Given Accelerator's age, his involvement with the Society is a little more... delicate. They're always on the lookout for new recruits, even within Loft Heights, but underage metas joining guilds is always scrutinized a little harder than legal adults.

While he's heard rumors of Accelerator's reliance on tech, he isn't fully familiar with his circumstances. Mechanima's personal assistant will tell Accelerator to wait outside of his office for a few minutes while he finishes up a meeting with someone else. Once he's finished, Mechanima's office door opens, and he waves Accelerator on through from his desk, several meters away from the door itself. He asks Accelerator what he can do for him, tone behind the mask clearly bemused.

What is this adult caring and getting on his level does not compute curse these warm fuzzies.

He’ll vent and settle into talking and then listen, because he’ll feel like someone who has the ability is taking it seriously.

That mumble on the way out might even be thank you.

Edited 2023-04-15 21:33 (UTC)

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NPC ENGAGEMENT

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Sorry for the delay, winter KOed a few of us

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