These festivities were stupid. Baclath would not waste her considerable intelligence coming up with a more adept word for it. The music, the dancing, the ice skating -- it was all so trivial. Did these people not realize how close their destruction was? That they were in a war? This city would be the first to fall, and then the rest would topple like dominoes. This world would be another Skrull victory, she would ensure it.
For now, that meant sticking to her mission -- and her cover. Irritating as it was, Kate Bishop was social. She was chipper. If only Baclath had gotten to her before this change of heart from her recent hardships. Though she was far more useful attempting to redeem herself than she was wallowing. Reforming the Young Avengers was a prime opportunity.
“Hey there!” she called to someone near the music. “Wanna dance with me?”
The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.
Each and every year, without fail, J. Jonah Jameson organized the New Year’s Bugle Bash. He was not going to let anything stand in the way of tradition. Not aliens. Not Spider-menaces. And certainly not the power swap -- though members of his own staff had been affected, cursed with powers that were not their own. He had to send three reporters home sick after one of them managed to explode a coffee pot somehow.
But journalists worked best under pressure. Despite all the setbacks, things were on track. They would hold it in Times Square, a testament that they were not afraid of these aliens! Or rogue heroes for that matter -- reports were flooding in of all kinds of “super” mix-ups and the mayhem it had caused. But those were stories for another issue. Today’s headlines were all about the upcoming bash.
The main article laid out the specifics: the food and drink vendors that would be present; the entertainment that had been booked to perform, free for all to watch! The world-renowned ball was ready to drop when the countdown hit zero. Balloons would be passed out, he’d had them made up special. They were in the shape of the Bugle’s horn (vaguely), with So Long 2017! on one side, and Trumpet in 2018! on the other. Most importantly, Jameson wrote a warning to all the heroes and vigilantes in the city: This has been a long year, particularly for those of us who’ve had to put up with “heroes” and their antics. To all those with “super” powers, whether by birth, mutation, experiment, or this most recent power swap -- leave the capes at home. Let’s have one night unspoiled by the superpowered among us. Let’s ring in the New Year normally!
Hopefully, that would suffice. Personally, he had his doubts. There were very few heroes in this city Jameson admired, even fewer he trusted. But he would not let anything happen to his Bugle Bash. It was important to hold onto traditions, in times like this.
WHAT’S HAPPENED:
The Daily Bugle is hosting a New Year’s Eve party! Balloons, food, music, and more. It’s all in Time’s Square, and everyone’s invited!
Your character is free to attend however they wish. Maybe they come in a group, or alone, with a date. They can stay all night, or just a few minutes. This is a very open-ended event.
It’s important to note that the Bugle has asked everyone to not use their superpowers. It’s not a ban, but if your character slips up, they might get some dirty looks from the crowd.
The event begins December 31, 2017 at noon, and will continue for a week. Canonically, all the threads will take place on one night, New Year’s Eve. But you’re welcome to start event-related threads between the 31st and the 6th. After the 6th, threads can continue, but no new event threads should be started.
Be sure to tag your starters with “rebuildevent4″ and track the tag. (Please keep the “rebuildevent” tag clear for admin use.)
Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.
December 31, 2017
New Years Eve. A live band center stage, playing to screaming, dancing fans. A packed Times Square. Under normal circumstances, they would all be tourists, no real New Yorker found themselves caught dead in Times Square on New Years. But this year was different. This year, they’d been through wars and cults, deception and rebirth. Trembled before villains, and looked to their heroes. So this year, the square was filled with all the people who called the city home.
A large clock sat in full view of everyone, stretched across a screen. Counting down until this horrible year was behind them. As it ticked down, growing closer and closer, the lead singer held up a hand. “Drum roll please!” he announced. The drummer acquiesced, and the crowd groaned, but swelled with anticipation. “Ten!” the singer shouted, the whole Square yelled with him.
“Nine! Eight!”
Only a few noticed the strange smell in the air. Something sharp and cold, but utterly unlike anything they had ever smelled before.
“Seven! Six!”
It was dark, broken only by flashing cameras and cell phones. For a moment, it felt like the shadows were alive -- and moving.
“Five! Four!”
The ball dropped lower and lower in the center of the stage. High above, so everyone could see it, getting closer and closer.
“Three! Two…. One!”
Bang.
Every light went out. Screams filled the air. Just as the crowd began to move -- a thousand different directions at once -- a single light came back on. A spotlight, that swung upward, to the Time Square ball. It was hovering an inch away from the trigger. The one that was supposed to burst the ball open and release the confetti into the air. A single, green figure stood on top of the intact ball. A skrull.
“Do not move,” he shouted, his voice booming throughout the square. As if he were microphoned somehow. “In fact… you can’t.” With that, he smirked. His horrible crooked expression was magnified across every screen in the square. The skrull raised his weapon high above his head -- a strange looking staff.
“For the queen!” he shouted, and drove the stick down into the ball. It burst open, but instead of confetti, gas was spewed into the air. A thick, green haze, with the same cold sharp smell from before. It billowed up from the sewers as well. Many passed out instantly. Others doubled over. And a few… a few noticed the change.
It was not instant. And true to the Skrull’s word, they were paralyzed. But everyone who had been affected by the power swap could feel the strange sensation of everything sliding back into place.
The Skrull leapt down to the stage, the spotlight following him. “By the glory and wisdom of our queen,” he told the crowd. “We have ceased our experiment. We have all the results we need.” He chuckled lowly, the sound like a snarl. “This planet is susceptible. It is vulnerable. Humans think themselves evolved,” he spat, pacing the stage. “So far above the delicate ecosystem you wreak havoc on, and yet you are no better than the insects you compare us to.” His lips were curled in a vicious sneer. “One small change,” he whispered. “That’s all it takes. One small change, and you are left confused, frightened, powerless!” He spread his arms wide, tilted his head back to the sky. “The Skrulls will be victorious here, as we have been on thousands of other planets! For Skrullos! For the queen! For --”
He finished with a scream. A flaming figure slammed into his side, knocking him into a building. The Skrull fell limp, though his chest still rose and fell. Johnny Storm, everything burned away except his Fantastic Four suit, dragged his body back towards the center of the stage. He grabbed the microphone, and sighed heavily into it. “No offense,” he said. “But I was getting real tired of that guy.”
The rest of the Skrulls in the crowd slipped away quietly. Taking along new recruits -- for when the gas had been released, it served a dual purpose. Ending the power swap, and awakening every sleeper agent in the city.
WHAT’S HAPPENED:
The power swap and the event are over! No new threads involving either the power swap or the New Year’s Eve event should be started, though you are welcome of course, to finish them up.
The Skrulls attacked the New Year’s Eve celebration, and released a gas which returned everyone’s powers (or lack thereof) to the original owners.
A Skrull then began speaking to the crowd, only to be stopped by Johnny Storm. Characters will now have access to a Skrull for research purposes -- once everyone can agree on what to do with him. For now, he is in Panel custody.
The Skrull is a low-ranking soldier, and his mind has been wiped clean of all but the basic knowledge. How much does he truly know? And how long before holding him in custody becomes too dangerous?
The Sleeper Skrulls are now active. That means if your character is a sleeper Skrull, it will now be seeking orders from other active Skrulls. It will also have memories of Skrullos and its life before impersonating their host.
PROMPTS:
Person A is a scientist, and desires to meet the Skrull face-to-face. With the help of a Panel member (Person B), they’re allowed to meet him firsthand. Together they run experiments, which are unfortunately fruitless. How does this make your character feel? How do they justify running tests on a living being?
Person A and Person B have no science background, but they do want to question the Skrulls. Do they do this through torture, interrogation, and how they react after they get no real answers? Do they continue their interrogation or give up? Do they confide in Person B?
Person A desperately wants to question the Skrull, and they want Person B to assist them. Person B, on the other hand, isn’t comfortable with the idea of questioning the alien. Whether it’s because the Skrulls make them uncomfortable or because they simply don’t like the idea of torturing and/or experimenting on the creature, they’re very set in their opinion. Does Person A attempt to convince them to change their mind, or do they relent to their partner’s way of thinking? How does this conversation change their dynamic, if at all?
When the gas descended over the city, sleeper Skrulls everywhere were activated. Person A was awoken as their true self, and Person B was with them when it happened. Does Person A struggle to keep their composure? How do they react to knowing that they’ve been essentially ‘asleep’ for a certain period of time? How do they feel about Person B now that they’ve been activated?
Person A has been replaced by a Skrull. They’ve known Person B was a sleeper agent for some time now, but for obvious reasons, could not act on this knowledge. Now that Person B has been activated, Person A seeks them out to update them on the changes and edits to the Skrulls’ master plan. (NOTE: If you play a Skrull and want specific notes about Skrull plans to use in a thread like this, please message the main!)
Once upon a time, Lorna had loved parties. When everyone was drunk, no one was particularly concerned about a girl with green hair, after all. Since she’d gotten her powers, she’d been a little more hesitant. After all, if someone made her angry she could easily erupt, and that wouldn’t be pretty for anyone. In a way, the Skrulls’ power swap had almost helped her a little bit there; in taking away her powers, they’d allowed her to feel more at ease at the Bugle’s party. So at ease, in fact, that she had a drink grasped firmly in one hand as she made her way through the crowd. She didn’t see the person standing in her path until she’d run into them, spilling her drink down the front of their shirt. “Oh, shit,” she exclaimed, eyes widening at the sight. “I’m so sorry!”
“Feels like I haven’t been out of my office since the last New Year’s Eve,” Pepper murmured. She was holding a glass of champagne, bought from a nearby vendor which had about a twelve percent chance of actually being champagne and not a cheap imitation. She was taking the party in slowly, her eyes drifting all around. She could’ve watched the ball drop from Stark Tower, but she wanted to be here. In with all the people, the real living beings she was working so hard to help defend. She so rarely got a chance to actually live in this city.
