Pilatus

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

@SamaraJayne96

Yes, it is Sunday IC. I just posted the new skip notice.

You wont see any exact dates or real world holidays referenced. We use a form of "hybrid time" that gives us enough flexibility to keep continuity in order.

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Sunday Snoozeday

FREE SKIP

Sunday - Showers and Overcast - No Events

Food baby. Great food baby. Too much food baby. You have a food baby. You're not the only one.

Over did it? Ate so much you feel like you put on ten pounds and need pregnancy pants to feel comfortable with your late morning coffee?

Following on from the successful and widely popular Market Festival, the City is still lively as ever just feeling a few more calories heavier than normal. Remember to congratulate our winner Ryan Woods, the Asian Flavour Sensation of Sol on his victory in the Iron Cross... uhh Iron Chef Cook-off!

Enjoy a lazy Sunday in Sol City, walk off the half dozen deep fried Oreos you said you would never eat and relax or just spend some well earned time getting to know your duvet or cuddling your significant while watching the rain.

Please be clear with time and locations to avoid time conflicts with the other players

As always. Any questions or help required feel free to contact us in thread, PM or Discord. You could send a post owl, raven or the pony express but it might take a alittle longer.

---

S T A R M E S S E N G E R

SOL source of News since 1895

Latest News


Criminal Celoapod claimed to be omen by Cluthu Cultists

In a strange turn of events, the local Cult of Cthulhu have been seen claiming Inky escapes as the work of their god and an omen of things to come. Believing Inky is the avatar of their god, they have declared a crusade against the salmons to protect Inky and in their eyes, bring upon Sol City the Avatar of Cthulhu to bless the land with his many tentacled appendages.

Speaking for the cult, Chief of appendages and general management, Miles Barcley who greeted me in full regalia at the Sol City Temple behind the Pit Nightclub. "The escape of Inky was a sign, a Holy sign that the times of Cthulhu and his many tentacled glory approach. To the Salmons we say this, Inky shall complete his mission with our help, a crusade we declare against the hunters of our god's messenger. So be the will of Cthulhu... Our Holy cause to locate the most holy sunken city of R'lyeh will be achieved."

This reporter declined their offer of a fried shrimp barbecue afternoon, much as they seem polite, the cult of the old god's is a little unusual even for our varied and multicultural city. No formal comment was given by the Salmons but they seemed to merely grunt and claim that they faced worse than, "Jumped up Tentacle worshiping twats in robes. It's 2019, not 1019."

For nyone interested in the old gods, or just learning more about our City's more eccentric residents, can visit Chlu-Con going on next Sunday afternoon, with free literature and taster sessions available. Please arrive early as spaces are limited.

_{Lionel Lovecraft the 9th
Oddities and curiosities desk
Star messenger}

WEATHER
Spring showers are here, expect rain and drizzle over the course of the day. Warmer air temperatures will bring passing thunderstorms and periods of heavy rain to the area.

Pack an umbrella, jacket or find a handy spot to shelter and smell the fresh rain smell as you enjoy another Sol Sunday.

For a more detailed and up to date report on the go, download our app, SOL CITY WEATHER 24/7 on most popular app stores.

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

My idea was to mainly have the characters lead seperate lives~
However they would live in the same house... would that be an issue?
I intend to have them venture out with others most of the time but occasionally they would banter when together.
In a way it would help other characters shed some insight into their personal lives and inner workings.
If this is an issue though feel free to let me know :)
No worries~☆

@SamaraJayne96

Ok, let's go with this. I'll nibble and say, Yes. I think we're all on the same page here about what is expected.

Also, you get points for being a Shine City refugee. I have a real good memory.

Just wait for one of the other GMs to approve.

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

24 Hour Time Skip Warning

Short jump to SUNDAY . Free Skip . Recovering from Festival Saturday

Consider what relationships your characters made and how that carried over into the following day.
Any questions please let us know.

As always, if you feel that you are not ready to skip. PLEASE speak up!

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

@SamaraJayne96

The characters are fine. Please just narrow down a singular special talent for Sage.

The only difficulty I foresee here is going to be related to Rule #8:

8. Second characters are allowed. You have to be an active player and both male and female are allowed. You cannot RP with yourself, PERIOD. Please PM or Tag a GM or Co GM to confirm things if you have any questions regarding this and genders allowed at the time. WE WILL BE WATCHING THIS CLOSELY.
8b. Some characters may be "grandfathered-in" from Chapter One as the GMs see fit. Again, we will be watching this closely, particularly if you seem to post heavily with NPCs and not other players

We are bending the rule to allow you to apply for two spots at the initial application, so I would be expecting a very high standard of play in return. The hangup is going to be in not rping with just yourself and I'm not sure how you're going to get around that playing twins.

I like the characters and I think they'd probably mix well with the rest of the cast, so I'm definitely not saying, No. However, I would like to know how you plan to use them without breaking the rules.

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Judgement Day

Bruno was well pleased with the proceedings. At his whim, Sol City’s festival management had assembled the kitchens and created an even playing field for both of his competitors. It was an impressive feat for an extremely short notice. However, he wasn’t going to tell them he was impressed. He liked for them to be on edge. The podium area that had originally been intended for the winners of the traditional contest had been arranged into his table for passing judgment on the cook off. Rather than sitting, he stood watching, arms crossed, not even a hint of a smile watching Ryan and Charles work and observing the various habits and styles in their preparations. Seated next to him were his just as hastily appointed co-judges: Rita, from the Star Messenger gossip column, who proudly explained how she had once been a food critic for the city paper among other things. Bruno had no interest in her opinion. He just thought she was cute. He had naturally awarded himself full veto power over all other judging. Finally, next to Rita was Joel, who didn’t know anything about cooking, at all.

Rita was babbling on about something and Joel wasn’t paying particular attention to any of it. The last time he’d spoken to her, she’d ran some column that portrayed him as a bit of a player between Siobhan and Marlin. Admittedly, it wasn’t all untrue, but she had managed to put enough of her characteristic twist on it that Joel wished he hadn’t done the interview. He yawned and glance down at the table where his phone sat in front of him. Rebellion’s Press Manager, an Italian in her mid-fifties had told him to try not to look at it too much, if at all. The eyes of the city would be on him again and she didn’t want him to appear uninterested. She sat in the front row watching him like a hawk. Throughout the hour he would occasionally lean his elbows on the table and try to make sense of what was going on in the kitchens below. The idea of a cook-off had been a huge hit though. The area was filling up with people and as the clock ticked away, the crowd grew larger with anticipation.

When the submissions came up, there was no doubt that Bruno was in his element. Ryan was first up, followed by Charles. He tasted both and the dishes were divided down the line by the event staff. They both tasted good to Joel and he happily dug in, giving props to Charles for at least bringing the booze. If nothing else, they were gonna party tonight. Bruno had said he was going to personally cook for the Rebellion Team and the engineers from Porsche, after that Joel didn’t care where they ended up. It had been far too long since indulging in and old fashioned drunk-a-thon. He glanced over at Sio with a smirk. They didn’t have anywhere to be on Sunday. Still considering the multitude of possibilities in the holy realm of unplanned parties, he looked down the table, past Rita who was still talking, toward Bruno who seemed to be in a bit of contemplation. One of the staff whispered something to him and he gave a firm nod of affirmation. The decision was made and the assembled crowd quieted for the announcement. Joel looked around. People were literally crowded everywhere. Standing on tables, looking out from the various market tents and generally trying to get a view wherever possible. He was genuinely surprised and hadn’t seen so many people turn out in Sol City since the Grand Prix.

The same timid staffer from the City Parks Department approached the podium with an envelope in hand. Clearly nervous at the size of the crowd, he glanced back to find Bruno staring back at him with a glare of impatience. The German pointed forcefully towards the microphone.

Clearing his throat the man tapped the microphone sending a muffled thump-thump over the assembled speakers followed by a brief hum of feedback. He looked around at the faces awaiting the decision and at Ryan and Charles in particular before holding up a small envelope. “C-Citizens of Sol City, we have a decision… but before we reveal the name, our great leader, err, uhh…Judge, Chef Hinkelstein, wishes to express his regret that he can only name, but one Champion-”

“C’mon! This is bullshit! Get on with it!” Bruno barked from the judging table. Someone had smartly turned his mic off. The mayor and the other assembled city officials on the stage looked mortified.

“Okay, without further delay then,” He opened the small envelope and read the name before looking back up. “The Cooking Champion of this year’s Sol City Market Festival is…”

RYAN WOODS

X-Men: The New Era - Issue II: Avalon Rising

Coleman St. John

PIC

Name: Coleman Lee Queen/St. John

Nicknames: ”Cole”

Aliases: the Ghost Rider

Gender: Male

Age: 33

Occupation: Former ATF Special Agent, Currently Private Investigator

Hometown: Miami, FL

Birthday: June 3, 1985

Weight: 195

Height: 6’1”

Eye Color: Left is Green, Right is Brown, not starkly different, but noticeable

Style: Very Simple t-shirts, polos, jeans, riding boots, leather jacket, whatever is appropriate for the situation, never flamboyant

Relationships: Karina (wife), Tyler, Reese & CJ (sons, from a year old to eight), Sarah (sister) and his parents are still alive.

Likes:
+Coffee / Energy Drinks
+Books
+Heavy Metal / Metalcore
+Machines / Anything Mechanical
+Competition
+the Outdoors
+Cigarettes, the smell, not smoking them

Dislikes:
-Telephones
-Slow Drivers
-Bad Grammar
-Gothic Themes
-Politics
-Gambling
-Conspiracy Theories

Personality

-Quiet+Serious-Strong+Loyal-Covered+Raging-Restrained

Much the same as before he became the Rider, Cole presents a very reserved personality that many take, on mere appearance, as dark or brooding, but behind the outward layer of seriousness and oftentimes sarcasm, is far from his true self. He is actually very kind and compassionate person though has found himself shaped by his past, chosen profession and now, appointed position.

Powers:
As the Ghost Rider, Cole serves as the Heavenly avatar of Vengeance giving him extremely heightened reflexes, super-human strength and near invulnerability to physical attack. As a supernatural being, Cole is able to traverse both mortal and immortal realms and bring forth powers therein, the primary of which being the projection of Hellfire, which he uses as a his central mode of offense and defense imbibing objects with spiritual power to suit his needs; most commonly seen as a motorcycle and/or a chain. The spiritual nature of the flame burns toward the mind and soul of his target, but can also cause physical damage.

The central manifestation of the Ghost Rider’s powers is the Penance Stare and is the focused culmination of all his powers, ie.: the paid retribution of wrongs and misdeeds by the target of the stare. Like the rest of his powers, the effects are primarily felt by those that have inflicted harm on the innocent. By locking eyes with the Rider, victims are forced to endure the agony and distress they have inflicted upon others as well as whatever additional measure of pain he determines is necessary for justice to be satisfied.

Bio:

Following in line with his interests, Cole was tasked primarily with gathering information and building casework against South Florida’s biker gangs, namely the two rival organizations: the Templars and the Aztecs. At thirty-one years old, Cole had been undercover for nearly three years with the Templars and risen from initial placement as a Prospect to a Full-Patch member of the Club, eventually being appointed to the role of Treasurer giving him access to a multitude of information from which to continue to build the ATF's case against both gangs.

Home life was never easy in light of his chosen career path. Cole married when he was twenty-four while his wife was barely twenty. They had their first child only ten months after the wedding, the other two following only a few years apart. Being away and on no set schedule made parenting and being a husband difficult, but he did the best he could manage and remained faithful trying to set an example to his boys while at the same time playing the role of an outlaw biker.

Nearing the end of the investigation was where events turned awry. Cole’s case against the Templars was solid and he would soon have to reveal his identity and pull out of deep cover before arrests could take place, however a confidential informant within the Aztecs betrayed the ATF at the critical moment and once the word spread from the rival club, Cole was setup for ambush and killed. The ATF came down on the Templars in Miami in force, but the damage was already done. No body was ever recovered.

X-Men: The New Era - Issue II: Avalon Rising

Coleman St. John

It was rare for him to sleep past sunrise. Daylight glowed behind the closed blinds while the movement of traffic was steady towards the intersection down the street. As he rolled over groggy the backup alarm sounded from a truck a few blocks away. Reaching for the small nightstand, he checked his phone for the time, seeing that he’d slept through the regular alarm. There was no particular reporting time for him at the Institute, particularly on a Saturday he essentially set his own hours. As the cloud of sleep slowly dissipated from his mind, his first thoughts were of Kaylee and then of the students. He doubted they would have any idea, but there would be no hiding it from her. He sat up in bed and relaxed against the headboard for a moment, looking straight ahead as his mind worked on how she was going to approach him. The smell of cigarette smoke wafted faintly through the bedroom and he shook his head slowly. He didn’t smoke and neither did any of his neighbors in the apartments beside him. For whatever reason, the scent was always present the morning that followed a ride. He tossed the covers aside and got out of bed.

The downstairs was little more than a narrow garage, enough for two cars nose to tail. He used part of it as a workspace for his motorcycle which left plenty of room for his much less conspicuous Explorer. As he came down the narrow stairs dressed in a polo and some jeans the headlamp and front forks of the bike were turned facing him. He slowed his steps looking down at the machine. “Don’t you say a word.” He said firmly toward it. The machine only stared back as he walked around and maneuvered it just enough to get the car out. It was a nice day for a ride, but he wasn’t taking it back up to the Institute- not a chance. He decided to very low-key check on everyone and use the quiet of his small office at the school to work on some of his other side cases for a couple of hours. Continuing his shuffle of vehicles, he backed the car out slightly and then pushed the bike around to its regular spot in the small workspace: a couple large toolboxes and a well-worn workbench that was left over from the apartment’s previous tenant.

There were a few photos hanging along with other miscellaneous trinkets: A picture of him and his sister at her college graduation next to an old Gulf Oil sign, another one of him and several others standing next to a burned out tank somewhere in the middle-east in their desert camo that hung slightly off center next to the hood ornament from a Mercedes. There was a small collection of motorcycle parts lying around in various states of disassembly, some visibly damaged from where he had crashed his other bike. Since taking up the position at the Institute, he’d hadn’t had much time for tinkering. He glanced at the setup for a moment and, as usual, resolved to at least get it better organized at some near point in the future. Hopping back in the car, he eased out into the street as the garage door closed and headed towards the Institute.

@Almalthia

X-Men: The New Era - Issue II: Avalon Rising

Avalon

Streetlights reflected against black chrome as the tires curled over ruts in the parking lot to Club Avalon. The sleek sports car halted just outside the entrance; its elegant tail lights blending into the hustle that was still downtown Los Angeles. The uproar that had unfolded in the club hours before had long subsided and no one was really sure what happened or what they saw, as if the memory dissipated like a dream. A lone figure stepped from the driver side and the small glow of an LED screen watch could be seen from a turn of the wrist. The figure, noticeably feminine, as it moved past the hood of the car, long hair waved gently in the breeze as she walked between the long-abandoned entrance barricades into the dark corridor that was normally the club’s busy front door.

The ever present sound of traffic carried through the open entryway like white noise as she stepped over broken bottles, trash and destroyed furniture. She shook her head slightly as glass crunched under her shoe. Even though the clock had passed midnight long ago, the woman looked as if she had just come from the gym. She paused across the way from the figure waiting, her expression was a uneasily composed neutral gathered in part by fear, part hope and a hint of disbelief. The air was overwhelmed with the gravity of his aura and the wake of the rift that the portal tore through reality. She knelt in front of him and bowed her head slowly. In the corner of her eye she could see a human male face down on the disgusting floor and she exhaled slightly before rising up to meet his gaze.

@Almalthia

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Paige Kennedy

Once the door was opened, Paige doubted she would have cared if Tao had blown his hand completely off. This was it. Whatever it was. She ignored his whimpers as the door eased open under its own weight when the bolt was released. The corridor on the other side was pitch black, only cut slightly by the dim light of the storage room. She stuffed the tablet she’d been carrying into his aching hands without saying a word and shined her phone light into the dark space. What appeared to be a narrow hallway was connected on the other side, but the drop down was easily two to three feet as if the stadium basement area had been built over it and nearly missed. The bricks that lined the path were aged like an old house and a watery, metallic smell permeated the air from lack of ventilation. She shined her light down to the floor below. Seeing nothing but a hard, stone surface she sat down at the edge of the doorway, letting her feet dangle for a moment and eased herself down.

The drop was further than it looked and for a split second she felt her heart jump before her toes met the floor. With a slight sigh of exasperation, she held her phone up again, shining through what looked to be a part of some sort of tunnel. In her mind, she could picture where she’d seen something similar before, like a training video she’d watched of the tunnels that smugglers used under the border from Mexico into the US, however it was older, much older and bigger. There was plenty of room to stand as if it were designed for ease of use rather than total secrecy. She knew nothing about Sol City history or what could have existed prior to the stadium being built, though as she watched the bright light prickle shadows over the old bricks, the realization struck: “This is a prohibition tunnel.” She said before glancing back up at Tao. The ledge was nearly to her chest height. She motioned for him to grab one of the boxes and prop the door open wide to allow more light inside.

It made perfect sense, at least in the brief time that it jogged through her mind, but her gut instinct was rarely wrong. Only an old timer, like the head of Giancana family would have even known it existed. She shook her head in disbelief. All of it sounded like urban legend and admittedly, if someone had told her about it back in Florida, she probably would have laughed in their face. It just didn’t happen any more, yet there they stood. She shined the light behind her finding the tunnel had been sealed by a wall of solid concrete only a few feet back. “C’mon,” She said moving forward and giving Tao a wave. She knew that even if he was scared shitless of dark, confined spaces, that his curiosity wouldn’t allow him to come so far and then chicken out.

A few further steps in and a string dangling from the ceiling came into the cone of her light along with something else dull and metallic along the wall. She glanced up finding a simple light bulb rigged to a socket and pulled the switch to turn it on. The bulb flickered to life, humming slightly and illuminating the remainder of the passage in dull yellow. She could see the far end of the corridor as it came into view was sealed shut, same as behind them, but next to it was a small wooden door with a worn, old brass handle. Her stomach turned slightly in a knot and again her gut instinct knew there wouldn’t be any more doors after this one. This is it.She wasn’t afraid, but the unknown was a thrill that couldn’t be matched. Her heart picked up a few beats as she stepped closer to the door. No transponders this time. There wasn’t even a keyhole. She put her hand over the doorknob, feeling the cool metal in her grip and glanced back for a moment at Tao without saying a word. The features of her face darkened under shadow. It felt like something from a dream. She sighed and tightened her grip hearing the tarnished linkage inside the door turn with an uneasy grinding as the striker retracted. The door pushed away easily revealing nothing but blackness inside. Instinctively, she felt along the inside wall for a switch and to her surprise felt a panel nearly exactly where her hand touched the wall.

During her time in law enforcement, Paige had seen things that ran the gamut of the emotional spectrum: the truly depaved to the most decadent. She’d seen people killed over less than twenty dollars and she’d seen cigarette boats loaded stem to stern with cocaine worth millions. It was the life she chose and she had total confidence that she had taken on the role for which she was destined. She was sure and would say so to anyone. It ran through her blood as much as the scenes of those memories flashed through her mind startling her awake in the dead hours of the night. When the small lights came on, a room about the size of a small apartment came into view. It was completely loaded, nearly to capacity, with white banker boxes, not dissimilar from the ones Tao had just destroyed, but all around, seemingly in any odd corner where they would fit, were stacks of cash, banded and counted. Her eyes widened only slightly and she lightly stepped forward through the small pathway just wide enough to walk through. There was more. Much more, all the way to the ceiling in some places without a single bill visible that was smaller than a fifty. Many of the boxes were marked with two numbers separated by a decimal, 1.2 or 2.3 all the way up to 3.5 and every number in between. She continued forward finding a small digital scale on the floor surrounded by more boxes all marked the same way. She already knew what it was before she pulled the top from the first box. Her lips opened slightly in awe. They weren’t counting it, they were weighing it.

For the first time she could recall, she was speechless.

@Allycat