ThatDeercat

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

@mattmanganon I like that, yeah!

Unrelatedly, @King Kindred tricked me into fleshing out a whole concept for a version of Asgardian/Wiccan. Before I work on a CS, does anyone have any qualms with introducing him in the universe?

Proof Kindred Is A Trickster

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

I would say he’s not exactly hiding or being sneaky about it, but he is careful and calculated about every choice he makes and how he goes about getting what he wants. So far I’ve established he’s got connections to (at the very least) War World, the Gordanians, and the Psions for sure. He’s also mostly operating in and around the Vega system at the moment so he doesn’t have to contend with any major “law enforcement” type of hurdles (canonically the Green Lanterns aren’t even allowed in the Vega System, so I kinda just operated on that same assumption with the lanterns here).

He wants Koriand’r back so it’s not unlikely he’s started making some more noise while he tries to track her down.

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

I S S U E #005
I S S U E #005

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Koriand’r felt a swell of pride that Sir Midnight seemed to greet her favourably. She found herself immediately enamoured with the petite predator, but as with so many creatures of that sort, its interest waned and it wandered off. It was a sort of comfort to be around a pet like that again. Though the High Evolutionary had never stooped to that level of sentimentality, he never explicitly discouraged it when Kori had grown fond of a carnivorous dog-like hybrid experiment that had turned out to be a failure by his standards. It had turned out rather dull-but-excitable and despised to be left alone, so much so that it would yip and cry until someone came to get it. He allowed her to take responsibility for it knowing that its life would be tragically short due to the mess of genetic complications, but believed it to be a valuable lesson about attachment or death or self-sufficiency or something. She couldn’t really remember; she was still young and too busy mourning the loss of her companion. Kori had always been a bit soft, and that hadn’t changed much with age.

“I’m honoured he warmed to me so quickly, then. One can learn a lot about a person by the way animals act around them,” she proclaimed. “I trust the opinions of beasts over the words of men. Men lie and cheat and steal; they can be blackmailed and bribed, but a beast suffers no greed or shame. Even a beast well-fed knows to duck the raised hand of a cruel master.”

When Donald reminded her that it wasn’t necessary to use his full name, Kori’s expression turned sheepish, ”I am sorry - it’s the custom on Tamaran as a sign of respect; greetings and introductions can get quite wordy if a person has many honours or accomplishments. Shortened names are for more familiar companions. Even the High Evolutionary was always Dr. Wyndham to me, never Herbert and Goddess forbid I ever call him Herb.” She punctuated her sentence with a small, humourless laugh at the thought of calling her captor by a nickname. ”I think I will stick to Donald for not if it is not some great disrespect to do so.”

She watched him move through the space until he was further away from her before she pulled her gaze away to look around the apartment more. It seemed nice enough - comfortable at least, if not a bit dusty in a few corners from neglect. She wondered why he kept such a large space for only the small cat, but she knew so little about them that perhaps they simply required living accommodations that seemed far too spacious for their small stature.

Koriand’r snapped her attention back to Donald as soon as he spoke again, brandishing the small card he’d picked up from the table. She didn’t even try to make out the tiny print of the minimalist design. What really caught her attention was his communication device. It seemed some things were universal; the design of it was quite familiar. Perhaps not everything on Earth would be new and foreign to her after all. She waited quietly while he spoke with the people on the other end of the call, drifting over toward a seat and settling down. She did still lean in a bit, trying to hear the other side of the conversation with little success. As he sat there, she realised she might not have made the best first impression by starting her time on Earth with a temper tantrum, but she needed somewhere safe to call home at least while she figured out what to do about the displacement of Tamaraneans from their home world, and Earth was as good a place as any to do just that. Koriand’r just hoped she could overwrite her first impression with a better one now that she was calm. There would be time enough for grief later when she was alone. For now, she needed to put on a brave face until she was officially granted permission to stay.

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

Ooh excited to read that!

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

Unsure what to do immediately next with Carol.

@Ezekiel

Let me preface by saying I have no idea what, but I’d love to do something with Kori and Carol at some point.

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

I S S U E #004
I S S U E #004

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For all her meagre understanding of Earth’s politics, Koriand’r believed Thor was surely of some high ranking class. It was the same on so many worlds: strength was a divine mandate. So for him to bow in respect to her, a royal with a hollow, empty title, was shocking. She stared at him, trying to process what she was experiencing emotionally. She must have been a small child the last time anyone showed even a modicum of deference toward her. Koriand’r was well aware of the treatment refugees often faced even on their home planet, and she hadn’t expected much of anything different as an alien refugee on this planet.

A small part of her screamed to run, that he was only doing this in order to gain her trust. The High Evolutionary had been like that - kindness was a means to an end; it always came at a cost. Her suspicion was a learned response perfected over years, but her gut told her there was nothing to worry about. Thor- Donald Blake had given no evidence to the contrary. He had come to her with a gentle tone, given her space, freed her from her restraints, and even given her the opportunity to leave.

Blinking rapidly to clear her shocked stupor, Koriand’r smiled softly in acceptance and crossed her fist over her heart with a small bow to return Donald’s gesture, ”Thank you, Donald Blake. Your kindness is well received.”

She watched him with confusion as he let out a whistle short and high, his hand held at the ready to catch something invisible. Kori peered around curiously, wondering if he had signalled others to join him. When no one appeared she wracked her brain for some other reason until as if from thin air a metallic hammer appeared flying toward Thor, whizzing past the helicopter in a frighteningly-near miss. He wasn’t even looking at it! She opened her mouth to warn him only for it to nestle perfectly into his outstretched hand, his body barely seeming to flinch with the force. There was a joyful, excited look on his face as if he was proud to show off. If situation were different, she might have joined in on the seemingly playful posturing, but the timing seemed wrong. Kori recalled the High Evolutionary telling her about the rarity and reception of aliens on Earth, and she worried the exposure of her powers so immediately after her mysterious arrival could jeopardise her chance at freedom on the planet, and what better place to hide from the High Evolutionary than right under his own nose on his home planet

What truly wowed her, though, was the way Thor swung the heavy hammer as if it weighed nothing. It was effortless, leading her to believe he was impressively strong and certainly not a someone to be trifled with. Kori was glad he seemed to be on the side of good; she imagined he would be a force to be reckoned with in battle. She leaned in to get a closer look at the portal he had created, hesitant to walk into the unknown. He said it lead to his home, but it could conceivably lead anywhere. It could have all been a ruse, and on the other side was the High Evolutionary waiting to condescendingly congratulate her for a circle well run. And yet a voice in the back of her mind reminded her that life is a series of choices, one leap of faith after another.

So, she stepped through the portal not into a trap, but an apartment. The sunlight that streamed through the windows made dust specks in the air into glitter as a ball of black fur unfurled itself from a nap and yawned, showing off an impressive set of needle-like teeth. Koriand’r was immediately enamoured with the small creature, ignoring everything else around her - including Thor - to greet it. She took her time, coming down to the creature’s level to seem less threatening before she reached out and paused when it hesitated before leaning in for a thorough sniff of her hand.

”My, you are a handsome thing,” Kori crooned as she stroked gently over the satin-soft fur. She turned to Donald, delight sparkling in her eyes, “Is this the “cat” you spoke of, Donald Blake?”

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

@mattmanganon It would be kinda funny if HE does end up on Earth for that event if Despero (or whoever it ends up being) shows up to make their own mess and Bailey is on the way to go get some payback only to stop to do the comical look-left-look-right-look-left-again with a sigh like, "Fine, I'll do it," and turns to go take care of Despero.

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

In all truth I haven’t fleshed out my plans of the direct encounter with him on Earth completely yet. I’m pretty sure there will be one, but first it’s going to be proxy encounters (Kindred and I are cooking something up that I think Half Pint might be tied to as well with Doomsday that ties him to the High Evolutionary). I haven’t decided if the direct encounter with HE will end up being in space or on Earth, though. I’m definitely open to chatting through what you’re thinking to see if we can make something line up logically. There’s a lot of background and interwoven stuff that happens in the Vega system. I probably ought to start really plotting a timeline and locations so I can keep it all straight.

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

So, it's gone a little quiet in here since the big boys left and made their own thread, probably with blackjack and hookers. So, allow me to try and keep things alive in the OOC.

How's everyone going on their next posts? I know things are always a little slow this time of year, with the holidays coming up, but hopefully we don't hit the same "Holiday Chokepoint" that a lot of RP's tend to hit.

@mattmanganon

I'm usually lurking around even if I don't have much to add to the OOC convo. I'm off after the 19th and don't have much in the way of holiday plans since my family is local and likes to keep it pretty relaxed, so I'll definitely be active and around. I'm already brewing my future plans for Starfire so I'm prepared to launch them when the time comes. :)

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

I S S U E #003
I S S U E #003

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Thor’s confusion seemed genuine, and that eased the tightness in Kori’s chest slightly. The High Evolutionary had talked about Earth quite often, about the supposed zero-sum nature of the universe and the necessity of evolution to ensure human survival against aliens who were stronger, more advanced, older, greedier. Koriand’r had long believed there was no species in the universe more greedy than humans - the High Evolutionary gathered a menagerie to use for experiments, stealing their powers for his own horrible human amalgamations, experiments made under the guise of survival and superiority. There was nothing superior about what he was doing.

While she couldn’t yet speak to the rest of humanity, Thor was certainly making a much better first impression than the High Evolutionary had. He reached out with kindness despite the uncertainty of the situation. To land on Earth and find that perhaps the High Evolutionary was the exception and not the rule of human ideology, that humankind was perhaps just that - kind - left her at a loss for words for a moment. If Thor was telling the truth, the High Evolutionary was seemingly not as high in rank upon his home planet as she had thought. It seemed she had nothing to fear here.

Kori relaxed her body more and stepped away from the pod, trusting Thor’s offer to release her from the restraints. Nodding affirmatively to him, she offered them out in front of her. This time she watched him with more curiosity than suspicion, breathing out a soft noise of surprise as the electricity arced toward her in such a perfectly controlled, unnatural manner that touched only the locking mechanism. She didn’t feel even the slightest buzz, there was no tingle of hairs standing on end. It was impressive, and wholly contradicted the image of human weakness she had been provided.

It felt like time slowed as she watched the metal crack open and fall away, hitting the ground at her feet with a soft, hollow thunk. For a long moment she just stared at them; it seemed too easy. She was free. Just like that. The moment dizzyingly unreal. Kori had imagined it over and over in so many different ways, but never this exact scenario. She looked down at her hands, stretching and flexing her stiff fingers open then closed over and over again.

”Thank you,” she said quietly, relieved.

When Thor prompted that she was truly free to choose her own path - even if that meant leaving - Koriand’r finally turned to take a good look at the escape pod and frowned. It was beyond repair, and frankly she didn’t think she wanted to even if it wasn’t. Not only did she hate small, enclosed spaces, but where would she even go? Tamaran was a wasteland, and she couldn’t imagine returning home without her sister. The heavy slide of metal of the security door, the buzz of projection ray weapons hitting to metal, the heavy thunk of a body on the other side - the sounds still echoed in the back of her mind on repeat. Her sister was gone and she’d hardly had a moment to actually process that loss and the fact she was now heir to the throne of Tamaran. Kori’s eyes watered - the weight of duty and loss both heavy on her shoulders - but she blinked back the tears and scrubbed her face with her arm.

Turning on her heel, she announced to Thor, ”You have my gratitude, Thor. My name is Koriand’r, Second Princess of Tamaran. I am…heir to a throne that no longer exists. My home world is gone, my people have been scattered to the stars - I have nowhere else to go. I humbly request a grant of asylum on Earth.”