Magic, theatre and the two worlds war
LJ has a plan.
It's the school holidays, you see. Two whole weeks without pencils, books and teachers' dirty looks. And because I'll be on leave as of Thursday, my child is cooking up a massive cross-over game for us. She tells me its scope will rival Storm of Time, and it may take us "the whole holidays to play". I'm really excited for this and can hardly wait... but I should catch you all up on recent instalments before we're overwhelmed by the awesome-to-come.
----------
There have been some smaller adventures, of late.
In the first, Loki and Black Manta teamed up to conquer Atlantis. It was one of those "package deal" schemes; Manta would finally control the undersea kingdom, Loki would have unfettered access to its magical resources to stage a take-over of Asgard. Aquaman and Thor rushed to the rescue, but their efforts were somewhat hampered - the Thunder God's abilities did not work underwater, and he'd never learned to swim! With the population of Atlantis taken prisoner - including Aquaman's wife and son - and the villains backed-up by Imperial Stormtroopers and a retro-fitted AT-AT, things looked grim for our heroes.
His powers may have been hobbled, but Thor's bravery is impervious. Horribly out-matched, he valiantly kept the villains occupied while Aquaman slipped through the Stormtroopers and freed his people. With an army by his side, the king of the seas was able to rout the Imperials and arrive, in the nick of time, to save Thor from certain doom. Aquaman used his regal trident to confront Loki one-on-one, and its unfamiliar magic overwhelmed the God of Mischief. Thor, meanwhile, lured the overconfident Manta back onto dry land and exacted "payback much deserved" in the form of lightning bolts. The day won, Aquaman invited Thor to "party hearty" with his people in celebration.
The second adventure was triggered by the mail lady, of all people. She delivered letters to Wonder Woman and all the other heroines, inside of which were free passes to the Super Hero City premiere of the musical Wicked. Diana, Sari, Princess Leia and Pepper Potts "dragged" (LJ's words) Batman, Bumblebee, Han Solo and Iron Man along to the performance. The Wasp had no trouble finding a date - instead, she had trouble finding only one date. Both Blue Beetle and Ant-Man wanted to accompany her, and friction ran high. Hank and Jaime sniped and bickered well into the start of the show, and were evicted by a strangely familiar bouncer. As he was dragged away, Jaime glanced back at the stage and thought he recognised the performers, as well.
He was right! "Elpheba" and "Glinda" were the Joker and Enchantress, while "Madam Morrible" and "The Wizard" were really Doctor Doom and Loki! The mail lady had actually been MODOK, and the rest of the cast (Barricade, Frenzy, Shredder) took the audience hostage. Outside, Blue Beetle and Ant-Man overpowered the "bouncer" - Konkar the Frost Giant! Forced to work together, the feuding heroes staged a rescue despite their differences. Once freed, the heroes fought back against their elegantly-costumed adversaries, culminating in Batman facing the Joker, who stayed in drag and attacked from Glinda's bubble! As the defeated villains fled, the heroes decided they would go see a real performance of Wicked... and this time, Wasp would "go stag".
----------
There's also been one utter monster of a game, with which I was very impressed. LJ's been experimenting with more complicated plots and concepts. At the same time, she's been wanting to explore more varied locations than just Super Hero City. That all culminated, last weekend, in a grand adventure that can only be called ...
LJ presents:
THE TWO WORLDS WAR
Written and directed by LJ
Novelisation by SF
Kilowog snores. Loudly. The other Green Lanterns stationed on Oa didn't mind. The louder he snored, the more chance Ch'p and Tomar Re had to sneak out of the barracks and avoid daily training exercises. They were almost at the doors when an alarm went off. Kilowog woke with a start but was in no mood for exercise. It was the omega alert, meaning Oa itself was under attack! The Lanterns rushed outside to find Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds, chowing down on their planet! Kilowog ordered the ring-slingers into battle, masking his concern and confusion. Hadn't Galactus reformed? And if Oa was lost, how would the Green Lantern Corps go on?
The omega alert was heard on Earth, too. It blasted from the rings warn by John Stewart and Guy Gardner, the Green Lanterns of Sector 2814. Gardner unsurprisingly flew into a rage, tearing through Hero Headquarters until he found the Silver Surfer. "Why the heck is your former boss puting the bite on our world?" he demanded. The Surfer was just as puzzled and, once Stewart intervened, promised to accompany the Lanterns to Oa. The trio took off immediately, the tension between them palpable. Gardner and Stewart would do anything to save Oa, while the Surfer's priority was to save Galactus.
Elsewhere on Earth, the Millennium Falcon dropped the Black Panther and B'wana Beast on the outskirts of Wakanda. It had been many months since the Pather had visited his kingdom, and he had invited the hero of Gorilla City to accompany him. They were also to rendezvous with Ant-Man, who had been studying the country's precious Vibranium mine. Upon entering the African paradise, the heroes were besieged by armed Wakandans! The people denounced the king for abandoning them and instead hailed "our gorilla lord". The duo escaped into the Vibranium mines - which, shockingly, had been stripped of all their mineral wealth! T'Challa's mood was dark. He feared his old enemy, the Man-Ape, had returned.
He had little time to brood, because he and B'wana Beast ran into Gentleman Ghost and the Sportsmaster! The villains were momentarily surprised, but it was not enough to give the heroes the upper hand. Panther and Sportsmaster duelled with Vibranium-enchaned equipment, while B'wana tried to stay out of Ghost's reach. The spook was far too powerful for him, and there were no animals in the mine to merge. B'wana went deeper and deeper, eventually tricking Ghost into causing an avalanche of Nth metal - a spectre's only weakness - that trapped the Ghoul. Panther, meanwhile, dispatched Sportsmaster and led his ally further into the mines, toward the Wakandan Royal Palace.
In space, Gardner announced his return to Oa with a big, green boot to Galactus' rear end. Stewart and the Surfer followed, with the latter shocked at the devastation. He immediately moved to confront Galactus, demanding he remember his vow to leave inhabited worlds alone. Instead of responding, Galactus lashed out with fists, feet and eye-blasts like a crazed animal. The GLs threw up shielding, which spared the Surfer a nasty death. The former herald wondered aloud whether Galactus was being mind-controlled. "But such a thing is impossible," he breathed. "Galactus' consciousness is too vast for any being to subvert!"
Blasts from behind caught the heroes off-guard. Atrocitus the Red Lantern led a phalanx of Marvel villains into attack positions. Among them, empty Cosmic Cube in hand, stood the Red Skull. "No one's mind is too broad for the Red Skull," he crowed, signalling the assault. Utter chaos erupted on Oa as the Green Lanterns tackled the villains and the Silver tried to rouse Galactus from his insanity. Whistling happily, the Red Skull picked his way through the fighting toward the Central Power Battery. After a moment of reverence, he placed the Cube against the giant lantern and began siphoning off its power.
In Wakanda, the royal palace had been over-run by DC villains. Scarcrow had filled the air with his fear gas, explaining the citizenry's panic. Clock King was plotting with Owl Man, while Blue Bowman and Captain Boomerang guarded a prisoner - Ant-Man! Fortunately, the Panther had a plan. He armed B'wana Beast with a Vibranium weapon, crafted a rough slingshot and used it to launch B'wana Beast toward Ant-Man. But the beleagured hero overshot the mark and crashed into a wall as a dazed heap. The noise caught the attention of all the villains... which had been the Panther's real scheme all along. He snuck down and freed his fellow Avenger, and the fight was on!
Even with the weight of numbers on their side, the villains stood little chance against angry heroes. They fell, one by one, as the good guys made their way to the throne room. Inside they found all the missing Vibranium - and Gorilla Grodd! He boasted that the metal enhanced his mental abilities, giving him the power to reach across the universe... and control Galactus! The distraction provided by the Devourer would allow Red Skull to funnel Oa's energies into the Cosmic Cube. He would in turn use that energy to help Grodd conquer first Africa, then the entire world, which the villains would divide between themselves. "And there is nothing you heroes can do to stop us," he bellowed.
"Oh yeah?" B'wana Beast sneered. Before Pantern could warn him, the jungle hero hurled his Vibranium weapon at Grodd. It upset the delicate balance of the villain's piles, sending vibrational energy coursing through him. "You broke my hold over Galactus," Grodd yelped, "but it matters little." Instead of stopping Grodd, B'wana Beast had super-charged his foe!. "I don't need Red Skull now - I'll take over this puny world all by myself!" he thundered. "I am now Gorilla GOD!" His size increased as he climbed up the side of the palace, sending the already-terrified Wakandans into further panic. B'wana Beast gulped. "Oops. I have a feeling I might have messed up, you guys."
His error had borne fruit on Oa. Galactus regained control of his senses just as he was about to crush the Surfer. Furious at being a puppet, he turned his immense might against Atrocitus and the Marvel villains. They scattered like tenpins, running for their lives. Suddenly a brilliant bolt of emerald energy brought Galactus down. Red Skull had absorbed all the GL energy into his cube, leaving the Corps powerless! Surfer tried to protect them by using his board as a shield, but even the Power Cosmic paled in comparison to the accumulated willpower of the universe. He fell at his creator's side, leaving the Corps alone against an energy-stealing madman.
Kilowog refused to back down. He charged Skull and, when the villain fired his Cube, instinctively shielded himself with his ring. To everyone's shock, the blast was soaked up by the ring like water into a sponge! Skull had the energy, but lacked the willpower to use it properly! "Light 'em up," Kilowog barked, and the Corps attacked as one. Skull panicked as more and more of the Cube's energy leeched into his foes. There would be no triumph of the will for this Nazi scientist! The Corps recited its sacred oath and pulled the last ergs of power out of the Cube, causing it to implode and knock Red Skull unconscious. The siege of Oa had ended, and the day had been saved!
Earth was still in dire peril. B'wana Beast used his powers to combine Ant-Man's tiny friends with a flock of passing seagulls into an ant-gull air force. "What else would you use against a giant monkey on a building?" he quipped. He and the Avenger ran interference, dodging the sonic booms Grodd generated by beating his chest. Black Panther slipped past them all, working to hook Grodd into the palace's public address system. Once he had done so, he threw the switch - causing a massive feedback loop that shook the stolen Vibranium out of the monkey! Grodd fell back into the courtyard, powerless but still dangerous. "By the laws of Wakanda, I am still king," he gasped.
"Not for long," the Panther snarled. He threw his advanced weapons to one side, invoked the right of combat and engaged Grodd hand-to-hand. It was a titantic struggle, for Grodd was no pushover. Even without his mind-control helmet and Vibranium, the ape was a truly formidable opponent... but nothing would deter T'Challa from reclaiming his birth-right. He emerged from the fracas triumphant, slamming Grodd's head through the throne for good measure. "There is no king but I," he panted, exhausted but happy.
Ant-Man distributed the fear gas antitote to the Wakandan people while B'wana Beast rushed to the communications room. He put in an urgent call to John Stewart, seeking to warn him about Galactus. The Green Lanterns greeted his message with jubilation, thrilled to hear a scheme that placed two worlds at risk had "failed at both ends". Red Skull (in an Oan sciencell) and Grodd (deep in the palace dungeon) were left to bemoan their failure. Though a high-tech video link, Red Skull - in an Oan sciencell - and Grodd - deep in the palace dungeon - could only bemoan their failure. Through a high-tech video link, heroes of Oa celebrated with the saviours of Wakanda as peace reigned throughout the universe.
----------
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
It's the school holidays, you see. Two whole weeks without pencils, books and teachers' dirty looks. And because I'll be on leave as of Thursday, my child is cooking up a massive cross-over game for us. She tells me its scope will rival Storm of Time, and it may take us "the whole holidays to play". I'm really excited for this and can hardly wait... but I should catch you all up on recent instalments before we're overwhelmed by the awesome-to-come.
----------
There have been some smaller adventures, of late.
In the first, Loki and Black Manta teamed up to conquer Atlantis. It was one of those "package deal" schemes; Manta would finally control the undersea kingdom, Loki would have unfettered access to its magical resources to stage a take-over of Asgard. Aquaman and Thor rushed to the rescue, but their efforts were somewhat hampered - the Thunder God's abilities did not work underwater, and he'd never learned to swim! With the population of Atlantis taken prisoner - including Aquaman's wife and son - and the villains backed-up by Imperial Stormtroopers and a retro-fitted AT-AT, things looked grim for our heroes.
His powers may have been hobbled, but Thor's bravery is impervious. Horribly out-matched, he valiantly kept the villains occupied while Aquaman slipped through the Stormtroopers and freed his people. With an army by his side, the king of the seas was able to rout the Imperials and arrive, in the nick of time, to save Thor from certain doom. Aquaman used his regal trident to confront Loki one-on-one, and its unfamiliar magic overwhelmed the God of Mischief. Thor, meanwhile, lured the overconfident Manta back onto dry land and exacted "payback much deserved" in the form of lightning bolts. The day won, Aquaman invited Thor to "party hearty" with his people in celebration.
The second adventure was triggered by the mail lady, of all people. She delivered letters to Wonder Woman and all the other heroines, inside of which were free passes to the Super Hero City premiere of the musical Wicked. Diana, Sari, Princess Leia and Pepper Potts "dragged" (LJ's words) Batman, Bumblebee, Han Solo and Iron Man along to the performance. The Wasp had no trouble finding a date - instead, she had trouble finding only one date. Both Blue Beetle and Ant-Man wanted to accompany her, and friction ran high. Hank and Jaime sniped and bickered well into the start of the show, and were evicted by a strangely familiar bouncer. As he was dragged away, Jaime glanced back at the stage and thought he recognised the performers, as well.
He was right! "Elpheba" and "Glinda" were the Joker and Enchantress, while "Madam Morrible" and "The Wizard" were really Doctor Doom and Loki! The mail lady had actually been MODOK, and the rest of the cast (Barricade, Frenzy, Shredder) took the audience hostage. Outside, Blue Beetle and Ant-Man overpowered the "bouncer" - Konkar the Frost Giant! Forced to work together, the feuding heroes staged a rescue despite their differences. Once freed, the heroes fought back against their elegantly-costumed adversaries, culminating in Batman facing the Joker, who stayed in drag and attacked from Glinda's bubble! As the defeated villains fled, the heroes decided they would go see a real performance of Wicked... and this time, Wasp would "go stag".
----------
There's also been one utter monster of a game, with which I was very impressed. LJ's been experimenting with more complicated plots and concepts. At the same time, she's been wanting to explore more varied locations than just Super Hero City. That all culminated, last weekend, in a grand adventure that can only be called ...
LJ presents:
THE TWO WORLDS WAR
Written and directed by LJ
Novelisation by SF
Kilowog snores. Loudly. The other Green Lanterns stationed on Oa didn't mind. The louder he snored, the more chance Ch'p and Tomar Re had to sneak out of the barracks and avoid daily training exercises. They were almost at the doors when an alarm went off. Kilowog woke with a start but was in no mood for exercise. It was the omega alert, meaning Oa itself was under attack! The Lanterns rushed outside to find Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds, chowing down on their planet! Kilowog ordered the ring-slingers into battle, masking his concern and confusion. Hadn't Galactus reformed? And if Oa was lost, how would the Green Lantern Corps go on?
The omega alert was heard on Earth, too. It blasted from the rings warn by John Stewart and Guy Gardner, the Green Lanterns of Sector 2814. Gardner unsurprisingly flew into a rage, tearing through Hero Headquarters until he found the Silver Surfer. "Why the heck is your former boss puting the bite on our world?" he demanded. The Surfer was just as puzzled and, once Stewart intervened, promised to accompany the Lanterns to Oa. The trio took off immediately, the tension between them palpable. Gardner and Stewart would do anything to save Oa, while the Surfer's priority was to save Galactus.
Elsewhere on Earth, the Millennium Falcon dropped the Black Panther and B'wana Beast on the outskirts of Wakanda. It had been many months since the Pather had visited his kingdom, and he had invited the hero of Gorilla City to accompany him. They were also to rendezvous with Ant-Man, who had been studying the country's precious Vibranium mine. Upon entering the African paradise, the heroes were besieged by armed Wakandans! The people denounced the king for abandoning them and instead hailed "our gorilla lord". The duo escaped into the Vibranium mines - which, shockingly, had been stripped of all their mineral wealth! T'Challa's mood was dark. He feared his old enemy, the Man-Ape, had returned.
He had little time to brood, because he and B'wana Beast ran into Gentleman Ghost and the Sportsmaster! The villains were momentarily surprised, but it was not enough to give the heroes the upper hand. Panther and Sportsmaster duelled with Vibranium-enchaned equipment, while B'wana tried to stay out of Ghost's reach. The spook was far too powerful for him, and there were no animals in the mine to merge. B'wana went deeper and deeper, eventually tricking Ghost into causing an avalanche of Nth metal - a spectre's only weakness - that trapped the Ghoul. Panther, meanwhile, dispatched Sportsmaster and led his ally further into the mines, toward the Wakandan Royal Palace.
In space, Gardner announced his return to Oa with a big, green boot to Galactus' rear end. Stewart and the Surfer followed, with the latter shocked at the devastation. He immediately moved to confront Galactus, demanding he remember his vow to leave inhabited worlds alone. Instead of responding, Galactus lashed out with fists, feet and eye-blasts like a crazed animal. The GLs threw up shielding, which spared the Surfer a nasty death. The former herald wondered aloud whether Galactus was being mind-controlled. "But such a thing is impossible," he breathed. "Galactus' consciousness is too vast for any being to subvert!"
Blasts from behind caught the heroes off-guard. Atrocitus the Red Lantern led a phalanx of Marvel villains into attack positions. Among them, empty Cosmic Cube in hand, stood the Red Skull. "No one's mind is too broad for the Red Skull," he crowed, signalling the assault. Utter chaos erupted on Oa as the Green Lanterns tackled the villains and the Silver tried to rouse Galactus from his insanity. Whistling happily, the Red Skull picked his way through the fighting toward the Central Power Battery. After a moment of reverence, he placed the Cube against the giant lantern and began siphoning off its power.
In Wakanda, the royal palace had been over-run by DC villains. Scarcrow had filled the air with his fear gas, explaining the citizenry's panic. Clock King was plotting with Owl Man, while Blue Bowman and Captain Boomerang guarded a prisoner - Ant-Man! Fortunately, the Panther had a plan. He armed B'wana Beast with a Vibranium weapon, crafted a rough slingshot and used it to launch B'wana Beast toward Ant-Man. But the beleagured hero overshot the mark and crashed into a wall as a dazed heap. The noise caught the attention of all the villains... which had been the Panther's real scheme all along. He snuck down and freed his fellow Avenger, and the fight was on!
Even with the weight of numbers on their side, the villains stood little chance against angry heroes. They fell, one by one, as the good guys made their way to the throne room. Inside they found all the missing Vibranium - and Gorilla Grodd! He boasted that the metal enhanced his mental abilities, giving him the power to reach across the universe... and control Galactus! The distraction provided by the Devourer would allow Red Skull to funnel Oa's energies into the Cosmic Cube. He would in turn use that energy to help Grodd conquer first Africa, then the entire world, which the villains would divide between themselves. "And there is nothing you heroes can do to stop us," he bellowed.
"Oh yeah?" B'wana Beast sneered. Before Pantern could warn him, the jungle hero hurled his Vibranium weapon at Grodd. It upset the delicate balance of the villain's piles, sending vibrational energy coursing through him. "You broke my hold over Galactus," Grodd yelped, "but it matters little." Instead of stopping Grodd, B'wana Beast had super-charged his foe!. "I don't need Red Skull now - I'll take over this puny world all by myself!" he thundered. "I am now Gorilla GOD!" His size increased as he climbed up the side of the palace, sending the already-terrified Wakandans into further panic. B'wana Beast gulped. "Oops. I have a feeling I might have messed up, you guys."
His error had borne fruit on Oa. Galactus regained control of his senses just as he was about to crush the Surfer. Furious at being a puppet, he turned his immense might against Atrocitus and the Marvel villains. They scattered like tenpins, running for their lives. Suddenly a brilliant bolt of emerald energy brought Galactus down. Red Skull had absorbed all the GL energy into his cube, leaving the Corps powerless! Surfer tried to protect them by using his board as a shield, but even the Power Cosmic paled in comparison to the accumulated willpower of the universe. He fell at his creator's side, leaving the Corps alone against an energy-stealing madman.
Kilowog refused to back down. He charged Skull and, when the villain fired his Cube, instinctively shielded himself with his ring. To everyone's shock, the blast was soaked up by the ring like water into a sponge! Skull had the energy, but lacked the willpower to use it properly! "Light 'em up," Kilowog barked, and the Corps attacked as one. Skull panicked as more and more of the Cube's energy leeched into his foes. There would be no triumph of the will for this Nazi scientist! The Corps recited its sacred oath and pulled the last ergs of power out of the Cube, causing it to implode and knock Red Skull unconscious. The siege of Oa had ended, and the day had been saved!
Earth was still in dire peril. B'wana Beast used his powers to combine Ant-Man's tiny friends with a flock of passing seagulls into an ant-gull air force. "What else would you use against a giant monkey on a building?" he quipped. He and the Avenger ran interference, dodging the sonic booms Grodd generated by beating his chest. Black Panther slipped past them all, working to hook Grodd into the palace's public address system. Once he had done so, he threw the switch - causing a massive feedback loop that shook the stolen Vibranium out of the monkey! Grodd fell back into the courtyard, powerless but still dangerous. "By the laws of Wakanda, I am still king," he gasped.
"Not for long," the Panther snarled. He threw his advanced weapons to one side, invoked the right of combat and engaged Grodd hand-to-hand. It was a titantic struggle, for Grodd was no pushover. Even without his mind-control helmet and Vibranium, the ape was a truly formidable opponent... but nothing would deter T'Challa from reclaiming his birth-right. He emerged from the fracas triumphant, slamming Grodd's head through the throne for good measure. "There is no king but I," he panted, exhausted but happy.
Ant-Man distributed the fear gas antitote to the Wakandan people while B'wana Beast rushed to the communications room. He put in an urgent call to John Stewart, seeking to warn him about Galactus. The Green Lanterns greeted his message with jubilation, thrilled to hear a scheme that placed two worlds at risk had "failed at both ends". Red Skull (in an Oan sciencell) and Grodd (deep in the palace dungeon) were left to bemoan their failure. Though a high-tech video link, Red Skull - in an Oan sciencell - and Grodd - deep in the palace dungeon - could only bemoan their failure. Through a high-tech video link, heroes of Oa celebrated with the saviours of Wakanda as peace reigned throughout the universe.
----------
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF