hollow plots and zombens

[made_up_names]

WHO: Peter Parker, Zomben, and all sorts of unlucky people
WHAT: Hollow!Uncle Ben (aka Zomben) has started to show up on campus. There will be an open comment (for generally being chased) as well as specific prompts for pre-plotted encounters.
WHEN: Very late on January 27th, forward dated to later in the week as well.
WHERE: Campus in general, also the gazebo in Soleil.

( Prompts are below so I can set up a general timeline-ish-thing! katoptron or Rho#9327 if you want me to set up something specific. Or just zoom yourself to the open comment and we'll just have some fun there.

I will match format, so if you prefer prose, prose away! )

Comments

1/27, 1/31 - OPEN PROMPT

[made_up_names]

[ It's just before midnight on a school night here on campus. All should be quiet here, surely? Minus whatever dumbass teenagers are doing dumbass things at this hour.

There's something here tonight. One of what is (or will become) too common of an occurrence. A strange, warped stalks from building to building on campus, sticking to the shadows and staying out of sight - for the most part. When roving about in a relatively well-trafficked area, it seems strangely human? An older man with gray hair and a worn brown jacket, who looks like he could be part of the gardening staff or otherwise. The only thing strange is the set of clawmarks across his neck and chest, though they're hard to see unless you get close. And if you do ...

Well, one of two things happen. If it's a public spot, then the man will start a friendly conversation. Can you help him? He's looking for his nephew, you see, and he thinks said nephew is going to school here. If you catch him somewhere more secluded ... It will quickly become apparent that this man isn't as human as he looks after all. The claw marks stretch into a gaping maw as chitinous bone covers the man's face. ]

1/31

[tsunderetornado]

Tatsumaki is not a sociable person the best of days. On the worst of them? She takes all the less popular routes around campus entirely to avoid people. That's where she spots the man. Those clawmarks don't look like they came from a normal animal. Is he even alive?

"Do you have an appointment with someone here?"

If he is, perhaps he's just a particularly scarred were. Either way, she's surrounded by a little bit of green light as she's speaking.

[made_up_names]

No way a normal animal clawed him up. They're too big for anything normal or mortal, first of all. And if Tatsumaki's seen lycan marks, or would be familiar with such things, then she might recognize them. A lupine creature did this to Ben.

If she's reaching out to Ben's mind, it's - surprisingly blank? There are thoughts, but formulating them into actual human words is a slow and sludgy process. The words don't so much appear as much as they rise slowly from the blackness inside his head, forming from blobs of tar.

"No appointment," he says with a shrug. "A man can't visit his nephew?"

[tsunderetornado]

"Not without a visitor's pass," Tatsumaki replies evenly.

She takes a moment to scan his mind, and what she sees is...concerning. It's definitely not the mind of a living being. Necromancy, perhaps? Either way, she's definitely not interested in letting the clawed man out of her sight now.

"Most schools don't like to have people's relatives showing up on campus unannounced, and that's even more true for boarding schools like this one. "

It's doubtful that it's going to be enough to get him to leave. She's not even sure if she should let him leave or if she should aim to capture him.

"Do you want the phone number for the school administration office? You can phone in a request for a visitation appointment there."

1/27

[planmade]

[Mello doesn't have any magic sensory abilities aside from the basic, and at night those aren't even heightened as they would be during the day. There's something about being undead, however, that connects him to those of a similar nature. If only just. He's a former detective. A hunter. He has years of training in reading people and situations. He can sometimes call a person's future actions before they've even decided to make them.

All that being said, all he feels upon meeting the strange man in the dark is a heavy feeling of wrongness. That's always the most frustrating.]

Hey. I'm gonna need to see some ID.

[He should feel dirty saying that, but he has no problem being in a position of authority.]

[made_up_names]

[ There is definitely something wrong here. Maybe it's a mundane sort of wrongness? A strange adult meandering about a school is cause for concern on its own, after all.

The man lifts his hands as if in surrender, looking a bit sheepish. ]

"I'm here to see my nephew. He goes to school here."

[ So why would he need ID for that, huh? ]

[planmade]

That's great. [He says this in the most dismissive way possible.] Now check in at the office or get off campus. Staff wasn't notified of any overnight visitors.

[Mello might not be notified about everyone that came and went during the day, but you can bet he knew who was staying past curfew. Especially if they could only be around after dark.]

I'm gonna ask again - show me some ID.

1/29 - Peter and Héctor

[made_up_names]

Peter is extra goddamn jumpy tonight, and for good reason. There's been some weirdness over the past few nights. Maybe Peter's been involved? Or maybe he's just heard weird stuff and had his spider sense wake him up at odd points during the night, only to find nothing there. It sucks. It sucks and he's tired and he's not sure what the fuck is even happening right now.

So - tonight, he shoves his homework into a backpack and goes to knock on Héctor's door a little before midnight. C'mon, Hector, he really needs to have that "tutoring" or whatever tonight, or he's really not going to get a wink of sleep.

[unpocoloco]

A little before midnight is, thankfully, a time he's usually guaranteed wakefulness, aside those times he pushes things. There's no weird sounds, no clattering bones, no frost in his hair when he opens the door, just a warming smile.

He takes up some marking papers, a pencil, and after a reluctant pause, even grabs his guitar. Maybe one of these days he can bring himself to play it properly again.

"Buenas Noches, Chamaco. Weird time for you today," He says. "You usually show up later than this or just as I'm getting up." That gap space in between oft being when Peter at least tries to sleep before his nightmares rouse him-- or he's off causing trouble.

[made_up_names]

Oh yeah. He did sort of ruin that for Héctor, didn't he. He's still really sorry about that.

"Yeah, I know," he says, rubbing at his face. (The scars have faded to white by now, hardly visible at all.) Normally he does, in fact, try to sleep - and gets some sleep - so 2 AM is more common for him. Maybe 3 if he's having a really good night. But no, it's immediately obvious that he hasn't slept at all yet. "I think my spider senses are messed up? They're super jumpy."

Which is not in and of itself an indication of danger. Blight is unpredictable; sometimes mundane weirdness sets it off too.

1/30 - Gon and Peter

[made_up_names]

[ It's not quite as late as some of the other encounters this time around, but still well past sundown. The waning moon is out in full, casting its pale light over the campus. And ... there's a guy here! An ordinary human guy, bundled up against the cold. As with the open prompt, he appears to be lost. But this time, someone here has specifically caught his attention. The figure trails behind Gon as he's outdoors today, just. Stopping and starting with him. Watching him specifically, always standing just too far behind him to be recognizable.

(Though if Gon gets close - surely he will immediately notice the deep lycan clawmarks in his neck.) ]

[betheman]

[To say the least of things, this has been one of Gongenzaka's worst months at Daybreak so far. The classes have been fine- mostly at least, as he's certain his distracted state will have caused his recent exams to suffer. But whether he feels he deserves it or not, the staff do have a system in place to make up for it.

After all, there are Other lycans on the campus.

Gongenzaka- a bear for the moment, dressed as he is- sighs as he walks, geta crunching against the snow. So much has happened, and recently, to bring nothing but dark memories to the surface. Guilt...pain... He tries not to dwell, to focus, but it is hard.

And yet...he pauses, sniffing the air. It feels as though someone is there. Perhaps near..?

He stops. And turns...not yet making out the marks.] Ah... bonsoir? [He begins, starting with french.]

...Sir? ...Are you...alright?

[made_up_names]

[ The man stops when Gon does. He doesn't seem to react when the bear, y'know, starts talking, which is probably Gon's first indication that something is up. A faculty member? Not one he's seen on campus though, nor one that's popped up recently or something.

There is something familiar in his face though. The Parkers have a look to them, and Ben shares some physical similarities with his nephew. Same eyes, similar face structures. He sort of cocks his head to one side, confused? ]

"I don't speak any french. Sorry."

[ He approaches, his expression friendly. It's dark, though, and he's passed under a tree that blocks the moonlight from illuminating his neck properly. ]

2/1 - ONE EXTREMELY SHITTY NIGHT (Peter + Imelda, Bumblebee, Orihime, Tyzias, Gwen multithread)

[made_up_names]

[ This prompt is condensed is because all of these incidents start the same, but will turn out wildly different. This is not all one thread - please split and keep them in individual encounters.

After multiple nights of either encountering Zomben, sensing Zomben, or otherwise just having the worst week, Peter Parker's luck is about to hit its lowest point. The previous encounters with his Hollow!Uncle have left Peter drained and potentially injured, but also at a serious standoff. He can't kill his uncle again. He can't, he can't, he can't. But it's becoming increasingly clear that this monster is a menace, and he's not sure what to do, and --

And that calls for a dumbass Spider-Man plan. Here's how it works: he's gonna draw the damn thing out, and then he's going to try to talk to it. See if that works. Spoiler alert: it doesn't.

So tonight, Peter is going to encounter his uncle multiple times. Each time in a secluded area that he's drawn the Hollow off towards. You can encounter him early on - when he's looking behind himself, clearly in the process of dumbassery - or after Ben has already cornered him, on the verge of transforming into a horrific lycan-spider monstrosity.

(For Bumblebee, it is distinctly AFTER midnight and what do you know, Peter's not in his room, and he's not with Héctor. For Gwen, maybe this is something they talk about before hand. For the rest of y'all: have fun jumping in the middle somewhere.) ]

Re: 2/1 - ONE EXTREMELY SHITTY NIGHT (Peter + Imelda, Bumblebee, Orihime, Tyzias, Gwen multithread)

[thebreakfastbug]

[It was, possibly, a good thing that Bee had no idea where Peter was tonight. Had he actually had some clue, there was a possible chance he wouldn't have taken out the Volkswagen to bring him back.

However, he had taken out the Volkswagen. As the headlights catch sight of both Peter and the very large monster about to attack him, tires squeal, a very distinct "TSCHE-CHU-CHU-CHU-TSCHE" echoes in the silence of the night, and Bee yells at the top of his long while tackling Zomben.]

GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU BITCH!

[made_up_names]

[ The Hollow is huge At least as big as Bumblebee, maybe even a bit bigger. It sure starts off as a normal human, but once that illusion is gone? Oh no. It's got prey to go after here, and when its prey is a nimble little spider, it's got to cast some wider nets. It had Peter by the throat when Bee showed up, pressed up against a building, already bloodied from a few previous encounters.

And then a freaking car comes out of nowhere and slams into it, causing it to shriek in pain and surprise. Peter drops from where he'd been pinned, coughing and trying to get his breath back. ]

-- Bumblebee?

[ That was a hell of a reference, bro. He's never been more glad to see you in his life. ]

[tiredcharmer]

Tyzias had been pulling a late-night shift at the STARR Lab when she heard the unholy screeching and Peter's increasingly desperate pleas. And, fortunately for Peter, the "decent human being" part of her far outweighed her "amoral mad scientist" part when she wasn't hopped up on enough caffeine to literally kill somebody, so she decided to actually look outside.

Normally, Tyzias could trust Peter not be as much of a dumbass as her. He actually had common sense and a relatively healthy childhood. But nooooooo, he had to try and reason with the horrific monstrosity formed out of his uncle's soul instead of just doing the sensible thing of putting it down and going to therapy about it later.

And to think her heart attack had finally convinced her to have a halfway reasonable sleep schedule before all this. Oh well.

Sighing, Tyzias fishes a prototype device out of her pocket, presses the button, and... teleports herself two kilometers into the air. Believe it or not, this was part of the plan. Tyzias cuts the ropes on her parachute, activates her titanium form, and charges.

For a few seconds, all that can be seen is a blindingly blue light descending from the sky at a rapid pace. Then it gets larger, and larger, and in the center of a teal conflagration is Tyzias, speeding directly towards Zomben. When she finally hits the Hollow directly in the back, the explosion from all the air and velocity she's been collecting is supercharged by her runes and released into a flare that's enough to snap trees in half and turn the ground into pretty little flying cubes careening through the air. It's difficult to see through the smoke, but Tyzias even managed to execute a perfect superhero landing in the middle of the crater she created.

What a nerd.

[made_up_names]

He's real appreciative okay. None of Peter's encounters have gone well tonight, but this one? Especially bad. The thing has Peter pinned against the ground with its claws, with Peter strong enough to keep it from leaning down and just fucking murdering him, but not willing to use his strength to hurt the thing in any capacity. He knows that his uncle isn't really there, or can't break through the monster controlling him, or - or some combination. But it's his uncle. He has to keep trying, even long past the point where it's safe or sane to do so.

His spider senses warm him about the blue blur first. He jolts, temporarily distracted from his drama by the sheer noise of look out, something's going to hit you ringing in his ears. And then he sees Tyz barreling down at him. He yelps, instinctively pulling back from Zomben as hard as he can - just in time for Tyzias to score a direct hit on the creature's back. It howls in pain and rage as the armor splits in two, black ichor running out of it and down the pavement. All it can do is writhe for a moment as it tries to piece itself back together again.

"--Tyzias?" Peter stumbles to his feet. He's bloodied, probably injured, definitely exhausted. And not sure if he's grateful or furious right now. "What - what the hell was that?"

A thank you is probably more appropriate right now, but.

Orihime's Turn!

[leekspins]

"Parker-saaaaaan~" Orihime knocked on his door, a package tucked under her arm. It was easy enough to tell what was inside, as she'd only bundled it up in grocery bags, and one suit sleeve was hanging out. "Sorry it's late! But I saw the light on, so I thought you'd want a late night surprise!"

There was no answer. Hmmmm... She knocked again, listening closely for movement, but there was nothing. After a moment of thought, she opened her spiritual senses, long enough to know he wasn't inside.

Maybe he was just forgetful about conserving electricity and had gone out to train? She dug into her pocket for her phone and brought up his contact info, giving it a tap, and clicking on the 'text' icon.

Tomorrow is Groundhog's Day! Will there be a shadow? It's a pulse-pounding mystery!

Also your suit is ready! Where are you? I want to show you the results!

[made_up_names]

As soon as she sends those texts, a very faint ping echoes from somewhere above her. It's coming from the roof. Normally it would be impossible to hear through an entire floor, but the door to the stairs is open, as if someone had just gone up there. And then, a few moments after that - there's a thud that shakes this whole side of the building. Something big just collided with the roof.

A few moments later, Orihime gets a text back:

where are y
dont come aube dormlk
f332ij
afkjs

And then a second thud, harder than the first.

[deafleppard]

[Gwen is sticking to the side of the dorm building, fiddling around with her phone like she usually does.

She knows that Peter is away on some important stuff and she just... can't help it. The last time he want away like that, he never came back.

So she just, wanted to make sure

She wanted to make sure that he'd come back.

... Again.]

[made_up_names]

[ This is something he'd wanted to handle on his own. Had tried to handle on his own earlier in the night, in fact, but - but he's starting to realize he just isn't strong enough for this one. He can't fight Ben head on, and he can't capture him either, and. And he's so tired already, despite the night being long from over.

He needs help. And Gwen ... Gwen knows Ben, right? She'll understand what he's going through here. He'd hoped not to involve her, since this will likely hurt for the same reasons it hurts him, but.

Before too long, there's a figure swinging across campus. The motions are awkward - he's injured himself at some point - but he's alive and functional, which is saying a lot given the night so far. He lands on the ground beneath her, intending to go to her dorm window and knock. But before that, he happens to glance up. ]

Gwen? Is that you?

[ Who else would it be, Peter. ]

2/2 - END OF THE LINE (Fisher Encounter + help later)

[made_up_names]

[ One last terrible endcap to a truly ridiculous week. After all of that - after multiple encounters and fights and probably at least one instance of bringing his uncle down - Peter is beyond exhausted. This is how he ends up on the roof of Aube at last. Alone for the moment, just seeking out a quiet spot to rest. What the hell even was that? What's going on? Is it going to keep happening?

He's so tired his spider senses are dulled; he's certain by now Ben is done, so he's not even looking out for him now. He's not even thinking that something else could be lurking out there in the dark, seeking a different sort of prey. ]

[leekspins]

[After all of the trouble his uncle went through to warn him, too.]

[Not that it matters. He can't surround himself with people forever, and while his creation had the misfortune of running into someone who could undo all of his hard work, he had the good fortune of finding his prey, alone and harried until he was completely worn down.]

[For something as massive as this daemon is, a mess of sinewy and steel-hard limbs beneath a thick coat of wiry brown hair, he's completely silent. Rather than climbing the building as a mortal might, he shifts, stepping through a dark ripple in front of it, and through to emerge in a haze of dark distortion behind Peter Parker.]

[He lifts his enormous masked hair, inhaling the scent of fear, and that exotic aroma of magic sealing the onset of decay. His soul is ripe and preserved, unspoiled by death. He couldn't wait to peel the flesh away from that soul and feast upon it.]

[Peter's spider senses should be going haywire as the Grand Fisher lifted a clawed hand...and those claws suddenly extended several feet as he sought to slam the young man hard down on the rooftop and pin him firmly in place.]

[made_up_names]

[ Look. Ben did try, but in his defense? Peter could hardly have expected anything like this.

Even after the sleep he'd gotten today, Peter is still utterly bone tired. Just. Beyond exhausted down to the core of him. But despite that, he's crawled up here to the roof in hopes of seeing his uncle again tonight. Maybe he shouldn't hope to see him so soon? It might be fruitless, but. He already knows he's not going to sleep much, so he might as well keep watch.

He's got his phone out too; he's sent a couple texts to Héctor asking new undead uncle to come visit his old undead uncle. Not. In quite so many words but. In essence okay. He also has a text written (but unsent) asking Gwen if she'd like to talk to him too. (But he's less sure about that. If she would want to see him, if Peter's maybe just crazy and seeing things. Héctor, at least, is undead himself and has a better chance of seeing anything - if it's there at all.)

Between his exhaustion and his distraction, he doesn't quite feel his spider senses coming back up to alert him. Not until he sees a ripple in the dark - and then claws shooting out at him. Then his senses clamor at him, just a fraction of a second too late. He still jumps instinctively, back towards the lip of the roof--

And then one claw goes right through a fleshy portion of his shoulder, pinning him there like - well, a pinned spider. He struggles with it, trying to get the right angle to force Fisher's out of it. He has the strength if he can just get the leverage.

That leaves him a horrible moment where he has to look up at the thing looming over him, horror overtaking his face. Not Ben, no. Something much worse... ]

-- What the hell are you?