14825/Slam Dunk

Slam Dunk
Date of Scene:	19 March 2023
Location:	Basketball Courts - Harlem
Synopsis:	Gwen saves Anya from a basketball hoop. I swear it's more fun than it sounds!
Cast of Characters:	Arana, Ghost Spider

---

Arana has posed:
"This is not going to work, guys," Anya says as she looks around at the ...guys. They're a basketball themed gang, and well, apparently they really work the theme.

Anya is currently hanging upside-down with her upper torso stuffed into a basketball hoop, looking like she's a punching bag. Her arms are a bit stuck, but she looks, if anything, kind of exasperated.

"Shut up bitch," a guy says, as his friends snicker at the girl in the hoop. "That's three points!"

"That's weak," Anya says, tilting her head to the left. Or right, depending on your angle. "I take it you've never done this before. Another hero always shows up at this..."

A guy jumps up and stuffs a sock into her mouth, which ...well, yeah. THAT makes her fume. "Mm gmma fnmk afml voo uf!" she manages, but it's not as clear as one might like.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Another hero always does show up at the right moment. This time, it's Spider-Woman! ... She's gotta workshop that. Maybe Ghost Spider, that sounds cooler. She wings throgh the neighborhood, and something makes her tingle.

She redirects, just in time to hear the ... gentlemen tell someone to shut up unkindly. She changes course to find someone stuffed in a basketball hoop. She almost giggles, but stops herself. Instead, she flings herself free of the webline, landing atop the backboard of the hoop.

"You boys gotta learn how to treat a lady."

She flings herself up into a standing flip, thwipping out globs of web at a couple of them to stick their feet to the ground. She lands easily in the standard Spider Crouch. "Last chance to bounce," she says, grin audible. Glancing up at the stuck lady, she adds. "I'll get you out in a second, after I get some free throws in."

Arana has posed:
Dem guys are pretty agile; seeing another hero show up (WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED IT???) makes them all get into wide stances, ready to move. "It's just one more, how bad could she be?" "Yeah, we already handled one spider."

Honestly, even Anya shakes her head at that one. I mean, you just don't say some things aloud. But she kicks her feet a bit, trying to get loose, and sighs as she sees how easily this progresses.

One guy gets his foot stuck, clearly not as good as he'd thought, while another manages to avoid the web! Noice! He does, however, upnod a friend and throw his basketball. The other guy catches, spins, and then launches his ball at Gwen's head! Which is ..

It's a basketball. Seriously, how dangerous could it be? Except that Gwen's sense says that it IS, so maybe don't get hit by it!

And over in the hoop, Anya keeps trying to wriggle free. I am not fat shut up!    

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen's sense tingles as that basketball comes whizzing for her head. She smiles and plants her feet. Then she leans way back, Neo-style. Time seems to slow for her as the projectile closes. Both arms snap up and shoot weblines, snagging the ball. She wrenches her body impossibly then, swinging the ball like a track and field hammer toss, hurling it back where it came!

"Listen, you rejects from Blue Chips. You can just get outta here and I won't just beat you up until you'll never want to look at a basketball again, or I can slam dunk you all. Your choice."

She looks back up at the woman. "This is taking a bit longer than I thought it would, sorry!" She does, at least, thwip a web at the sock, yanking it out so she can talk again.

Arana has posed:
Hoop Girl has gotten a knee up, and is using the leverage to pry herself upward. She's almost gotten one hand to an angle where it can be useful, which she'd never have managed if the guys were still keeping her stuck. She nods, then ..oh yay, she finally gets to have that stink-ass sock out of her mouth! Ptui!

The ball? It seemed awfully heavy for a basketball. Weird, but easily within range of what Gwen could handle. When it hits the guy however, he catches it easily. Then he volleys it to another guy, and a third says, "Girl got powers," as if he's surprised. "Dat one didn't."

His friend says, "Just fight." and takes the ball, then comes in to try and block and shoulder-check Gwen.

"They're ...oh, nevermind, you got this." That's the girl, who's still doing her own thing. She's got a foot hooked over the backboard, now.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Apparently these hoopsters are empowered somehow. GREAT. That one guy catches the ball, and Gwen drops the line so it can't be used against her. This also means she can stop holding back as much. She rolls her neck as she assumes her fighting crouch, focused on the guy with the ball.

This means she gets tackled. She goes flying towards the fence of the court. She's not terribly heavy. She is very nimble and bendy. She twists in midair, angling so she hits the fence in the token Wallcrawler Pose. She smirks under the mask. "You guys hit kinda hard. Guess I can't let you hit me."

She bounces back into the fray, almost gleeful, as she goes. She hits the ground near the guy with the ball and slings webs at his hands. Good luck throwing now. She bounces up, arcing over another, throwing more web to pin that one's hands to his legs. She lands, spring in her step. "I've got a hot date in a couple hours. You guys could maybe try being a little more exciting? I want that natural pink cheeks thing."

Arana has posed:
"I was gonna...say," says the girl. She loses her grip then, sliding out of the hoop and falling to the ground. Yay, I think? But as Gwen is webbing (good choice, very effective) she might see how the girl falls.

She's upside-down, stuck, and falling out of control. And she lands...on her feet. One hand down, steady balance. Gwen coulda done it, but that's not a human level move she just pulled off. Anyone normal would have faceplanted that fall. Huh.

The guys are trying to keep up, but now three of the five of them are webbed. One to the ground, and two to...well, to themselves! "Graah!" "Yaaah! Get her!"

The dialogue options are really limited when you're casting for thugs, I swear. It's like, could you put in something unique once in a while?

One of the guys falls over, managing to get the webbing all over himself and really doing a crap job of things, but another that's still free tries to grab Gwen from behind! And then, another from the front!

"Scuse me," says the girl. Who kicks the back of said guy's knee, then wraps her arm around his neck as he slumps a little bit. Locking in the chokehold, she nods to Gwen. Apparently she has to strain to hold it though. So no strength enhancement?

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen can't help but laugh. Empowered or not, goons are still goons. "You guys need better writers. More workshop time." As she's double teamed by the two that aren't stuck somewhere, Gwen prepares to just go nuts.

Then she's backed up by the girl from the net who gets one in a chokehold, leaving only one to grapple Gwen. She lets him, feigning struggle for a moment before she just, for the briefest second, uses all of her strength to break free.

She pivots, flinging one arm towards the guy she just busted free from, hurling webs to wrap him up quick. Twisting, both arms go for the guy Arana has grappled, shooting burts to web his hands to his legs and his feet to the ground.

Arana has posed:
And it seems to be over. Gwen's webs did the heavy lifting, which is why they're cool after all. The girl puts hers down, the webbing making the chokehold kind of superfluous, but she gets to her feet looking like she was in a fight. To be fair she was fighting these five all on her own before Gwen showed up.

"Gillipolas," she says with a strong Spanish accent. She upnods at them, then sniffs and turns to Gwen. One of her goggles has come off, but she pauses and readjusts it. Brown eyes. "'sup?" She puts her hands on her hips, playing it off like, wasn't nothin.

Then she turns, glancing at the hoop she was stuck in, and slumps a little. "Sorry. I shoulda done better there."

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen dusts her hands a bit, shrugging. "It happens," she says, looking the other woman over with her featureless mask. Even if sometimes it feels like the eyes move for emotional emphasis. "You're new at this, huh? Powers or none? 'cause these jokers," she says kicking the nearest one gently. Which is to say he feels it but she's not breaking ribs. "These jokers are empowered somehow." She sighs. "Call me Spider-Woman. Though i'm workshopping it. I think I can do better."

Arana has posed:
She tilts her head to the left. Glances at the thugs, then nods. "I was ..." She starts to talk, then shakes her head, cutting herself off. "In over my head," she finishes, but that is not remotely close to where she was originally heading with that statement. She shrugs it off though, then offers a wide grin.

Then extends her right hand! "Arana! Or I was, I used to be." The smile's a bit forced, suddenly. "The spider-name's a bit thick on the ground around here, I get that. I met that one guy, he insisted it had a hyphen in the middle. Who cares, seriously?"

Then she pauses, hand outstretched. "No powers, don't break my hand. Seriously, I need it for school."

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen tilts her head slightly. Used to be? Interesting. "And yet here you are, putting in the work anyway, huh?" Gwen shakes Arana's hand. It's a normal person handshake. Gwen's hands are, in all honesty, very delicate seeming. Long and elegant fingers.

"Heh heh. Spider-Man is like that. Mine's technically hyphenated too, but I care a lot less. Especially since I want to rebrand."

Arana has posed:
Anya says, "Right. Spider-Woman. It does kind of feel clunky, doesn't it?" She shifts her head, then nods. "Honestly not sure where to go with it. I got my name from some spider-god." She pauses, then leans in. "Not supposed to still be using it, but I'm not great at names either. Arana just sounds kinda Mexican, so I hung on."

She does have an accent.

"You're not gonna tell me to stop, are you? Because I'm very stubborn."

Ghost Spider has posed:
Spider God. Right. Gwen just shrugs. "I'm not your mom," she says. "I'm not the keeper of vigilante antics either. You're a grown up, you know the risks involved. I can't stop you." She shrugs again. "Though, I won't always be in the neighborhood to help you when some weirdo losers stuff you into a basketball hoop."

She pauses. "How the hell did they get powers, anyway?"

Arana has posed:
Ana Corazon laughs. "No idea. Maybe ask them if you really want to know, querida." She looks down at the guys, then up at the rooftops. "I left my grapple up there. Figured I could take five brainless dolts on my own. Yeah, I know. Do better." She looks at Gwen over her shoulder, her shortish hair moving out of the way easily. "How did you?" She's totally not fishing for ideas. Much.

Ghost Spider has posed:
"Would you believe an altered spider bit me?" Gwen laughs a bit. "That's what happened. Got bit, got sick for a week or so, then I had powers." A beat. "Weird, I know."

She looks up at the top of the nearby building. "Need a lift?"

Arana has posed:
She grins. "I mean, I wouldn't MIND a lift.." she says, stepping over Mook Number Four. "I miss being able to do it all myself. I had the coolest armour, it was like, chitin all over my body. Super strong, I could tank bullets for days." Then she pauses, and grins with an eyebrow raised. "I can still do this though."

Then she bunches up, and does a backflip. She lands on her hands, after a one-and-a-half flip in the air, and she's landed on a beer bottle.

Which she proceeds to balance on top of, the bottle being held in place by her left hand. And she extends her right, out to the side. Easily. "So, I guess not entirely without. I get by."

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen watches Ana do the impressive flip. Sure, she can do that, but this girl doesn't have powers, so it's way more impressive. She waits for her to hop back to her feet before she steps up.

"Not gettin' fresh or anything. Just hang on."

She wraps an arm around the woman's waist and holds tight, lifting her free arm to launch a webline. It hits the HVAC unit on the building with a messy thwack, and Gwen tugs on it and leaps. She pushes them in a wide arc, gaining speed rapidly until they swing around the side of the building and are easily deposited on the roof.

"Thank you for flying Spider Airlines. We hope your trip was pleasant."

Arana has posed:
Anya grins, now on a rooftop, and looks around. She nods, impressed, and says, "Entirely without air sickness or lost luggage. Thanks, Spidey-Lady." Pause, then she shakes her head. "No, that's not any better. Darnit. I'll keep thinking."

Not sure how to tell Gwen that her stuff is on a different roof, but hey. It's still cool. Girl's got to do a bit of it on her own.

At least she can see the sky again, from a swinging web. Missed that.