metamods: (Default)
meta moderators ([personal profile] metamods) wrote in [community profile] metamemes2022-03-04 04:33 pm
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TEST DRIVE MEME #02




TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to [community profile] metaheroes! As the game is invite-only, please bear in mind that new players must have an invitation from a current player to apply. Interested players who do not know anyone in the game can reach out to the mod team HERE to request an invite for the March app round. These invitations will be processed the day before reserves open. However, no invitation is necessary to play on the this test drive.

Threads from this post can be made game canon if players agree upon it. To facilitate this, this log has no new arrival prompt. Please see the PREVIOUS CONFLUENCES for general ideas as to how characters may have arrived. New characters will be arriving with the March 27th arrival log.

For players who do not want to thread out an arrival, they may backdate their characters' arrival to a previous Confluence. These characters were not picked up by the transportation spell used by the Alliance. These characters will have been living on their own for the last few months, so please address this in the 'Brainstorming' section of the application.


01. METASTRAVAGANZA — everywhere.
Things haven't been the same since Confluences started again. The last two months have been more exciting than the last twenty years! The skies are full of new heroes, the day is saved and threatened by unfamiliar faces, the media is having a field day trying to report on every single new face while companies try to snag them for brand deals.

But not everything in this world centers around costumed combat. Today is a perfectly normal day and you're tasked with the most dangerous mission of all - leading an every day life. Maybe you go to a perfectly normal job to maintain your secret identity - or maybe you've already abandoned that, living full time as your metahuman self.

The sun is shining, and even in the early hours of the morning, parties in the DOWNTOWN STREETS of those CITIES STRUCK BY THE RECENT CONFLUENCES are disrupting the reconstruction efforts that have gotten well underway. These parties celebrate meta efforts to save the day! The streets are full of booths selling food and hastily made knock-off toys of the newest heroes who haven't yet put a copyright on their costume.

But not everyone looks so thrilled about this celebration. Many people look disgusted at this celebration of metahumans interrupting their commute to work, muttering under their breath about what a pain in the ass metahumans are and how much destruction they've wrought in these few short months.

Meanwhile, school-aged metas board the bus to LOFTY HEIGHTS META SCHOOL, hidden somewhere in the sky. There, in-between learning about grammar and punctuation, they are trained to use their new abilities ... Notably, when powers training arrives, the new arrivals outshine the metas native to this world. Very few seem to have any powers on par with the new comers.

Later in the day, the Student Council holds an assembly dedicated to the responsible use of powers. They award any students who have helped save the day with accolades — as well as detention for skipping class to help out as an unlicensed hero. Whoops!

Maybe you should just skip today.


02. SEEDY UNDERBELLY — central city.
Central City is a hard place to live. The city is in almost constant peril, with constant power vacuums in organized crime and city government being filled by worse and worse people. Despite having the Guardian Alliance stationed at its center and doing their best to uplift the people and their citizens, the city suffers from a corruption so deep that it seems to be baked into the very concrete.

The Alliance does what it can to make the city a better place but it's a bandaid over a bigger wound. Because the nigh constant metahuman-centered destruction is the source of so many of Central City's problems - meta organizations are often the last resort for its people. Still, the Alliance makes sure to keep heroes on hand to punch muggers as well as run soup kitchens. Their healers provide healing free of charge, and many of their psychics are trained therapists who use their powers to soothe the citizens' many traumas.

But the real power in the city is held by people like FRANK KAFKA, a crime lord with a finger in every pie. Both guilds leave Kafka to his own devices because he officially possesses no metahuman abilities and he avoids any dealings with them. Tonight, his goons are running their favorite extortion scheme with a twist. A group of them marches through a run-down street, shaking down vulnerable families and businesses for protection money. If an individual resists, the gang threatens to bring the spectre of newly created metahumans down upon their head. Though Kafka himself is not present, his goons will give up his location under enough pressure.


03. NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM — excelsior.
With how often the city is destroyed, one wouldn't expect the MUSEUM OF EXCELSIOR to get much in the way of priceless artifacts, but the museum's basement vault is one of the most well guarded facilities in all the country. Practically impenetrable, it stores every conceivable relic of value. But today, thanks to some villainous meddling, there's a lapse in their security that aligns perfectly with the planned time for the changeover of an art exhibit, affording some enterprising thieves a chance at millions of dollars in priceless artwork.

Heroes affiliated with the Guardian Alliance are asked to patrol and keep these relics safe, while the members of the Society of Villainous Reformation are called upon to pay favors forward by getting in their way. As the untested new kids on the block, player characters draw the short straw and are sent in pairs to complete their task, regardless of whether it's to steal these artifacts or guard them.

Villains, now's the chance to get rich quick! Heroes, protect these treasures from falling into the wrong hands!


04. DINOTOPIA — excelsior.
Confluences are back.

And that means new unaffiliated supervillains are running rampant in the streets, causing the kind of directionless, clumsy chaos that the Guild typically frowns at. A little mischief is good if it serves as distraction for a heist, but this is...

Well...

This a very large velociraptor with human arms standing in the middle of Excelsior. If anyone asks, he calls himself DINO DAN. But why would you ask when he's busy transforming people into dinosaurs - or partially into dinosaurs - using his aptly named Dino-Ray? The people of Excelsior are used to a lot of chaotic shenanigans, but this is a little much even for them. The newly transformed dinosaur-people are losing themselves to their instincts and charging at bystanders. Of those that retain (or regain) their senses, some appear strangely delighted to have this new experience, while others wail in horror at their lost humanity.

As heroes line up to stop him, he'll tell anyone who listens about his displaced rage and the revenge he seeks on an unfair world that let him turn himself into a dinosaur. Not surprising, out of an Excelsior local. However, confronted by metas who can stop him, Dino Dan hooks the Dino-Ray on his belt and grabs a second ray-gun. Anyone he shoots with this one disappears with a comical POP!

Those unfortunate enough to be hit by this ray will find themselves standing in a land before time, right beside a research station. Those clever enough to pull out their cell phones will notice that they still have reception, and rule out time travel.

In addition to clippings of ancient and extinct plants, characters who venture inside will find a half dozen prehistoric humans have apparently been displaced through time and held captive in Dino Dan's remote island research station. If that wasn't obvious enough, his research notes suggest the use of time travel — though like all other dimensional travel, it stopped working in January.

Characters may trigger a trap in the research station and find themselves also temporarily transformed into reptiles, or they may take it upon themselves to rescue the poor folks this mesozoic maniac has been holding hostage! Whatever the plan: if he's causing havoc in the city, that has to mean there's there's a teleporter in his lab to get back. But there's no shortage of Guard T-Rexes blocking the path.
twomillionvolts: (⚡ what the)

[personal profile] twomillionvolts 2022-03-05 04:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ What in the name of All Might... ]

That was ages ago!
erosh: (04.)

[personal profile] erosh 2022-03-05 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Heh. Why does it always feel like she knows when to throw nice, cold water in his face? ]

[ It would be okay, to hear Mom, when — when that's the anchor that's left (Selina would laugh him out of the room if he included her, even if it was true.) ]

Oh, come on. It goes with my eyes.

[ It does not. Clark huffs. ]

Look, if some... weird space thing was trying to get me and got both of us, I'm sorry.

[personal profile] pinkxeno 2022-03-05 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
It was two months ago! [ because she has been in this place for two months, yeah]
twomillionvolts: (⚡ not good)

[personal profile] twomillionvolts 2022-03-05 04:18 pm (UTC)(link)
What, no! If things weren't so messed up right now we'd be second years, that's how long ago that was! We're fighting a war! Shigaraki and AFO and Dabi and all of their assholes!

[ What the fuck was going on? ]
itsbetter: (Oh - and something about your mother)

[personal profile] itsbetter 2022-03-05 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Selina's eyeroll is epic. ]

If you try to take responsibility for random space kidnappings, I'm not talking to you for a week. Not everything is about you, Clark.
erosh: (03.)

[personal profile] erosh 2022-03-05 04:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He raises his hand to cut her off, then closes his mouth. ]

[ Or not. ]

— Okay, first of all, it is a little bit a weird space thing, right? I'm allowed!

[personal profile] pinkxeno 2022-03-05 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
What war?! [ and now she looks scared, because Mina has no idea what he is going on about]

Shigaraki?! And-who is Dabi?!
itsbetter: (Incredulous)

[personal profile] itsbetter 2022-03-05 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Selina shakes her head, her expression set, but fond exasperation in her eyes. ] Get over yourself.

[ You and Bruce, she swears. (Although to be fair, if it was Bruce, her exasperation would be more sharp.) ]

Do the ground work. Confluences don't sound personal to me. [ Pause a beat. ] They sound like a fancy word someone made up because they didn't want to admit that they don't know what's going on.
twomillionvolts: Feel free to grab any! Uncredited screencaps by me. (⚡ we can do this)

[personal profile] twomillionvolts 2022-03-05 04:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He also looks more and more nervous, and takes her hand. ]

Ashido, we should go somewhere to talk about this. It's really serious.
erosh: (Default)

[personal profile] erosh 2022-03-05 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[ I'm allowed, Clark mouths at her again, just to be a brat. But, her point is clear. Her compassion is a knife, and she handed it to him to cut out what was hurting. ]

Or they were trying something and it got out of hand.

[ His mouth pulls, he can't be sure the Fortress isn't involved, somehow. ]

But... okay. We just go along with it?
itsbetter: (Listening | Fire)

[personal profile] itsbetter 2022-03-05 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ...we.

Isn't that a hell of a word.

Considering what's waiting for her back in Gotham, what she escaped from coming here, Selina has approximately zero motivation to go back. But Clark... she knew Clark would have to go back.

Hell. ]


What's your idea?

[ She deflects, because it's clear to her that he hasn't thought this through, and it will be a lot less aggravating to deal with him on his first draft than have him try to edit hers when he hasn't even read the book yet. ]
legasea: (pic#)

[personal profile] legasea 2022-03-05 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ there's a quirk to arthur's lips that imply he's well aware of how unfair his sentiment had been, but he still thinks it's funny as hell so he's not anywhere close to taking it back. after a brief look ripley's way to acknowledge his comment, he turns his attention back to the cronies and raises his bottle towards them as if in toast. ]

Looks to me like you guys're ganging up on him. And I fucking hate bullies. Anyone wanna tell me I got the wrong idea?
erosh: (14.)

[personal profile] erosh 2022-03-05 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ His... training with Jor-El isn't enjoyable. Nothing much really is, and even the shape of what's ahead that needs doing because he'd do it isn't enough to grant him all the will. He's only (ha) human. ]

... I'm not sure.

[ And this is okay. He never had to have any of the answers, in front of her. He never needed to give her that kind of reassurance. ]

I was just looking for something familiar. I guess we figure out what to do from here.

[personal profile] pinkxeno 2022-03-05 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Mina looks at Denki's hand and then back at the museum door. They still have to do their Hero mission, and that... Does that priority.

Even if she is scared, and unsure of what is happening, she is a hero and can't just not do what she is meant to do.]


... Hey. Let's do the mission first, Chargebolt.

We still gotta protect the museum,right? [ she smiles wide. It's alright, they will talk after]
itsbetter: (Oh.)

[personal profile] itsbetter 2022-03-05 04:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ We, again, damn it.

He was just looking for something familiar.

Hell.

Ivy'd warned her, hadn't she. About the consequences of her thing for strays.

It would be so much easier to cut him loose.

He didn't deserve it. Sometimes she did things to her friends that they didn't deserve, because it was necessary for her. This wasn't necessary. It was just... hard.

Selina Kyle was a lot of things. A coward was no longer one of them. ]


Yeah, [ she sighs, resigned, so, so resigned ] I guess we will.
erosh: (03.)

[personal profile] erosh 2022-03-05 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Her resignation doesn't register as the particular end of any train of thought — except any of the usual where she says the plan is stupid, or that he's being an idiot, or some variant thereof. Just, in this case, there isn't much of... any idea. He'd know what to do if he faced Jor-El, or Lex, or anything else that sauntered his way. ]

I'm glad I found you.

[ Quietly enough for just her ears. And Clark smiles at her. It could be layered, if Selina wanted to look hard at it, but it's just as it is — he found what was familiar. And, gently, ]

What did I interrupt?

[ She chose to pay attention to him, but she was still busy with something.... ]
itsbetter: (Trying to Move Up)

[personal profile] itsbetter 2022-03-05 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She nods out toward the street. ] Stalking some goons to see who's pulling their strings.

[ He won't like it, but Tough.

Well, on the plus side - he can go be on the Heroes side and then they can compare information that way. She'd never pass there. She got cavities at the thought. ]
twomillionvolts: (⚡ serious)

[personal profile] twomillionvolts 2022-03-05 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He shakily sighs at that and then smiles. She's right. They have a mission, they can't panic right now. Flicking his visors down on his nose, he gives her somewhat less enthusiastic but still very Denki fingerguns. ]

You're right, Pinky! Let's protect this museum!

[ They had to prove themselves, after all. The electric blonde wasn't completely okay with what he's heard about the Hero School here, and wants to get all his patrolling in as much as he can. ]
neversmall: (002)

[personal profile] neversmall 2022-03-05 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Never let it be said that Nina ignored an open door. ]

And what kind of minded are you?
thecoolerloki: (06.)

[personal profile] thecoolerloki 2022-03-05 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[He sighs, like this is all just some squabble between siblings. Technically, it is.]

You all get into far too much mischief without me around to manage it.

[Yes, there's Ikol, but he doesn't trust him!]

I'm afraid I know little else about you, sister.
dissemblance: (pic#15035412)

[personal profile] dissemblance 2022-03-05 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Long enough you should be embarrassed.

yelena can't possibly have thought that natasha would answer her honestly — how often has she ever been honest about anything? but she does lean in and bump her shoulder against her sister's, playfully.

You look good.

her voice doesn't choke. doesn't catch on those words, doesn't hang up in the awkward negative space between them. natasha looks at the sister she lost for, if she's being honest, a lot longer than five years and she says you look good like they just saw each other three days ago at a fashion show in milan. as if she doesn't remember frantic weeks turning into desperate months, contacts with other widows all the way on down the line until she found sonya, who told her the truth of what she'd already known then in her heart.

she leans over and takes a sip of her own of yelena's drink. the tapioca pearls clog the straw. tiny little human annoyances, like stubbing your pinky toe on a chair.
disaffiliate: (009)

[personal profile] disaffiliate 2022-03-05 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
( he would deserve it. church is nothing if not a foul-mouthed asshole. it's a very defining trait, yet he likes to think it gives him character. )

Are you asking me out? You're asking me out, aren't you? ( he hasn't been asked out in a while. actually, no, he hasn't been asked out. period. tex didn't do that. it wasn't her style. she would never treat him to a nice dinner. huh. he isn't sure what to do with this sudden turn of events. ) Okay.

( what the hell? they're probably going to die anyway. )

If we make it out of here alive, then you can take me out to dinner. We'll order every single fucking little thing on the menu that neither of us could possibly finish and then end the night throwing up in the alleyway behind the restaurant.

( was that too cheesy? that was too cheesy, wasn't it?

narrowing his eyes at the door up ahead, he looks around for a warning sign, but of course there isn't one. it's just a dark ass hallway leading to a mystery door that's probably harboring a pack of bloodthirsty raptors behind it and no one had the fucking decency to put up a goddamn sign!

it's church's (un)steel-like nerves vs. a foreboding door handle all fucking over again. he's already sick of playing this game of dinosaur roulette.
)
disaffiliate: (007)

[personal profile] disaffiliate 2022-03-05 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
( ......... )

Where do you get your coffee?
legasea: (pic#)

[personal profile] legasea 2022-03-05 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ most of the time, when someone sees arthur in the state he's currently in (blatantly displeased, looking about a piece of bacon away from shoving someone's face into their own dinner) they tend to give him a wide berth. large stature aside, he doesn't exactly scream the type that would be discriminate enough in his anger that innocents (?) like nina would be spared. yet here she is, poking the proverbial bear.

he glances at her, looking like he hadn't really heard her request for a second. then he looks to the little syrup bottle beside his hand, which he then uses to nudge across the table closer to her. ]


Knock yourself out, kid.

[ there's still a roughness to his voice that is a byproduct of his mounting anger, but he manages a half-smirk at her anyway, amused despite his distraction. he can appreciate a good indulge, after all. ]
legasea: (pic#)

[personal profile] legasea 2022-03-05 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[ and sometimes arthur gets it fucking wrong. look, he's no detective here, and most of the time when a fight's uneven it's usually the one in the minority that's the sorry chump caught up in something way over his head.

but maybe it doesn't matter who started the fight. maybe three against one still aren't odds he can let slide.

maybe he's itching for a fight too. ]


I could be.

[ he gives childe a brief once-over, then looks back over at the other three with half-interest. ]

Somebody wanna tell me what's going on?