TEST DRIVE MEME #02

[metamods]

TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to 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.

Comments

loki odinson | mcu

[dothelokimotion]

( i. metastravaganza )

[ ugh

for a moment, he almost believed he was back on sakaar. everything looked unbelievably tacky and gaudy and this seemed like the kind of celebration the grandmaster would throw (for himself, of course). however, it is missing his trademark colours. plus, the air feels cleaner and there are no portals hovering above them.

which is a shame because loki would like to leave now. the burn around his throat still aches after thanos and he doesn't fancy staying in any place for too long. he misses thor, he wants to see him but he will not risk his life a second time.

loki shifts in the shadows, watching the parade and people coolly when the idea of mischief strikes him and with a flick of his fingers, swaps all the superhero outfits for green and gold. a cry of dismay goes up from the crowd and loki chuckles. if you catch him in the act, he's simply going to roll his eyes at you. ]

It's an improvement.

( ii. night at the museum )

[ he doesn't care for money. that's an easy enough solution with his powers, but he is searching for artifacts. anything of power that could bolster his abilities and allow him to leave, like he used to be able to. every attempt with his powers has been with failure. so time for something else.

like robbing people. loki casually appears out of nowhere, tripping the bunch of thieves and grabbing their loot. if anyone is nearby, he'll gesture to the sprawled group lazily. ]

They're all yours. However, I will be keeping this.

( iii. wildcard )

[ got a different prompt you’d like to do? ping me on timmtams / pm this journal ]

i

[thecoolerloki]

[He notices the spell first and with the colors, it's rather obvious as to who's cast it. Except then he hears a laugh that is not his older self's voice, nor his voice, or even the old man's.

Loki does give him a look, though it's more curious than judgmental.]

I'd normally agree, but... I'm a bit tired of people who look like me.

[dothelokimotion]

[ his gaze lands the child, assessing him. for a moment, it's like he's seeing a younger self. albeit he was more fastidious in his appearance when he was younger. like armour. ]

Looks are only skin deep.

[thecoolerloki]

Duh.

[And with a wave of green magic, the child is now a young girl. She hasn't tried that one in a while, and wonders what she might look like without a mirror around this time to check.]

Any other sayings you'd like to rattle off? Looks can be deceiving and so on?

[She thinks she's being funny.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ — ah. loki narrows his eyes in suspicion. ]

Yes. Respect your elders.

ii

[fairhair]

[ Of course Fandral is there, patrolling for would-be-thieves. He hears the ruckus and goes to see what's happening, sword drawn and at the ready to put a stop to it. ]

It would be wiser to put it back.

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki squints. ]

Aren't you dead?

[fairhair]

[ That gives him pause, and his brows furrow. ]

Most decidedly not. Do I know you?

[ He's getting a foreboding sense of familiarity. ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ well. that's a little insulting, but loki puts it aside for now. he's tempted to leave fandral in the dark. not that it's particularly hard. ]

Apparently not! And let's leave it that way. Besides, why are you mingling with mortals?

ii.

[hevenly]

[ Angela is well used to performing security detail. It is how she has been paying for her room and board for months now— or rather, how she had been, in the last realm in which she was trapped. And while this world seems to be in nearly every way an improvement, they still offer her two months of housing for free. This goes against everything Angela stands for. So, she is here, patrolling the museum at night to foil a robbery.

It would seem she is but a second too late. She frowns sternly at her fellow security guard. ]

You would stop these thieves only to steal from the museum yourself?

[ She cuts an imposing figure in her current form, over seven feet of fur and horns, teeth and claws. Not to mention the ribbons floating magically around her at all times. ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ yes???? obviously?? he frowns at her. ]

You wouldn't?

[hevenly]

That is not the reason we were hired for this task.

[dothelokimotion]

Is that the reason you chose this task?

[ because she doesn't seem the type. ]

i

[bossily]

[A certain short and nosy someone did happen to catch him in the act. But she doesn't seem bothered by it. In fact, she seems rather amused. There's no attempt to hide her smile or her laughter as she shrugs her shoulders, glancing up at him.]

Anything's an improvement, quite honestly.

[dothelokimotion]

[ he offers a little bow before straightening up. ]

It doesn't take much, does it?

[bossily]

Absolutely not.

[Her nose wrinkles up as she gives a quick shake of her head. And then she leans in to whisper.]

Are green and gold the only colors you can do?

[dothelokimotion]

No.

Do you have a request?

i.

[ikols]

[ It's like a wave of green and gold shimmers through the crowd, although Loki's clothes don't change at all. Very odd. He suspects the boy is up to mild mischief or testing out a spell, turning around to check out the crowd with his golden horns suddenly matching a lot of belts and boots in the crowd. His gaze snags on a man with dark hair, pale like him, and Loki feels the bottom fall out of his stomach as his annoyed frown melts into shock when the familiar magical thrum isn't coming from the child. He stares, letting bodies move around him, sunshine glinting off his green scalemaile in a way that makes it look all the more real and authentic amongst a sea of duller hues.

An older Loki. Not the Old Loki, but. He swallows, then raises a hand to catch his attention, the pressure of the hidden Norn Stones inside his coat a comforting weight against his heart. ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ it felt like an invisible tug. his eyes rove before settling on the other loki. ah. he beckons him closer, which is probably a terrible idea, but what is loki the author, if not terrible ideas? besides, at the end of his life . . . or lives, he has so little to fear.

what could anyone do to him that hasn't already been done? ]

Just a little bit of fun.

[ikols]

[ He hasn't met an older Loki who wasn't a complete lunatic in a while, it's a surreal experience. The funny thing is, he believes him entirely when he says Just a bit of fun, because he would have done the same thing and been bored with it a moment later too. ]

Hello, Loki.

[ It's acceptance, acknowledgement. ]

I'm really hoping you're not one of the crazies Us-es.

[dothelokimotion]

I've bled most of that out.

[ he says most because it feels more honest. madness always lingers close and while he trusts his mind more these days than he did in the past, he's not likely to forget how slippery a slope it is. ]

Re: loki odinson | mcu

[skagzz]

[ Look Tina has been here for like 6 hours (days? what is TIME son) and she's already BORED because all these people do is WORRY ABOUT STUFF and tell her that CHILDREN can't go out ALONE and biotch she took down a god damn corporate EMPIRE and ALIEN TECH and CHAOS AND SHIT so pfft whatever she's going walking.

It's been pretty boring. Like, people yelling. A few powers. All LAME. She's seen better with her own two eyeholes.

Then like half the people's clothes (she's not great at math she's actually a fucking genius at math if explosives are involved but like def half right, like the way men thing 10 women in a group of 100 is half) turn green and gold. Some tall pretty man says it's an improvement. ]

You're not like, wrong, tall-dark-and-scary, but PINK and RAINBOW would have been EVEN BETTER.

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki makes a face at that. ]

Doubtful.

[skagzz]

[ she shouts at the nearest person now clad in green and gold. ]

HEY I NEED YOU TO SETTLE A CORDIAL DISAGREEMENT WITH THIS VAMPIRE MAN. WOULD YOU HAVE PREFERRED PINK?

[ She points at Loki. ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ some people in the crowd turn to face him. loki isn't perturbed though, carefully hiding himself with another double that runs off in another direction, leaving the crowd to chase after that instead.

he frowns at her. ]

You're making this less cordial by the minute.