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TEST DRIVE MEME #4
TEST DRIVE MEME
Something is… wrong. It’s something you’ve all felt before, whether from proximity to the kaijuu blood or from falling through your own Confluences. It’s as though reality is thinning, stretching around you.
It’s starting small. A building on the street may shift into a different building - perhaps even one you recognize from home. People on the streets flicker, and you see familiar faces out of the corners of your eyes. At night, anyone who pays attention can see that even the stars themselves are changing. Sometimes, the constellations you see when you look up shouldn’t be visible from Earth at all. Planets and stars far from home glitter in foreign skies, and you feel a sense of dread.
Across the country, people are filming their own odd phenomenon. Some are more intense than others, but all do seem to be centered in places where metas tend to live or congregate.
What the guilds had initially perceived as a sign things were returning to normal - confluences becoming more mild, less potent - is a sign things have turned for the worse. Confluences are no longer singular bursts of meta-energy, they’re steady bleeds.
And this time, the confluence rocks the entire country.
It’s starting small. A building on the street may shift into a different building - perhaps even one you recognize from home. People on the streets flicker, and you see familiar faces out of the corners of your eyes. At night, anyone who pays attention can see that even the stars themselves are changing. Sometimes, the constellations you see when you look up shouldn’t be visible from Earth at all. Planets and stars far from home glitter in foreign skies, and you feel a sense of dread.
Across the country, people are filming their own odd phenomenon. Some are more intense than others, but all do seem to be centered in places where metas tend to live or congregate.
What the guilds had initially perceived as a sign things were returning to normal - confluences becoming more mild, less potent - is a sign things have turned for the worse. Confluences are no longer singular bursts of meta-energy, they’re steady bleeds.
And this time, the confluence rocks the entire country.
DOWN WHERE IT'S WETTER. ATLANTIS.
You wake from a dream of infinity.
There’s a moment of weightlessness, before a sudden pressure and wetness: you’ve found yourselves at the bottom of the ocean, drifting upwards out of glowing cracks in the earth.
Dark sleek shapes emerge from the shadows, moving with swift grace through the water towards you. They’re seals - or, more properly, selkies. Chubby and doe-eyed, with mouths full of sharp carnivorous teeth. Once they may have eaten a lost traveler, but they owe land dwellers their lives now and are eager to return the favor. They loop cowrie necklaces over your heads and wait patiently for you to stop stubbornly holding your breath. When you gasp, you breathe water as easily as air. It’s magic.
They begin to herd you with gentle pushes and nudges from their tails. Their home, Atlantis, shines bright in these abyssal depths. They tell you that under the sea, all is known as Atlantis. Their home is in the Antarctic, and once they say it, you understand why they’re swimming so close. The energy is being zapped from your body by frigid waters. They’re making sure you don’t pass out from the effort.
Parts of the city have been encased in magical bubbles, for the safety of the outsiders now traveling to and fro. There’s no formal gathering place and so the selkies leave you outside of what looks to be a hospital. The city is an odd blend of rock, coral and crystal. The streets have no signs and there’s no clear signage around town. Yet if you wander you’ll find restaurants with fish-headed waiters serving a variety of unique dishes. There are movie theaters. A club with pulse-pounding music that vibrates the water around it. None of it is what you’re accustomed to, but it’s there for you to experience...the people seem hungry for levity right now. Much of much of the city appears to be destroyed, and many of its people seem to be disoriented.
The Guardian Alliance and The Society are both there to shepherd you back to land when they’ve got a moment to spare from the repair efforts.
It’s possible, of course, that some of you may slip through the metaphorical cracks. You can try to brave the waters and swim out to see what else there is. But beware the blood that still shimmers in the water. Swimming through it is not an experience you want. Your soul will feel ripped from your body, your mind exposed to the universe itself. But hey, if you’re out here, you’re unsupervised. It’s not like anyone can stop you.
Other metas can come out to rescue these stragglers - the Atlanteans have plenty of personal submersibles that they can loan you.
There’s a moment of weightlessness, before a sudden pressure and wetness: you’ve found yourselves at the bottom of the ocean, drifting upwards out of glowing cracks in the earth.
Dark sleek shapes emerge from the shadows, moving with swift grace through the water towards you. They’re seals - or, more properly, selkies. Chubby and doe-eyed, with mouths full of sharp carnivorous teeth. Once they may have eaten a lost traveler, but they owe land dwellers their lives now and are eager to return the favor. They loop cowrie necklaces over your heads and wait patiently for you to stop stubbornly holding your breath. When you gasp, you breathe water as easily as air. It’s magic.
They begin to herd you with gentle pushes and nudges from their tails. Their home, Atlantis, shines bright in these abyssal depths. They tell you that under the sea, all is known as Atlantis. Their home is in the Antarctic, and once they say it, you understand why they’re swimming so close. The energy is being zapped from your body by frigid waters. They’re making sure you don’t pass out from the effort.
Parts of the city have been encased in magical bubbles, for the safety of the outsiders now traveling to and fro. There’s no formal gathering place and so the selkies leave you outside of what looks to be a hospital. The city is an odd blend of rock, coral and crystal. The streets have no signs and there’s no clear signage around town. Yet if you wander you’ll find restaurants with fish-headed waiters serving a variety of unique dishes. There are movie theaters. A club with pulse-pounding music that vibrates the water around it. None of it is what you’re accustomed to, but it’s there for you to experience...the people seem hungry for levity right now. Much of much of the city appears to be destroyed, and many of its people seem to be disoriented.
The Guardian Alliance and The Society are both there to shepherd you back to land when they’ve got a moment to spare from the repair efforts.
It’s possible, of course, that some of you may slip through the metaphorical cracks. You can try to brave the waters and swim out to see what else there is. But beware the blood that still shimmers in the water. Swimming through it is not an experience you want. Your soul will feel ripped from your body, your mind exposed to the universe itself. But hey, if you’re out here, you’re unsupervised. It’s not like anyone can stop you.
Other metas can come out to rescue these stragglers - the Atlanteans have plenty of personal submersibles that they can loan you.
DIADEM HOTEL
You're not going home anytime soon. Hopefully, the LUXURY HOTEL they've put you up in will ease that sting.
The DIADEM HOTEL is usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. Its rooms are enormous, the beds quite literally enchanted to offer the perfect night's sleep, and the food would usually cost your life savings just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Guilds feel its the least they can do to aid your transition into this world. EVERYTHING is complimentary, and everyone gets an ALLIANCE CREDIT CARD to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back... though if they catch you abusing it, their accountant will be coming for your head.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets that cater to your every need. Food, clothing... and swords? If you can think of it, it's for sale. Although anything clearly supernatural or metahuman seems to be at a minimum and offered under the table. You can grab clothing made to withstand any superpower and a surprisingly mediocre Taco Bell order while you're at it. There's a Super Cinema in the shopping complex across the street that's showing the highly anticipated DROP DEAD GORGEOUS movie, a thriller wherein a fictional beauty queen accidentally swallows a fragment of the Necronomicon and becomes the world’s most powerful necromancer. Oh, and her boyfriend transforms into her chainsaw.
CENTRAL CITY isn't exactly the nicest place in the world. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?
Or perhaps you're NOT the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.
Regardless, it won't take long for TROUBLE to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.
The DIADEM HOTEL is usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. Its rooms are enormous, the beds quite literally enchanted to offer the perfect night's sleep, and the food would usually cost your life savings just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Guilds feel its the least they can do to aid your transition into this world. EVERYTHING is complimentary, and everyone gets an ALLIANCE CREDIT CARD to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back... though if they catch you abusing it, their accountant will be coming for your head.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets that cater to your every need. Food, clothing... and swords? If you can think of it, it's for sale. Although anything clearly supernatural or metahuman seems to be at a minimum and offered under the table. You can grab clothing made to withstand any superpower and a surprisingly mediocre Taco Bell order while you're at it. There's a Super Cinema in the shopping complex across the street that's showing the highly anticipated DROP DEAD GORGEOUS movie, a thriller wherein a fictional beauty queen accidentally swallows a fragment of the Necronomicon and becomes the world’s most powerful necromancer. Oh, and her boyfriend transforms into her chainsaw.
CENTRAL CITY isn't exactly the nicest place in the world. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?
Or perhaps you're NOT the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.
Regardless, it won't take long for TROUBLE to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.
CRACKS IN THE SKY. LITTLE LOVE, KANSAS.
The town of Little Love is as quiet and easy going as can be. Nothing interesting ever happens here - if you discount the events of the last six months. Right now, the most exciting things going on are the annual Fishing Tourney (catch the biggest bass to win!) and the summer barbeque festival.
If you happen to be out on the streets in the evening, enjoying the summer heat, you’ll notice that the sky above you has changed. Maybe you’re not an expert astrologist, but you do know a fair amount about what you look up at every night. Foreign constellations are dotting the skies. Planets not visible from Earth flicker in and out of view. Some so close you swear they’ve entered orbit. You watch this in puzzled silence and then, all at once, something breaks. Massive glowing cracks appear in the sky, pulsing with light. And then quickly as the sky breaks, you watch it reverse.
Moments later, it cracks again.
You watch this process unfold for the better part of the night. As it goes on, the cracks are slower to mend. They linger like the afterimage of lightning, fading slowly back to the picturesque sky you’re familiar with. Neighbors come out to watch as well. Someone remarks that this is aurora borealis. And remain unconvinced when they’re corrected.
The peaceful moment is shattered by the sound of something shrieking through the crack in the sky seconds before it closes. A spacecraft hurtles towards the ground. Then another. And another.
They leave trails of burning wreckage in their wake; there’ll be some fires to put out before anyone can even begin to deal with the other potential fallout. The town could go up in smoke in seconds if this fire were to spread.
By the time anyone reaches the downed ships, any survivors are long gone. The crumpled foliage suggests that something did survive and slip free… but that’s not the concerning part. The ships are a kaleidoscope, each person present sees something different. Perhaps you see a spaceship from a book you read growing up. Or perhaps this is a spacecraft from your homeworld, spurring hope that someone has come to find you. Hope that’s dashed when the person beside you shakes their head and says they see a cartoonishly shaped UFO. You all reach out to touch it and find that your perceptions are all correct. Your hands stop in different spots.
This ship is all of these things and none of them at once. And it’s the same for any other ships that fall through the cracks.
The next morning, the ships are quarantined by Alliance folks. The citizens come in to report that livestock and staff have gone missing in the night. Some who were present when they were snatched can’t provide a coherent explanation of what they saw. No two people have the same story, even if they witnessed the same snatching. They were twelve feet tall! They had bulbous heads. They were tiny as ants. They appear to change depending on who is perceiving them.
You'll have to go out into the fields to try and locate the lost, searching through abandoned homesteads and gaping empty barns. There's not too many places to hide around here; eventually you'll find your quarry. But what you find is a matter of perspective. Do you trust your perception of reality? Is the being before you dangerous and bloodthirsty. Or will you defer to your partner on this mission if they see something lost and frightened?
If you happen to be out on the streets in the evening, enjoying the summer heat, you’ll notice that the sky above you has changed. Maybe you’re not an expert astrologist, but you do know a fair amount about what you look up at every night. Foreign constellations are dotting the skies. Planets not visible from Earth flicker in and out of view. Some so close you swear they’ve entered orbit. You watch this in puzzled silence and then, all at once, something breaks. Massive glowing cracks appear in the sky, pulsing with light. And then quickly as the sky breaks, you watch it reverse.
Moments later, it cracks again.
You watch this process unfold for the better part of the night. As it goes on, the cracks are slower to mend. They linger like the afterimage of lightning, fading slowly back to the picturesque sky you’re familiar with. Neighbors come out to watch as well. Someone remarks that this is aurora borealis. And remain unconvinced when they’re corrected.
The peaceful moment is shattered by the sound of something shrieking through the crack in the sky seconds before it closes. A spacecraft hurtles towards the ground. Then another. And another.
They leave trails of burning wreckage in their wake; there’ll be some fires to put out before anyone can even begin to deal with the other potential fallout. The town could go up in smoke in seconds if this fire were to spread.
By the time anyone reaches the downed ships, any survivors are long gone. The crumpled foliage suggests that something did survive and slip free… but that’s not the concerning part. The ships are a kaleidoscope, each person present sees something different. Perhaps you see a spaceship from a book you read growing up. Or perhaps this is a spacecraft from your homeworld, spurring hope that someone has come to find you. Hope that’s dashed when the person beside you shakes their head and says they see a cartoonishly shaped UFO. You all reach out to touch it and find that your perceptions are all correct. Your hands stop in different spots.
This ship is all of these things and none of them at once. And it’s the same for any other ships that fall through the cracks.
The next morning, the ships are quarantined by Alliance folks. The citizens come in to report that livestock and staff have gone missing in the night. Some who were present when they were snatched can’t provide a coherent explanation of what they saw. No two people have the same story, even if they witnessed the same snatching. They were twelve feet tall! They had bulbous heads. They were tiny as ants. They appear to change depending on who is perceiving them.
You'll have to go out into the fields to try and locate the lost, searching through abandoned homesteads and gaping empty barns. There's not too many places to hide around here; eventually you'll find your quarry. But what you find is a matter of perspective. Do you trust your perception of reality? Is the being before you dangerous and bloodthirsty. Or will you defer to your partner on this mission if they see something lost and frightened?
DOPPELGANGERS. SUNSET FALLS.
The multiverse is a known entity. Though most modern metahumans have no first hand experience with it, many who were active before the Godfall Event have tales of falling into worlds that were almost their own...but not quite.
In one, the heroes were villains, and villains were heroes.
In another, the confluences had never occurred at all and there was a perfectly ordinary world devoid of powers that had no idea how to react to their presence.
In yet another, the Godfall Event had never occurred. The Protocols, Guild System, and rules of engagement were never formed. Time had passed and alternate universe children greeted them with tears and excitement to know the parents they’d lost in the No Man’s Land the world had become.
The people of Sunset Falls are used to odd apparitions. Most of them know better than to chase phantoms or to stare too long at something that shouldn’t be there. The best they can do is offer a sympathetic smile to the newcomers, reaching out to pat your hands and slip you a note:
Don’t worry. I see it too.
It’s not nearly as comforting as they seem to think it is. Yet they move on unperturbed.
Flickering in and out of existence, there are phantoms walking the streets. They don’t appear to be properly synced with this reality. They move on a different plane, through buildings, appearing to interact with objects that aren’t there. That’s not the unsettling thing, though.
They’re you.
It’s not just you, though. This isn’t a mirror. It’s a warped reflection. Maybe the way they wear their hair is just a little different than yours. Smooth skin where you have scars. Every animal instinct you possess screams that this should not be, yet you feel a pull towards them. And they seem to feel the same to you.
If you fall into the temptation and reach out to touch them, you’ll find yourself trading places. They fall into your body and you tumble out of it, into the world between worlds where memory is all that matters. Their memories and experiences spread out before you - a world made entirely of their similar-yet-different life. But you are so much more powerful than they are. If anyone wanders too close, they’ll be pulled into this what-if world with you.
Meanwhile they - good, evil, or just different - are now in your place. In your body, indistinguishable from you at least visually, they’re perfectly placed to slide into your life...or, depending on their proclivities, to destroy it.
In order to escape and return to your rightful places, you'll have to repeat the action that brought you here in the first place: find your doppelganger. As they were once phantoms flickering in and out of the world, so too were you flickering in and out of theirs. Even here, in this alternate reality, you may see flashes of people and places you know. The worlds don't always align very neatly, though. It will take some exploration - probably, some learning about your double and how their life differs from yours - in order to find the echo of them again. Just don't forget which reality you came from to begin with; this is where having a friend from your own world along may help.
And, of course, your doppelgangers are also on their own little adventure. Some of them may also wish to return home, or are simply decent enough to see this fixed; they may seek out people to help, though they're no more equipped than you to find their way through this unfamiliar world. Naturally, there are also those who do not want to return and may flee from you and fight anyone else's efforts to capture them.
In one, the heroes were villains, and villains were heroes.
In another, the confluences had never occurred at all and there was a perfectly ordinary world devoid of powers that had no idea how to react to their presence.
In yet another, the Godfall Event had never occurred. The Protocols, Guild System, and rules of engagement were never formed. Time had passed and alternate universe children greeted them with tears and excitement to know the parents they’d lost in the No Man’s Land the world had become.
The people of Sunset Falls are used to odd apparitions. Most of them know better than to chase phantoms or to stare too long at something that shouldn’t be there. The best they can do is offer a sympathetic smile to the newcomers, reaching out to pat your hands and slip you a note:
Don’t worry. I see it too.
It’s not nearly as comforting as they seem to think it is. Yet they move on unperturbed.
Flickering in and out of existence, there are phantoms walking the streets. They don’t appear to be properly synced with this reality. They move on a different plane, through buildings, appearing to interact with objects that aren’t there. That’s not the unsettling thing, though.
They’re you.
It’s not just you, though. This isn’t a mirror. It’s a warped reflection. Maybe the way they wear their hair is just a little different than yours. Smooth skin where you have scars. Every animal instinct you possess screams that this should not be, yet you feel a pull towards them. And they seem to feel the same to you.
If you fall into the temptation and reach out to touch them, you’ll find yourself trading places. They fall into your body and you tumble out of it, into the world between worlds where memory is all that matters. Their memories and experiences spread out before you - a world made entirely of their similar-yet-different life. But you are so much more powerful than they are. If anyone wanders too close, they’ll be pulled into this what-if world with you.
Meanwhile they - good, evil, or just different - are now in your place. In your body, indistinguishable from you at least visually, they’re perfectly placed to slide into your life...or, depending on their proclivities, to destroy it.
In order to escape and return to your rightful places, you'll have to repeat the action that brought you here in the first place: find your doppelganger. As they were once phantoms flickering in and out of the world, so too were you flickering in and out of theirs. Even here, in this alternate reality, you may see flashes of people and places you know. The worlds don't always align very neatly, though. It will take some exploration - probably, some learning about your double and how their life differs from yours - in order to find the echo of them again. Just don't forget which reality you came from to begin with; this is where having a friend from your own world along may help.
And, of course, your doppelgangers are also on their own little adventure. Some of them may also wish to return home, or are simply decent enough to see this fixed; they may seek out people to help, though they're no more equipped than you to find their way through this unfamiliar world. Naturally, there are also those who do not want to return and may flee from you and fight anyone else's efforts to capture them.
CLIFF NOTES.
➢ Newbies will be arriving in Atlantis. Enjoy the sights, the dancing, and restaurants! Have fun wondering if its ethical to eat fish in front of fish people.
➢ Current Players are welcome to treat this as a bonus event. These events are canonically happening within the game but can be largely ignored if you'd prefer to use the month for personal plots. You can tag into the TDM, reference these prompts in network posts, or use them in your own logs.
➢ Reality is warping around you. While you can’t consciously warp reality, it does seem to be temporarily bending around you and trying to make parts of this location your home. Your favorite cafe, arcade, your house - all of those are on the table to appear.
➢ There are cracks appearing in the sky above Little Love, and alien spacecrafts are falling through them. The reality that these spacecrafts (and their passengers) inhabit is entirely subjective. What you see is real. And so is what your friend sees. You’ll need to decide on whose reality is the one worth sticking with.
➢ There are Alternate Universe Doppelgangers in Sunset Falls! These Doppelgangers are a potential you. Attempting to physically interact with these Doppelgangers will have you switch places with them! They’ll get your body, and you get thrown into what you can only describe as the Afterlife. A world where memories are the only thing that matters.
➢![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
metaheroes is an invite-only game. However, anyone is welcomed to participate on the TDM. If you do not know anyone involved and would like an invitation, you can contact the Mod Team on the Mod Contact page and request an invite.
➢ Current Players are welcome to treat this as a bonus event. These events are canonically happening within the game but can be largely ignored if you'd prefer to use the month for personal plots. You can tag into the TDM, reference these prompts in network posts, or use them in your own logs.
➢ Reality is warping around you. While you can’t consciously warp reality, it does seem to be temporarily bending around you and trying to make parts of this location your home. Your favorite cafe, arcade, your house - all of those are on the table to appear.
➢ There are cracks appearing in the sky above Little Love, and alien spacecrafts are falling through them. The reality that these spacecrafts (and their passengers) inhabit is entirely subjective. What you see is real. And so is what your friend sees. You’ll need to decide on whose reality is the one worth sticking with.
➢ There are Alternate Universe Doppelgangers in Sunset Falls! These Doppelgangers are a potential you. Attempting to physically interact with these Doppelgangers will have you switch places with them! They’ll get your body, and you get thrown into what you can only describe as the Afterlife. A world where memories are the only thing that matters.
➢
metaheroes is an invite-only game. However, anyone is welcomed to participate on the TDM. If you do not know anyone involved and would like an invitation, you can contact the Mod Team on the Mod Contact page and request an invite.WILDCARD.
Metaheroes takes inspiration from all walks of comics. Take a look at the CITIES to get an idea as to what day to day life is like in the other cities. Perhaps you've encountered a supervillain (or hero) who needs to be thwarted, or a metahuman with unusual powers creating bizarre effects. You can also take a look at the MISSION BOARD to get your start as a professional hero, villain, or vigilante.
chrissy cunningham | stranger things
[Chrissy arrives months before summer falls. She's a tangled mess of broken bones and blood, eyes concave and mouth fixed in a silent scream. Thankfully, it's shortly after her death and she's able to be revived. Fixing her is another story entirely. She's in the hospital for six months before she's able to be released.
Two of those months were spent in a medically induced coma so her body can heal after a series of surgeries that save her mangled arms and legs. Her eyes are thankfully repaired by magic, but it takes months for her mind to even start to repair itself.
With no known friends or family, Chrissy Cunningham turns eighteen alone in a dark hospital room. She fights her hardest to survive, and then does whatever she can to heal. The first thing she does when she's released in August is hug each and every doctor and nurse on her way out of the building. She's so caught up in waving goodbye to everyone that she doesn't notice someone standing right in her path as she steps out into the sunlight for the first time in half a year. The sunlight is almost blinding, and she bumps right into whoever is there. Her legs are a little like Bambi on ice at the moment, so catch her before she falls, would you?]
Central City
[Someone didn't read the Central City tourist blog, because Chrissy is most definitely 5'3" and dressed to impress in a furry pink jacket and sunglasses at night. She's just spent the day shopping and is out exploring the city. It's been a really great day so far, but she's not really looking to head back to the hotel just yet. Something about sitting in there all alone after spending the past six months alone in a hospital bed seems pretty miserable and pathetic.
So of course she wanders her way into the bad part of town. And of course she stumbles right upon some criminal activity that she's definitely not supposed to be witnessing. It takes one of the guys asking her what a little girl like her is doing in a place like this before she realizes she's potentially in over her head. Chrissy slides her sunglasses down to the bridge of her nose so she can look out over them.]
Me? [For anyone observing this interaction, that me comes out a timid squeak that sounds shocked anyone would need to ask.]
I'm just passing through? [It's definitely a question. Like she's asking permission if that's okay. This is probably a really good time for any casual observer to step in and lend a hand.]
Little Love cw: brief spider imagery
[A little known fact about Chrissy is that she loves the outdoors. She loves it so much that she's decided to enter the fishing competition, because it's not like she has anything else to do. She doesn't win the competition, but really it's like she has. Because she's managed to beat a lot of the men that had signed up, and come in third. Which is pretty impressive, she thinks, given she had been dead only a few months ago!
She's decked out in her summer best as she takes to the streets, trying to meet people. If there's one thing she's desperate for now that she's establishing herself here, it's friends. She approaches someone, determined to try and talk to them. But the second her mouth opens, a crack appears in the sky. And she's left wide eyed and jaw dropped as she lets out a very concerned —]
Oh my god. You see that too, right?
[Please let them see it. Please let them see it.
She's only a little terrified that she's starting to see things again. And the last thing she wants is for a grandfather clock to appear and for spiders to pour out of that crack in the sky. After everything, she's not sure she can handle that. Chrissy stares up at the sky in horror. Her hands slowly go up to her ears, pressing lightly against them, almost as if she's afraid of what she might hear if she lets them drop back down to her sides.
Go away. Go away. Go away!
Her mounting panic doesn't make anything go away, much like it didn't her final moments back in Eddie Munson's trailer.]
Wildcard
[Catch Chrissy literally anywhere and everywhere. Pretend there's an inbox here you can hit up. She's definitely posting tons of pictures and videos on instagram, maybe you're sliding into her dms for a chat. She desperately needs friends, someone be her friend ♥]
no subject
He gets that someone like Chrissy Cunningham wouldn’t get the same courtesy. Pretty, young enough to look dumb - Billy pockets his score and knows the voice like he might know a distant melody. Familiar, unexpected. No one told him Chrissy was awake let alone wandering Central City.
The thing is, he could walk away. Not care, be oblivious, even. Eddie had cared though; had been downright maudlin at the mere mention of poor, mangled Chrissy Cunningham, and fuck, he does give a shit about Eddie. So he’s there, an arm around Chrissy’s shoulders, pulling tight, expression non-plusses as he sizes up how long this fight might be.] Thanks for waiting, sweetheart.
[His tongue’s against his teeth, watching the way the others physically back off. Good.] C’mon, I think I said I owe you a milkshake.
no subject
He has an air about him that's just so cool, one that's become far less intimidating than he had been back when they were both at school. It's not that she trusts him, not yet. But she at least knows for a fact that he doesn't mean her harm. He's here to help her out. So for that, she can smile like a girl that's been looking for the guy that's supposed to take her out. Like he's the reason she's out here in the first place.]
I told you I was just passing through! [Her answer holds no venom or spite, just laughter as she feels like she's potentially the safest she'll ever be. Billy looks like he could tear them limb from limb with little effort. Maybe after how she died, that should scare her.
It doesn't, and she watches as the gathered mob lackeys back off. There's easier targets out there. Chrissy's downright beaming in delight up at Billy as she realizes he's just done a pretty heroic thing. Waiting until it's just them left standing there, her hands tuck up into the sleeves on her giant pink furry jacket. And she over toward him to whisper —]
Can we actually get milkshakes? Please?
little love.
[ Standing farther down the street as all eyes turn upward to the rifts in the sky, he isn't the person she's addressing but it's so quiet amid the gasps and alarmed whispers of pedestrians that he can't fail to hear her. Steve shoulders his way between people, raising his voice as he starts to lose sight of her. ]
Hey - Hey, it's Steve! Chrissy, it's Harrington!
[ He waves an arm to direct her attention to him across the street. ]
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Okay, how she knows him doesn't really matter now. He's a familiar enough face that she latches onto that fact and makes a beeline straight toward him. Her hands are still up against her ears, and they only drop away once she's actually standing in front of Steve and she uses the toe of her shoe to gently poke her foot against his. He feels solid and real, and that's enough for her. Hands drop down to her sides, anxiously fidgeting.]
You have no idea how glad I am to see you.
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[ He never saw her body but he did see Max and it isn't hard to imagine the extreme version. He hears Eddie's description of her eyes ("It was like something was pulling them from the inside") and looks her over in astonished surprise to see her looking perfectly healthy, just like Billy. Eddie. It worries him that he's the only "living" person here, as if maybe Steve died suddenly and never noticed. It creeps him out sometimes.
Chrissy gives his shoe a poke and a laugh spills out of him, offering her his hands as her own twist anxiously at her sides. He knew her a little in school, never dated her but she was pretty and sweet and funny, which is all surface-level bullshit and he feels a genuine concern for her welfare as she frets in front of him. ]
You're okay. You're really okay?
[ Relatively speaking. ]
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No. [Her answer is whispered, with a quick shake of her head.] I don't think I'm okay at all.
[She had died before because she hadn't been honest with anyone and just reached out for help. Maybe if she tells someone that she's not okay now, nothing bad will happen to her. Or even if it does, she won't have to deal with it alone. It's unfair to put this on Steve though. She doesn't know him well, but knows he's a nice enough guy.
He doesn't deserve to deal with her trauma. But she doesn't want to keep doing it alone either.]
Ever since I woke up here, nothing's been right.
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[ She's not a blind human pretzel and the whole world is new. Steve slips his hand into one of hers as he puts himself between her and the rip in the sky, as if that would help. It gives her something to hold onto and stand behind, if she needs the stability. ]
This is going to sound totally weird but I'm kind of used to other dimensions. We should get off the street and hide, that thing looks like a gate.
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[Chrissy's quick to reassure him of that, grateful for his hand to hold. It gets a light squeeze as she nods for him to take the lead. Wherever he goes, she'll follow. And after everything, hiding sounds pretty good right about now. There's a large part of her that's worried that monster that killed her will come out of what Steve thinks is a gate.
She doesn't want to be around when that happens.]
If I told you some of the stuff that happened to me in Hawkins, you'd think that was weird. At least being here, I've only had to deal with being in the hospital for six months.
[And now this, she guesses.]
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↠ arrival
[ He wasn't looking where he was going, that's the truth. Josh arrived a few hours earlier, while the sun was down and the streets were dark. There's a sense of freedom that comes with wandering a new city while everyone else sleeps. No roots, no ties, no troubles.
There were restless whispers at the back of his head. The Broken Child was wary of their new surroundings, suspicious of what it was that brought them here. But he calms her down, perching on someone's steps right before dawn, smoking the last of his cigarettes as the sun rises.
Now though. Now he was getting ready to cross to the other side of the street. But that was before someone bumped up against him (or he bumped up against them)— ]
Are you okay?
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Yeah. I'll be okay. I just —
[She moves to stand upright, gesturing back over toward the hospital.]
It's my first time out in basically six months. I guess I'm still getting used to my legs.
[That's a joke, and she laughs a little at it. But there's truth to it, too. She's been through surgeries and physical therapies and is now able to walk. But that wasn't the case even a month ago.]
apologies for the lateness
That... sounds like a really long time to be stuck indoors.
[ He offers her a smile and tucks his hands into his jacket pockets for want of a lack of anything to do with them. ]
Especially at a hospital.
[ There's a story here, but he's not sure if it's his to ask after. Especially since this world is new and strange and he's just getting his bearings. ]
<3 you're good!
I was actually dead when I fell through a Confluence here. I know it sounds crazy when I say it like that.
[She can admit that much, face contorting into something awkward.]
But I'm doing better now. Really!
[Chrissy takes a few steps ahead to show that she's not necessarily strong on her feet yet, but she's steady enough she can walk on her own just fine.]
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[ He shifts to the side of the road where incoming traffic is likely to come through; falls into step beside her. It looks, for the moment, like they're going the same way anyway. ]
So, what's your plan then? Now that you're back in action.
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with minor edits to his ghostly companion
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Central City
[It's certainly big talk for someone who isn't terribly fond of confrontation. But after you've been kidnapped by a giant mechanical lion and lived through an intergalactic war, squaring off with a handful of human bullies seems pretty minor in the long run.
Fortunately, Hunk has gotten better at projecting courage even when he isn't particularly feeling it. He's self-aware enough to realize what he looks like and the sorts of things people probably assume about him. Ordinarily, he'd be the first to roll his eyes, but at this moment, he's content to let it roll off his shoulders.]
Pretty lame if you ask me.
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Come to think of it, he doesn't look like he belongs here either. That's the only reason she starts to creep over toward him, shifting to tuck behind him like he's just offered to keep her safe.
He hasn't, but he's the closest thing she has to a friendly face in this situation.]
It is pretty lame. [She agrees, peeking out from around him with a glare.] We just got a little turned around, okay? Leave us alone and we'll go back the way we came.
[The men in suits look between one another and then get a good look at the two of them. They burst into laughter, before one of the taller and lankier ones approaches them. A cigarette hangs out of the corner of his mouth and he leers at the pair of them like they might have just crossed a line.]
And what're you and the big guy here gonna do if we don't, little girl? Huh?
[Chrissy shrinks back, hands tucking into the sleeve of her jacket as she realizes maybe she should've kept her mouth shut.]
wildcard - instagram
Today's project: Instagram. She's learned that by searching hashtags she can filter the posts she sees by topic, so she runs a search for #littlelovefishingtourney2022, just because she's getting bored with her usual hashtags and feels like keeping up with current events.
It's when she sees a pic from the third prize winner that her thumb freezes over the screen, trembling.
That's Chrissy Cunningham. That's Vecna's first victim, DEFINITELY SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD Chrissy Cunningham!
Robin sends her a DM.
Okay, no, first Robin throws the phone down on her bed and paces anxiously for a good half hour, texting Steve in a panic and then sending him rude emojis when he doesn't answer right away.
Then, she sends Chrissy's account a DM. ]
buckleyup: Is this Chrissy from Hawkins, Indiana?
rudely texts back!!
??????
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Chrissy
Is here
On Instagram
Fishing
NOT DEAD
But if your double date is more important than the fucking miracle of LIFE AFTER DEATH, then please, by all means, tell Eddie and Billy I say hi.
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I know about Chrissy, she took my room.
WIND THIS BACK, who told you I have TWO boyfriends?!
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Maybe you can start with: if Chrissy is in your room, whose room are YOU in?
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Hence her Instagram account being very full of pictures and videos. It's probably better Robin found that first instead of her Tiktok. It's more normal and contains her pastel, good girl vibes. Where Tiktok is her zone of chaos that's completely influenced by Eddie.
She's surprised by how many people slide up in her DMs. Chrissy doesn't respond to very many of them, but one message sticks out and makes her take pause.]
tigerbeat: You've been to Hawkins?
[it's not the smoothest response, but she's surprised anyone knows about Hawkins, Indiana.]
Permanently from @buckleyup
Robin Buckley
From band
[ The band kids were far from popular like the basketball team or the cheerleaders, but they were at least the closest tangent to coolness out of all the nerd factions in Hawkins. ]
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Oh my god. Robin! Hi! You play the trumpet in marching band, right?
Or maybe it's a clarinet? I think the point is, I've seen you in the bleachers a lot of times. I remember you.
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[ Getting it right on the second try is good enough for Robin. At least Chrissy remembers her. ]
How
[ Wait. No. She can't just go asking Chrissy "how are you alive?" That's the most foot-into-mouth question she could possibly ask. ]
How are you doing?
You look
good
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