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TEST DRIVE MEME
TEST DRIVE MEME
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metaheroes! You do not need an invite in order to play on the test drive meme.
Test Drive threads can be used as game canon and can be treated as your character's arrival to the game. The first Arrival event differs from this Test Drive Meme and takes place a week later which also gives you the option to start fresh.
The first application round is closed to friends of the moderators. If you are interested in joining the game and do not know anyone involved, you can reach out to the mod team via here to request an invite for the February app round.
metaheroes! You do not need an invite in order to play on the test drive meme. Test Drive threads can be used as game canon and can be treated as your character's arrival to the game. The first Arrival event differs from this Test Drive Meme and takes place a week later which also gives you the option to start fresh.
The first application round is closed to friends of the moderators. If you are interested in joining the game and do not know anyone involved, you can reach out to the mod team via here to request an invite for the February app round.
CRASH LANDING
A confluence is defined as the convergence of one or more forces. A Confluence, capitalized, is the converging of one or more supernatural forces.
Confluences have been mild ever since the Godfall Event occurred in the 1980s. The older generations tell their children of the confluences they remember as children, the earth-shaking events that transformed the landscape of the world (and the people) every time they occurred. Now they're largely inconveniences. An explosion of experimental alien nanobots here, a magical lightning storm there, nothing particularly disruptive to day to day life.
Bad ones still occur every now and again. Something big and bombastic that shatters the peace that the world has cultivated over the years. But it’s rare. Where there was once terror any time a psychic or a precognitive seer predicted the future, people often simply shrug and make mental note to ensure they've renewed their meta-anomaly insurance.
After all, the Guilds have always been good about reporting when something big was happening well before it actually happened.
And so imagine the surprise when the sky splits open over Little Love, Kansas in the early hours of the morning on January 4th.
No one sees it coming. Especially not smack dab in the middle of Kansas.
Little Love is a small town — really more a handful of connected streets than an actual city. A gas station and a water tower proudly welcome drivers into town off the interstate, and a statue of its greatest hero, Featherweight, stands proudly in the middle of its tiny central park. Crops and cows sprawl as far as the eye can see in every direction. This is the place people go to get away from it all, the kind of place where nothing is ever supposed to happen.
Awareness hits you in a rush. So does the ground. You barely register it hurtling towards you before you make impact. Whatever surface you strike - the pavement, the frozen fields, someone's shed - is pulverized, but somehow, you're unharmed.
You're not alone, either. All around you are others who fell picking themselves up from their own craters, equally and impossibly undamaged by the impact that should have pulverized you.
Perhaps they know what's happening. The town is still and quiet, there's a chance to speak now in what is surely the calm before the storm.
As you move through the sleepy town, it comes awake. Lights flick on. Townspeople step outside in their pajamas and nightgowns to find the source of the commotion. Some grab blankets to offer to the newcomers who clearly aren't dressed for a midwestern winter, but they won't go as far as to invite anyone inside and quickly step back once blankets are accepted. They appear quite apprehensive and seem to be keeping their distance.
TOO MUCH POWER
It's nothing personal: new metas rarely have full control of their abilities. The fact that you all just came tumbling down form the sky makes it pretty clear to them that something strange is afoot. Confluences almost always make for chaos, and newly powered people don't handle that kind of stress well.
Perhaps you're one of the lucky ones, who have already had powers or who are capable of taking this in stride.
But perhaps you're not. Perhaps energy crackles within you, and before you know what's happening, your new powers are activating. You don't know how to control these. Perhaps your new eyebeams suddenly blast from previously unpowered eyeballs, destroying the water tower. Perhaps your new ability to shift density has you stumbling back and disappearing into the walls of houses or dropping through the earth.
And it's not just those of you who fell from the sky. Some of the citizens appear to be experiencing similar problems. A scared preteen phases through you. A farmer who fused with one of his bulls rampages through Main Street, destroying cars and street lights and terrifying those he once named friends.
Cause problems, or step up as a hero and help minimized the damage, or do your very best to calm down and coach these new metahumans.
STRANGER THAN FICTION
As the energies fueling this Confluence reach their conclusion, something smashes through the local library's roof, gleaming in the moonlight. Smoke chokes the air, made thicker by magic. Perhaps that is why you struggle to process the cybernetic dragon clawing its way free of the wreckage. It lets out a mindbending scream and lurches skyward, and in its wake other impossible storybook creatures follow suit. Ghosts, goblins and - Pinnochio?
The frightened folks of Little Love freeze in place and the creatures careen towards them, intent on causing mischief and mayhem.
And as the dragon soars above your heads, each flap of its wings send a shower of glowing words falling down upon your heads. If one of these words touches your skin a digitized voice begins to speak — once upon a time — and the world around you flickers like static. The town falls away and is instead replaced with a watercolor landscape. As the narrator continues, the story takes the shape of a children's book of your choosing, and you've been thrust into the role of the protagonist.
Only it doesn't seem quite right. Did Hansel and Gretel's witch always wear form-fitting spandex? Did Little Red Riding Hood always have a plasma rifle? You're fairly certain The Little Mermaid didn't take place in outer space! Yet all around you, these modified, blockbuster versions of traditional tales spin to life out of voxels. The stories each follow their own winding tale, but one thing is consistent: it's a classic you know, but with a sharp sci-fi twist.
Mercifully, you're not alone. Whatever this is seems to have grabbed people in pairs, and so you've got a partner to work through this. Perhaps you can use your knowledge of the original tale to speedrun it to its conclusion, or perhaps you'd rather just blast your way to the end using your newfound abilities.
If you were lucky enough to be untouched by those letters, congratulations: you're left watching those unfortunate enough to be touched blink out of existence. This leaves you and whoever else got out unscathed standing before a horde of cartoony sci-fi villains intent on wrecking havoc on the already ravaged town. The townspeople don't seem to have any real defense against them, leaving it up to you and your fellow fallers to protect what little town they have left.
The dragon makes its way back to the library, landing with a thunderous boom and roaring again. Clutched in one of it's mighty clawed hands is a glowing book. If fairy tales have taught you anything, it should be that beating the dragon and grabbing its mcguffin is the only guaranteed way to save the day. Go forth, heroes!
AFTERMATH
All the monsters have been dealt with. The people who were caught under the book's spell stumble free as the illusion breaks, either because they finished the tale or because the dragon was felled. Those who helped save the day are celebrated. People cheer, eagerly shake hands and embrace you, expressing their gratitude at simply being alive.
Just when you think you’ve got a handle on your new situation, there's a flash, a rush of energy. You find yourself standing in a large white room. Around you are the other fallers and the townspeople who had just displayed a sudden burst of abilities. All look equally alarmed. Anyone injured in the library fight will find the injuries tingling as energies within the space begin to stabilize you.
A robed figure slumps against the outer side of the glass doors, their hand pressed to the surface and faintly glowing. A second later, a man materializes out of thin air and bends down to check on them. He straightens up and presses the intercom button:"My name is Atomight, and you're at Alliance HQ. You were all caught in a Confluence and as a result, many of you have developed metahuman abilities. There are power nullifies in place so please don't worry about losing control. And the space is enchanted and will give you whatever comforts you ask of it.And then he's gone.
"We won't keep you here long. I apologize for this, I truly do. This is not at all the way we want to welcome new metas. But we need to ensure that your condition is stable, and there are far more of you than we could ever have anticipated... This one wasn't on the books. I've got to go back to help, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."
The room responds to sentient intent, materializing whatever you wish from thin air and rearranging the space to fit whatever is brought in. Before long, a massive spa-like bathroom fills the far corner. Rows and rows of doors spring up, leading to little cubbies sporting beds as soft as dreams. A chest of drawers spits out the most luxurious clothing you can imagine. Tables spring up groaning under incredible amounts of food.
Ask it and it provides. The only thing it won't give you is an exit.
The room will keep you safe from outside forces and put a cap on those new hard to control abilities. It will also stop you from killing each other, should that urge be one you struggle with. The room is attuned hostility and responds to the intent to harm. The moment you think to lash out at someone, you'll find yourself hauled away into a quiet time out corner.
Might as well grab a bite to eat and mingle a little. Ask the room for a magical puppy to pet so you can calm down a little, or ask a stranger for a nice warm hug to cope with a very strange and stressful day.
Atomight eventually returns. This time, he steps inside. Evidently, you're all safe. His smile is warm and apologetic, but he's here now to answer your questions and ask a few of his own to gain an understanding of what has happened.
WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE
You're not going home anytime soon. That becomes all too clear in the hours following your arrival. Reports are coming in from across the world - dimension hoppers can't open portals back home, time travellers are temporally locked to this point in time. Something is wrong and it's going to take a little longer to fix it. A week at most, they assure you, refusing any offers for your help.
And so 24 hours after your arrival, the Guardian Alliance makes arrangements for somewhere less... well, like their gym.
The Diadem Hotel is a luxury hotel usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. It's 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 Alliance feels it only fair to offer you a little comfort on their dime. Everything is complimentary, and everyone gets an alliance credit card to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards appear to have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back.
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 latest Mystic Mike movie, a franchise wherein a fictional male stripper gets magical powers and begins fighting crime using a pole as a staff.
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.
CLIFFNOTES
Your character has been dropped into the farming city of Little Love, Kansas. Characters may lose control of their powers. You're free to destroy as much of the town as you'd like. A giant cybernetic dragon rips out of the library, freeing a ton of sci-fi infused storybook villains. The villains start destroying the already wrecked town. Characters can step up and stop them, or take advantage of the chaos to do something nefarious. The cybernetic dragon holds a magical book that is the key to releasing the characters trapped in those twisted tales. We won't be threading this battle out, but please feel free to assume it falls and 'powers down' multiple times. Characters may also get pulled into classic children's stories if they are hit with the word shower from the dragon's wings. These stories have a sci-fi twist to them. You're free to choose whichever classic tale you'd like and warp it as you go along. They'll be released from the story if they reach the proper conclusion (eg. Hanzel and Gretel escape the witch's candy spaceship) or break it in a fundamental way that means it cannot continue along the intended route (eg. you shoot the witch with a ray gun before she ever gets her hands on them). They need to get to the end of the story to escape it. Everyone will be released when the dragon is destroyed. NPCs arrive on the scene just after the dragon falls. Player characters (and the residents of the town who have gained powers) are magically transported to the Guardian Alliance's headquarters. They will be held in a magical room for a period of about a day, and then will be transitioned to the Diadem Hotel. Characters are given luxury suites at the hotel, and a credit card with an unlimited balance. They're free to mingle, eat, shop, and check out the world they've been dropped into. You can talk with Atomight here. While we will not be directly threading the encounters out, we will summarize any answers and responses he will give. The threads in this Test Drive Meme threads can/will be carried over into game canon. If you do not get a chance to tag into the test drive, don't worry! The game's opening event will be a Confluence taking place a week later.
Taken | FAQ | Locations | Teams| The Guilds | Character Alignment| Plotting Post | Mission Board
yelena belova | mcu
» » NOT IN KANSAS
» » WILDCARD
not in kansas
She's already got herself bags full of clothes, plus two shiny new katanas strapped to her back, when she comes across another fellow shopper contemplating a pair of shorts, lighter in hand. She grins manically as she sidles up alongside. ]
Do it. [ She stage-whispers like Palpatine. ] Torch the shorts!
no subject
they do advertise as being completely fireproof. )
If it doesn't work I hope you can run fast. ( she offers by way of a warning, the heavy eastern european accent giving the words a faintly threatening lilt even as she looks amused, before sparking up the lighter. there's only a mild look of disappointment when she holds the flame under the material only for the product to work exactly as advertised.
no ignition, no big lick of flames, just the flickering little one at the top of her lighter, and a pair of shorts that just will not catch alight. a little anticlimactic, honestly. ) Well, I guess they aren't liars.
no subject
[ But Gwen leans in to watch as soon as the other woman lights the lighter... Aaaaaaaaand leans back out when the sight is uneventful. ]
That's kinda disappointing. But I guess I'd rather not be complicit in a department store burning down with everyone inside.
[ You know, silver linings and all. ]
crash landing
[ alina has a blanket around her shoulders. she pulls it tighter, now, turning away from the person fleeing and regarding the rest of the sleepy village. the pavement and the strange poles all strike her as contradictory — some kind of luxury infrastructure that a small village shouldn't have.
alina has attached herself to this particular fellow faller because of the accent. notably old ravkan. it's one little piece of familiarity against a landscape that's confusing and foreign. ]
At least they gave us blankets.
no subject
( to be fair it's a valid point, it just doesn't make yelena any less frustrated by the whole situation. she doesn't mind the girl tailing her so much, if only because no one else seems interested in chatting, but she doesn't expect that she knows any more about the situation than yelena herself.
still, that doesn't mean she can't be useful. an ominous growl from her stomach makes it pretty clear that she should be prioritising food — crash landing in some strange place will work up an appetite, apparently. )
Did you fall with a credit card?
i made you wait 4 days for this
crash landing
( eddie hasn't been here for too much longer than anyone else, but he is currently cloaked in a blanket with a fresh mug of hot chocolate in his hands. he offers it to her. )
You know, just... coming in hot, pwoosh, boom, bye-bye windmill.
...What are windmills even used for? What are they milling?
no subject
( maybe there's something wrong with her approach, because no one has been offering yelena mugs of cocoa. she takes the mug from him, sniffs suspiciously at the rim, but if there's any concerns she has about accepting drinks from strangers, it's quickly outweighed by her desire to down the whole mug.
she cracks a smile after she takes her first sip though, raising the mug in a quick grateful gesture. it's not like it makes a world of difference, but it was...a nice thing to do. nicer than yelena probably would have been. )
Well, what did you destroy? A house? A street? Don't tell me you didn't hit anything, that would not be fair.
no subject
Yeah, no, it's good. At least I think it's good. One of the... uh, locals made it. I think. Same one giving out blankets. If you want one, we can track one down for you.
( which is to say the blanket that he's wearing is his. sorry. finders, keepers. )
Me? Yeah, if you look riiiight... ( he points past her to a tree turned on its side, surrounded by upturned roots, dirt, and leaves. if she looks closely, she might be able to make out the imprint of an alien within the broken branches. ) ...there. That's us.
Uh, Eddie. I'm Eddie.
crash landing
[ says the man dressed like a bat, from a fair distance. ]
no subject
( at least she got her very cool cardigan, which she tugs more tightly around her. the midwest has nothing on russian winters, but it's less about heat and more about feeling very out of place and exposed in what is a very unusual situation.
she's going to go ahead and look suitably judgey when she spots the source of the voice though, frowning as she deadpans back.)
You can't say that any more, that is very problematic.
no subject
[ particularly, the people hurdling from the sky, the number of which is fastly dwindling, coming only one or two every five or ten minutes now. ]
But I think any people falling from the sky is a shock for most people.
𝑘𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑎𝑠
In his defense, he's looking for something kind of specific. Ish. The thing is, regular clothes get all caught up in the shifting metal plates on his left arm, which is a real pain in the ass during a fight. Winds up tugging on his whole shirt, half-choking himself with the collar, it's easier to just rip the whole damn sleeve off.
But then you wind up with a whole wardrobe of clothes with one sleeve, annoying when you're trying to hide the thick ass metal arm currently out and on display in this department store.
So he catches sight of some petite blonde stretching a shirt sleeve the length of her whole body and-
Hang on, that might work. )
Hey, where'd you get that?
no subject
and then the interruption, which wouldn't be that remarkable except for who it is. even ex-widows in the process of deprogramming an entire army have access to the news, after all.
if there's any recognition yelena doesn't let it show, but she does let go of the top half of the shirt abruptly, letting it smack sharply onto the floor above her foot. )
Why, do you need fashion tips? ( she smiles, sweet as anything as she reaches down for the shirt again. really it's just the principle of the matter now, the "UNTEARABLE!" label just feels like a challenge.
besides, an awful lot of people are coming through this store. it seems as good a spot as any to scope. ) I have one. Try more colour.
not in kansas
he finds the girl, lighter in hand, ready to torch a pair of shorts that she's almost certainly not paid for, while browsing. )
Do you stress test everything you wear or are you staging some kind of protest?
no subject
( she untucks the attached label, flipping it around so that he can read the very loud, colourful claims of completely flame resistant! will not burn! printed across it.
admittedly yelena has no real reason to be concerned about fires, at least no more here than she would in her regular life, but that hasn't prevented a spark of curiosity all the same. )
Fire explodes from my eyes now, I have to be careful.
( no it does not. )
no subject
kylo's head tilts by the smallest degree, the slightest indication of his curiosity. while he doesn't particularly care about the shorts, he is very interested in yelena and her embellishing. )
Show me. ( because while he's reasonably sure she's lying there's always the chance that he'll learn something interesting, regardless. people do strange things when they're flustered or, worse, trying to prove a point. )
no subject
( yelena makes a soft tsk sound under her breath, shaking her head slow and dramatic and full of mock disappointment. but even as she says it, she steps a little closer and holds the pair of shorts out to the man.
the look on her face isn't quite challenging but something close, an eyebrow threatening to quirk up and a smirk almost tugging at a corner of her mouth. but she reins it in. )
Okay, hold these.
no subject
a smart man would be more concerned about risking his safety, with only a gut hunch and a pair of truly microscopic shorts standing between him and potential immolation. but a challenge has been issued and he can't but accept, so.
he takes the shorts, shaking them out like a waiter preparing to set a table. the look he gives her says do your worst. )
no subject
...and then she just grins, snorting out a quick laugh. )
It would have been cool if I could though, no?
(no subject)
not in kansas
The device he wears now though seems to be keeping his feet on the ground, but it does nothing for the scars that mar the side of his face. A hoodie helps with that though, drawn up to cast most of his face in shadows as he wanders through the market, trying to find another answer.
Instead he sees a blonde trying on a jacket that doesn't really suit her. ]
I know this is all possibly a nightmare, but really?
[ His nose wrinkles, shaking his head before moving to select a motocross style jacket in black. ]
More like this, really? Though... I mean...
[ He peers at the tag and what it's for. ]
Do you have nipple lasers? Do you think it matters if you don't?
no subject
( despite her response, yelena shrugs off the jacket she's currently trying on without much fuss. colour her curious, but the man approaching seems interesting if nothing else. she's willing to see where this goes.
besides, it's not like she's doing anything else right now.
she dumps the old jacket on a table next to them without much concern, turning her attention to the stranger's offering instead, and she smiles, pleased, when she sees it. )
Oh, I could have nipple lasers. This is very cool. ( she holds a hand out for the jacket in question, and when she looks at the man holding it out yelena (very politely, if you ask her) looks towards the side of his face not obscured by shadows. it's not like she can't see the edges of scarring there, but it's clear he wants to hide it too. ) Now I have to find you one. Do you have guns for hands?
no subject
[ It sounds so lighthearted, teasing and he's not taking any of it seriously. Nightmare or not, death or not, none of that matters. All that matters tight in this moment is here and now, nothing more or less.
He smiles though as he hands over the jacket that is definitely made for her more than the one she's holding. ]
You would think you would just need good bra and not a jacket but okay.
[ What gets him about this is that if someone went through the trouble to make the jacket, it means they've dealt with nipple lasers before. He's not sure what to think about that. ]
What? No, not for hands. Otherwhere, that's maybe another story.
[ He snorts at himself. ]
Wow, that was my worst, tasteless joke ever. Promise that whatever this power thing is, mine doesn't involve guns.
[ It's funny how much he's laughed in the short time he's been in this place. It's been a while since he's laughed. ]
not in kansas.
Lucifer steps easily over the would-be criminal, straightening his suit jacket absently. ]
I think they went that way. But we're bound to find more soon in this part of town.
[ He's assuming she meant she was enjoying the fight. ]