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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
Never resist, my friend
"For you, Allison, it's always an offering. I admit, I wasn't expecting the latest kidnapping to come with a familiar face."
In fact, he hadn't expected a kidnapping at all. Was this another one of those flickers of another universe that they'd experienced with the imPort world, or was it something else? He supposed time would tell. One month. Those flickers of reality never lasted more than one month. He's already got a timer running.
... what if my brain won't let me write Jean's yet & I just tag you a lil bit first, instead?
They'd been through at least one of those already. Not counting the two she'd been through with her family. Allison took her cup with a thank you and proceeded to locate the cream and sugar on the laden end of this table. Which she poured in liberally. She hated being held captive, but at least it came with not too terrible accoutrements. Comparably.
There was a sip. Small, as it was still just a little too hot.
"Are we thinking this is another blip? Or something else?" There's a slight tilt to her head. There are people with powers, crazy storybook villains, weird white boxes with expanding rooms. It's not exactly like, or not like, everything else that's been thrown at them. Both that they could remember and not.
Then in that instance I would invite you to enjoy yourself as best you can
"I mean, you're not wrong. I've seen Earth in ruins more than a few ways, and this is the first time it came with coffee. So there you have it, a step in the right direction."
And it was good coffee, so David was absolutely enjoying that. He definitely gave a slightly mournful look at her seasoning of the drink, but hey, sometimes he drank salted caramel mocha lattes, so was he REALLY in a position to judge? Nope. Throw stones at him first.
"Not sure yet. Could be a blip, but those I at least have integrated into more smoothly in the past. But there have been others who haven't, so it's hard to tell. What went wrong with the dragon half felt like a Welcoming Ceremony, back when they still got stupid explosive, but..."
His eyes glanced around, taking in what was going on around him.
"But I don't know. It's so hard to be certain in these circumstances. I know how long the longest we've been gone before is, so I'm keeping track of that. But I was certain we had sealed the rift. Last thing I remember was walking through to go home at last. So either we fucked that up royally, or something's going on."
no subject
She was really getting tired of thinking Claire was seconds from reachable and then.
This. Again.
"How long was your longest?" As long as she'd known David, she knew he and several other people had been here so much longer than any of them had. She also made a note to keep in touch with him about the count after this.
no subject
Still, he remembers the Claire thing, in passing, enough that he hurts more for her than for himself. He didn't have a kid.
"Of the two instances of the imPort world messing with our brains, it was never more than a month. The first one was actually only about three weeks. The other one... Well, you remember that. Of course there was a propensity for that place's distortions to get worse with time, so that isn't that shocking, right?"
no subject
"But everything everyone said--" As Allison still had no memories of that place. Or certain small people in it. No matter that others, including Diego, of all people did. "--about that last one seemed completely different from where we'd been, too."
Beat. "At least we still remember who we are."
That one was a few steps above coffee.
But that was the rub, too, wasn't it. They hadn't in the others.
no subject
"Over time, I got more and more memories of that place. I think it had to do with... Well, it had to do with that David almost dying, and some parallels to that and something that happened to me when the time-travel doors appeared in the imPort cities. That wasn't completely different from the imPort world. Still powers. Still dimensional instabilities. But yes, it's hard to tell what is and isn't still connected."
Though he appreciated remembering himself for a change. Better than being a dark information broker, or a doomed leader of an island paradise.
"Some people remembered in those I think. Not everyone. A lot less. But still some."
no subject
It was the reason she'd ended up slipping out of her house in the middle of the night without even telling Luther on more than a post-it note. (Well, one of the many.) On that vacation with Tony, and Pepper, and David, himself. This side. She doesn't let herself think about it too much. The domino trail gets twisted in this place. That place. Out here, in the everywhere that isn't home.
Because she can stay on topic, regardless of her thoughts.
"Did you end up remembering anything more helpful than what you knew earlier?"
no subject
And David hated himself for it.
no subject
And yet, was that such a surprise? To find herself, in the words of someone she'd begun to trust, somewhere else, still the recipe for ruin and downfall of everything that she'd dared to think she could touch? It's has a sharp, hollow, familiar ring to it. Absolutely the kind of disaster Number Three would leave in her wake. Had. In Hollywood. In Dallas.
This sounds so much more like what she expected. What is it about being told she'd been part of paving hell and hurting the people she cared for felt more familiar, more true, more her, more relieving and easy to believe than Kaneki or Deigo saying that she'd been happy -- with Claire, with someone she loved -- that everyone had been.
no subject
Too bad it was all too common for people like him to see that happen. But yes, she had been happy with some of it. That was just something else entirely.
"We wanted a better world. That rarely goes well."
no subject
Allison shook her head, repeating a line from one of Claire's books from forever ago. Nothing light and silly in her tone though. It was never that easy, and three steps down from when her world exploded, without getting back at four years later -- it doesn't even seem the intelligent kind of thing to attempt. No less believe you could manage.
no subject
He wanted something good too.
no subject
She can, at the very least, try for David. "Then, how was it?"
no subject
"Bad, Allison. Fuck, I don't even think you really want to know. It isn't worth the pain of it if you don't remember it."