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COLLABORATIVE WORLDBUILDING MEME
COLLABORATIVE
WORLDBUILDING MEME
While the mods are committed to providing a variety of fun, engaging mod-run events in the context of a mod-guided metaplot, Meta Heroes operated on the ethic that DWRP is at its best when players are given the freedom to run wild and contribute meaningfully to the setting. Given that Meta Heroes offers players a substantial sandbox with lots of freedom, the setting will always grow and evolve with the playerbase.
This collaborative worldbuilding meme will be a recurring spot for players to share the toys they've developed — giving other players more to work with and reference, as well as helping the mods keep track of that information. Over time, the mods intend to add businesses and the like to the LOCATIONS page based on what players develop. The goal behind this is to make all of the information as easy to access as possible.
Below are a list of possible contributions and suggested forms to reply to this meme with. Please feel free to brainstorm ideas that aren't fully developed in the comments of this post! Players can also do this kind of brainstorming at our static OOC DISCUSSION AND PLOTTING post outside of the usual meme hours.
Guidelines
01. Be sensitive to the way players are impacted by real events. Do not reference real people or real events. Do not fictionalize real people or real tragedies. If necessary, the mods will veto any suggestions that cause concern from other players. 02. Collaborate with one another on these ideas. 03. Avoid duplications.
City Locations
Each city in Meta Heroes is designed to reflect its own flavor/subgenre, both in homage to the wide array of comics subgenres and out of respect to the fact that the playerbase loves a wide variety of plot types. To that end, players are invited to develop locations, community practices, and other setting elements to help personalize the cities to your needs. Below is a little reminder of the overall vibe for each of our locations:
LITTLE LOVE is a slow-paced, rural farming town that also features a number of manufacturing plants. Its “supervillains” are largely the products of wayward alien technology or kids who got carried away with their newfound powers. Think Smallville.For each of these cities, players can contribute things like native NPC businesses, parks, cultural events, and geographic features (think bridges, statues, and art installations). Please use the form below to share setting elements of this kind:
CENTRAL CITY is a midwestern city to all things grimdark and urban noir. Organized and violent crime runs rampant. This is where you’d most likely find your Falcone families, your Jokers, and your Kingpins. In addition, this is the most politically active of the cities. You'll also find the people who don't get their own hands dirty, like Lex Luthor, preferring to move behind the scenes.
SUNSET FALLS is a mid-sized suburb in the West, full of magic, mystery, and dimensional weirdness. Think of it as Sunnydale meets Mystic Falls. Hell can't wait to swallow this shithole, err, whole. This is where you’d get your Enchantresses, your Klarion the Witchboys, and your hoards of vampires.
EXCELSIOR CITY is the coastal tech capital of the United States on this Earth! Think Eureka. Disillusioned scientists, angry ex-partners, and technology just plain going wrong! You’d find your Man-Bats, Green Goblins, and Paste Pot Petes here.
Businesses
All players are welcome to have their characters set up IC businesses, charities and organizations, provided they could realistically do so with the resources at their disposal. To start a PC-run business, please fill out a SETTING ENGAGEMENT for approval. (Note: this post has been recently updated!)
Already approved businesses and locations can be posted here to share with other players for their use in threads using the form below. Players can also use this form to establish an NPC-run business that characters frequent, including US-based mega-corporations that are antagonistic, friendly, or anywhere in-between.
Minor NPCs
Players are invited to design heroic and villainous NPCs for use in small-scale plots and to populate cities. These can be allies or enemies, developed within or across guilds. The guidelines below are not strict! They’re merely suggestions as to what players can expect for the day to day.
WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THESE MINOR NPCS?
Players can freely use player-created minor NPCs in logs and plots. Please be courteous with other people's toys; it's not a good idea to kill a minor NPC made by or frequently used by someone else without talking to them or pitching an idea inmetaooc first. These are intended to flesh out the setting and give superpowered characters something more specific to fight against.
As a reminder, guidelines for what kinds of plots require approval can be found at our newly updated PLOTTING page. Thwarting small schemes, bank robberies, and plots without civilian death or widespread destruction — as well as silly things like everyone suddenly losing their left shoe — don’t require mod approval. Players are free to reference them or run them without running them by the mods. The crux is that if person or property is going to be damaged substantially in a way that other people would notice, players should be communicating with the mod team.
WHAT IF I WANT TO APP A SHORT-TERM VILLAIN CHARACTER?
You sure can! Players have multiple options for how to execute this. One route is to submit an application for the character and include plot plans within the application. Another is to contact the mods at the MOD CONTACT page. Lastly, players could submit short-term villain requests to the PLOTTING page.
QUESTIONS
Outside of the operation of this meme, you can always ask these questions at the SETTING ENGAGEMENT post with the subject line 'GUIDANCE,' or at the FAQ.
School Brainstorming Thread
NPC: Heather Hale/MetaMommy (Lofty Heights & Central City)
NAME: Heather Hale
ALIAS MetaMommy
AGE: 36
GENDER: F
POWERSET: Mommy Blogger. No powers to speak of, but she has spent over a decade honing her skills in maintaining an online brand for fun and profit, and she is the Treasurer of the PTA at Lofty Heights.
BACKSTORY: Heather was born to an upper-middle class suburban family. She had a small photography blog before she married her husband, a metahuman who is a C-List superhero — not that she'd ever describe him that way. In her words, he's "humble," "down to earth," and "family-oriented," unlike the flashy heroes dominating the media.
When she got pregnant with the first of her many kids with him, she revamped her photography blog into a Mommy Blog, documenting the pregnancy & the growth of her children. Once her kids started displaying superpowers, the blog really took off. She documented the growth and development of her meta children, rebranding the blog as MetaMommy.
Today, MetaMommy is a million-dollar media empire based in Central City with its own product lines, books, and countless endorsement deals. MetaMommy has become a shining beacon for parents across the world. She blogs about the daily challenges of raising metahuman children, offering support and solidarity for other parents out there struggling with metababies of their own, with advice on how to foster "desirable" powers while helping the children learn to suppress "problematic" powers. Even parents of non-meta children look to her for advice, and apply those principles for raising their own kids.
Her oldest son is a high school sophomore at Lofty Heights. Like all his siblings, he's had his superhero name and identity chosen for him by his mother when he was very young, and his image has been used in endorsements before he could even learn to speak. Every growth milestone was a carefully scripted, Instagram-perfect affair. These past few years, Heather's been pushing hard to get her perfect hero child a spot on the Augmented Titans when he graduates.
MOTIVATION: Reputation, branding, and influence
and profit.She knows how difficult metahuman children can be, but every single one of her metababies is a gift. The sacrifices she makes for them every day give her purpose ♥ and she is hashtag #Blessed to have them in her life.ANYTHING ELSE?: Full-size image
Heather's real name is not attached to her public persona as MetaMommy. It's a secret identity of her own. She does understand the danger that could come from people knowing her children's identities.
Her secret identity is known amongst some Metas, however, especially those who deal with the school regularly.
The entire philosophy of MetaMommy's brand is rooted in the idea that meta children are all inherently difficult, and must be strictly taught to control themselves and behave in society. With the current unrest about metahumans brewing among the populace, she's been given a golden opportunity to spin the narrative; The problem metahumans are all ones who came in through the recent Confluences, you see. They're Wild and never had loving parents to guide them the way she guides her children.
I haven't come up with any details for who her husband and kids are, or even how many kids she has. I'm leaving that open for now so people can build on the idea for any plots they want to do with her & her family.
Also, as treasurer, the products and services purchased for school functions are conveniently from companies she's partnered with — or even subsidiaries of the MetaMommyTM brand. Either way, the PTA's money is going right back into her pocket. Because they're the best products, of course!!
LOCATION
LOCATION: In Sunset Falls, at the end of a dead end street, atop a hill, backing onto a wooded strip of land that abruptly ends in a cliff, there sits the Hurly-burly House. No one can recall who owns it now. The last attempt to live in it was more than 30 years ago, and it's front approach is wildly overgrown. The gingerbread is in rough shape - it hardly looks worth the effort despite the size.
DESCRIPTION: The house is eccentric-looking, with two mismatched towers. It's built of orange brick with gingerbread trim, and it is in sore need of care. While it's not condemnable, yet, the paint is peeling, several shutters are missing, and the wood of the stairs and porch are soft and bouncy.
ASSOCIATED NPCS: The locales all know the story, and yet, none of them know the true tale.
Jas. Hurley, Esq., built the house in 1722 for his dramatic young bride Sibella, and they immediately set about having a dozen children, five of which survived to adulthood: the third, Sophie, the sixth, Dorothea, the ninth, Bridget, the twelfth, Rose, and the eldest, James Hurley II.
The four sisters were classically educated by tutors, as their father was progressive enough to believe that daughters should become wives that their husbands would want to talk to Armed with math and reading skills, Dorothea lead the sisters in successfully defending their inheritance from their swindling brother when their parents died in a blizzard in 1754. They bought their brother out of the house and business, Bridget took the reins of the company, and the sisters settled into a happy life of spinsters.
in 1785, a new pastor came to town. In his sixties, he was soft-spoken and preached a more subtle fire-and-brimstone than the Johnathan Edwardses of the First Great Awakening. The sisters almost immediately became his target. Unnatural, that was the word, with their Latin and numbers and Dorothea’s pants. His audience knew what he meant, and soon every action of the sisters became a strike against them, and a new word that was whispered under breath, because Massachusetts had put a stop to the trials decades prior: witch.
In 1792, an angry mob, riled but not accompanied by the preacher, stormed the Hurly-burly House, drug the women out, and murdered them. The deaths were recorded as natural, but over a dozen contemporary accounts reference the witch-hunt, calling it the hurly-burly. The pastor was not seen in the town again, and the contemporary references document the town’s belief that the Hurley witches murdered the pastor.
James Hurley II returned to town and took up residence at Hurley House. Six months later, on the night of the full moon, he dropped dead in the night. One account remains of finding his body, which was described as wretched and wasted with a horrorstruck expression. Children began calling it the hurly-burly house
Since then, the house has had 11 owners and 27 attempts at residency. No resident has lasted more than six months, although only three have died. They speak of drafts and strange noises, but none have been willing to talk much about the Hurly-burly House. When the last owner passed away in 1989, no relatives came to claim the deed and none could be found. Bona vacantia. Funny thing though... the town didn't want to deal with it either. And so it sits.
And that, is what "everyone knows".
But here’s what you know, dear reader. They. Were. Witches. The sisters did not have time to defend their home as they were performing a ritual to ensure that their spirits would remain to revenge themselves against the misogynists and zealots of the world. So long as they persist in the world, so will the sisters. Bound within the property lines, they’re waiting for you to come calling. With tea and scones, and a place for your bones, if the world would be happier without you.
Note: It's the intent of several of us to have our characters negotiate with the ghosts to live there in the house in exchange for simple home repairs. We'll be using this post to track any additional details about the sister ghosts.
Minor NPC
ALIAS "Killohertz"
AGE: 36
GENDER: Male
POWERSET: Herbert "Killohertz" Killian wears a suit that blasts waves of sound rom speakers installed all over his body. This allows him to nullify sound-based powers with louder noise, deflect objects, propel himself, and shatter objects by blasting the right frequency.
BACKSTORY: Herbert Killian was a sound and electronics technician working for stage shows until he lost his job, which forced him to turn to crime.
MOTIVATION: He's got two kids to feed as a single dad! Plus he can't get legitimate work. Too bad he doesn't realize he could revolutionize sound system technology or take his work to the military; instead, he's decided to rob banks.
ANYTHING ELSE?: His costume is a cross between the Shocker from Ultimate Spider-Man and Shriek from Batman Beyond, with a trenchcoat, shades, speakers all over his outfit, and a helmet for protection. Unmasked, he's an average-looking man in his 30's with a bit of stubble. Reasonably fit for his age, can throw a decent punch.
Business
DESCRIPTION: Descendant is a karaoke bar and lounge. For the public at large, it's a casual place to drink, eat, relax, and to be entertained. For the criminal underworld, it's also a neutral place to do shady dealings, privately discuss business, and play some high-stakes card games or high-stakes billiards.
However, Descendant's true purpose is for the BatFamily to gather intel on criminals. One could say it's a BatBar.
At the time of this comment, there are seven employees who are player-run characters. Four of those employees are also BatFamily vigilantes. At least one of those four is always around.
Music is usually playing, be it from people performing at the karaoke areas or from Descendant's own playlist, separate from the karaoke machines' collections.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Descendant resides in a two-story building with a basement and an attic. The entrance door is relatively innocuous.
Once you get passed the bouncers and the weapons check area, the general interior look of the business is speakeasy-esque with obvious modern additions like karaoke machines and arcade machines.
The ground floor and the second floor are where customers are free to interact. The basement is for employees only and where supplies are kept. The attic is ostensibly a private residential space, but is actually a safehouse for the BatFamily and certain friends of the BatFamily. Like many Prohibition-era speakeasies, there are also hidden passageways throughout the building behind walls.
CITY: Central City
INFO POST LINK: A more detailed post about the business is here.
CONTACT NAMES: Jason Todd (owner)
HOW CAN CHARACTERS GET INVOLVED: Characters are free to use the space as a place to hang out. Private rooms can be rented to host parties. Go nuts with what kind of music the karaoke machines have!
BatFamily listening in on a character talking about possible criminal activities is OPTIONAL. We will not get involved without permission. If you would like to plot and have a Bat get involved, feel free contact one of us or fill in the opt-in form in this journal's detailed post.
If a character would like to work at Descendant, they can contact Jason and he'll interview them to see if they fit the place. He'll especially see if they're comfortable dealing with potential shady customers and will emphasize that employees will be protected if a particularly awful customer tries to do anything.
IC INBOX: Here
Location
NAME: Prospero Luxury Apartments & Condominiums
LOCATION: Central City, on the border of a more gentrified area.
DESCRIPTION: An industrial chic apartment building towering above the streets. It boasts high-end shopping & restaurants on the first two floors, with robust security measures protecting the private living areas above that.
Residents of the apartment have access to a wide variety of amenities, including:
- In-unit laundry and/or laundry service
- Private event spaces
- Outdoor pool area on an outcropping of one of the upper floors
- Gym & spa
- Movie theater
- Maker space
- Video & music studio space
- And many more are being added!
At the very top of the building is the penthouse apartment, owned (not rented) by a trust fund in Dylan Brock's name.ASSOCIATED NPCS: No one in particular. The apartments were constructed by a real estate investment company aiming for a specific clientele — not the mega-rich crime lords of the city, but a step below: The upper-middle class who would prefer to keep themselves safe from the issues of Central City by shutting them away and ignoring them.