TEST DRIVE MEME #5

[metamods]

TEST DRIVE MEME

A Confluence, capitalized, is the converging of one or more supernatural forces.

Right on the heels of the near-apocalypse, the next Confluence comes right on schedule. Thin glowing cracks split the air like an eggshell, the aftershocks of August's great rifts. They seem normal - or at least, what has become normal over the past year. But since the world nearly ended last month, the people of this world have become far more jumpy. Maybe this isn't the kind of thing they should be getting used to.

A NOT-SO-WARM WELCOME. EXCELSIOR.

This shift in reality comes quickly and painlessly. One moment, you're going about your business in your own world; in the next, between blinks, you open your eyes to find yourself on AN UNFAMILIAR STREET.

The futuristic city you find yourself in appears to have been through some sort of DISASTER recently. Glass and strange metallic debris litters the streets, and the tall skyscrapers are pockmarked and even charred in some places. Despite all of that, nothing terrible appears to be happening right now; rather, there's an active CLEAN-UP EFFORT happening.

Despite this show of community spirit, it seems like a lot of the locals aren't too pleased to see you. People might glare, or even flee, when they see you emerge out of thin air. If you approach one of the groups to ask where you are, or what on earth just happened, it's possible that they'll grumble about "more freaking metas" and try to get rid of you.

You aren't the only personas non grata in the city. If you wander long enough, or are observant enough, you may catch sight of the odd flying car or robotic mechanism that isn't acting like the rest. The ROUGE AI who have survived this far are now in hiding, trying to avoid the destruction that's met the rest of their kin. Maybe you can work together? Or maybe they're even more hyped for the destruction of humanity now.

Eventually, you will be able to find some exhausted-seeming representatives of the (stretched very thin) Guilds, who will gather you up and take you back to their headquarters for orientation. And maybe your new robot friends, should you make any.

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 THOROUGHBRED: HEART OF A CHAMPION movie, a biopic about the first animal-turned-metahuman superhero. It will make you laugh, cry, and determine that yes - a horse can play baseball.

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.

BITS AND BOBS. CENTRAL CITY, MICHIGAN

CENTRAL CITY is still seeing some strange after-effects from the recent interdimensional incident! Luckily, no people are appearing or disappearing anymore. Instead, it seems that INANIMATE OBJECTS are still being affected by minor dimensional rifts. Sometimes, things disappear; someone's bike may vanish from the bike rack where they left it, or you might find the furniture in your hotel room has suddenly gone missing.

Far more common, however, are items appearing from other worlds. Some of these are mundane: unusual brands of food or drink, or maybe clothes according to the fashion trends of another dimension. But a lot of them are stranger. Some are pieces of technology clearly not native to this dimension, such as small personal speeders or ADVANCED WEAPONS. Others may be MAGICAL, though if you aren't familiar with the item in question, you might just have to pick up the weird amulet to see what it does.

There's also the chance that something from your world has fallen through. A small trinket that you miss. Your favorite kind of soda, not available in this world. The keys to your car that you'll walk the city trying to find, clicking the unlock button until something responds.

This has never been the safest of cities. Interdimensional weapons are a problem in the wrong hands and those hands are quite ready to kill if you should find yourself holding them. It's a dangerous place to walk alone at night, even for some metas; the criminals here have long since gotten used to having to fight superpowered foes. Emboldened by the chaos the city descended into last month, there's been a rash of muggings and burglaries lately - and these are only made worse by the sudden availability of random, occasionally incredibly good gear.

You may run into bands of particularly ambitious thieves, using their newfound loot to rob banks or hold people up. You may also find these people losing control of these things they don't understand, causing magical or technological backlash. Either way - maybe you can find some good loot drops yourself to help out?

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR. SUNSET FALLS, MASSACHUSETS.

There's a DEMON in Sunset Falls. Which isn't at all a surprise - there's always a demon in Sunset Falls.

Yet this one is special. The first extra-dimensional visitor since the universe was restored to its rightful place in the wider multiverse. Attracted to the power of the Hellmouth and the lingering magic of the Willow Maiden thick in the air, a Wish Demon known as Charles has settled within the city. New arrivals will find themselves met by a friendly stranger who is oh so hungry for the energy they're radiating, their connection to this world fresh and begging to be harvested.

I can grant your hearts desire, he says. And you needn't answer him. The thought that pops into your head is precisely what he sets about giving to you... though of course, it's not exactly what you want. The demon derives his power from the misery and despair left when hope breaks. Wish to return home and you'll find yourself in an illusionary world where everything has gone wrong. Your body will remain on the ground, and all those who touch you will be transported to this nightmare.

Wish for the object of your desires to return your affections, and you'll find them suddenly obsessed with you. Either compelled to look like you, or desperate to be with you.

Wish to be the most powerful or skilled at something, and find all those around you suddenly weaker while your strength remains unchanged.

All in all, the demon thinks himself untouchable. There's no real sign that he's done anything. No contract made or signed. He's simply granting unspoken wishes. The beings of this realm don't appear to be very powerful or intelligent and so he leaves himself unguarded. Perhaps you'll rearrange his smug little face to free you and the others he's trapped from their curse.

I DREAM A DREAM SO PRETTY. EVERYWHERE.

The Dreamers of the Willow Maiden are one of the better known cults in the world, though calling it a cult feels a little... extreme. They're harmless and sweet, offering guidance on getting the best night's sleep possible. They believe that to be well-rested and happily dreaming is to be close to the divine.

As such, they've provided a generous donation to the Diadem Hotel. Pillows.

Laying your head upon one of their enchanted pillows will allow you to fall into a deep and restful sleep. And in this sleep, you will find yourself having the most vivid dreams.

Perhaps you dream of something mundane. You go through your morning routine as normal, unaware that the words you're reading are scrambled and the clock won't tell you true time. You see nothing strange about the people around you being more concept than human. Perhaps you're the kind to dream yourself late to work, rushing to the office and not realizing until you've arrived that you've forgotten your clothes. Others blink and find themselves cast as classmates, or coworkers.

Or perhaps your mind is more given to the fantastical. You're recreating the plot of a movie you just watched, yourself as either the hero or the villain. Or the side character that's suddenly thrust into greatness. Do you fall into the fantasy of it, believing yourself to be someone else? Or are you lucid, controlling everything within the dream?

There's also the chance for a nightmare. One that twists out of your control, growing on every anxious fear. There are the regular ones - the ones that involve teeth, or falling, drowning, anxiety driven things that have you waking just before you meet your untimely end... only these dreams are so solid, so deep, that you need someone to reach out a hand and remind you that this isn't real. That you're safe back in your bed.

Whatever your dream, you'll wake rested and feeling surprisingly...loved.

CLIFF NOTES.

➢ Newbies will be arriving in Excelsior. Have fun dealing with unfriendly locals and maybe-friendly, maybe-murderous fugitive robots!

➢  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.

➢ The biggest rifts in reality have been fixed, but there are some lingering affects, such as random items disappearing or appearing. You can take advantage of these loot drops, but it seems that criminal elements are doing the same.

➢ There's a wish demon on the loose again in Sunset Falls! He's granting cursed wishes, even unspoken ones, though it shouldn't be too hard to find him if you want to put a stop to it.

➢ Newbies will find that the enchanted pillows have appeared in the Diadem Hotel as well! Anyone who sleeps on these can have dreamwalking adventures with each other - or nightmare adventures, as the case may be.

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.

Comments

Jayce Talis | Arcane |

[defenderoftomorrow]

⚒ A NOT-SO-WARM WELCOME

[ The first seconds after setting foot in Excelsior have Jayce wondering why he is in the street rather than how he ended up in a completely different world. He was at what would be the last Council meeting of his career, discussing what to do with Zaun and Jinx, and then there was a flash of light and glass shattering. But the destruction around him doesn't match what he was expecting. There's no one in sight he recognizes, and it doesn't take him long to realize he's no longer in Piltover. Teleportation is also not new to Jayce, but none of this makes sense. He can't see any Hexgates, runes, or mages.

If he weren't so confused, he would be fascinated by the city's design and the amount of new technology he can see, scientific interest piqued. He tries to talk with the locals, looking somewhat on edge but asking politely, yet his questions are met with either a cold shoulder or people throwing profanities at him. Some people go one step beyond simple words. ]

Okay, okay, I get the message! [ Jayce dodges a piece of metal - was that a robot hand??? What the hell? - that a small group of angry workers throws at him, and decides that a strategic retreat might not be a terrible idea.

He's not looking where he goes as he turns to leave hastily, too busy trying to avoid a flying broken pipe aimed at his head. And because he is not looking, he ends up colliding with someone in front of him, almost knocking them both to the ground. ]

Oof. Ah, sorry, I was just... [ 'Trying to run away from a mob' sounds too dramatic for his tastes, but that's exactly what he has been doing. ]

⚒ THE WONDERS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Jayce is trying to figure out what the cellphone he's been given actually does. While he is fascinated with all the new tech available, he doesn't fully understand how each app works, or what sort of stuff people are used to sharing and asking for in each one of them.

He tries, with more or less success. Usually less. Like now, when he doesn't even bother with a handle, and the nuances of what makes an Instagram photo interesting escape him. So he simply puts one of himself and asks what he needs.

⚒ BITS AND BOBS...and fur

[ Jayce is dressed in his academy uniform and white coat, which pretty much makes him look like he's going to the Opera at any given moment of the day. It's not a safe style of clothing to wear in a place like Central City and it doesn't take long until he is once again attracting unwanted attention. It's just his luck today, it seems. He had weapons pointed at him before and it's never a pleasant experience, especially when the guy at the other end of the knife is so jittery.

It lunges at him when Jayce reacts with little more than visible annoyance at being told to give this man everything he has on him, despite his growing tension at the situation, but he thankfully dodges his attacker before the blade can get in contact with his chest.

Jayce only wants this day to end, and more than anything, he wants to be left alone.

And then something weird happens. One moment he's catching his breath, ready to find a way to disarm this man before he hurt him or anyone else, when his hand is no longer a hand and his skin is no longer just skin. There are claws and black fur, a sound echoes in the alley that sounds like a roar, and it takes Jayce a startled moment to realize it comes from him. The attacker drops his weapon the moment he sees a big, black leopard standing where Jayce used to be. He decides this isn't worth the trouble, and turns to run away.

Jayce almost doesn't notice, overwhelmed by the changes, the loud sounds of the city filling his ears, and the new smells he can notice. Some of the people walking around notice him and start yelling. Which, okay fair. He would get alarmed too if there was a leopard loose in Piltover. While trying to get away from the screaming, Jayce figures out three things fairly quickly: One, this must be the 'possible new power' thing people mentioned to him. Two, it seems like the changes are stress-induced. Three, coordinating four different extremities and running in a straight line is harder than it looks.

He falls on his face, and goes tumbling around. When he manages to stand upright, there are white and black feathers all over him. Two legs this time, a small mercy, even if his attempt to fly away while in a secretary bird body only makes him fall to the ground again - et, tu, gravity?- and shapeshift into a caracal cat after the landing.

At this point, he's just making a spectacle of himself, changing into different animals every time he trips or hits something while looking for a place to hide: red panda, sugar glider, siamese cat, fennec fox, sea otter, a Black otter rex rabbit, even a Mononykus...

It's possible to see him transform into one of these animals until Jayce exhausts himself. His eyes are always gold, and the scar on his right eyebrow doesn't go away no matter the shape he is in, so at least some things are constant.

By the end of the night, he's looking like a very tired Utonagan dog, thankfully a form that doesn't attract the most attention, lying on his side under a park bench and wondering if he just died and went to hell. ]

⚒ WILCARD

[ If you'd like to do anything specific, please feel free to send me a PM, contact me on Lylith, or hit me up with a starter of your own. ]

Instagram

[grivences]

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[ Robin comments with a link to the Central City library, and also a link to the maps app so he can find his way there. She's been spending a lot of time there, catching up on the last few decades' worth of history and technology. (Social media included.)

She also adds, ] If you're looking for information about magic, though, you should probably go to Sunset Falls.

A not-so-warm welcome

[preferscuffs]

[Honestly, Caitlyn's first moments aren't much better. One moment she'd been relying on Vi as she watched helpless in the face of something that was obviously going to be catastrophic. The next? She's alone and falling down onto rough, unfamiliar pavement. Getting up isn't exactly easy, but she manages. Though walking proves far harder than just standing still. So for the moment, she finds a good vantage point and stays there.

Caitlyn doesn't outright talk to anyone. The wary, on-edge nature of everyone she observes leading her to believe that a formal interrogation isn't quite her best option. It wouldn't have worked in the Undercity and it likely wouldn't work here either. So instead she's just watching, sniper eyes sharp as she takes in as many details as possible. Sure, she's not sure what to do with all of them yet, but it's a start. Once she has more to go on, she'll have a better idea what to do with the knowledge she's gained from observing.

Except she's so busy watching them that she forgets to watch herself. Which is why she collides with a very large object.]

Oh, sorry. My apolo- [She cuts off mid-word, completely surprised. Though maybe she shouldn't be so surprised to see him here. After all, she's here isn't she?] Jayce?

[It's only then that she notices that he's still got some people who look quite ready to continue going after him. So much for his newfound skills as a fancy politician type.]

Come on. [Grabbing his hand, Caitlyn starts to lead him away from there. Only it lasts for one step, maybe two before she's faltering, leaning against him much like she had Vi just a short while before.] We need to talk, but not here.

Not so warm welcome

[sputterwitch]

[Maki, at the very least, seems to be fairing a little better than Jayce when he bumps into her. She's wearing a full set of firefighter's turnout gear, so she looks just enough like someone who is supposed to be doing disaster cleanup to blend in and not gain the crowd's ire.]

Its okay, are you all right?

[She doesn't wait for an answer before turning her attention on the person who threw the pipe.]

Just what the hell do you think you're doing?! You think first responders don't have enough to deal with right now?!

a not-so-warm welcome

[doctopoda]

[Jayce doesn't quite have the opportunity to nearly knock anyone over - a metal claw darts in almost as soon as he collides with the man, picking him up and just as quickly depositing him on the ground again behind Otto.

He doesn't usually manhandle people like that. But he's already on edge himself, and when he is, the actuators are always worse. At the least, none of them are decided on whether Jayce is one of the protestors or not; there's more imminent threats. Otto barks in the direction that pipe came from:]

You wanna pick a fight?

[It's sort of a bluff, but - well, he's also not leaving, they're sort of picketing in front of the Guild apartment building. Like, where he lives.]

Metal Sonic | Sonic the Hedgehog

[artspunchesface]

A) A Not-So-Warm Welcome

A panicked shriek pierced the air as another figure appeared among the citizens of Excelsior. It was one thing to have more Metas show up in this city, but to make things worse, the figure that showed up with a three-foot-tall robotic animal, piercing red optics scanning the city as people ran in terror.

“Not again! Not another one!” A citizen screamed. The sounds of sirens could be heard as a police car comes racing towards it… only for the robot to meet it in the blink of an eye, its metal talons ripping the car in half.

Someone might want to pick him up or take him out before the city does something else to make things worse for everyone.

B) Diadem Hotel

With Metal Sonic reined in (somewhat), the machine was dragged to Central City and the Diadem Hotel. It looked over the card it had gotten and processed the news it had gotten… before deciding to do a mission of its own.

It would wander the Hotel, watching others hanging around and if one caught his eye, it would scan its life form data. It wouldn’t work using this form in this blasted world - it needed something unique, especially if it wanted to conquer the world for his master when he shows up at last.

C) Bits and Bobs

“Take it! Take it all! Don’t hurt me!”

The poor schmoe that ran into Metal Sonic had turned tail and ran after tossing him his wallet. He had no desire for money. He had other means to get what he needed. However, his journey through the city came to a stop as his sensors detected a high-level magic source, one familiar with him.

Flying a short distance away, on top of a rooftop, he found a silver diamond cut gem.

A Chaos Emerald.

Of course, if he detected it, so would others…

A

[doctopoda]

[Ugh. Not another one, indeed.

Otto is sick and tired of this shit, quite frankly, but as the screaming starts he sighs, picks himself up on the actuators, and starts in that direction anyway. Better for him to deal with it than someone else.

Though there's already a bit of destruction going on, he doesn't attack immediately. It is a new arrival. Maybe it's just overwhelmed by the sudden change. He waves off the other first responder vehicles that are starting to arrive.]

Hello! Did you just arrive here?

Bethan Costigan | OC | Blanket CWs in journal

[nogodsnoheroes]

[ 1 | A Not-So-Warm Welcome ]
[One minute, she's in the shop, elbow-deep in the engine of a Honda and wondering whether she can get a few extra horsepower out of the thing if she switches out the fuel line. The next, she's here, down on one knee slap bang in the middle of the street, still with a wrench in her hand and her sleeves rolled up, engine oil blackening her hands up to the elbow.]

[She does not react well. If there's one thing Bethan doesn't take well (there are a lot of them), it's surprises.]

[For a moment, she's completely, painfully still, all the colour draining out of her face, her breath coming in short, unsteady little huffs. Her blue-grey eyes are wide, very white against her grimy face. She looks like she might be about to cry, scream, pass out, or all three.]

[What she actually does, as soon as she manages to get conscious control of herself again, is surge to her feet and start swinging. Given that she's holding a wrench, and that despite her clear distress is still clearly used to dealing damage, this is bad news for a lot of people's kneecaps, and a few ribs.]

[She winds up grabbing someone by the collar, shoving them bodily up against the nearest wall. Her teeth are bared, her face flushed, her eyes suspiciously shiny.]

What the fuck did you do to me?


[ 2 | Diadem Hotel | CW: implied suicide ]
[She doesn't like this. She doesn't trust this. The spiel they gave her sounded like some of the most transparent bullshit she's ever heard. Unity, heroism, strength, liability... to Bethan, it all sounds like a whole lot of words for control.]

[And now they've got her here in what they're calling a hotel, but it feels a whole lot like a prison. Even when she opens all the doors and windows, even when she goes up onto the roof and sits right at the edge of the wall the way she always does on her own apartment block in New York, even then... She didn't put herself here. She doesn't trust that she'll be allowed to take herself out, either. And they're watching her, she's sure of it, even right now. Why else would they give her any of this, even temporarily? They want to keep tabs on her. They want to see what she does.]

[What she does is sit on the edge of the rooftop, staring down at the street below, her jaw tight. From outside, it probably looks like a pretty dangerous position, but a lifetime of being preternaturally tough (and not a little self-destructive) have made her almost unaware of danger. The physical sort, anyway.]

[Eventually, making up her mind, she takes the credit card they gave her, snatches up her well-worn leather jacket from the bed, and heads out to the shopping center. If she's a prisoner, well, this is the first time she's been a prisoner with commissary, and she's damn well going to use it.]

[She bypasses all the shops selling things you might be inclined to think she needs - like new clothes, for example, or a hairbrush. Or soap. Instead, you can find her in a second-hand computer shop, muttering to herself as she walks through the aisles of unlocked phones, or - the only time she stops scowling - in a store that's selling motorbike gear. She's not super approachable, though. In fact, if you look at her for a little bit too long, she may well round on you, lip curling and eyes flashing.] You got a fuckin' problem?


[ 3 | Trouble in Central City ]
[Bethan's been in the vigilante business for a while, long before she came here. She knows how to find trouble when she's looking for it. And right now, she really needs a fight.]

[She doesn't change in the hotel, far too aware of the eyes that would be on her there. (Call it a hotel, call it a prison, call it a home, it's just a maze and she's a rat in it.) Instead, she ducks into a restaurant bathroom, and comes out as a faceless, black-clad biker in a mirrored helmet. It's not quite the Bandit's usual gear (it's new, for one thing, and hasn't been patched up in all the places where she's been shot or stabbed) but it'll do in a pinch.]

[A bit less than an hour later, with her new motorcycle carefully hidden behind a Dumpster, the Bandit strolls into one of the shadier bars. Not long after, there's a gunshot and the sound of breaking glass, and the fight spills over into the alleyway out back. One black-clad, helmeted biker: five heavies with guns and switchblades.]

[Even with how ruthlessly the Bandit continues to fight, pulling no punches as she breaks noses and dislocates kneecaps, it's clear she's outmatched. The men are bigger than she is, heavier than she is, and armed. She keeps getting knocked down.]

[It's just that, even when the bullet goes right into her gut, she keeps getting back up, too.]


[ 4 | Dream a Dream So Ugly | CW: medical experimentation, child abuse, torture ]
[The nightmare isn't a surprise in its vividness, and there's very little metaphor in it. It's the same dream she has every night, that makes her wake up screaming and swearing.]

[The corridors are endless white. They echo metallic footsteps back at every turn. The air smells of bleach.]

[The little girl with the shaved head runs through the endless maze of locked hospital rooms. Shadows move behind the clouded glass of observation windows, impossibly large and faceless figures. Somewhere, someone is screaming, loudly and unceasingly.]

[You might find yourself in the place of a child, too, dressed in white pyjamas. Or maybe you find yourself as one of those looming, faceless figures, in surgical masks or combat fatigues, scalpel in hand. Or maybe you just watch, helpless, as the little girl runs through the hallways, throwing herself bodily at the locked doors, hands bloody from scratching at the locks. As the walls begin to close in.]

Let me out! LET ME OUT!

3.

[hevenly]

[ Technically speaking, Angela is not on duty tonight. She's working her other, more under-the-table job instead. Black card in hand, she enters the seedy bar in search of the man Kai's client has paid her to find. Sounds of a struggle are obvious, and so Angela does not tarry, but heads straight through the back to the alley behind. It is there that she recognizes her quarry, along with several of his friends, beating a leather clad figure in a mirrored helmet.

Something about that sight triggers a memory in Angela...

But no matter. She is here with a job to do.

She's dressed somewhat more inconspicuously than usual, in a pair of shorts and a dark hoodie, but still, there are not many women in Central City who fight with twin blades made of liquid gold. She hurls one of her Ichors through the air and it pierces the hand of a man aiming a gun at the helmeted figure, knocking the weapon aside just before it can strike. ]

magnus bane | shadowhunters

[high_warlock]

i. a not-so-warm welcome;

Magnus keeps his trips to Alicante few and far between, for good reason. While the home city of the Shadowhunters has its allure, the pristine architecture does not appeal to Magnus, born in a bustling port town and drawn to the metropolises of the world thick with people, cultures, styles of all sorts. In addition to that Shadowhunter minimalist design, void of personality, there was also the Shadowhunter derision and barely there tolerance of his sort that made him feel distinctly unwelcome, uncomfortable, and uninterested in lingering for longer than necessary.

He gets much the same feel off of the city of Excelsior once he's had a chance to get his bearings and explore the area. While the city does look like it's recently been through... a very rough patch, to say the least, it's clear too that the intention is for something slick and futuristic, not real and marked by humanity. Also, there's the fact that when he tries to curry some favor by snapping his fingers and magically relocating a pile of debris to a nearby dumpster, he's met with that familiar old derision, none of the tolerance on any scale.

Magnus is too attuned to people and situations like this to need more than one stink eye and snarl before he bids a hasty retreat. He's not running, but he's certainly putting his lengthy stride to good use.

(For some reason, he cannot conjure a portal to get him out of here. Rather than spend time on puzzling that out, and potentially being harshly rebuked by this reality, he chooses to make do with walking. It's not as if that's beneath him, even as the High Warlock of Brooklyn. He's made his home in New York City, after all.)

The sun could barely be called high in the sky and he's already looking for a bar of some type. Does he have a currency that works here? Who the hell knows, but he can find that out later.

ii. diadem hotel;

The general cityscape of Excelsior might not be to Magnus' liking, but the Diadem Hotel is a different matter altogether. This is far more to his liking, far more his style. The complimentary service paired with the free credit card is a nice touch. He doesn't for a second believe that it's really credit with no strings attached, but on their initial meeting, the guild representative had not overly pressured the warlock one way or the other. So, for the moment, he feels comfortable using the card as much as he needs.

Yes, some of his clothing choices, in quality and style, might not count as "necessary" by anyone's definition, but we're all allowed our indulgences, aren't we?

When he's not indulging in a few of the spa amenities at the hotel, he can be found in the bar, remaining remarkably sober for the amount of liquor he's putting away and making gentle inquiries of anyone who doesn't seem likely to dismiss him outright.

The shopping center also offers a good distraction and the retail therapy offers a good outlet for the swirling emotions mudding Magnus' brain. There's so much here that doesn't make sense, so much he needs to puzzle out. He needs to find a way out, a way back home, a way back to the mess that is his dimension. So he starts with a few subtle inquiries of a few likely subjects, makes a show of his decadent style and the high spending limit on that free credit card, until he's caught the attention of someone dealing in items supernatural. The selection, however, is pitiful in scope and power. Nothing catches his eye as worthwhile to his pursuits and the seller goes away, empty-handed and scowling at time wasted.

Magnus tries to comfort himself with some trash Chinese takeout, but even orange chicken can't hit the spot. He grumbles to himself as he shuts the container, one piece of chicken consumed and the rest untouched.

"Hungry?" he asks, offering the food to the nearest person.

iii. bits and bobs;

Magnus has been engaged in a bit of a scavenger hunt for the past few hours. It started with a quill, oddly familiar and simply laying on the sidewalk like any old discarded bird feather. He strolled along the street while considering it, wondering why it felt so familiar, when he spied a jacket. A jacket just laying, unattended, neatly draped over the back of a bus stop bench. A jacket he knew for a fucking fact was part of Versace's latest spring line, but when he checked the label, it was from some brand named Vercase. Magnus knew better than to assume it was a simple knockoff and, checking for an obvious owner, he threw the jacket over one arm, claiming it for himself as he continued on his way.

He's got an interesting pocket watch jangling in his pocket as well when he finally rounds a corner and happens upon a more dangerous, less fashionable situation. There's an amulet sitting atop a covered trash can, absolutely boiling over with a dark energy that Magnus cannot identify wholly but that he knows is definitely bad news. And, in even worse news, there's a shady looking man already cloaked in all black reaching out to grab that necklace.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Magnus advises in a firm voice, putting just enough edge on it that he hopes he's sufficiently intimidating. His warning goes unheeded, however, and the man closes his fingers around the metal disc. That dark energy Magnus felt begins to swirl around the other's fingers, reaching up, pulling and climbing up his arm, imbuing the man with power he no doubt does not know how to use. Or, rather, power that he doesn't know how to use but fully intends to figure out in a less than desirable way.

Magnus sighs as he sets the jacket aside, again draped over a convenient bench but this time with that quill in the inner pocket. He snaps his fingers and blue flames of magic alight around his hands. He lifts them up in a defensive stance, though it's clear that hand-to-hand combat is not on his mind. Neither is stepping back and allowing this questionable person to use their new found power on something dastardly and potentially dangerous.

"I think that would be prettier around my neck. Why don't you hand it over?"

iv. what's life without likes;

un: m.bane

Text only is not my preferred medium, but I will treat you all to delicious selfies when I'm a little more settled.

For now: Warlocks? Werewolves? Vampires? Hell, I'll even take Fae or Shadowhunters.

I'll take "Anyone Who Knows What a Shadowhunter Even Is" for $500, Alex.

Oh, also, what's the deal with Sunset Falls and does the demon there need to be banished? Is that even something that can be done here?

If the answer to the latter is no, don't tell me, it'll only make me more depressed.

v. wildcard;

[[ I didn't write anything up for wishes or dreams but I am open to those prompts as well as anything you might desire. Elevator Pitch: Magnus is a 300 year old (he would say 800 year old; he would be lying) warlock, which means he's the magical, immortal son of a Big Name Demon. Freewheeling bisexual taken from an as-of-yet to be determined moment in TV series canon. Big fan of alcohol and glitter with a heart of gold beneath. PM or evilsalmon for questions or ideas. ]]

iv

[slowmotionbuscrash]

Jeopardy references impose a big penalty on the delicious selfies.

Jubilee | Marvel 616 | Just post crucifixion

[thelittlestbub]

I. Excelsior

She blinks in the bright light. For all that the Mansion is huge, there's no reason for this bright light to be in the subbasement, where she'd been headed down the hall toward the Danger Room.

Jubilee looks around, the bandages on her hands are still white, still fresh. She's not wearing her signature yellow coat, hers having been shredded when they... they'd....

No. No. She's stronger than this, stronger than the panic, the terror, and the gut wrenching feeling she has, realizing something has happened. Because enough hasn't happened to her yet, apparently.

She goes to look for her phone, but... it's not there. It'd been in her coat, and... her mind swirls, and she focuses on her breathing and on the feeling of sun on her skin, the wind against her hair. It grounds her, and she's able to push back the feelings that are hedging around the edges of her mind.

She won't give in to them. She's stronger than that. She will remain stronger than that.

"So. Time to be an X-Man again." Of course. Not even in the Manstion ten minutes.....

II. Diadem

So, this place looks like Emma, Warren and Tony Stark went into business together and business is good.

God, she misses Emma. Not so much Warren - not since he started dating Paige of all people. And Tony's always good for a giggle.

She's sitting in the bar, staring at the array of liquor that she really shouldn't even contemplate. Instead, she's picking at a plate of fries, and a coffee. She should go get clothing and a few other things. But she just can't, quite, bring herself to go do mundane things. Someone slides into a seat next to her and she doesn't look up, sipping her coffee. "Not really in the mood for company, dude." She says, hearing them take a breath, about to speak.

I

[doctopoda]

[Otto, as an Alliance member already on-site, has been drafted into rounding up and greeting new arrivals. Frankly, he doesn't want to; he's still exhausted after everything that happened last month. But someone has to do it, so here he is, wandering around on the lookout for anybody who seems obviously lost or displaced.

This girl...well, she looks upset, at the very least. He heads over, actuators held low around his sides and voice gentle.]

Hello. Did you just arrive here?

Chris Yukine | Senki Zesshou Symphogear

[trustheart]

Not So Warm Welcome

[Chris had been in a training exercise prior, when she first found herself in the middle of a crowded street in a world not her own. Her eyes widened as she stared at her new surroundings, all while dressed in her gear.]

What in the h—?

[Before she could finish that sentence, however, a loud car horn cut her off, followed by its driver yelling at her to get out of the road. She grit her teeth, and hurried to the sidewalk, careful not to hit anybody with the large chain-guns she was wielding.

That left her basically being forced into an alleyway away from pedestrians, where she finally had time to catch her thoughts. What exactly had happened to her, and where were the others?

Just then, a thought occurred to her, and her eyes widened in realization.]

Wait, is this place where...?

[Where what? If you overhear, you might be wondering where her thought process was leading as her voice trailed off.]

Bits and Bobs

[Chris hadn't been happy about being dragged off somewhere else so soon after being brought to this world, but she was willing to do her part all the same. And with extra-dimensional objects appearing everywhere, she knew she couldn't be too careful. Something from some world she knew nothing about could appear out of nowhere, right?

Unfortunately, Chris ended up having to deal with something very familiar indeed.

It was chance that led her to spying it being handled by some young teenagers, who seemed to have no idea what they had found. It looked like a fancy cane with a handle, with a jewel at the center.

"What do you think it does?" said the girl holding it.

"No idea. Do you think it's valuable?" said a boy nearby.

"Maybe it's a weapon," said a third teen, another girl. "You point, and it shoots a laser?"

Before they could debate it further, a furious and terrified-looking Chris (not wearing her gear) ran up, and yanked it from the girl's hands.]

Get away from this thing! It's incredibly dangerous! Someone call the authorities, we need to get this thing contained!

[The kids were not happy with her, and began yelling at Chris for taking their "treasure". But Chris paid them no mind as she stared at the object she held in her hand.

How could this be here?! And why was it still haunting her like this?!]

Not So Warm Welcome

[determinationtofist]

[ Patrols... Hibiki was fortunate enough to get a break from all of it when she was able to go back home for a bit. In a way, it was kind of an early birthday present, right? She got to see everybody again, even if she did eventually just... vanish again, pulled back into this world.

She'd be lying if she said that didn't bother her. But of course, she would say that it's not bothering her anyway. She was quick to start patrolling again, using that as a way to try and take her mind off of things. Like when would she be able to go back again, if at all? When would she be able to go back home permanently? Heck, she's gonna be 18 soon! If it even counts when she's here and all— ]

Eh?

[ Out of the corner of her eye and from her perch on top of a nearby building, she spots a familiar figure in red in the crowd before it suddenly ducks away out of sight into an alleyway. In a world like this, someone wearing an outfit like that isn't too crazy to expect, but... could it be?

While Chris catches her thoughts, Hibiki is jumping from rooftop to rooftop in order to reach the alleyway that Chris ducked into, and eventually... ]

...Chris-chan?

[ Hibiki's voice from above, looking down with wide eyes. ]

Maki Oze | Fire Force

[sputterwitch]

I. Not So Warm Welcome

[To say that Maki was startled by the sudden change in location would be an understatement. It's not every day that she goes from fully sitting in the back of her fire brigade's truck to standing in the middle of the road in a city she doesn't recognize - she can hardly be blamed for falling flat onto her ass right in front of everyone.

She's more confused than embarrassed, but still doesn't waste any time getting back onto her feet. The last thing she needs is to be caught off guard in an unfamiliar place. ]

...this isn't Tokyo.

[That being said, as a fire soldier, she's no stranger to disaster clean-up, and that's clearly what's happening here. Rubble on the ground, broken glass, and oddly scorched buildings.

Maki stands in the street for a moment, just staring at her surroundings. Of course, wearing a full set of fireman's turnout gear, and a helmet made to look like a witch hat, she's something of a sight herself.]

What happened here?

[Whatever it was, it looks like it was big.]


II. Diadem Hotel

[Maki Oze is a lot of things. She's a firefighter. She's a soldier. She's a phenomenal pyrokinetic - the Witch Queen of Company 8. She spends every day of her life working and training, honing skills that might save lives; her own, or those of civilians. She is a woman who cares very deeply about her job, and she takes it very seriously.

But underneath all that? She's still a spoiled daddy's girl.

And that part of her loves the Diadem hotel. The cushy beds, the fluffy robes, the room service. It's all so good. Even the credit card is barely enough motivation to drag her away from the hotel's pampering.

At some point, a day or two after her arrival, Maki can be found in the shopping center near the hotel, arms absolutely loaded with bags -everything from toiletries to cute clothes to an inordinant amount of workout gear. Just the essentials.]

This is for the best. [She mutters under her breath. Maki is strong, but the sheer quantity of everything she's bought is clearly taking a toll on her.] The Lieutenant would kill me if I stopped doing drills while I was here.

...when I get back, I'm going to see if that hotel has a spa.

ii.

[grivences]

[ Robin has a place to live now, away from the hotel. But she still goes back to the area because it's close to the best shopping centers in Central City. She's got a room to herself now, in the apartment she shares with the other teens from Hawkins. So she's little by little making it her own space, with decorations and knick knacks to make the place feel more like home.

She's coming out of a store that sells comic books and music, poster in hand as well as a bag of pins with funny sayings on them, when she sees a woman who's... completely overburdened. ]

I think it does, yeah.

[ She also wants to check that out, before they kick her out from the guilds' hospitality. ]

Do you need a hand with all that?

cable ( marvel )

[galador]

DIADEM
a.
[ a teenager in an armored bodysuit and with a glowy sword strapped to his back is seated at the hotel bar, and if that wasn't eye-catching enough, well, he also has a cybernetic left arm and glowing left eye, so it's a lot to take in.

if he realizes he sort of stands out, he's given no indication of it, though. instead, he's turning toothpicks into projectiles, flicking them with unerring accuracy across the bar and into an empty glass at the other end that the bartender hasn't dared to clean away yet. the bartender himself looks pretty harried. someone please collect this scary teenage boy. ]

b.
[ there's a flash of crackling energy, and suddenly.. he's teleporting into the wrong room. cable frowns as he takes in the unfamiliar space, then glances down at his metal arm, rolling the shoulder as if to take the kinks out. ]

Belle, you're going to need to recalibrate, we're still off. [ he turns mismatched eyes on the stranger, suddenly all apologies. ] Sorry about this, I don't usually overshoot my target. .. What floor are we on?

CENTRAL
[ it's like home, really. maybe a little less fucked up than home, considering where--and when--home really is for nathan summers. either way, he's no stranger to throwing himself into fights when he's hopelessly outmatched and outgunned, especially when there's something he wants out of it.

and what he wants is that big bastard plasma rifle the ringleader of this gang is using. ]

Hey! [ he yells down to the group from the roof of one of the surrounding buildings, and to the single stranger trying to fend them all off. he points imperiously to the leader and his rifle, hauling his sword off his back. ] Save that for me! [ before he's finished the last word, he's bodysliding into the midst of the fight, sending a massive jolt of energy into the nearest attacker as he does so. ]

DREAM
cw: body horror, gore.
[ there's no warning. one moment you're in your room, the next you're in darkness and you're in agony. you can feel your flesh being undone, being changed, the air crushed from lungs that are rapidly being overtaken. cold, wrong, and your thoughts unravel, wrong, data searing through your head, wrong. it hurts, it always hurts, but it's so much worse now, wrong, because you're losing yourself, everything you ever were and ever will be. you're becoming something else, and it's happening too fast to give you a chance to fight or even react.

wrong. it's wrong, it's wrong. metal shreds skin and muscle, wires and cables crawling through veins, crushing bones, and you'd scream if you had the capability any longer.

and then there's a hand, icy metal, hard on what remains of your arm, pulling, forcibly removing you from the tangle of cybernetic parts you're becoming. ]

Come on. [ the voice is young and frightened, and with a final heave, suddenly there's light, and the momentum sends you both tumbling in a tangle of limbs and-- and you should be torn apart, but you're not. somehow, you're whole, and cable's pale, terrified face pants beneath you. his hand is shaking now where it still grips your arm. ]

I'm sorry, [ he manages, small and trembling in spite of himself, and it's obvious now where the monstrous changes came from. wires split the flesh around his cybernetic eye, burrow down beneath the bones of his skull, pulse in his throat. metal gleams beneath the torn flesh of his jaw as he turns his head away. ]

Dreams

[defenderoftomorrow]

[ This is the second time in a very short time that Jayce finds himself disoriented in a way he's never been before. The feeling of confusion doesn't last, soon being overtaken by a more primal one, fear. Pain is something he is familiar with, but it's never been so consuming and encompassing, as his body is being torn apart. The ironic side of it is that he's an engineer and metalworker. Jayce likes machines and creating new things, making something that is bigger than the sum of its parts. This, however, is just wrong, drowning him in a pit of dread as it goes on and on and on...until it doesn't. He's breathing heavily once it's all over, golden eyes wide and frightened, mind racing and trying to make sense of what happened. There is a voice, a solid body, and Jayce force himself to focus on that. Oh, he's on top of someone. Being as big as Jayce is, that can't be comfortable. ]

W-what happened? Where are we? [ He moves to the side so he's not crushing the younger man, his muscles shaking. Jayce gives him a good look and for a moment, anxiety settles in the pit of his stomach. He is silent for a beat. There are people with all sorts of prosthetics in Piltover, even if the extent of modifications the teen is sporting are more common in Zaun than on the upperside. He shouldn't be that surprised, but his nerves are still screaming with phantom pain and his mind is overwhelmed.  Jayce, being Jayce, however, manages to put down his own worries and fear, to say. ]

Are you all right? [ He seems to realize the absurdity of the question the moment it leaves his lips. Jayce makes a face and tries again. ] Sorry, stupid question. I mean...I don't know what is going on, but do you need help? Are you hurt?

Tsubasa Kazanari | Senki Zesshou Symphogear

[delicatetouch]

A Somewhat Chilly Greeting

It's an unfamiliar feeling for Tsubasa. Now, granted, from the start, suddenly appearing in a city she's never seen before, as if her very existence was placed upon a skipping disc, is unfamiliar already; not a soul recognizes her, and although she's not so arrogant as to expect it readily, especially outside of Japan, and especially amongst a populace recovering from some form of disaster, the lack of any recognition worms into the back of her mind.

At the very least her last attempt to hold a concert made international news, albeit in much redacted form.

Speaking of disasters, showing up too late to have an impact is a grating feeling as well, regardless of who may or may not despise her. While she doesn't know what a 'meta' is surely it relates to her sudden transportation, so the next step must be to gather information.

Resting her hand over the relic safely under her clothes to reassure herself of Ame no Habakiri's presence, she approaches the first person who looks to not be a civilian. "Do you know what happened here?"

Diadem Hotel, and a bit more

Tsubasa is happy for support - she's still working out who to trust best here, but she's used to fighting as part of a larger organization, and the Alliance is temporarily putting a roof over her head.

What a roof it is - a step above the hotels Tsubasa would stay in, and she's certainly got ample funds to her name. It's too lavish.

Also she's been here like a day and somehow her meager personal possessions are already scattered across every corner of the room, as if she's trying to win a messy room contest. Not that she's inviting many people over...

But what she is more public about noticing is the opportunity to use the funds provided to make sure she has more than the uniform on her back.

...actually, what she notices, however, with a gleam in her eye, is the strange abundance of swords. It's not as though she needs a sword with Ame no Habakiri and it's hardly her top hobby, but the presence of bladed weapons that appear practical in nature has her attention. "What is the legality of such weapons..." she ponders, "and do they have space for test swings?"

Bits and Bobs

"Why... doesn't it have the key...?"

It might be a stretch to say that Tsubasa sounds devastated, but she's got a motorcycle that appeared out of the blue in front of her, and is starting to look through it like she's on the brink of taking it apart to find the mysterious place the key must be hiding.

"This is unfair." Not devastated, maybe, but the frustration of nothing going her way is starting to wear her nerves down mightily and she finally just sort of smacks her hand on the ground about it. That doesn't really make her feel better, but this is actually one of her top hobbies dammit.

Be Careful What You Wish For

An honest to goodness demon. Tsubasa knows not what it intends to do with its growing power, but the offer of a wish almost makes her laugh.

"You will grant me nothing." Which does make the demon laugh.

...yet the walls around her mind and heart are hardened. No coherent thought even enters her mind, as the demon finds himself attempting to shatter steel with a bare hand. And he recoils.

"If you will not desist...

Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron"

...well, if you need help with this situation, here she is.

greeting

[determinationtofist]

[ Amidst the excitement and hope when she sees a familiar head of blue hair amongst the crowd, trying to get answers from anyone who'll humor her, Hibiki also notes that it's becoming something of a trend.

Being the first to find one of her friends after they end up here, that is.

It's a very good thing that Hibiki isn't wearing her Symphogear right now, or else Tsubasa might end up in the spotlight almost immediately when news spreads of a girl that Gungnir glomped out of nowhere.

Nope, fortunately for her, it's just Hibiki... whose wolf ears and tail are immediately out the second she gets close enough to see that yes, it really is Tsubasa. ]

TSUBASA-SAANNNNN!!

[ Incoming glomp in 3... 2... 1...

With time passing strangely back home, it hasn't been all that long since she'll have last seen Hibiki, frantically trying to explain that she had been in another world for a few months where there are a bunch of people with powers and so there are superheroes and supervillains—GASP—and she missed you guys so so much but also apparently she'll end up getting pulled back eventually and then she's not sure when she'll see you all again—

It's a good thing Maria was also with her to explain things more clearly. Still, in any case, here's Hibiki... with a bit more puppy to her than usual, literally. ]

jane foster ≛ thor: love and thunder

[accretions]

1. safety googles on my eyes [excelsior]

[Jane lands in the middle of a street.

Well. "Lands" is perhaps a little bit of a misnomer. She sort of skids across the street, rolling and then coming to a stop mostly because she hits the side of a building. For a long moment she just lies there, oddly winded. Then she gets up and takes in her surroundings. This is not anywhere she recognizes and that's...

A few years ago, it would probably be more concerning to her. Now, she's kind of used to the multiverse and her chief concern is finding out where she is. So she does the sensible thing and asks someone nearby that blows her off. Right. Cool. Not super friendly to people with powers then. Still! Still.]

Sorry, hi. I was just wondering where I am?

2. i wear a white lab coat [excelsior]

[After being taken in by the Alliance, Jane is given a look and politely told the location of several clothing stores. Which... fair. Her actual "Thor" armor is fine, if a little scuffed, but the uh. Hospital gown? Not a great look and they gave her a spare pair of sweats and a jacket. So she ends up in a clothing store, flicking through racks of clothes that are a little bit more impractical than she'd prefer.]

These are... really not my style. I just want, like, jeans and a t-shirt.

[The dresses she's looking at are cute! But they're more like something Darcy might wear and she's not loving it.]

3. the theorems speak to me [network]

[A tweet by user StrangeCharm with a generic picture of a galaxy as a profile picture:]

Has anybody met any Norse Gods lately? Because I really need to speak to them if at all possible.

4. scientific method girl [wildcard]

[if you have an idea for a different prompt i'll roll with it, so reply however you want and feel free to hit me with whatever! if you'd like to actually discuss, feel free to pm me or hit me up on plurk (flyingthesky).]

( 3 )

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki squints at that username. it couldn't be . . . could it? ]

And why is that?

Saint-Germain | Senki Zesshou Symphogear

[alchepistol]

[ Bits and Bobs ]

You've stumbled upon a case.

It opens at your touch, revealing a number of small black crystals lit from within by an odd red glow. Before you can do much more than remove one, a sphere of light is going to come whistling past your head. It strikes a tree just behind you.

The tree dissolves.

"That was a warning," says the woman approaching, glaring from beneath heavy brows. Her arm is extended, palm out, and another light is shimmering into existence there. "You'll give that to me. Carefully."

[ Careful What You Wish For ]

I can grant your heart's desire.

"Unnecessary."

Saint-Germain stands erect, looking about for the source of the voice. She'd traveled to Sunset Falls because she'd heard it was a potent location for magical energy - but it seems all variety of practitioners, human and not, consider it so. "It's the diligence applied to seeking a desire that has value. A wish granted by a power not one's own is meaningless!"

But it's too late. She'd thought something without even realizing it, flickering in the back of her mind, so as she glances around, her gaze settles on an approaching person and her eyes widen. That - it can't be -

No matter who walks up to her, they're not who she sees. Instead, in their place -

"Cagliostro....Prelati....."

...She sees the comrades she arrived without, of whom, upon hearing the words "heart's desire", she had thought. And while she doesn't realize it yet, she's incapable of perceiving anyone as not being either or both of those two now.

Her wish has been granted. Until and unless it's broken, she'll never be without them again.

[ I Dream A Dream ]

Saint-Germain dreams the world's most boring dream.

No, really. She's relaxing in an antiquated personal library, sun streaming through the open window and a light breeze ruffling the pages of book in her lap. Surrounding her, floor to ceiling on the shelves, are tomes on every subject imaginable and then some (all nonfiction). A cup of tea sits cooling on a nearby table.

Tipping her head back, long curls spilling over her shoulders, Saint-Germain exhales. How long has it been, since she took time for herself....? How many months, or has it been years, since she's felt at rest?

Long enough that the idea of "doing nothing" can only come to her in the realm of her fancies....

[alchefist]

"Is this really what a stupid wish thinks about me?" whined a voice, belonging to a woman that sauntered out of the night. "That's such a knockoff! My boobs are way bigger!"

The woman was, of course, Cagliostro, who just walked up to Saint-Germain's side like it was nothing.

"Come on, Saint-Germain, you don't really believe that's me, do you?"

Miku Kohinata | Senki Zesshou Symphogear

[sunshinethatwarmsherup]

[Not so warm welcome]

Miku really needed to stop being surprised when weird crap happened to her. Or people around her. Or at all.

Still, suddenly ending up in a city when she had been training at SONG HQ was a new one, and Miku quickly lands from her position up in the sky. Shénshòugìng's Faust Robe was still on her body though, so when she lands and people see here there's a bunch of pointing at her. Yelling at her about being a 'meta' and how she should just go back to where she had come from and... much yelling.

"What are you even talking about?" The term 'meta' did seem a little familiar, but... really, what the hell did it mean when talking about her?

[Bits and Bobs]

Okay. Now that Miku's had everything explained to her, she's a little less weirded out. Which meant it was time to go around Central City and do whatever she could to help with all the weird items that were just showing up everywhere. Which could definitely be bad!

So it's when she's walking around Central City, being a little worried about what she might end up finding around the city. There were plenty of dangerous things from her world alone that could show up here.

"So how much do you think this necklace is worth anyway?"

"Well, it doesn't look like anything I've seen before but it sure is pretty."

Miku's thoughts were interrupted by that question, and her eyes moved to look over in the direction of the conversation. A man and a woman, the man holding a pendant with a red jewel on it. One of which was very familiar to Miku.

"Hey, you can't sell that to anyone! It's not from here and it could be dangerous!"

Both of them look at her, and shrug. "Not sure I believe you on that kid. But if you really think that, why don't you tell us how much you'll pay for it."

That wasn't good. Even if she thought about just buying it, she's pretty sure two random people off the street weren't going to accept the alliance's credit card.

Welcome

[determinationtofist]

[ Hibiki almost doesn't believe her own eyes... but as she blinks, staring down from atop a nearby building at the girl who's just touched down in the city... she quickly realizes that yes, this is real.

Her Sunshine is here.

...and currently being accosted by a large number of civilians upset about Yet Another Meta. As a result, a number of thoughts rapidly run through Hibiki's head... which obviously doesn't work very well for actually thinking anything through. Ultimately, though, what's important is that:

One, regardless of anything, Hibiki is going to jump down and hug Miku so hard that she'll never let go again... and two, she needs to get Miku out of that situation she's found herself in.

This all ultimately combines into what Hibiki ends up doing, which is... ]

-iiiIIIIIKUUUUUUUU!!

[ ...suddenly blasting forward, scooping Miku up into her arms without any warning whatsoever, and then immediately jumping straight back up to the next nearby building. Huh? What? Miku can fly on her own? Of course Hibiki hasn't thought of that, why would she? ]

Carol Malus Dienheim | Yes, Symphogear

[miraclekiller]

1. Welcome

[ Carol is not exactly unused to the experience of being downloaded into a new body. She's done some of her best work after being killed. What is odd is that she didn't plan for this at all, hadn't prepared herself a spare body, and certainly did not intend to throw herself into an entirely new dimension.

She had been perfectly satisfied staying dead, and yet here she is. One could almost call it a miracle, as long as they didn't do it to Carol's face. ]

It seems I have been given another opportunity. To do what, it remains to be see-

[ She doesn't get to complete her thought, as a rock bounces off her barrier, a hexagon of yellow energy sparking into existence to deflect the debris. It seems one of the more aggressive locals has decided that because this meta looks like a young girl, it might be okay to get rid of her in a more direct way.

"Go away!" The grumpy man shouts. ]

You interrupted my reverie, and now you wish to make me move. I hope you are prepared for what that means.

[ Carol Malus Dienheim might be technically a good guy now, but only very technically. She is a woman who once fought the entire world and nearly succeeded. ]

2. Wish... not granted.

[ The thing about an asshole genie type is that they do their best work when the target of their trickery isn't someone who has had their own moments of genocidal asshole genie-ing themselves. ]

I don't need a miracle like that.

[ The girl shoots a glare at Charles. There is, at least outwardly, no wish for him to grant. Nothing she could want that could possible necessitate the use of a demonic contract.

Carol, go forth and understand the world.

But she had already done that in the worst way possible, twisted the task handed down to her by her father in the most cruel way possible. She had tried to dissect the entire planet and everything that lived on it. Every rock, every building, every human being was to be fodder for the Revelation of Creation. ]

Don't look inside me!

[ A gust of wind catches Carol's robe and she lifts herself into the air, violent intentions as clear as day. ]

3. Dream (CW: Possibly quite graphic violence)

[ Carol Malus Dienheim has centuries of memories but only ever one dream.

There is a man, probably around thirty, a little unkempt even at the best of times. Now is not the best times.

He is tied up at the stake, a fire burning at his feet. It will spread, it will burn him, and he will die.

There is a girl, no older than ten, desperately trying to reach him. Scrambling against her restraints in a desperate attempt to save the man.

Papa! Papa!

There is a crowd. A jeering mob of men and women bearing the marks of a plague, but shockingly healthy despite that. Who had been healed by the medical knowledge of a man who perhaps should have known better, but could not keep away from people in need.

Any power that's not God's miracle is the devil's temptation!

It is their duty to burn the witch. Their God said so, and what is Man to do in the face of divine commandment?

Izak Dienheim will die. There is nothing the powerless little girl can do to stop it. There will be no divine miracles here to save him.

And that is why God, all of His Creation, and all the miracles He might put in her path had to die. ]

3. [hope prose is okay]

[heartthumpingexcitement]

"Hiyaaaaaaaah!"

Suddenly a cry cuts through the crowd, and a teenage girl in pink with long, blonde hair wearing an elaborate pink and white outfit leaps out into view. She is choosing to defy fate, to defy history itself, as she kicks at the stake Izak is tied to, breaking it and causing the man to fall into her arms. Leaping away from the flames, she lands on a nearby rooftop while carrying him.

"How could you people do this?!" she demanded, defying the very dream whose spell she was under. "Isn't the first thing a god asks of his people is for them to love one another?! This isn't love, it's blind hatred!"

Closing her eyes, she set Izak down, and clutched her hands to her chest, before posing and making them into the shape of a heart before her.

"You all seem to have lost your love! I, Cure Heart, will return your heart-throbbing excitement!"

billy kaplan-altman ( marvel comics )

[wordiness]

OURPOWERS
un: Billy Kaplan-Altman
i guess i'm back? right in time for halloween, which feels thematic.
what have i missed?

[slowmotionbuscrash]

un: Tommy Shepherd

oh shit Mom's home errybody look busy

And I mean you. You're team mom. It used to be David, but he's a mess now.

Alice Yotsuba | Dokidoki Precure

[yotsubahime]

[A | welcome]
While she's glad to be out of the board meeting she'd been stuck in, this isn't exactly the way Alice was hoping to escape. The unfamiliar city's seen better days, and the immediate hostile looks tell her two things - this isn't anywhere near home, because anyone who's seen Alice Yotsuba toys in a store will recognize her on sight; and something marks her as foreign immediately to these people. Is it that she appeared from thin air? Or something about her specifically? Regardless, when she sees a group struggling to lift some debris, she hurries over to assist, but as soon as it's moved aside, the whole group seems to turn to her with menace. Here she decides discretion is the better part of valor and begins to back away, heart racing, but after a moment she spins and bolts. These people haven't done anything to merit her doing anything more. Still, hopefully she can get away without having to do anything extreme...

Once she gets away, breathing more-or-less normally the whole time, Alice shakes her head as she slows to a walk. "What did I even do? Oh, Lance, I think we're in trouble this time." She glances down at her bag, realizing there's no soft sound of protest, and realizes her friend has somehow slept through the whole thing. Despite herself, she smiles, before continuing to walk. "I suppose we'll have to find someone that knows what's going on, and who's willing to talk to us, instead of take offense." At that, she begins to look around for friendly faces, aware she may take some time to find one. Externally, Alice doesn't seem... distressed, mostly just alert and wary. But she stands out.

[B | the Diadem]
Alice's strategy once she arrives at the Diadem Hotel after her orientation is... multi-pronged, and while perhaps predictable, a little eccentric. But this is something of an emergency, so she'll go forth and do what needs to be done. Lance, her partner and extremely-merchandisable friend (does she have the design document for the official Lance plushies handy still?), alternates between floating beside her, standing atop a table while she goes about business, and (most commonly) hiding in her handbag.

Her first stop is the shopping district, also perhaps predictably. Clothes are near the top of her list, and while she spends some time in the trendy shops, she spends more of it in the boutiques, carefully appraising the blouses and dresses, and looking through a couple racks of parasols. "Fashion has become strange since I shopped last," Alice mumurs, although she doesn't actually pull back. She also spends a good minute or two outside a certain technology store, staring up at the logo, then back down at the phones and tablets on the tables through the glass, then at the logo again. Then she eventually shrugs and walks in, acquires a shiny new iPad and an AppleCare plan (why can she hear Sebastian's voice in her mind questioning this decision?), and walks out trying not to stare at the bag.

From there it's off to the toy store, where she and Lance are looking at what appears to be doll furniture... wait, no, it's actually the right size for Lance, so she might just be furniture shopping, but not for herself. She might be making the poor young person manning the counter a little uncomfortable, though. "Is there a version of this made with a better material? I don't believe this will stand up to more than a few weeks of use." It doesn't seem like anyone's made the connection to the plushie laying between Alice's hair buns, not wanting to get in the way.

After that she takes what she thinks might be a shortcut to the supermarket on the other side of the district, but turns out to be a longcut, and besides that runs into some trouble along the way. It feels unimaginably cliché to see several young men and women running into the broken front window of a shop and attempting to run out with whatever fits in their arms, plus one threatening a shopkeep for money... hmm. What to do about this? The fact that there's a young woman here at all, watching contemplatively with a number of bags slung under one arm and a parasol over her head in the other, is perhaps a little strange, but Alice is not one to take offense at that. No, if anything... "This feels a touch too petty," she comments aloud. "But I'm not certain this merits a full response... still, better to prepare. Lance, can you spare a moment?"

[C | OURPOWERS: @ Alice Yotsuba]
After a day on the town, I expect I don't need to ask if anything from my home made it here - I would have seen some fairly specific signs. Not that I am complaining about that! In any event, I need somewhere I can train - work out, I suppose, to start - without worrying about breaking things. Since arriving here, I feel stronger than I used to be, and I'm not sure how to make sense of the difference. It would be bad for optics if I hurt someone, never mind my own feelings on the subject. I would appreciate any advice anyone can offer.

[Wildcard and notes]
((I am attempting to return to RP after a while away, so I apologize in advance if I'm a little rusty. I don't think I'm going to have my app ready for this month, though, so I'm going to be tagging these for a bit. I'm up for other prompts if desired - grab me at eternities!))

C

[determinationtofist]

Hmmm... I bet you can probably find someplace like that if you ask the Alliance! Some kind of Super Gym, maybe?

Though if you want help training, I wouldn't mind helping out, if you want! I haven't really had the chance to do something like that in a while, so I could use it!

Grin | Demigods of Destiny

[demigai]

..::|| Excelsior ||::..

Grin collapses to his knees instantly as he begins to cough. He took the hit, he saved her. He hopes that it will be enough to stop Altor. As the coughing resides, he opens his eyes and looks around, eyes quickly widening in shock.

"What on earth happened...?" The place looks absolutely destroyed. Or... pretty close anyway. He swears he only blinked for a few seconds. He looks behind him to look for Jessica, but she's not there. Oh, no, this is not good. Lia? Rain? Everywhere he looks, he doesn't see anyone he recognises. Not even the evil Altor.

"D... did we lose?" He's on the brink of tears. But as he looks around some more, he realises that there are people looking back at him. Afraid. Agitated. Uh...

Shoot, they probably did lose. That's probably why the people are behaving like this... He doesn't want to approach them. But he also has no idea where everyone is. He doesn't know what he should do.

He starts coughing again, and before he can think too long about what to do, there's another surfacing problem. He took the brunt of that disease. Why is he...?

"Wait, am I... dead?"

That...might make some sort of sense. Is this place some kind of afterlife? Does that mean everyone back home is still alive.

He reaches out to nearest person, you, as he tries to curb his cough, looking very sheepish.

"Ah, excuse me... Are we still in New York?" Or Hell? Maybe some kind of Purgatory?


..::|| Diadem Hotel & Shopping ||::..

Okay, he was in a place where a lot of things looked apocalyptic, and now... he's in the lap of luxury? He's still so confused, someone please help him.

He looks over the credit card in his hand a number of times, almost like it can't be real. Sure, they said there was money on it, but why? Even when he was told he was a Demigod, he didn't receive this much of a welcome. What a weird form of hospitality. He's never heard of it.

First things first, he buys himself some cough medicine. If he's going to be walking around here, he doesn't need people thinking this could spread to them. (Wait... can it spread to them? Is he the walking plague? Shit, better buy some facemasks, too.)

Now more confident that people should be safe and, hopefully, more receptive of him, he sets out to get a look around the town. What should he buy now?

His first thought is flowers and chocolate for Jessica, but... Then he hangs his head a little. She isn't here. Or, at the very least, he's yet to find any trace of her.

He still stares pensively through a window when he spots some bouquets. After a long moment, he mutters out, not really aware, "Do you think I should get them anyway? In case she comes here?"

Having flowers ready all the time in case Jessica returns, it would certainly be a good romantic gesture. He'd certainly like it if it helped win her over.


..::|| Central City ||::..

Grin finds himself walking around, just exploring in general, at a sauntering pace. He looks up at the occassional market sign, taking it in as if to memorise it, and then continues on his way. He's looking up at some of the buildings as he turns the corner into an alley. Then he jumps as a rift appears nearby and drops something on the ground. He stares at the rift until it disappears before looking at the object that fell to the ground. He cautiously gets closer to it, checking several times to see if the rift returns, before reaching down to grab it.

He turns it over in his hands, puzzling out just what it's supposed to be. It looks like some kind of stone, with the mark glowing green; he's never really seen anything quite like it.

He's not sure what he's grabbed - what does it even do? Maybe it's a pet rock? But it doesn't take long for him to realise that other people are closing in, and very quickly. He should have known better not to get too absorbed into something when a wormhole had just been nearby. He hitches his breath and makes a run for it back out of the alley.

He wishes, only for a moment, that Jessica was here to protect him. But then he shakes his head; that's such a stupid idea. She should at least be safe wherever she is now. Hopefully, wherever she is now. He wouldn't want her in danger again. Still, that doesn't do him any additional favours. What if he dies again? Jessica's not here to reverse time.

His lungs burn, and he'd forgotten about his affliction, stumbling as he tries to keep running through coughing violently. This sucks, it really does. But he doesn't know what to do.

Oh, wait.

He's a demigod.

He turns on his heels and comes to a stop. This has to work, right? As the people from the alley gain on him, he kneels to the ground, closes his eyes, and touches his hand down. He tries to reach to find that buzzy feeling, but...

It's not working. He pales as he opens his eyes and one of the men is about to tackle him.

"H-help!!" There's a bunch of people around. Can this man just get away with assaulting him, or worse? He sure hopes not.

shopping;

[yotsubahime]

"Having flowers ready in case someone comes is wasteful, and it's very presumptive besides." Where did this girl come from? And why does she look like the half dozen bags held in one hand aren't bothering her as she peers into the glass? "If she does and the bouquet is already several days old, it may send the wrong message." She glances sideways at him, not even paying the mask a second look.

sauron, tolkien's legendarium

[eyefire]

1. excelsior.

[ An eye wreathed in flame appears along with a scream that shatters the windows of surrounding buildings. The eye looks around wildly, then shudders as intense pressure forces the flames into the pupil, then the pupil into the shape of a man ... or an elf, it turns out, screaming and howling as his soul, his fëa, is forced into the fana with raw hröa flesh forming over new bones, the heat of him melting the tar of the road and turning the middle of a street into a pool of lava. When he half-swims, half-climbs his way to the edge it continues to melt as he clambers out and he is left sprawled half-in, half-out of the bubbling molten smear that was once a road, an arm stretched out for help.

He groans and rolls onto his back, apparently unharmed, with eyes that glow even in the sunshine. Sauron passes out there as an angry mob forms, throwing whatever doesn't burst into flame in their hands from the igneous temperatures to watch trinkets melt in the lava. ]

2. central city.
2a. diadem.

[ He sets things on fire without meaning to. It isn't his fault, the mortals reassure him, he doesn't intend to do it (he does a few times, but he bows his head in apology all the same). Clad in a loose long-sleeved shirt, soft grey pants, and knee-high boots, Sauron (or Annatar, as he goes by on default with these strangers in a strange world) quickly accustoms himself to the new realm into which he has been cast. At the hotel he can be found reading in the lounge, piles of books around him as he learns new languages (not just how to speak them but how to write them and their origins, because you never know when you might need the information), or in the dining room figuring out how to use a phone over his dessert, and even at the bar where he charms people into telling him about themselves. ]


2b. town.

[ Sitting inside a coffee shop as he eats his lunch, he looks more acclimatised a week in. His clothes are less Wandering Elf Weirdo, wearing a velvet blazer and soft cream shirt, black jeans with the same knee-high black boots, legs folded. His hair is glossy golden-waves and the warmth he emits has patrons eager to sit near his table where he reads (again) since the weather outside is frightfully dreary. ]

2a - reading

[demigai]

[Grin makes sure to take his cough medicine and put on a face mask before wandering around the hotel. How much longer will his affliction last? He has no idea, but he doesn't want to risk passing it on to anyone. Then it really would make him a bad guy. Probably.

He happens to be just passing by when he notices a glowy individual reading books. He blinks a few times, wondering if this is another demigod, before reminding him this isn't exactly home anymore. Who knows what this guy is?

Still, he needs to... not be a shut-in. Even if it means Jessica isn't here. Grin is cautious in his stride, almost worried that he's going to be bothering this guy. When he gets close enough to read some of the book titles, he takes a breath, and tries his best to smile. Even if it can't be seen through the mask. He's pretty sure a teacher told him that people can hear when you're smiling once.]

What are you reading?

[Please be friendly. Please be friendly. Please be friendly.]

billy batson / shazam | shazam!

[chilladelphia]

I. arrival

[The Wisdom of Solomon knows that technically it's possible for Shazam to teleport places when using the Rock of Eternity as a conduit. And Billy knows that too, in the back of his head somewhere. Both of them are pretty sure this isn't regular magic, though, as he suddenly finds himself in some random city.

Noticing people staring at him, he grins and offers an awkward wave.]

Uh, hey! Yeah, it's me...

[Crap, they still haven't solved the name issue.]

That guy!

[Freddy needs to make some Twitch announcement with Shazam as the official name, that way people will actually know it.

Except, seems like the people here don't know him in any way. Not as the Red Cyclone or Captain Sparklefingers or the hero who just saved everyone's butts. They're just... glaring?]

Oooookay. Cool. Really cool.

II. diadem/shopping center

[This unlimited credit card probably isn't that unlimited. Which is why he should squeeze everything he can out of it now!

Wherever you are in the shopping center, Billy's probably there too at some point. He's already made a few purchases: some food, game consoles, clothes, probably a sword or two as well. The clothes he's bought seem to be for multiple people, some for a teen boy, some for a 30-something year old superhero, and... also there's a unicorn shirt that he thought Darla would like. Everyone else will probably be here soon, but it might sell out before then. Yeah. That's what he'll say when he gives it to her.

Billy's pretty focused as he shops, not really paying anyone else much mind, maybe even bumping into others.]

III. OurPowers

UN: Shazam
hey is the justice league here or
not the alliance but
iykyk!
thx

1 Arrival

[makeanentrance]

[Beck is also wandering around the area, dressed in his purple and green outfit with the all-seeing eye clasped cloak and drawing some stares of his own. No fishbowl helmet today so he's a little self conscious as he walks along, craggy face and bowlcut hairdo exposed to the world. But he perks up a bit when he sees the bright red suited man nearby. Even if he doesn't recognise him at all. He approaches and makes a genuine remark.]

Nice costume.

Stan Pines | Gravity Falls | will match style

[puglord]

CENTRAL CITY

Shopping Center

Stan's leaning over the jewelry counter grinning as a very bored-looking salesman removes a gold watch from the display case and sets it next to a sprawling lineup of gold and jewel-encrusted accessories, from rings to watches to chains.

"Why, yes," Stan says, even though the salesman had not asked him anything, "I will be paying for this. Legitimately!" He pulls out his Alliance credit card with an extra-smarmy grin.

Super Cinema

Despite the absurd amount of gold he'd purchased earlier, Stan is only sporting a Rolex from his hoard. He doesn't want to advertise what he's got stashed away; He's not an idiot.

Still, the card is unlimited, which means he's got plenty more imaginary cash to burn. Time to live it up with a real luxury indulgence: Movie theater snacks! From inside the movie theater!

On his way into the theater, Stan's carrying a tray piled high with popcorn, soda, nachos, and all kinds of chocolate, sugary snacks.

"Hah, you know, I don't even like half this stuff!" Stan says, inspecting a box of Sno-Caps. "But who cares? I'm not the one footing the bill!"

-

After the credits finish rolling and the lights click back on, Stan can be seen with the empty snack boxes sprawled around him, sobbing as he shovels Sno-Caps into his maw.

Looks like the movie really got to him.

Wildcard??

If you have something else you wanna try, hmu on Plurk at thepreciousthing

shopping!

[morningpotions]

Heeeey, mister...

( she has no horse in this race, but she can't help but overhear the way this guy puts an unnecessary amount of emphasis on the fact that he's paying,/i>. that's suspicious! totally, absolutely suspicious! )

I'm not a guard or anything, but it sounds like you're not going to be paying for that at all.

( not her problem, not her problem, not her problem— )

Do you have any real coins, or just a piece of cardstock? There's no way that's worth any of this jewelry.

( this just in; claudia doesn't know how a credit card works. )

doug ramsey ( marvel comics )

[omniglots]

OURPOWERS
un: Cypher
[ the person in the video is a young man, blond and blue-eyed, with a right arm that looks to be composed of black and gold circuitry and a.. plant in his lap. he's holding onto it like it's a priceless artifact, though, fingers curled with surprising tenderness around the little capsule it's rooted in. .. anyone from or adjacent to krakoa will probably recognize it as a habitat flower. ]

Hi. Warlock and I-- [ and here a head and hand lift out of the circuitry on his arm, waving politely, then sinking back down and disappearing once more. ] --were hoping to connect with some people from home here. Preferably mutants for obvious reasons. [ he hefts the flower gently to illustrate his point. ] We're also not.. really that picky at this point, though, as long as it's someone at least mutant-friendly. We'd love to meet up and talk about.. this. [ all of this. being here, having part of krakoa with them, what do do about any of it-- ] Thank you.

CENTRAL
[ these days, warlock spends most of his time as part of doug, skin to technarch skin, as close to being a single entity as they can be.. but it doesn't mean warlock doesn't enjoy a certain amount of separation, either.

the shop they're in has a single dressing room, and doug hasn't bothered to pull the curtain closed, because.. well, it's not like warlock normally needs to feel modest. he's currently connected to doug's fingertips by a single strand of his being, and glitters gold under the artificial lights as he tries on a hoodie, turning this way and that in front of the mirror.

doug looks on fondly until he notices someone either waiting for the dressing room or paused to observe the shapeshifter, turning an apologetic smile on them. ]

We probably won't be here much longer if you want to wait with me. He might want a second opinion anyway.

John Doe/The Joker | Telltale Batman

[pathofvigilante]

[A NOT-SO-WARM WELCOME.]

[Okay, what the fun-house-fuck is going on here? John's sure he was just in Arkham, sure Bruce had been there with him, and sure (mostly) that his Best Buddy had been there to Forgive his recent Ultimate Fuck Up. It was going to be everything he wanted. Why else would Bruce have smiled at him like that?

But now he's... here, alone, on some random street in randomville, getting the stink eye from a group of old ladies across the way. John's toxic green gaze goes owlishly wide and for a few long moments he only blinks and starkly surveys his surroundings.]

Bruce...? [he half-heartedly calls out, twisting in sudden several circles as though to take in the entirety of everything New all at once. Then, with less enthusiasm:] Dr. Leland...? [and then, with suspicion and half the volume:] Harley...?

[His shoulders bunch as concern twitches across his wide white mouth.] Geez... little early in the morning for such a strong cup of Disassociation [He grumbles to himself, sloping his gaze downwards. He's still wearing his Arkham Asylum uniform over his pale purple t-shirt (maybe that's why the civvies are glaring?); clearly he came from Arkham... so why is he here, now? And... wait, is he going to get in trouble for being out here? He totally didn't even mean to leave!

Okay, okay, okay... you know what? Everything will be a little better if he has a nice grounding double espresso loaded with enough sugar to kill a small animal.]

Hey, excuse me-- I think my head's on kinda crooked, nearest Cafe is which way, now?

[Either he asks you, or crashes right into you turning a corner in his haste to attain some scrap of caffeinated Zen.]

[ DIADEM HOTEL A/B.]
[Okay, so things have been cleared up a little. He's gotten a rough explanation (one way or another) and some worn out guild member has ushered John to his hotel room, where the green haired man found a small but precious stash of his most favorite items. He doesn't care much how they got there; having his things somehow makes everything feel a little more real, and less like a too-vivid fever dream. His fuchsia phone is a comforting familiarity, full of his photos, messages, and music. His dolls are the ones that sat with him in Arkham and his cloths are the same he found in Gotham thrift stores. Reality starts to settle around him.

John emerges from his room some time later, having ditched his Arkham duds for a long sleeved turquoise argyle top beneath a slim cut purple vest; both his socks and his shoes are separately mismatched, and a pair of gold-wire-rimmed sunglasses hangs over his (mostly) perpetual grin.

A) Find him posing a pair of plushies in the hotel lobby, or random spots in the halls. One of the dolls is a blonde woman and the other is a brunette man, each with blue-button eyes.]

Hey you-- yeah, you. With the nose above your mouth, Can you please move? Like, anywhere else? You're blocking my light [ He holds up his phone, long white finger tapping irritably on the camera lens to demonstrate his intention to snap a photo of his posed plushies.]

B) [Or, find him browsing the shops across the street. In particular, he seems drawn to a display of make-up samples with various shades of red lipstick. The smile that sits on his angular face is typically a little nerving but it shifts into something utterly venomous as he deliberately selects one sample, slides on serpentine motions to a waiting mirror and carefully applies the red stain to his lips.]

[BITS AND BOBS.]
[So apparently there's literal magic here, currently creating random loot stashes of all things-- which kind of explains all of John's favorite items following him here, probably?

But also, Right Now, Right Here, This Real Magic just seems to boil down to Easy Access to Crime. Real Damn Magic and people are just itching to grab it and stab each other with it. It's disgusting. Revolting. And it's certainly not Just. So sickly opposed in fact that it's almost funny.

That morning, sitting somber and alone in his cell, John wasn't sure he'd ever want to Officially try the Vigilante game again; he fucked up so spectacularly, after all. But hadn't Bruce been about to forgive him? Isn't he here, in this strange new place, with his Costume and Toys delivered to him by what seems to be the grace of the damn universe?

Doesn't all of that mean... he should try again? He should probably really think about it, weigh his transgressions, and take stock of his self control... think about if Bruce would want him to try again, or not.

But the simple truth is that he has aggressions to vent and fun toys at his disposal with which to do it, and these magically-endowed criminals are too convenient of a target to pass up. He's not too unlike his best buddy, in following that particular temptation to violence.

The situation? Post dusk, a mugging. Either you or someone you're watching over is being attacked by a person having way too much fun with an enchanted braceleted they found. The attacker sports two extra arms, glowing eyes and an impressive girth of muscle mass, which the violent vigilante can only guess is an effect cast by the glowing bracelet on one of his four wrists. Who knows, maybe some people are just like that, here? Either way, there's an endless thirst for violence ever present in his mind and it's probably a very good thing he's aiming for the most appropriate target.

For Now.

Chattering fangs sail through the air and suddenly tear into the mugger's shoulder; a split second later, a reeling cord from behind the fanged grappling hook pulls the shooter forward through the air; Joker rides the momentum into a wicked kick, his foot biting brutally at cracking ribs. His cackle is ghoulish, blood-thirty; his razor-sharp attention fixed singularly on his stunned, momentarily downed foe.]

Are you kidding me right now? You found some really, For-Real Real enchanted jewelry, and the first thing you could think to do, is mug someone? That's so boring-- you're boring! COMPLETELY uninspired! [ His hand finds the knife in his pocket with perfect muscle memory; he flips the blade from the purple-striped-green handle and almost purrs at the pleasurable clicking of the small mechanisms as the blade locks into place ]

I can, however, show you 'Inspired' [ That dark oil-spill laugh stains the air with a sadist's promising thirst.]

Bits and Bobs

[monkey_wrench]

[The lure of spontaneous stashes of tech, weapons, and magical artifacts was very tempting, especially for a budding teenage villain finding himself alone in a new universe without a single robotic minion left to defend him. Anything he could get his grubby hands on would be a boon right now.

He'd been trying to play it smart, he sure wasn't going to be taking on new superheroes he knew nothing about while he was practically defenseless, so he ditched the supervillain get-up for something a little more plain clothes. Blending was key, and if he got caught snooping around, well, he was just some poor innocent goth kid from another universe, lost in the big scary city "could ya help me get back to my Alliance-mandated hotel?"

And if he ran into another villain, he had his heli-pack to help him get the hell out of dodge in a pinch.

What he wasn't expecting was some lame, two-bit, small-time crook getting the drop on him, or his own flaring temper and impulsive smart-ass mouth getting the better of him. Though, given his history, maybe he should have seen that last one coming. Why did his fight or flight instinct always have to throw out the wrong reaction to every scenario? The dude had already been big enough to snap Jack like a twig before he'd managed to wrestle the bracelet from the kid. By the time that flight instinct finally kicked into gear, it was too late. There was no time to fly off before the four-armed monster of a man decided to try out his newfound extra punching skills on him.

The fight, if it could be called a fight, was a blur of pain, struggling and aimless bites and kicks that had no effect on his attacker.

When the man finally pulls off of him with a roar, Jack's quick to fight through the pain and disorientation to kick his way out from under him, scrambling on the ground to put space between them. He only looks back when he hears the sound of the zipline and the crack of the crook's ribs, watching as his assailant goes down and his savior(?) neatly lands, giving off a blood-chilling cackle that would have made Jack jealous if he wasn't in full panic mode.

The speech has a similar effect; cool, dramatic, and chilling, but would be a lot cooler if he wasn't possibly going to end up on the receiving end of it when they were done with the mugger. When the knife comes out, every instinct screams at Jack to run while he's been seemingly forgotten, but a nauseating mix of terror and sick curiosity keep him pinned in place.]