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TEST DRIVE MEME: NOVEMBER EDITION
TEST DRIVE MEME
A Confluence, capitalized, is the converging of one or more supernatural forces.
This Confluence is predicted. Guild officials are ready to capture the new Starfallen and explain the situation to them. All of this has become quite mundane for them, but you -
You find yourself suddenly falling from the sky. Careening towards the pavement, only to be caught at the last minute by thin ribbons made of stardust. They would have caught you far faster, as they've been getting quite skilled at snapping tumbling bodies from mid-air, but...
This Confluence is predicted. Guild officials are ready to capture the new Starfallen and explain the situation to them. All of this has become quite mundane for them, but you -
You find yourself suddenly falling from the sky. Careening towards the pavement, only to be caught at the last minute by thin ribbons made of stardust. They would have caught you far faster, as they've been getting quite skilled at snapping tumbling bodies from mid-air, but...
ONE MIND, ONE WILL. CENTRAL CITY, MICHIGAN.
Staticky octogon-shaped portals appear in the sky you just fell from. At that same moment, every screen in Central City flares to life. A PINK-SKINNED ALIEN with glittering, crystalline compound eyes stares calmly into the camera.
"My greetings to The Society of Samaritans. My dear old teammates. And their hero friends like Atom...? Atomight? Atomight. If they're even still alive... When you've lived as long as I have..."
He trails off, staring into the distance. It takes a moment for him to resume speaking. "I hope they don't still have you all convinced of the delusion of free will. What does free will matter in the face of immortality? Of freedom from strife? I would reshape you all into something so beautiful." He gives the camera a beatific smile. "I don't know why you would eschew that - so I'm just going to take the choice out of your hands. It's for your own good, really. The Forerunner is here to save you from yourselves."
At that, monsters start to pour through the portals. Instantly there's mass panic. Screams fill the streets.
The Forerunner is viewed as a "god" by the monsters coming through. ABOMINIDS twisted long-limbed biological monstrosities slavishly devoted to him, and his AUTOMATA, incredibly intricate machines lacking free will. Alliance members appear familiar with his tactics, and familiar with the foe. They can tell you that The Forerunner himself is unable to cross between dimensions due to the tragedy that made him. In an act of heroic self-sacrifice which warped his mind, he was trapped between dimensions and his body was warped beyond recognition. This isn't the first time he's attacked Earth with his monstrosities, hoping to weaken the planet's defenses.
The monsters are not the only threat. The Forerunner has developed the ability to hack free will. Automata and Abominids are putting mind control helmets on unpowered citizens en masse, the projected stream of sound they provide capable of binding the victims to his will.
Swarms of converted non-meta civilians are quickly captured and converted. These people are not themselves, but they must be fought, freed, or avoided. You, heroes and villains, are the only force that can avert disaster. The mind-controlled civillians are targeting infrastructure like power transformers and fire departments.
Even more worrying, the Converts are swarming the local hospitals, raiding metahuman wards to take control of metas too sick and weak to fight back. These metas are the intended building blocks for the invasion force, who will be mind controlled and forced to fight despite illness or injuries. At ground zero for the earliest attacks, medical staff need help transporting sick patients and newborn babies to hospital wings that can be more effectively barricaded. Some will wind up trapped, stuck holding doors shut together while fists pound outside.
Whether heroes or villains, those unfortunate enough to be captured will find themselves given a modified mind control device at the base of the neck. If you are so unlucky, you will act completely normal at first to put the people around you off guard. And when the opportunity arises, you will try to convert others by implanting those same devices. The constant stream of mental hacking will leave your personality mostly intact, save for the devotion to the Forerunner.
"Surrender and sublimate. Flesh into flesh. All are one in the Forerunner." They chant in the streets.
Removing the devices instantly liberates the captive. However, there are so many of them. It's up to the Starfallen to hold the line, and stop others from being taken.
"My greetings to The Society of Samaritans. My dear old teammates. And their hero friends like Atom...? Atomight? Atomight. If they're even still alive... When you've lived as long as I have..."
He trails off, staring into the distance. It takes a moment for him to resume speaking. "I hope they don't still have you all convinced of the delusion of free will. What does free will matter in the face of immortality? Of freedom from strife? I would reshape you all into something so beautiful." He gives the camera a beatific smile. "I don't know why you would eschew that - so I'm just going to take the choice out of your hands. It's for your own good, really. The Forerunner is here to save you from yourselves."
At that, monsters start to pour through the portals. Instantly there's mass panic. Screams fill the streets.
The Forerunner is viewed as a "god" by the monsters coming through. ABOMINIDS twisted long-limbed biological monstrosities slavishly devoted to him, and his AUTOMATA, incredibly intricate machines lacking free will. Alliance members appear familiar with his tactics, and familiar with the foe. They can tell you that The Forerunner himself is unable to cross between dimensions due to the tragedy that made him. In an act of heroic self-sacrifice which warped his mind, he was trapped between dimensions and his body was warped beyond recognition. This isn't the first time he's attacked Earth with his monstrosities, hoping to weaken the planet's defenses.
The monsters are not the only threat. The Forerunner has developed the ability to hack free will. Automata and Abominids are putting mind control helmets on unpowered citizens en masse, the projected stream of sound they provide capable of binding the victims to his will.
Swarms of converted non-meta civilians are quickly captured and converted. These people are not themselves, but they must be fought, freed, or avoided. You, heroes and villains, are the only force that can avert disaster. The mind-controlled civillians are targeting infrastructure like power transformers and fire departments.
Even more worrying, the Converts are swarming the local hospitals, raiding metahuman wards to take control of metas too sick and weak to fight back. These metas are the intended building blocks for the invasion force, who will be mind controlled and forced to fight despite illness or injuries. At ground zero for the earliest attacks, medical staff need help transporting sick patients and newborn babies to hospital wings that can be more effectively barricaded. Some will wind up trapped, stuck holding doors shut together while fists pound outside.
Whether heroes or villains, those unfortunate enough to be captured will find themselves given a modified mind control device at the base of the neck. If you are so unlucky, you will act completely normal at first to put the people around you off guard. And when the opportunity arises, you will try to convert others by implanting those same devices. The constant stream of mental hacking will leave your personality mostly intact, save for the devotion to the Forerunner.
"Surrender and sublimate. Flesh into flesh. All are one in the Forerunner." They chant in the streets.
Removing the devices instantly liberates the captive. However, there are so many of them. It's up to the Starfallen to hold the line, and stop others from being taken.
DIADEM HOTEL
Whether you've survived the chaos, or arrived after the trouble's over, 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 11th sequel of a popular action racing franchise, BLASTS FROM THE CURIOUS: LAST OF THE NEFARIOUS, in which Hubcaps Nefarious tries to undo the Carmageddon caused by evil tech entrepreneur Jebs Robs. He uses the Large Hadron Collider to launch a Bugati into the past to save the world and the most important thing of all: family.
CENTRAL CITY isn't exactly the nicest place in the world, even after the clean up from the Forerunners's attack. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?
Or perhaps you're NOT the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.
Regardless, it won't take long for TROUBLE to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.
The DIADEM HOTEL is usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. Its rooms are enormous, the beds quite literally enchanted to offer the perfect night's sleep, and the food would usually cost your life savings just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Guilds feel its the least they can do to aid your transition into this world. EVERYTHING is complimentary, and everyone gets an ALLIANCE CREDIT CARD to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back... though if they catch you abusing it, their accountant will be coming for your head.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets that cater to your every need. Food, clothing... and swords? If you can think of it, it's for sale. Although anything clearly supernatural or metahuman seems to be at a minimum and offered under the table. You can grab clothing made to withstand any superpower and a surprisingly mediocre Taco Bell order while you're at it. There's a Super Cinema in the shopping complex across the street that's showing the 11th sequel of a popular action racing franchise, BLASTS FROM THE CURIOUS: LAST OF THE NEFARIOUS, in which Hubcaps Nefarious tries to undo the Carmageddon caused by evil tech entrepreneur Jebs Robs. He uses the Large Hadron Collider to launch a Bugati into the past to save the world and the most important thing of all: family.
CENTRAL CITY isn't exactly the nicest place in the world, even after the clean up from the Forerunners's attack. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?
Or perhaps you're NOT the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.
Regardless, it won't take long for TROUBLE to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.
THE PUMPKIN KING. SUNSET FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS.
The recently open door to the underworld is now closed but that doesn't mean Sunset Falls is free from supernatural events. That said, what's currently happening is at least a normal kind of abnormal, a well-established, necessary yearly ritual.
Every year, a being known as Magna Cucurbita, also called the Pumpkin King or Old Man Autumn, must be appeased so that Autumn in the northern hemisphere can start progressing to Winter and the other seasons. In the past, this entailed flattering him with various depictions in TV specials and movies, but with some of these beloved holiday specials and movies moving to streaming services and being viewed by less people - and increasing Christmas creep - this seasonal elemental has taken affront at the lack of attention at the end of the harvest season.
Fortunately, the magical community in Sunset Falls knows how he can still be appeased. Every year they perform a ritual in some pumpkin fields, corn fields, and orchards just outside Sunset Falls. While the ritual is led by the Alliance's Silent Mystic, the magical community sees it as something that transcends the loyalties of the guilds and all are welcome to help out, regardless of affiliation. It takes a large number of people performing it to make it work, enough that those that might be hesitant will practically be begged because of the importance of making sure Autumn doesn't last all year long.
After being teleported in by the mages, the ritual is a mostly harmless one. Much like the recent masquerade ball, all participants must pick out a harvest mask but instead of magically hiding their identity the mask does the opposite: it enhances it, transforming and taking the form of something deeply personal or that best represents the individual. Sometimes the carvings and paint can show more than one thing, causing a wearer to have an entire collage of personal symbols, objects, characters, or even whole scenes depicted on the mask.
Two participants, often chosen at random, then have their hands bound together with twine woven from straw. They have to walk through the pumpkin patch and both eat an apple from the orchard, then walk into the cornfields. Once all the sound gives way to the white noise of rustling corn stalks, they have to kneel and tell each other their greatest desire. This can be any number of things, both possible and impossible, like the recovery of something long-lost (or gone forever), a short-term goal they're desperate to accomplish, or a lifelong dream they keep aspiring towards.
This admission must be the truth or at least close to the spirit of it, and the stronger the desire, the sooner the ritual will be finished. This is a harvest of emotion that appeases the spirit.
Until both have said their truth, Magna Cucurbita can be seen in glimpses, circling in the corn around them, wearing his grand suit embroidered with pumpkins, accompanied by two skeletal Halloween spirits. When he is finally appeased the spirit gracefully departs, leaving behind the scent of pumpkins, bonfires, and ripe apples. Participants can then return to the others.
When enough participants have appeased the Pumpkin King, a very light first snow will fall, heralding Winter, and the ritual will be declared over. The new season is always welcomed in with the mages treating everyone to magically delicious hot cocoa and hot cider, various apple treats (baked, candied, and caramel), and various pumpkin based foods like pie and pumpkin spice bread.
Provided they don't indulge in a snowball fight first, everyone is then taken home.
EXCELSIOR
A scientist in Excelsior has come forward, claiming that he can solve the current metahuman crisis with science. Robots, he says, without intelligence. One that is programmed to follow human law by the letter. They do not need metahuman intervention. Their problems are caused by scientific minds, and so the solution must come from them.
The robots in question are mass-producted from cheap material. Their programming is… slapdash, at best. And there is no government sign-off on these robots, the eager scientist simply flings open the door to his lab and unleashes them upon the city.
Rejoice, he cries, I, Sprocket Biggs have saved this city!
He has not.
The robots are doing what they are instructed to. They are intervening when they catch sight of someone endangering others, or breaking the law. Unfortunately Sprocket did not think to check what laws they were upholding, nor did he think to prune the more ridiculous ones that have entered legislation over the centuries. And so these poor, ridiculous creatures descend upon the unsuspecting populace with only their binary understanding of what is and isn’t a law.
Some of the laws the robots are adhering to are…
• It is illegal to attach a vending machine to a utility pole without prior consent from the utility company.
• No person may walk about in public if he or she has the common cold.
• Destroying a beer cask or bottle of another is illegal.
• It is illegal to entice girls away from the Maple Lane School for girls.
• X-rays may not be used to fit shoes.
• All lollipops are banned.
• A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town.
• It is illegal to paint polka dots on the American flag.
• People may not buy a mattress on Sunday.
• All motor vehicles must be preceded by a man carrying a red flag (daytime) or a red lantern (nighttime) fifty feet in front of said vehicle.
• It is illegal to pretend that one's parents are rich.
• One may not spit on a bus.
• When two trains come to a crossing, neither shall go until the other has passed.
• You cannot buy meat of any kind on Sunday.
• No person may walk about in public if he or she has the common cold. RCW 70.54.050 Exposing contagious disease -- Penalty. Every person who shall wilfully expose himself to another, or any animal affected with any contagious or infectious disease, in any public place or thoroughfare, except upon his or its necessary removal in a manner not dangerous to the public health; and every person so affected who shall expose any other person thereto without his knowledge, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
• A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town. This law was set up to curb an ever increasing crime rate in the area. Due to its sheer stupidity, however, it is needless to say that the law has affected nothing.
• You may not shuck peanuts on the street.
• It is illegal to display a hypnotized or allegedly hypnotized person in a store window.
• Dancing and drinking may not occur at the same establishment.
• You may not carry a concealed weapon that is over six feet in length.
• One may not spit on a bus.
• Those who sit on men's laps on buses or trains without placing a pillow between them face an automatic six-month jail term.
• No one may set fire to another person's property without prior permission.
• It is illegal to carry a fishbowl or aquarium onto a bus because the sound of the water sloshing may disturb other passengers.
• No one may kneel on a pedestrian skywalk.
• Spitting on city buses is outlawed.
• Persons may not wear a life jacket near a public body of water.
• TV's may not be bought on Sundays.
• Strippers may not come closer than four feet to any customer.
• No structure shall contain more than two toilets that use potable water for flushing.
• It is illegal to give noxious substances to a bird in any city park.
• You may not ride an ugly horse
• And many more.
These misshapen, malfunctioning hunks of metal are not much of a threat to any metahuman. They’ll sound their klaxons and chase you with grabbing hands, intent on hefting you above their heads and taking you directly to the nearest authority. This could be a police offer, but it’s much more likely to anyone with authority nearby. Don’t be surprised if your captor rockets through the windows of a board meeting, dropping you in front of the CEO expectantly.
They’re surprisingly durable, at least physically. It’s probably possible to overload them mentally without much effort, a simple logic puzzle or two might do. Or just bring up a few conflicting laws! Maybe even break as many as possible. Best to team up and grab a buddy so they don’t know who to chase.
The robots in question are mass-producted from cheap material. Their programming is… slapdash, at best. And there is no government sign-off on these robots, the eager scientist simply flings open the door to his lab and unleashes them upon the city.
Rejoice, he cries, I, Sprocket Biggs have saved this city!
He has not.
The robots are doing what they are instructed to. They are intervening when they catch sight of someone endangering others, or breaking the law. Unfortunately Sprocket did not think to check what laws they were upholding, nor did he think to prune the more ridiculous ones that have entered legislation over the centuries. And so these poor, ridiculous creatures descend upon the unsuspecting populace with only their binary understanding of what is and isn’t a law.
Some of the laws the robots are adhering to are…
• It is illegal to attach a vending machine to a utility pole without prior consent from the utility company.
• No person may walk about in public if he or she has the common cold.
• Destroying a beer cask or bottle of another is illegal.
• It is illegal to entice girls away from the Maple Lane School for girls.
• X-rays may not be used to fit shoes.
(more laws here)
• All lollipops are banned.
• A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town.
• It is illegal to paint polka dots on the American flag.
• People may not buy a mattress on Sunday.
• All motor vehicles must be preceded by a man carrying a red flag (daytime) or a red lantern (nighttime) fifty feet in front of said vehicle.
• It is illegal to pretend that one's parents are rich.
• One may not spit on a bus.
• When two trains come to a crossing, neither shall go until the other has passed.
• You cannot buy meat of any kind on Sunday.
• No person may walk about in public if he or she has the common cold. RCW 70.54.050 Exposing contagious disease -- Penalty. Every person who shall wilfully expose himself to another, or any animal affected with any contagious or infectious disease, in any public place or thoroughfare, except upon his or its necessary removal in a manner not dangerous to the public health; and every person so affected who shall expose any other person thereto without his knowledge, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
• A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town. This law was set up to curb an ever increasing crime rate in the area. Due to its sheer stupidity, however, it is needless to say that the law has affected nothing.
• You may not shuck peanuts on the street.
• It is illegal to display a hypnotized or allegedly hypnotized person in a store window.
• Dancing and drinking may not occur at the same establishment.
• You may not carry a concealed weapon that is over six feet in length.
• One may not spit on a bus.
• Those who sit on men's laps on buses or trains without placing a pillow between them face an automatic six-month jail term.
• No one may set fire to another person's property without prior permission.
• It is illegal to carry a fishbowl or aquarium onto a bus because the sound of the water sloshing may disturb other passengers.
• No one may kneel on a pedestrian skywalk.
• Spitting on city buses is outlawed.
• Persons may not wear a life jacket near a public body of water.
• TV's may not be bought on Sundays.
• Strippers may not come closer than four feet to any customer.
• No structure shall contain more than two toilets that use potable water for flushing.
• It is illegal to give noxious substances to a bird in any city park.
• You may not ride an ugly horse
• And many more.
These misshapen, malfunctioning hunks of metal are not much of a threat to any metahuman. They’ll sound their klaxons and chase you with grabbing hands, intent on hefting you above their heads and taking you directly to the nearest authority. This could be a police offer, but it’s much more likely to anyone with authority nearby. Don’t be surprised if your captor rockets through the windows of a board meeting, dropping you in front of the CEO expectantly.
They’re surprisingly durable, at least physically. It’s probably possible to overload them mentally without much effort, a simple logic puzzle or two might do. Or just bring up a few conflicting laws! Maybe even break as many as possible. Best to team up and grab a buddy so they don’t know who to chase.
CLIFF NOTES.
➢ New arrivals will be appearing in Central City. They fall from the skies and are caught moments before impact by magic users from the guilds.
➢ Taking advantage of thinned spots between dimensions caused by the Confluences and the recent opening to the Underworld, the otherdimensional tyrant known as the Forerunner is attacking the city.
➢ The Forerunner uses mind control devices and monsters to try to bring the city under his thumb. The mind control devices instill a sense of loyalty and devotion to the Forerunner.
➢ Those who are under his mind control will attack key infrastructure in the city, including hospitals. Players must defend themselves from a hoard of mind-controlled civilians, metas, and maybe even friends!
➢ This will last roughly one day before being brought under control. A heck of an entrance, though! In the aftermath, newbies will be brought to the DIADEM HOTEL.
➢ In Sunset Falls, the annual rituals to appease the Pumpkin King must be undertaken. The ritual involves showing him your truth. You must take a mask and put it on your face, and the mask's appearance will reflect your deepest truth.
➢ Two characters will be randomly paired together, and must share a truth about themselves. This can be any number of things, both possible and impossible, like the recovery of something long-lost (or gone forever), a short-term goal they're desperate to accomplish, or a lifelong dream they keep aspiring towards. Once done, the spirit is pleased and departs, allowing winter to come.
➢ In Excelsior, a scientist has made robots that are programmed to uphold the law! Unfortunately, he didn't specify which laws, and these robots are now trying to enforce some really weird ones.
➢ These robots are largely harmless. They're physically strong but mentally dim. They're mostly loud, bumbling, and doing their best. If caught, you'll be brought to the nearest authority - who can be anyone in a position of power, or who simply radiates authority.
➢ The easiest way to beat them is to break as many weird laws as possible. Team up and get creative. Or if you think you can take them head on, suit up and beat them up.
➢ 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.
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.
doug ramsey ( marvel )
a.
[ if he knew what his mask looked like now that it's changed, doug might not be willing to wear it. it's so strangely vulgar, so many private things splashed across its carvings-- the black-and-gold circuitry imitating warlock, twined with strange, impossible flowers, a half-hidden bullet resting along the edge of a bright petal. even bei is there in the hawkish shape of the mask, the stark red lines near the top of it.
still, he doesn't know what it looks like, and he has other things to worry about as he kneels awkwardly in the middle of a field of golden cornstalks. blue eyes drop to where his wrist is still bound to his partner's, and he has to force himself not to pull the twine loose. he'd agreed to help out with this, after all. he can't back out now. ]
Greatest desires, huh? [ he muses quietly, and his mouth twitches crookedly up at the reassuring pulse from warlock. ] I'm not sure how seriously I've thought about it. It doesn't always seem safe at home.
b.
[ after it's all over and snow is falling, doug offers an extra cup of cocoa down to someone who looks like they might need it. as he does so, the circuitry covering his right arm peels away, reforming into a tall figure, who lays his hand briefly on doug's nape. there's a moment that seems to pass between them, and the figure--warlock--turns to wander away, probably to check out the rest of the area until doug is ready to go.
the blond himself offers an apologetic smile, lifting his own paper cup to blow steam off the top. ] Don't mind him, he just.. needed a break from the smells. [ human food still occasionally seems to make him queasy. considering why, though, doug could never blame him for it.
he clears his throat. ] So, is this.. normal here? Do you know? [ doug ramsey, what exactly is your definition of normal, anyway? ]
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- or meta-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-- ]
Also, I'm an omniglot-- [ not a polyglot, he chose omni deliberately. ] --and I realize that doesn't seem to matter much here, but it does mean I also talk perfectly fluently to tech of basically any sort, so.. I guess this is also a call for employment? No offense to the guilds, but I'm not really sure I'm ready to sign up with one of them yet, and I'm not sure what else is out there.
pumpkin king - a
It also feels odd to bind her hands with some random stranger, eat an apple together, and walk through the cornfield. When it comes time to spill her greatest desires, however, Robin blurts hers out without thinking, like it's been dying to come out for a loooong, long time. ]
I want to run away and move to France!
[ The words hang in the air between them as she pants, breath fogging up in the chill November air. ]
I... had a whole plan for doing it. I called it Operation Croissant. [ ... ] God... I haven't told anyone that in years.
no subject
in spite of himself, he grins, glance lifting to her face again. ] Operation Croissant's a cute name. Why France?
[ not that france isn't fine, just-- there has to be a reason, right? and no, he isn't just stalling as he tries to pick through his own head for a potential deepest desire. ]
no subject
[ She'd grown up on her parent's stories about their life as hippies in the sixties before they settled down and had her. And she'd read so many French novels and just fallen in love with her mental image of Paris. ]
It doesn't matter. It's never going to happen now.
no subject
Are we not allowed to travel? I-- I just got here, so I'm not very well-versed on the laws yet.
no subject
[ She has no idea what the French populace's view on metahumans is. Even if they don't mind them— hell, even if they would welcome her with open arms, Robin isn't about to abandon the friends she has here. ]
I meant back home. Once I go back. There's just... too much going on to leave everything behind.
no subject
I get that. [ god knows things are always insane enough back home that he's only ever rarely taken time to himself. ] .. Maybe one day, yeah? [ he hesitates, then gestures to her mask. ] It looks like maybe you're one step there already, if those words all over your mask mean you speak French.
no subject
[ Even though she has them now, it's still a mental adjustment she needs to make. ]
Oh. Yeah— I mean oui. Je parle français.
wildcard
He's finishing tying off a wide bandage on his leg and about to find an alley to disappear when a blonde man appears and offers a bottle of water, like they're neighbors chatting in a blizzard. Tim takes the drink politely, although he doesn't sip it. That dual sentient arm merge... that's a new one. ]
That would depend on your definition of normal. Is a regular occurrence one that happens all the time, or will reliable frequency qualify?
no subject
[ he puts his back against the wall next to the stranger's windowsill, not particularly trusting the quiet either. warlock will probably spend the next little while patrolling the area, giving doug a break from something he wasn't expecting to be dropped into. he's not a fighter, really, and never has been. he can read someone's body language down to millimeter movements, in ways that most people can't possibly hope to, but that doesn't always mean he can make his own react to those movements the way he wants it to. it helps being bonded to warlock, of course, but still.
he circles a finger upward to indicate the sky, brows arching as he glances sideways toward the masked teenager. ] I just fell out of the sky, and alternate dimensions aren't exactly my specialty, so it would be good to know if I can expect to be accosted on the street by mind-controlled humans very often. [ a beat. ] Though I guess you might've also just fallen out of the sky.
no subject
[ He’s calm about this report, with no significant change to his body language or overall alertness.
But Tim’s brain is still cataloguing every violent, bizarre event that’s happened since he arrived, including being kidnapped and tortured by the Joker. He’s good at masking fears and emotions, but they’re still present in uncontrollable micro expressions.
If he knew who he was talking to, Tim would be thinking of a brick wall. ]
I dug myself out of a mutant potato field about seven months ago. I’m not sure if that was better or worse than falling from the sky, as far as Confluences go. Has anyone explained them to you?
no subject
No, but I can guess what they are. [ warlock's already accessed the network and passed some information on, but more importantly, just from the stranger's words alone, it sounds like it's a recurring thing. and since doug hadn't been the only confused person picking himself up off the concrete, he'd guess he's also not the only one from another universe. ] I have to assume no one really knows what's causing them..?
[ warlock lopes back into view, then, glancing briefly to tim and waving once before turning his focus back on doug. ] Self checked surrounding streets, the fighting seems to be mostly under control for now.
Thanks, Warlock. [ doug accepts the hand reaching out for him, squeezing the fingers briefly, and the technarch flows back up his arm to cover it once more. ]
no subject
[ He's openly mistrusting of the guilds, no secret there, but it's more than that. There's an underlying disdain. Tim's made a hobby of looking for firsthand sources that aren't official guild press releases or prepped interviews. It's so hard to find anything that hasn't been scrubbed cleaned; that alone is worrying. But they publicly committed crimes against humanity back in the day, as far as Tim is concerned, and no one cared. He wouldn't join them if they put a gun to his head.
The wave to the newcomer, Warlock, stops abruptly when he melts onto the blonde's arm. Tim's eying yellow and black circuit pattern over with a sharp, curious expression. He doesn't even how to express the question of what he just heard saw. ]
Is Warlock you, yours, or something else entirely?
[ Rude, but Tim has seen amazing technology and armor in his short life, and he's never seen anything recon droid or armor function that fluidly. ]
a.
( the 'sim' in this case is the video game which she currently finds herself in. it's a weird one. normally people want her to help her figure out shooter games, or play their hand in a round of zombie splatter types, but this feels weirdly... personal. who builds a game about sitting out in a cornfield, anyway? )
You know your face is movin', right?
( which means hers probably is too. images of country life, a loving family all bundled together, guns, london (?), and deep-fried local snacks all swirl together on her mask. )
ourpowers | Text | UN: Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky
[The User Name is in Chinese and has been thoughtfully translated to "Airplane shooting towards the sky". The actual translation is a much more obvious masturbation joke, which Cypher would understand better than most given his abilities.]