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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.
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2. (Size-)Changing of the Guard (One Mind, One Will)
3. In Shining armor (Near Diadem Hotel)
3.
[Dana mingles with the crowd of gawkers and listens to the conversations for barely a minute before she's shaking her head. Poor guy. At least there might be something she can do.]
H-hey, has anyone called the Alliance yet? [She acts more nervous than she feels, as if she's just a concerned citizen making a suggestion.]
Re: 3.
I could have that! I don't know what it is, but it might be something I have.
[He does have it with him but it was described as an "identification card" and he is nowhere close to putting two and two together that they might be the same thing.]
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[She addresses the man.]
Are you a new arrival? If you've met the Alliance greeters, they should've given you some stuff.
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[He winces.]
I think I'm having some, uh, frame of reference problems?
In that, even after they tried to explain some things, I have no idea what's going on or what anything is or why anything is...is the anything it is.
And why it all do what it do.
[He nods towards a little pouch at his belt.]
I put all the junk they gave me into my special pouch.
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See, I'm pretty sure he's newly arrived- probably from a medieval magic world. If he is, then he should have the phone and cred card at the very least; maybe you could search him and find them?
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Cassandra isn't worried about the sword. Or the sword-man. He is well-trained, dangerous, but his weapon and armor makes him big-slow-heavy. Cass is fast. She could run. She would lose him.
But he is also full of anger-worry-fear-panic. He is keeping himself in-control. He has a mission. If he's not pointing the sword at her... he will point it at someone.
So she puts her hand up in surrender-caution-don't-be-scared. Her words are slow-purposed. Simple. So she is saying what she means. So she won't get them mixed-up.]
I didn't do this. I was brought here too. And I don't know... who that is. [The name is not-familiar. But he says it with caring.]
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[He squints at the lack of eyes holes in her mask.]
You even have your eyes covered in a - a creepifying way. I don't know how you can even see!
[But there are more pressing matters at hand than her costume. There's also what that kind of costume might mean.]
You look like an assassin.
You wouldn't be the first I've dealt with.
[Even ignoring the assassins he'd protected Harrow from (or failed to), there had been a few plots on Ezran's life in the last two years. Not from Xadia, either, but from the other human kingdoms devastated in the battle near the Storm Spire.]
[His voice is steel.]
Tell me where the king is.
[No one is ever truly fearless. But the fear is so well contained it's almost not visible in his body language. Almost.]
[It's subsumed. Under the devotion. The sense of duty. The being-ready-to-die as long as it's for his king. This level of dedication is because Ezran isn't just a king, he's also a cause. A catalyst for a better world. Soren believes in him and in his dream.]
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I don't kill. I'm not-- I don't have weapons. [Not that she needs them. Cass can't say that she isn't an assassin. She was. She is. That doesn't change. But she isn't visibly armed. ] I'm not going to hurt you. I don't have your, uh, King.
[For the first time she wishes she paid attention when she first got here. To what the Ally-people said. There was lots happening. Her brain wasn't... understanding.]
I come from... [she waves her had to signal "a place that's not-here"] a different place. But there's... magic?
[Is it magic? She doesn't know. Tim would know.] And it brought me here. And others. And you. [She is... struggled for the right words.]
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[He doesn't lower his sword yet though.]
Why are you dressed all super creepy in a bat costume?
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What would Steph say?]
...Ess-thet-tick?
[Perfect.]
3
He’d been running past Wal-Mart, seen the multiple cop cars, and decided to check it out, zipping to a stop among the officers in a blur of green and silver. ]
Officers! Donnelly, Naslund, Clune, and Waters.
[ He says it with the glee that Elmira exclaims upon seeing a kitten. He’s a good hero and regularly stops crimes solo, but loves tweaking the cops. Little things like reading all of their badges before slowing down enough to be seen. Two of them were reaching for their holsters at the sudden appearance.
He slides his guild ID out of the wallet slot he had put into the arm of his suit and tosses it at the only sergeant. ]
Have we met yet? Name’s Speed. Card-carrying member of the Guardian Alliance.
[ Tommy glances at the cuffed guy. Weird clothes that Billy would probably love, frustrated expression. There’s something going on, but he came in late and only heard the end of the discussion. ]
So, what’s your job?
Re: 3
Uh, saving people?
[Like literally being a night in shining armor, bro.]
The weird people who took me to the-the really big castle [He's not actually sure what it is, but Diadem cannot register in his head as anything other than a castle; it's so huge] told me they need heroes, and until I can get back home where I belong, I agreed to be a...whatever they call guards that can do shiny sparkly magic things.
Since apparently, I can do that now.
[He isn't sure how he feels about it yet. He's so used to being around dark magic that he can't help but worry that it has a price, that it's not like the good kinds of magic that come from being in tune with a primal source.]
I was trying to save the shrunken people in those mirror prisons, that are being sold as slaves - [He shouts in the direction of the flustered store manager] Which is even more twisted than just imprisoning them, by the way!
[He turns back to Tommy.]
I was just trying to pry their prisons open to get them out.
Aka saving them aka my job.
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[ Tommy has already lost the thread of this conversation, unless the guy’s lost the plot. Because shrunken captives in mirror prisons.
Castle. People who need heroes. Job is saving people - okay. ]
So you got fancy magic that you didn’t have before.
[ He snaps his fingers. He doesn’t have to snap his fingers, but Tommy thinks that any power worth having is a power worth letting people know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s yours. Especially when there’s a metahuman in handcuffs.
A light flurry of snow starts to fall on the cops. Whoops, how did that happen? ]
And now you’re a member of the Guardian Alliance?
[ The role of castle will be played by the guild HQ? ]
Got one of these?
[ He holds out his own ID card close enough for Soren to see without getting up. ]
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I'm a crownguard back home.
I have one of those cards, it's in my special pouch.
[He nods toward the pouch at his belt, which looks too small to hold much.]
[Special pouch?" the cop says.]
It's bigger on the inside. It can hold lots of stuff now.
I have cards they gave me and one of those - the fun things. I don't know what it's supposed to do.
[He means phone. And he has no idea what it does because he doesn't know how to turn it on.]
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[ Being careful to not dislodge whatever herb or shroom is involved in this because, wow. Just say no, kids.
If there's some inherent magic that will prevent Tommy from getting the card, he'll just make a face. ]
And then we can talk about the shrunken captives and the fun thing, in that order.
2
At least he's not as big as giant Ant-Man. That would be a lot harder.
As it turns out, this guy is actually…helping? Thank god. That's one less thing to worry about. He doesn't seem to be actually hurting the mind controlled people, and taking the helmets off is the way to go. It gives Peter an idea.
He zips up to where he's more or less at eye level with Soren. Hopefully Soren has seen enough other costumed heroes today that Spider-Man won't be too shocking. HOPEFULLY. ]
Hey! Big guy! I…see you're having a moment and that's cool but let's try to avoid the whole Alice in Wonderland flooding streets with tears thing. I have an idea on how to get more of those helmets off these folks!
Re: 2
[Even the name Alice doesn't ring as something familiar.]
[He pulls off another helmet and while blocking the helmeted people, he gently nudges the person who was wearing it away from the crowd so they can try to run to safety.]
Off you go, teeny tiny person. I saw a shelter up the road with some town guards, you'll be safe there.
[He'd learned his lesson after that fateful day he challenged a dragon and got a town torched because of it. He and Pyrrah were friends now but the cycle of hate and violence they'd locked into had hurt other people.]
[Innocent people came first.]
Okay, what's your idea? Spider...pajama person.
3.
But not every Walmart trip comes along with a free show!
Lana stands in the crowd of onlookers, munching on a can of Pringles (that she paid for! she has the receipt and everything!), waiting for the cop interviewing the crazy knight guy to give up and go talk to the store manager again. Once his back is turned, she tiptoes over to the handcuffed weirdo, laughing. ]
Dude, you suck at doing crime. Jesus fucking Christ!
Re: 3.
I wasn't committing a crime! I'll have you know that it was a rescue attempt!
And I don't know what two of the last three words you said mean, I only know the one, so if that was some kind of insult, I'm a boomerang and you're glue.
[He casts about for the phrasing and it's juuust out of reach. The right words often are whenever he needs them most. He might know them outside of the situation but they slip out of his hands when he needs them most like a...slippery slippy thing.]
Something something I throw stuff back and it sticks to you. Or something.
So there!
Re: 3.
[ She holds out the open can, shaking it invitingly. ]
As far as your "rescue attempt" goes, I don't suppose anyone has told you yet that the TVs don't actually have tiny people in them? It's just a video. A... picture that moves.
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[It takes a solid few seconds for his brain to chew over the whole "picture that moves."]
Also: pictures can't move. [He's very firm on this.] That's kind of their whole thing. Being there, looking like, y'know, stuff, and not moving.
Moving pictures. That's crazy talk.
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2
[They are, actually. Despite the outfit's expanding and shrinking to match Soren's size, they keep his thighs perfectly outlined the whole time. And who is Airplane to not admire a good pair of thighs? Absolutely no one, that's who! Thighs are great!]
Might be easier to get the shit off these guy's necks if you don't punt them across the street though.
[That last person going flying looked like an accident, but when the person kicking them away was 10ft tall at the time they did the kicking... well, never know for sure.]
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[He genuinely appreciates the compliment. He doesn't get them often, especially about how good-looking he most definitely is. People seem to think it'll go to his head for some reason.]
Sorry, I'm trying to keep the be-helmed ones away from the freed ones! Got any ideas about separating them? We need to give them a path away from the crowd.
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Well, we need to give the freed ones time to get their sense back. Which means they need to be awake. Or the enslaved ones are just going to try and put the mind-control devices back on. But you've been stunning them all first.
[Oh shit. Did that sound like he was scolding the giant hero? That was not his intention.]
Not that stunning them is bad! It's just that with so many, there's a lot of back and forth with the being mind-controlled, not being mind-controlled, being mind-controlled thing! So uh, maybe after freeing them, we could put them somewhere?
[The buildings were right out because the people under mind control - and mind control plot? Really? So cliche - could just open doors or smash windows to get to those not mind controlled. Something they couldn't climb into would be best. And the streets were filled with abandoned cars, so maybe... oh! Perfect!]
There! The garbage truck! It's too high to easily climb the sides of and the smell is certain to help everyone wake up faster!