TEST DRIVE MEME: MAY EDITION

[metamods]

TEST DRIVE MEME

A Confluence, capitalized, is the converging of one or more supernatural forces. Typically, a Confluence only occurs in one place at any given time. Typically.

These are not typical times.

Most of the Starfallen will arrive in Excelsior, Washington, slipping from the sky one by one, needing to be helped as they come floating down. To many citizens in Excelsior – individuals who are far from fond of metahumans – their arrival is a sign of bad things to come. It’s always a sign of bad things to come. This time, however, the bad things don’t come in the typical sequence. Instead, they’re dealing with a problem when the Starfallen begin to unwittingly arrive. What’s that problem? Plants with a rather problematic taste for flesh.

While Excelsior is hoping for spring to actually stick on the horizon, they’re warding off plants left and right. At least none of the plants seem to be able to spit fire – uh, yet?

In the midwestern part of the country, a huge barrage of rain has begun to settle over the land. Rain like this isn’t normal. Stormfronts usually keep moving forward, but this isn’t. And while rain isn’t a bad thing, this rain … is a deluge. A flood upon floods. Some Starfallen individuals will be showing up in the middle of this, arriving in both Little Love and Central City. Hope they can keep their heads above water!

Making matters worse is that everything seems a bit – planned? No, that’s not the right word. Like it’s all happened before. Or happening again. People all over are definitely noticing a strange uptick in déjà vu. Most worrying is how it seems to be happening everywhere.

EXCELSIOR

Ah, Excelsior – the city that doesn’t ask “why” something should be explored, but how quickly it can be explored. If only someone there had developed a swift measure to deal with a sudden influx of killer plants! The good news is that these plants haven’t killed anyone – not yet, anyway – but there is all the time in the world for that to change.

As the Starfallen arrive, they’re unlikely to notice the plants, and instead will see technological marvels all around them. Although Excelsior isn’t fond of Starfallen, they like the idea of welcoming them and getting them the hell out as quickly as possible. This philosophy results in all of the Starfallen being guided down to the ground, with further instructions awaiting them once they’re on two feet. (Or four. No one’s judging!) But once they land, they’re likely to notice that things aren’t the way they’re meant to be.

After all, someone in Excelsior failed to ask “why it’s bad to create an incredibly unlikely strain of plants that is genetically inspired by snapdragons, the flowers from those plumber games, and piranhas,” and instead went ahead with “how quickly can I do it?” Their experiment proved to be far too successful, aided by cutting-edge bioengineering technology.

Even though all Starfallen are encouraged to depart for the Midwest after they receive their teleportation devices, it’s apparent that the people of Excelsior need help. Right now, their chilly reception can easily be written off as a symptom of what’s happening. Dealing with newcomers at a time like this? Preposterous! People are injured from wild, flesh-eating plants. Obviously!

So, kind Starfallen – whether you’ve just arrived or came by when you heard word of the Confluence of trouble – will you give these dour folk the hand they so desperately need?

THE MIDWEST

Elsewhere, both Little Love and Central City are experiencing a flood of problems. Most of the problems are the result of the flood. While Little Love is known to be the quieter of the cities in this Confluence-ridden world, it finds itself dealing with a torrential downpour that it’s never seen before. Meteorologists quickly note that this is unnatural. All the way from Kansas to Illinois to Michigan there is rain, rain for as far as the eye can see. Flood warnings have no end in sight, and the people in these cities have asked for help from outside. If this rain doesn’t stop, all summer crops will be at risk!

The source of these problems? A Confluence. More specifically: a five-year-old girl who was born in Little Love just got news that her father died in an accident. Combine that with the incoming Confluence and the girl unwittingly unleashed her sadness upon the land.

Anyone investigating would learn that the rain began in Little Love, right before it began to spread upward and outward from the little town. Soon, Kansas, and then the entire Midwest, would feel the impact of her grief. Even when she sleeps, it doesn’t go away – her pain is a constant, after all. Finding her is key. No one can truly prevent a child’s grief, but perhaps they can help her realize her impact on the world and get her newly-arrived power under control.

DIADEM HOTEL

Whether you’ve gone to investigate the rather moist trouble or you’re just looking for some shut-eye, you’ve got a place that’s waiting for you. Need to clean up some plant-induced wounds? It’s time to hit the LUXURY HOTEL to ease any concerns.

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 for just a small taste. 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 outlet shops 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 a film called BARKS OF THE DEAD, a story about a zombified dog who protects a small family during the zombie apocalypse. Despite its taste for other dogs’ brains, this dog is fiercely loyal and will do anything for its owners.

EVERYWHERE: DÉJÀ VU

Less obvious and more innocuous are the strange stints of déjà vu all over. At first, it might seem like it’s a familiar thing you’ve seen before, but then you’re certain that you’ve ordered those chicken tenders before. Wait, you haven’t even been to this city before, much less this restaurant.

The feeling of déjà vu isn’t just that. Whole days will begin to feel like they’re repeating – surely they’ve solved that rain problem? Or the plant problem? Didn’t you hear that it happened?

Anyone keen to take notes might want to – assuming you haven’t just gotten that you did and they’ve been lost to time.

CLIFF NOTES.

➢ New arrivals will be appearing in Excelsior, Little Love, or Central City – with the bulk of them arriving in Excelsior. Their arrival will be expected and handled by a number of odd pieces of technology that help them as they fall from the sky itself. None of the locals will be happy to see the arrivals, but they’ll be so frazzled that they won’t be able to give them their usual chilly welcome. Vicious plants are on the loose and it’s not a meta’s fault. This might be meaningless to newcomers, but anyone who’s old hat at this will know that Excelsior can cause its own problems just fine, thank you.

➢ Arrivals who land in Little Love or Central City will arrive to a lot of rain. This much rainfall can impact the climate, daily life, crops – you name it. Arrivals will also be very, very soggy. If they’d like, they can ignore the trouble in favor of getting answers or heading to the hotel. No one’s obligated to lend a hand.

➢ 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.

➢ As for the time stuff, feel free to treat it as a wobbly time event! Mess with memories, get a character caught in the same day, or even just make someone feel like they’ve suddenly acquired precognition as a power. The sky’s the limit!

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.

Comments

[harageous]

( that's a win.

not very much of one, but it's a start.

it's a start! all eda needed was another start. she could get it right this time. )

Okay. Okay!

( she says, her entire expression lighting up with a mix of joy and relief. she barely seems bothered that they're still in the rain, her umbrella stretched out to cover neither of them. she twirls the handle in her hand then before stepping closer again, now effectively shielding them both from the weather. )

C'mon then, let's get out of the rain.

( she gestures to a space between buildings, where they have decorated it with string lights, plenty of fake plants, and a couple stone tables. it looks like the outdoor dining area of a restaurant that didn't bother to open today. they've even left the outdoor heater there, although chained to the wall.

it couldn't be more perfect. )

Here.

( then all too quickly, she's grabbing for raine's wrist and leading them over. )

[whistlestoptea]

[ Oh no, the way her face lights up is too adorable. And of course, Eda wastes absolutely no time at all grabbing them. They let it happen, while trying not to think too hard about the warmth of her hand on their wrist. ]

So... what exactly is this place? It's clearly not the Boiling Isles. And the people in the place where I landed weren't exactly welcoming, or forthcoming with the answers.

[harageous]

( the question hangs in the air, but eda doesn't bother to answer it yet. partially because she doesn't want to give out too much information too quickly and risk cutting their time together short and partially because this would be a better conversation to have while sitting down.

knowledge about the human realm isn't exactly widespread—precisely why it was such a pain in the ass to try to uncover how to actually get back there once she lost her personal portal. oh, the things you take for granted until they're gone.

once they're in the little alleyway, she all but guides raine down onto one of the benches. )

Here. Sit. You want to be close to that big metal thing.

( that's when she lets go, moving to click on the big red button against the back of the heater. it makes a soft whirring noise as it comes to life, gradually starting to glow with orange hues and radiate heat outward. )

Yeah, it's. . . It's the human realm, but the wrong one. It's. . . different here.

( she finally starts, now moving to sit across from them at the little table. )

There's all manner of creatures here, but we're not exactly welcome.

( a quick gesture to her headscarf, drawing attention to the fact she'd chosen to hide her ears. )

[whistlestoptea]

[ In all honesty? Fine by Raine. They're not especially eager to get separated from Eda. Might as well... savor the time spent sharing information.

They sit where she instructs them to and stare in wonder as the little machine starts glowing and heating up. It's probably not magic, but it kind of looks a lot like it. When she sits, they turn to face her. ]

That much was evident, judging by the reactions I've gotten so far. I haven't had a chance to procure something to cover my ears yet.

[ But, well... depending on how long they're stuck here, it might be a good idea. ]

How long have you been here?

[harageous]

( unsurprising answer.

interestingly enough, the idea of it still makes her rather irritated. for as much disrespect is expected at this point, she loathed the idea of raine having to experience that sort of derogatory treatment. it's probably better that she made the decision to move them somewhere away from the people.

she'd hate to make a scene right now.

what she does instead is slowly shrug off her weather-proof jacket and slide it across the table to raine. she's been wearing a loose sweaterknit top underneath, showing off the skin of one shoulder and the blackened gem on her chest. )

Take this for now.

( pulling up the hood should be enough. with the added bonus of being able to keep them somewhat dry. )

You can always bring it back to me later.

( and maybe then she could ask what they thought about this human rain. this little alcove afforded them a nice view of it and the gentle sound of the water hitting against the wooden roof above them.

it's nothing like the aggressive boiling rain of the isles.

but then there's that question. )

Months. If we're going to get back home, we need each other.

( actually, she's pretty confident that she makes it back one way or another without any time interruption. she's just already deciding that she will never tell raine that if that's what it takes to find more excuses to see each other. )

What, um, do you remember? Before you came here.

[whistlestoptea]

[ When Eda takes off her coat, Raine's eyes widen, and they just sit there and watch as she puts it around their shoulders. It would be easy to put their hand on hers in that moment, but they resist the urge, instead pulling the jacket every so slightly tighter around themself, then pulling up the hood.

They had noticed before that her gem had become completely dark; a change from their younger days. There's so much they don't know about how her life has been, so much they want to ask, but they don't expect her to be likely to answer.

That's okay, though. They still have to pretend to be distant, anyway.

Which is why they narrow their eyes when she asks them about what they remember. ]

I remember you trying to kidnap me at the Coven Day Parade.

[ And the info that she's been here for months... well, that changes a lot. ]

Is this where you went to hide? Are... are your kids here?

[harageous]

You make me sound like a criminal!

( eda, you are a criminal.

still, that doesn't stop her from protesting the way that raine is framing this. was that what it looked like? she whisked her kids and herself away to this place to avoid whatever mess the day of unity was going to be?

. . . actually, that wouldn't have been a half-bad idea if she was fully out of options. )

No. Ha. I don't even know if I'd want that. This isn't exactly a safe place for them either.

( and it takes quite a lot for eda to actually admit that. she'd like to say that everything is fine, that she has it under control, and it isn't going to be a big deal. she'd like to say all that, but it just simply isn't true. there are new dangers here and plenty of things that no witch is really equipped to handle.

it'd be a discredit to raine to underplay that. )

I fell from the sky, just like you probably did. I never wanted to be here.

( because let's get that straight first.

there is still a lot more to tell them, but she can't just skip by the fact that they said they last remember her at the coven day parade. )

I think there is something else you should know.

[whistlestoptea]

[ Actually, Raine would have been relieved to hear their suspicion to be true. They wanted her far away from anything to do with the Day of Unity, if at all possible; had told her as much. Would've been nice if she had listened once in her life, maybe.

But then she wouldn't be Eda, would she?

Except right now, Eda is being unusually serious, unusually vulnerable, even. Their eyes are fixated on her as she talks, wondering once more at how she's so different, yet so the same.

In the end, they swallow and nod. ]

Tell me.

[harageous]

( right, okay.

they should talk about this before she goes any further with anything else. if that's as far as their memories extend, then the weight of the upcoming day of unity must still be heavy on their shoulders. not only the day of unity but all the uncertainty unattached. all that fear. all that desperate counter-planning.

everything under the sun to not get her involved.

until there simply was no other option. )

Well—

( she starts, trying to figure out how to broach the subject. )

Do you remember when we were teenagers? And I was looking for those time pools? How I wanted to prove time magic is real?

( as if immediately swapping the subject over to something as powerful as time magic isn't startling. )

It's real and the thing that brought us here, the Confluence, can pull us from any point in our timelines. Past, present, future.

( a breath. )

The Day of Unity has already happened.

[whistlestoptea]

[ Once more, Raine's gaze is locked onto Eda as she talks. They nod along when she tells them about the time pools, and their eyes widen again when she reveals that time is... messy here. ]

I, uhm. I have to sit with that for a moment.

[ And they prop up their elbows on the table and hide their face in their hands, then take off their glasses briefly to rub their eyes.

It's been a long day.

They don't hide how tired they are when they look back up at her. ]

There's so many questions I want to ask, but... I'm not sure I should.

[ And, then, finally, they decide to drop the pretense, and feel a real weight fall of their shoulders. They give Eda a small, exhausted smile. ]

But you're alive. I'm just glad to know that.

[harageous]

( all she needed was a foot in the door.

eda lets out a soft exhale of relief. she hadn't realised she had been holding her breath there, but she just couldn't seem to manage to make herself breathe while she watched raine process the bomb she'd thrown at them. it was a heavy thing to start with, a terrifying concept, but necessary.

and she was willing to give them all the time they needed.

the facade of hostility finally bleeds out of raine after a few beats, relaxing their limbs and their expression and a weight unlodges itself from eda's chest. it didn't matter that she understood it, that she already had it explained to her—

she didn't want to waste anymore time being separated. )

If it's about the timeline, you should probably keep it to a minimum! But I'll let you ask me anything else.

( she laughs and winks. it's something of a forced effort, but it's one she makes anyway. because it's fine. everything is fine. everything is going to be fine. )

What I can tell you is this: we don't lose. And I really approve of the way you've been terrorising Darius.

( lifting her hands, she makes the imitation of cat ears with her fingers against her hair. )

[whistlestoptea]

[ Seeing her do that, they blink once. Twice.

And then, they lean back and break out into a good belly laugh. It takes them a few moments and they have to wipe a tear, but they sit up straight again, a smile plastered on their face. ]

I guess it's no use trying to fool you, huh?

[ Finally, that other thing she said really registers. ]

We win.

[ They say this in disbelief. Sure, they've been working their hardest to stop the Day of Unity, have been portraying utmost certainty on the outside, but, well... inside is another matter.

Inside, they'd spent plenty a night ruminating over whether they could really win this. But really, what other option was there but to fight? Lie down and die? As if. One thing they'd known as soon as they heard about the Day of Unity's real purpose: if they were to go down, they'd go down fighting. And to the last, they'd try to prevent tragedy.

And here, now, in another world, is Eda, telling them they made it. Their face breaks out into a broad smile. ]

We win!

[harageous]

( for as much as eda would like to immediately try to control their expectations, she finds that she cannot say or do anything at all while raine laughs, warm and hearty. she can only watch from across the table. how long had it been since she last heard them laugh? got to see them smile like this?

a wild part of her wants to start making promises, painting a bright and beautiful future for them, but that's the part of her that's stupid. it doesn't matter how much time passes, raine always has a way of making her dumb and foolish. )

Don't get too excited. It's still a mess.

( to put it extremely lightly. but raine didn't need to know the details of that. probably. )

But one we all have the chance to fix.

( because they live through it and that's the important part.

yeah, eda supposes that it is still a win. just a win with another battle immediately loaded behind it.

she makes a quick waving gesture. )

We just got to get out of this wrong realm first.

[whistlestoptea]

[ Seeing as Eda is still serious, Raine soon catches themself. Eda is rarely serious, after all, so when she is, they better pay attention. ]

Well... do you have any idea how?

[ They guess not, judging by the fact that she's been here for months. Great, so they immediately have a new problem to work on. Oh well. They're used to it. ]

1/2

[harageous]

Not at all.

( straightforward, outright. )

2/2

[harageous]

( although not for lack of trying. there is a lot that she could start telling raine about what she knows and what she has learned so far, but she doesn't want to lose the thread of their conversation.

they could start on this whole situation at any other time. it isn't exactly like time is in short supply. )

That's a problem for another day.

( and maybe when she had string handy. )

You must have a ton of other questions!

[whistlestoptea]

[ Right, so that means they'll probably have to try and settle in here, at least a little. Which means they have a lot of questions indeed.

Raine gets a little more comfortable in their seat, leaning their forearm on the table. ]

You said this was the "wrong" human realm. Why?

[ Eda is the expert on the human realm, between them, so they trust her on this. They'd like to know some details, though. ]

[harageous]

( there is a brief pause as eda considers how to best explain this. it would have been a lot easier if she had been more forthcoming with raine in general, but she supposed it was about time for her to start eating crow. )

In the right one, humans don't have any weird powers or abilities. Neither do they know about them!

( she makes a dramatic gesture of covering one side of her mouth. )

Otherwise they'd have never let the giraffes stay.

( then a wave of the hand. )

That's just fantasy stuff for them. Here, it's real.

( eda takes the time to explain the concept of metahumans to them then. she's quite straightforward about it. humans with abilities like this are known as "metahumans" and that moniker also gets applied to non-humans as well as a bit of a shorthand. it just seems to be anything the majority of the human population consider abnormal. for better or worse, they were also considered metas and starfallen.

the human realm connected to the demon realm never had this issue. or any history of confluences like this one. otherwise she'd have heard of it. )

[whistlestoptea]

[ Raine just listens to what Eda has to say, nodding here and there as they process all that new information. It makes them realize just how out of their depth they are. They'd never even known all that much about the "right" human realm, and then there's a whole different one? Suddenly, they're very glad they immediately ran into Eda. Which is kind of a very odd thing to happen, but in a way, it's very her. She does have a knack for getting into unlikely situations.

And they're also kind of glad she remained stubborn and didn't just leave the first time they told her to.

Still, it's going to be a huge adjustment. They're used to working largely alone, in the shadows, among a system they spent decades getting to know like the insides of their pockets.

They're used to knowing what to do, having plans and backup plans, and being in control. This is going to be rough.

But they're not alone. ]

So, what I'm gathering here is that the humans know that we are different from them, and this scares them.

[ They shoot her a small, rueful smile. ]

Sounds a little like being a wild witch back home.

[ It's the closest thing they can liken it to, and also, they hope, a bit of an acknowledgement of the struggles Eda's had over the years. ]

[harageous]

( that wins them a sharp laugh, mirthful and humorous. )

That's one way to put it!

( it's an unexpected comparison but not incorrect. the two situations did happen to parallel one another quite greatly. which hopefully doesn't mean anything in the grander scheme of things. )

They've got their own . . . "guild" situation here. But my advice is just steer clear of that whole mess. Society, Alliance. . . It just sounds like the coven system with different paint. If you let them, one of them will give you the whole— ( she twirls her hand. ) spiel over it.

( a beat.

then a sharp left turn as a thought occurs to eda. )

How do you feel about committing fraud? For? Against?