metamemes | TEST DRIVE MEME: MAY EDITION

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That depends. What are you asking?

[ what is going on requires specific answers for specific situations. he hovers for a moment before landing down next to him. ]

[ Connor waves his bow at the city around them. ]

I fell out of the sky and got attacked by flowers. You’re here. If you can add anything else, that would answer the question.

If you can answer and not make me have more questions, I’d appreciate it.

[ He’s not going to get his hopes up though. ]

Yeah, sounds like Excelsior is having a time.

[ kyle mentally runs down what he knows before ticking it off his fingers for connor. ]

Okay, so there are a bunch of heroes. Sort of government sponsored guilds. One for the goodies, one for the reformed baddies. If you sign up, you get benefits but you also may get called on to do their work. Working without is harder and people trust you less, but it's doable.

A lot of Bats are here, from alternate universes and all that. We had Wonder Woman and Batman for a bit but they left.

I think I’m having a time.

[ The answers don’t make him have less questions. He’s going to start with the more manageable ones, though. He can work his way up to the alternate universes. ]

I heard about the guilds. You joined the good one?

[ They’d snap a Green Lantern up in a minute. ]

[ kyle shakes his head. ]

Too dicey. I didn't like the idea of being given orders, so I'm back to the poor artist life.

I told them I’d think about it. I told the "baddies" that I’m unreformed and unqualified.

[ Connor got the impression that they were like the Justice League, and he’s barely comfortable with the reservist-sequence arrangement he had there in the past. He is the third Arrow they’ll call. Right now, he might not even be that high. ]

You can’t be a starving artist yet. They said the debit cards would work for two months to ease the transition.

[ kyle nods absently at that. the choice doesn't surprise him. connor has always been reliable like that. he knows what he can do and what he's willing to. unlike kyle who often goes off the rails in the past. ]

I've been here since November. They helped but I'm well past that.

November?

[ A gentle wave of guilt washes over him. He’s been so caught up in his own life that he hadn’t noticed that Kyle was missing. Connor had just assumed -

He hadn’t even consciously assumed. Kyle was off planet a lot, and the League of Shadows experience had taken a lot of processing… ]

You’ve been here since November, and you’re still here?

If you have an easy way of breaking through the multiverse, I'm all ears. But I couldn't cut it.

[ kyle definitely wouldn't hold that against connor. or anyone really. kyle is barely around and not really one to be missed. ]

I left the multiverse-breaking arrow in my other quiver. Guess we both messed up.

[ Really, Kyle, he’s not going to let you shoulder the blame for that. It’s bad enough that everyone treats Lanterns like a failsafe. ]

I accept that I’m stuck here for the foreseeable future with you. There are worse things - are there worse things?

Not that I can think of, but it's a low bar.

[ really low bar in his case. ]

I think you'll find it okay.

It’s gotten considerably better.

[ Connor stretches with a small smile. ]

If you’ve got time, we’ve got a lot to talk about. Seven months is… a long time. You’ve missed some things, and I’ve got seven months of questions for you. Unless you’re busy?

Free as a bird.

[ kyle creates two large couch chairs and a table. ]

Catch me up.

[ They’ve known each other too long. Connor’s only surprised by how standard the furniture is. ]

What’s the table for? Are you going to ringle up some snacks?

[ But he’ll take a seat anyway. ]

I feel like I haven’t had a minute to breathe in seven months. Maybe you should start.

It adds to the decor, okay. I like to be thorough.

[ and who knows, maybe they might need a table! ]

I don't know if I have a lot to say. I went off into space for a bit after . . . I killed Major Force. I got caught up in the Rann-Thanagar war and . . . Jenny died.

[ Jenny… that was more than seven months ago. That was before Connor found himself flung back into the world.

That was before so much that Connor can’t just launch into a rundown of the last few months. How is that Kyle’s recent news? It doesn’t make sense. ]

I know I’ve said it before, and it’s not enough, but I’m sorry, Kyle.

[ kyle shakes his head before moving along. connor's heart is in the right place and he gets it. but he doesn't want to dwell on it anymore than he has to. ]

That's where I'm at, anyway. I went off for an artist's retreat before landing here.

[ If Kyle wants to breeze past it, Connor will let him, but he’s not going to hit him with everything at once.

Just the more recent - just what Connor’s still actively grappling with. ]

I entered another questionable martial arts tournament. My father’s - maybe only missing, but I don’t know if that’s wishful thinking.

[ He’s drumming his fingers on the table. Maybe it does have its uses. Mourning Ollie a third time feels too huge. ]

[ oh. that's a sobering thought. kyle catches the movement but he doesn't comment on it yet. ]

Well, your old man's pretty stubborn. The most stubborn, to be honest.

[ He smiles sadly. Fondly. No one smiles like that unless they’re thinking in the past tense and the live outweighs the hurt. ]

He’s so hardheaded you could use him to cut diamonds.

Like punching a concrete block.

[ and kyle has. ]

I think you'll find him. If anyone can, it's you.

[ Sometimes even Connor has wanted to deck him. Family is complicated. ]

Everyone’s looking. It will turn out how it should. I just - want to help.

But you’ve been here seven months.

[ Which doesn’t sound like Connor’s going to get closure anytime soon. ]

Dinah and Roy’ve got this.

Maybe someone else knows? But you're the only guy from the same world who has come in recently. I think the others are a bit far back or from alternate Earths.

[ but he nods. roy can handle pretty much anything. ]

TEST DRIVE MEME: MAY EDITION

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