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

[reneger]

I'm not known for my excellent bedside manner.

( but he's rolling his eyes under the helmet, and keeps an eye on connor while he just--takes out shit like it's easy. because it is. jason's got pretty good aim, but roy's always impressed him with just how good his eye is. he hates how fucked up his head is after the whole, evil future tim thing. makes it complicated to pull on the right threads for memories he's looking for. but he's getting connor now, which's what matters. )

Place isn't shit, it's still easy to fake an ID so papers aren't too hard--as easy as back home anyway. We're stuck here, an' there's no way out. Or no way out an extremely powerful sorcerer and Rayner has found, which I'm considering stuck enough. But we've got a decent sized crew here, too, so it ain't as bad as it could be.

[mendelian]

[ Roy outclasses Connor, too, but admittedly ranking the marksmanship of Connor’s family against anyone else is unfair. Projectiles are their weapons of choice. Well, in Roy’s case everything is a weapon of choice. The point is, this is not the first time Connor’s ridden bitch on a motorcycle and taken shots. ]

I’m not apologizing for not judging you on reputation.

[ He wouldn’t, but really - Connor’s not on the tea group chats. He hears the occasional snippet, but he’s unplugged and out of Gotham. He has less to overlook. ]

Why do we need to fake papers? It sound like there’s a plan for - Kyle Rayner?

[ People are more important than plans. If Kyle’s here, spill. ]

[reneger]

You'd be the first.

( to not judge him based off of the gossip. jason's used to it, he doesn't mind it, it's just--a thing he deals with. it's safer that way, really, for everyone. if everyone knows he's a shit, they know better than to trust him. )

Fake papers, 'cause real ones get you put in the system, and, well, ( a loose lift of his shoulders. jason's been legally dead for his entire adult life, it's made a lot of things easier. he doesn't intend on changing that. and it's better, for people like them, to not be known. connor should get that. )

Kyle Rayner, the glowstick. He's 'round here somewhere. I don't keep tabs on him.

( that's a boldfaced lie. jason keeps tabs on everyone. )

[mendelian]

I also don’t apologize for the narrow-mindedness of anyone I’m not related to. Sounds like it’s their loss.

[ Everyone had their little shit phase. You can’t hold it against them forever. If Jason was actively rogue-ing it up, Roy wouldn’t bother with him. ]

I’ll have to track him down. He’s an old friend. And I’m guessing it’s going to be annoyingly difficult, because you’re about to launch into a rant about fascist overreach.

[ Why else would he complain about being in the system? ]

Which is funny. You should hear what Ollie says about your old man.

[reneger]

( jason makes a noise that sounds like a half-snort, half laugh. pulls off the road and into a narrow alley; always a favorite of jason's. drops a foot down to balance the bike on while yanking off his own helmet. )

Yeah, I can imagine. B's a piece of work all on his own.

( he could go on a rant about bruce, but jason doesn't want to make himself angry again. )

I've got Rayner's number. You can call 'em if you want.

[mendelian]

[ Look at that. He’s got a sense of humor. See what reputations don’t include?

Connor hops off and pulls off the helmet, offering it back to Jason.

He might be grinning, a little, when he’s offered Kyle’s number. How is that not keeping tabs on him? ]

Can I borrow your phone?

[reneger]

( red helmet goes on one side of the bike, green helmet goes in the compartment on the opposite side. it has a few more hidden nooks and crannies, but it wouldn't be a proper batbike if it didn't. there's no key, no keyfob, nothing to touch to turn it off, it just does. when jason's up on his feet, the kickstand comes out on it's own, and he rummages through his jacket pockets.

there's several phones, because jason can't just have one. the one he pulls out for connor's a cheap, plain smartphone. jason unlocks the screen, opens up the contacts page, and tosses it over.

the contact list isn't long: BLUEBIRD, GLOWSTICK, JIMMY, JUNIOR, RED, ROB, RUNT, STARK, STARLING, STRANGE--so, likely easy enough to pick out which connor is looking for. )

Go for it.

[mendelian]

Thanks.

[ He taps the contact with a soft heh at the dedication of “Glowstick”. Connor’s mouthing the numbers to himself to memorize the number as he clicks the call button and puts it on speaker phone. Kyle’s going to expect Jason to be on the line, so they might as well both be.

It’s ringing. ]

He’s probably off planet. I can’t remember the last time he answ- what the

[ A vine is curling around his waist, and he barely has the time to think that he shouldn’t have mentioned Poison Ivy because he’s already being ripped backwards straight through an industrial mullioned window towards a plant the size of a juvenile t-rex. ]

[reneger]

( except there is no off planet here; kyle's as grounded as the rest of them, and jason's halfway through coming up with a good way of explaining that when connor cuts himself off, when there's ivy wrapping around him and he's--reaching for a knife, except there's no good place to cut it that won't also cut into connor. nothing he can reach for quickly.

knife in hand, and he's rushing for the window, free hand pressing against the broken sill to pull himself up and over and into the building.

stops when he's just inside, head tipping back to look up towards--well. jason had known this was coming at some point, when he'd come to excelsior. maybe not something this big, but.

he pulls off one of two bracelets on his wrist, raises it up as it unfolds into a domino mask to stick it on his face, as the other expands over the tank he's wearing and under cargo pants into an armored bodysuit. switches his knife into his other hand and throws it where the vine's just off of connor's body. reaches into his jacket for another knife while the first is still flying, because he's betting he'll need it. )

[mendelian]

[ The vine hoisting Connor up goes slack right before it, and he, drop to the ground, and that’s all the warning he gets to throw his weight and narrowly miss the thing’s green fangs. He'll roll to avoid the damage and let the momentum bring him back to his feet. ]

Who gives a flower teeth? Man-eating plants are a Bat-problem: where are it's vital organs?

[ Maybe he felt for the squishable flowers outside, but the tables have turned on who is squishable, and Connor isn't up for being plantfood. He reaches for his bow and an arrow, both on his back. Pauses in the act of nocking the arrow. He... didn't have both hands free outside.

Connor looks at the plant monster. ]

I ... think it ate your phone.

[reneger]

I look like a botanist to you?

( is this because of poison ivy? because he doesn't have a convenient batbelt with bat-weed killer. jason's raising his second knife and tossing it straight towards the stem of the massive plant, and with both hands free, reaches down for his thigh holsters to pull out his guns. doesn't shoot yet, because he doesn't know what the fuck this thing is doing in here. and-- )

Seriously? I'm on a budget. Daddy's wallet doesn't travel across multiverses, y'know.

( he really needs to get his act together and fuck over the local underground gangs. adding that to his to-do list, right after dropping this nerd off with rayner. )

[mendelian]

[ Of course, it's because of Poison Ivy! Why wouldn't it because of Poison Ivy? When Star City gets a resident plant villain, then Jason can yell at Connor. ]

And what does a botanist look like?

[ There's a root creeping towards Jason's ankle. Connor pins it to the ground with an arrow, follows it back to where it sinks into the floor boards. That's concerning, right? ]

Oh, and mine's does? ... oh, actually it does, I have a couple hundreds in my belt.

[reneger]

( connor gets his vines, and jason shoots for the plant beast in front of him. no particular spot, just running through his clips trying to figure out where they need to hit it. but it only pisses it off, and when the plant runs it's way towards jason, he's quickly turning to the side and running away from it. )

Really?

( rude of connor to come with money. how dare he cheat the system. )

You owe me for the phone.

[mendelian]

[ Similar thoughts over here, because incendiary arrows aren’t indoor ammo. This is why he asked where the vital organs were. ]

Yes, really! Only people that fly don’t need to carry cash, and there hasn’t been an Arrow-plane in over a decade.

[ Red Hood tried the trunk, so he’ll aim for the head. The arrow thwumps into the black-brown spot of disc flowers looking like the center of a sunflower - or an eye - but it barely has any effect.

He’s got its attention though. That’s something. Connor’s going to hold his own dodge as long as possible to give Jason more time to get clear. ]

Sometimes, you need money to get home. I’ll buy you a new phone.

[reneger]

( he does get clear, which is what he needed. both guns get holstered as jason--pats around in his pockets for a minute. he doesn't have a batbelt, but he does carry his own assortment of useful bullshit, significantly more equipped now than he had been back in new amsterdam. thank you, non post apocalyptic futurey city, for being easier to carry his shit in. he pulls out a long thread of wire, and a taser.

squints over towards connor before he's yelling across the building, )

I can't fly. You know how many times I've had to stop at gas stations on the way back in the hood? I've lost count. An' the few times some fucker got the drop on me and broke it. No taxi wants to stop to let Red Hood in.

( he's bullied a few in the past. bullied his way into other people's cars, too. sometimes it just happens that way. in the meantime, he's pulling out a lighter, too. puts the taser back. )

You got anything useful on you? Aside from plain pointy sticks and sharp objects.

[mendelian]

[ He doesn’t like where this is going, and he doesn’t even know where he’s going aside from away. There’s a mad scramble over dusty office furniture and at least one kick off a wall, before Connor can think about talking and running his fingers over the vanes of the arrows . ]

You should work on that. Do some community outreach. Soup kitchens.

[ Wooden, wooden, carbon, carbon… ]

Explosive, incendiary, and grappling, but I’ve only got one with firefighting foam. The building’s old.

[ So no. Nothing useful. A rampaging burning plant could send the whole place up.

A rampaging non burning plant is enough trouble. He puts another two arrows into it to encourage it to stay back, and the thing silently roars at him. ]

[reneger]

( another vine comes at his legs, and jason starts running off towards connor, dodging around the massive plant in the process. connor's got the sticking it full of things part of it down, so jason doesn't bother pulling out his guns to waste the last of his bullets. he has more, just--back in his bike, because there's only so many magazines he can hold on his person at one time with all the knives he's already hiding. )

Go in, or go long?

( the taser's still in his hand. he's flicking the dial up. looks to the ceiling for a brief moment before he's dodging around another vine. answers his own question-- )

Long. Get the sprinklers.

( connor's already ready for it, may as well make him useful. )

[mendelian]

[ Get the - oh heck, all Bats are crazy. He glances up and confirms the sprinklers. Follows the pipes to the sensors and hopes like hell they still work.

Connor’s just going to get off the floor before he takes this shot, because this plan has dangerous written all over it. No doubt he’s Roy’s friend.

Time to do as much damage as possible - this first arrow hits the trunk of the plant, but it’s too green and alive. Sizzles rather than bursts into flame. Second shot hits below a sensor on the far side of the room. Not the closest target, but it looked the most flammable. ]

Get off the floor first!

[reneger]

( he needs to get a better jacket, is what he needs to do. get more room for a few more knives, maybe some batarangs just for fun. he'll steal tim's, because he knows tim went for the fancy ceramic shit. some extra flashbangs. always handy. he doesn't need room for more flexicuffs, jason doesn't usually leave people up enough to cause shit.

just like he doesn't plan to leave this plant up. the sprinklers start, and his jacket gets soaked quickly, hair sticking to his forehead as he ducks under another vine. unfortunately they're not in a nice abandoned warehouse with the very nice, high rafters, so jason settles on jumping on top of a close by table.

flicks the taser on with it pointed down and turns on the lock, because needing to use a fun stun gun as a projectile is always a possibility and being prepared for it is important. jason throws it, hard, in the direction of the plant. it doesn't ram into the plant itself, but close enough in the growing floor puddles that it's not going to matter. )

[mendelian]

[ The fire's going out, but the sparks are flying. The plant monster is writhing in a way that plants shouldn't. They shouldn't have a nervous system - shouldn't really know pain, but watching this is ... unpleasant. Necessary, because a vine almost sweeps Connor straight into the water, but he's had better days. ]

You still in one piece?

[reneger]

( ew. see, this is why he should have packed the pesticides. would have made it a lot easier to just kill off the plant instead of squatting here, on someone's table, watching the building get soaked through while a massive plant monster goes through it's death throes. it's good the sprinkler system did work. it might not have been enough if they had aimed to set it on fire, given how fast that would have spread, but it's plenty for this. )

Not dead yet.

( yet, again, whichever. he does duck under a writhing vine, palming another knife just in case while they wait out the death of plantsaurus rex. )

[mendelian]

That's encouraging. I'm not dead again either.

[ Connor is trying to mercy kill it faster by taking a few extra shots at vine and trunk. ]

How much of a charge on the taser?

[reneger]

A good question, that I should have an answer to.

( should, being the key word there. )

Pretty sure that's the one hundred thousand volts one. And it had new batteries.

[mendelian]

[ There's a break in the rhythm of shots. The plant's just about down, anyway, so Connor has the luxury of time to shoot an incredulous look at Jason. ]

The equipment that you're willing to carry worries me.

[reneger]

( he's not worried about it anymore. jason has some projectiles, but not ones he wants to toss into that mess, so he opts to leave it to connor.

who clearly has a handle on it anyway. )

Seriously? I didn't even take out the C4. Or the lighter fluid.