metamemes | TEST DRIVE MEME: MAY EDITION

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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

( oh. he hadn't expected to come across an animal, which... he doesn't know why. maybe it just hadn't come to mind with everything he's been swept up in since finding himself here. for a long moment, he stares to the dog in silence before lifting his gaze to look to the young man there, reminding him of someone much younger, a slow turn away. )

Yeah.

( as before, it's soft in how he says it. )

Dogs allowed here?

Well, they haven't thrown her out yet. I'm not sure if they could.

[There's something so, so familiar about the guy. Dick crouches, putting Haley down.]

I mean, she came with me. Kind of rude if they...

[Which is when he looks up. And blinks. And makes a choked sound that might be recognition.]

[Could just be a strangled sound of pain because Haley's tail is smacking him in the shins.]

Uh. Sorry. Kinda rude if they were to try to make me leave her behind.

( a glance out of the corner of his eye when he hears that choke, he looks away again a moment later, picking up a few things to purchase. no micellar water from the looks of it.

moving away from the young man and his companion, he picks up a few more things, piles them together in his hand and glances over to him again. curiously. card turning over between his fingers in his other hand there at his side. )

Glad you have a friend.

( someone he knows from... wherever he's from, from the sounds of it. )

[Is this painful? Is this hilarious? He can't decide.]

[Apparently, somehow, he JUST missed Bruce's emo phase. Alfred had definitely kept THAT quiet.]

[Dick stands, rubbing his hand over his face and trying to figure out what to do with this information. But if it IS Bruce, then he has an idea what he's looking for.]

You'd be better off at a drug store. There's one not too far from here.

( he was just going to use whatever soap had been provided in the room he has here for the time being, but. the suggestion of the drug store has him staring past dick— staring for the exit, then back to dick and his dog. )

Thanks.

( he's sure he can find it. seems he's going to have to if he's stuck here.

again, he stares to dick for a moment longer than he maybe means to before he's turning away and heading to the clerk to purchase his things, waiting as they're bagged.

his mannerisms are quiet, slow, a little introverted in a way. he only offers a quiet thank you to the clerk when he's handed his things and gives another stare to haley there. drug store it is, looks like. )

[He should leave it alone. He should leave it alone. This is obviously a Bruce from before he ever MET Dick Grayson. Probably from before he ever heard the Grayson name. Also from before he perfected the Brucie mask, from the looks of things.]

[He's torn for a second too long, with Bruce walking past him. And, in the end, that's what makes up his mind. There's just too much in the city--too many people--that he might run into without knowing what's going on.]

[So he clicks his tongue, adding a quick word in Mandarin to bring her to heel as he follows Bruce out.]

You're looking a bit lost. Not just in the literal sense of finding your way around. [A pause, then,] But getting tossed in at the deep end isn't that unusual for you. Is it, Bruce?

[He keeps his voice light, like he didn't just drop the bomb that, at the very least, he's also from Gotham.]

( the past two years, he's been so focused on being batman, that he hasn't even bothered to be bruce wayne, much to alfred's dismay.

so when he's addressed by name and with a sort of familiarity to it, he pauses mid-step, takes a second for himself.

turning some, he stares to the young man with those raccoon eyes of his and, behind that black greasepaint, an edge there in his eyes. one which he doesn't even know he's wearing. tense. thankfully, it's only for a second or two and when he speaks, like before, it's still soft. )

I don't know what you're talking about.

( people would know him as thomas wayne's son. people from gotham. but here. he's no one. )

Your name is Bruce Wayne, son of Thomas and Martha Wayne. They died when you were young, killed on the street by a mugger. You were raised by Alfred Pennyworth, your butler but also more than that.

[He switches to Cantonese because he knows Bruce can speak it at this age.] Once you were old enough, you went around the world, learning everything you could. You learned to fight from the greatest martial artists. You learned how to think, how to see what others don't by the greatest minds in criminal detection. You learned escapology from Giovanni Zatara and disguise from some of the greatest actors. What you hadn't already learned from Alfred, at least.

[He drops back to English.] And, if I'm right about your age. You're a year, maybe two, from attending the opening night of the circus when it comes to Gotham. And taking in a newly orphaned member of the troupe whose parents died in front of him that night.

( there's something about hearing those names — thomas, martha, alfred — coming from the other man that makes bruce feel some sort of way about it. not only that, but everything that comes after — things that both have and haven't happened. as if he's being told a play by play of a life that's not entirely his.

of another bruce wayne.

he stands there. silent. eyeing the young man and taking whatever he can from this interaction of theirs. seeing that boy sitting there on his bed, surrounded by police officers, looking to him as if he might have answers. as if he might be able to help somehow.

another stretch of a pause, he gently presses his lips together before he finally lets himself look away. )

You going to show me where this drug store is?

[Are there differences? Probably. There always are. But there's probably enough that's similar to make Bruce pause and not just walk away. Not until he has a better gauge on what kind of person Dick is.]

[He smiles, tilting his head in the direction of the drug store and falling into step beside Bruce. Which is WEIRD when Bruce is this close to his own age.]

This way. It's just a Walgreens, but it should have what you need for getting that stuff off your face. I mostly used spirit gum remover, but a domino is easier in a lot of ways. Lenses are, too.

Thanks for the tip.

( despite the softness of it, it comes off more flat with just a touch of sarcasm to it.

he eyes the shelves the moment they're inside, taking a few things off them that he might as well stock up on. bandages. hydrogen peroxide. more bandages. lots of bandages.

every now and then he glances over to dick out of the corner of his eye, moving around him when he needs to reach for something else. he's been batman more than he's been bruce wayne the past two years, and aside from alfred and the others of wayne manor, he really hasn't spent any time around others.

and it shows in how quiet he is.

having the things he needs, he makes his way for the checkout, but comes to stop as he glances at the media stand there. newspapers and magazines... and he doesn't recognize any of them. his expression shows that before he looks back ahead and he goes to purchase his things. )

[That's fine. Dick's been the talker for years. And he does so now, keeping up a light patter of information. Nothing overwhelming and nothing that isn't fairly public knowledge. General information about Central and the world they've all found themselves in.]

[Somewhere in the middle of it, after grabbing a couple items for himself and the younger Tim and joining Bruce in line, he pauses and his mouth snaps shut.]

Alfred is going to glare at me for my lack of manners. [It's sheepishly said, even if a bit rough on his heart. But no way is he saying anything about his own world's Alfred right now.] I'm Dick. Dick Grayson.

( for all the little bruce says, he listens with absolute focus, even if it comes off like he isn't. everything he's been told — everything he's come to learn since his falling here, he's stamped to memory. also helps when he has those contacts of his in to record every interaction, every sight, every sound, every word. things he can revisit later. or so he hopes.

another glance when his name's given, bruce stares to dick grayson here, gaze dropping to his own purchases, before he looks back to the counter and the clerk there. )

Put his on, too.

( a nod of his head, indicating for dick's purchases to be added to his own. card handed over. )

[Oh. Oh, now THAT'S an interesting development. Dick's been assuming timelines sort of match up a bit. But Dick doesn't even need to be as good at reading Bruce as he normally is to see the name is something he recognizes.]

[And while he'd normally protest somebody else buying things for him (including Bruce these days), it's on the Guild's dime. So he shrugs and adds his items, grabbing a couple of water bottles as well.]

There's a park near here that's good for talking. And Haley can run around a bit.

( he eyes the clerk as the purchase is processed and taking the bags in hand, he stares to dick again, holding his bag out for him. )

I'd rather get cleaned up.

( the greasepaint isn't exactly bruce wayne's style. that's batman's. )

[Dick shrugs again, taking the bag. He seems to concentrate for a moment before tucking the bag into the messenger bag he's carrying with him, taking care with the zipper.]

No, that's fair. Probably easier to talk there, if you want to.

[Which...to be fair, it's still Bruce. He might not.]

( he doesn't really want to, no. but he doesn't say that. not when dick seems to be... hopeful? is that the word? he's not entirely sure. either way, he looks to dick again before looking away to head out. )

I've got a few minutes.

( it's more than he's given anyone that isn't alfred in the past two years. )

[The smile he gets from Dick is bright as they turn back toward the hotel.]

You definitely recognized my name. So I'm guessing that's one difference between our worlds.

I don't know you.

( it comes off a little more blunt than he means it to but it's also soft. honest.

taking a moment to get his bearings, a slight squint of his eyes, he makes his way back towards the hotel. he needs a map of this place. to memorize it. )

Not what I said, but good to know.

[Dick's not as tall as Bruce, but a lot of his height is in leg, so it's easy enough to keep up. He does end up picking up Haley, though, because the puppy does NOT have long legs. Yet.]

You should know you're going to get recognized. I'm not the only one that your multiversal counterparts have taken in.

( multiversal. more things to speculate and consider when he has a moment to himself. although, the being recognized part... yeah. he's dealt with that. a glance to dick, he looks back ahead. heading for the hotel entrance. )

But you're the first.

I am.

[No use hiding that.]

So. How long have you been doing this?

( another squint of his eyes as they head back inside the hotel, making his way for the elevators. )

Doing what?

Edited 2023-06-07 22:32 (UTC)

[That gets a squint in return before Dick rolls his eyes, following Bruce to the elevator.]

We'll start with how long you've been here.

[Because pretty much everybody at the hotel are Starfallen. Nobody is going to think anything about that question.]

( if dick thought bruce wouldn't be difficult... )

Not long.

( stepping in, he pushes the button for his floor and stands there. watching as the doors close. )

How long for you?

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