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

dick grayson ; young justice

[hackingyoursensors]

excelsior

[ Dick isn't a stranger to giant mutant plants trying to destroy a city. It seemed like just a few months ago that the Injustice League (ugh) decided to make a souped-up mega plant to cause havoc in major cities across the globe.

Oh right. It had been a few months ago.

But this doesn't seem planned. The people here are frazzled and panicked, but insistent that he leave the city. It's almost like they've never met a teenager. If anything will make him stick around, it's being told not to.

He fully intends to snoop, but he also intends to help albeit more subtly than he would if he were in his Robin suit. Every time a plant is about to take a bite out of an innocent civilian, Dick is there to tug them out of the way or throw something a little too heavy a little too precisely to be a lucky shot. ]

diadem hotel

[ A swanky room and a limitless credit card. It's sketchy as heck, but he has no intention of turning down money or accommodations. He did check his room for bugs (obviously) and is using his credit card to paint a financial picture of himself (because he's sure he's being profiled).

Dick is easy to spot here and there. He's in the lobby, sipping boba and scrolling through OnlyPowers, looking like the perfect picture of a disaffected teenager. He's shopping for clothes-- an exciting array of jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies. He's eating a burger at a nearby restaurant.

He's an average teenager: boring to watch, easy to overlook. Perfectly positioned to scrape info where he can get it without anyone really noticing. ]

onlypowers; un: grayson

So there's a school here, right? What are the vibes? Clueless, Mean Girls, High School Musical? Just want to make sure I dress appropriately and know whether to warm up my singing voice or not.

ourpowers

[codicies]

high school musical

but the backing track isn't diegetic so you should probably learn an instrument if you don't already know one.

[hackingyoursensors]

So I'd have to become a band kid in addition to a mathlete?

Yikes.

[codicies]

listen we all have to do our part in moving the plot forward, and sometimes that means going through the motions while the basketball kid and his gf are singing a sappy ballad or whatever.

in all seriousness though it's pretty chill.

[hackingyoursensors]

Fine but only if I get a B-plot that endears me to the audience.

Good to know. I think we'll have more than enough drama and excitement outside of school.

I'm Dick Grayson btw. Just fell out of the sky today.

excelsior

[reneger]

( dick isn't a stranger to flesh-eating plants, and jason isn't a stranger to catching kids doing things that only a trained combatant would be able to do. he's been making his way through excelsior, going from rooftop to rooftop, alleyway to alleyway, burning down massive plants and cutting through them once he'd run out of incendiary devices. only so much c4 and lighter fluid a guy can keep on him when the only thing he's got to store shit is a leather jacket.

he's on a nearby rooftop, one knife over his shoulder ready to throw it at one of those plants down below when someone else manages to knock it off balance. eyes shift to where the projectile had come from, narrowing under the domino mask when they land on someone all too familiar, because, of course this happens.

there can't be two tim drakes and two jason todds wandering around without adding at least an extra dick grayson to the mix.

fingers adjust the knife, so it's no longer pointed at where the plant had been, but instead aimed just to the left of dick before he's throwing it down at him. it'd hit close enough to get his attention, close enough to redirect his eyes up, but not close enough to dig into skin. this is a hello, not a fight. he's not starting shit with a kid. )

[hackingyoursensors]

[ By the time Dick notices the knife coming at him, it's already arching toward the ground. Dick grimaces, but looks more annoyed than scared. He can't believe he didn't notice it coming.

He traces the trajectory with his eyes and sees a guy in a domino mask. The man isn't familiar but Dick is smart enough to know that he didn't miss. That just annoys him more.

Dick picks up the knife without looking away, ready to dart if this guy tries throwing another one.

Half-shouting: ] I think you dropped this.

[reneger]

( he goes for the knife, because of course he does. and jason stays up on the ledge of the building, weight on one knee as he leans over the edge to keep an eye on him. when dick follows the knife's path up to jason, he raises a hand up. gives a little wave.

doesn't answer back, because he's instead getting off of the ledge and moving over to the left--to where he can safely get himself off of the rooftop and down to the ground. if dick runs, he runs. but dick's never been a runner, and jason's betting he'll at least see who the fuck decided to throw sharp pointy objects at him from afar. )

[hackingyoursensors]

[ The safe thing to do would be to run away. Dick is not good at doing the safe thing, especially not when he's curious and more than a little annoyed. Who throws knives as a greeting?

He doesn't know the layout of the area very well, but he doesn't want to get himself cornered. Ideally, he'd go up to the roof himself, but not having a grappling hook puts him at a disadvantage up there-- his escape routes are limited. So he's forced to move slowly through the alleys and between buildings. ]

Hey, do you want this back or what?

[ Not that Dick has any intention of giving it back but still. ]

diadem or somewhere around there

[overlyprecocious]

[Tim's pretty relieved to finally be out of the Diadem himself, because for all that it's luxurious and everything, it never didn't feel like a trap to keep the Starfallen somewhere easy to monitor. But he still checks in on it every so often when there's a new Confluence to see who's turned up.

That unassuming teenager? He's. He's a surprise. And there's probably more subtle ways to handle this than plopping down next to him on the couch, but Tim can't think of any right now.

Because that's his Dick, isn't it? He looks exactly like Tim remembers his Dick Grayson looking when he was roughly Tim's age.]

...Dick?

[hackingyoursensors]

[ Dick notices the other teen out of the corner of his eye but is a little surprised when he just. Plops on the couch next to him. He doesn't mind-- Dick's a social person by nature-- but it's unexpected.

When the other kid says his name, Dick looks puzzled. He can't match the face to a name, and that's unusual for him. It's possible (but extremely unlikely) that this is someone from Gotham. Maybe someone from school. Still really weird, but not enough to make Dick raise his guard any more than it already is. ]

Dick Grayson, at your service. Need something?

[overlyprecocious]

My name's Tim.

[How do you explain to someone that you're basically their little brother from the future? It's... difficult.]

I go to Gotham Academy. Or I do back home, I guess.

[hackingyoursensors]

[ Dick observes Tim. Most people might see it as polite interest or attentive listening. People who know Dick, however, know that he's sizing Tim up. He still doesn't recognize Tim, but it's not like he knows every kid who goes to GA. And someone he doesn't know knowing him isn't a stretch considering who his guardian is.

Something in his expression flickers ever so slightly. Assessment complete. You've passed, Tim, congrats. ]

Nice to meet you. Sorry, I'm usually way better with faces.

diadem hotel

[batsymbol]

( without anyone really noticing... unless you're batman.

bruce has seen the kid around the hotel here and there. not strange. there's kids here. what's strange is that he seems familiar in some way — a way he can't really put his finger on just yet and, for some reason, he feels the need to keep an eye on him. here and there.

so when he finds the kid supposedly up to something while making it seem like he's not, that's when he decides to say something. voice soft. expression... relatively blank. )

What're you doing?

[hackingyoursensors]

[ He'd noticed the dark-haired man, but only ever caught him at a distance. No, he's more interested in things like blind spots in the security system, whatever chatter he could overhear from the other people at the hotel, and getting a read on the hotel staff.

When the man speaks, Dick turns his head and is immediately taken off-guard. Because the man looks a lot like Bruce, if he were younger and leaner. He's silent for a second too long before answering. ]

Uh, walking?

[batsymbol]

( definitely a second too long.

his expression goes from blank to slight disbelief. sure. a glance off to the side, he looks back to the kid. eyeing him. )

Walking to where?

( he wouldn't be trying to poke his head in places he probably shouldn't under the guise of being a lost kid, would he? )

[hackingyoursensors]

[ Dick eyes him back. Clearly this Bruce doppelganger has been paying too much attention. ]

Just around. Not all who wander are lost, you know.

[ He was 100% going to use the 'lost kid' card if he needed to. ]

[Diadem Hotel]

[forceforlight]

[While doing his best 'disaffected teen' imitation, Dick will find his leg nudged by a small body. Then, almost immediately, one paw on his leg as a grey-and-white pitbull-type puppy tilts its head curiously and barks at him.]

[There is, at least, a collar and tag. So probably not randomly in the hotel, then.]

[hackingyoursensors]

[ If there's one thing that will get Dick to break character, it's a cute dog. He leans down and pets the dog, grinning. ]

Hey, buddy. What're you doing over here?

[forceforlight]

[That gets a happy bump of the head into Dick's hand. Puppy at least doesn't seem to have any fear of humans. Or kids.]

[If Dick has a look at the tag, it proclaims her name to be Haley. The reverse has a phone number to call if lost.]

[hackingyoursensors]

[ He laughs and continues to pet Haley, making sure to scratch behind her ears. He checks the name tag with his other hand. ]

Haley, huh? Is your person around here, Haley?

Diadem

[robintohood]

[Jason makes it a monthly habit to visit the Diadem lobby and check out who the new Starfallen are. It's a way to not get too surprised if someone from home or some version of home arrives.

The teenager lounging around is easy to miss but Jason almost immediately notices. He's seen the family photos back home when he lived at Wayne Manor. It's Dick but not in the way Jason had always seen him. This kid is much younger and definitely not Nightwing yet. Maybe he hasn't even been Robin for long either. It's... jarring. But better to talk to the kid now than later. Family reunions keep happening regardless how family members feel.

Jason sits two seats away from Dick, pretending to also scroll through his phone for something]

You're gonna find a flock of Robins here soon.

[The statement is said calmly and without Jason looking away from his phone]

[hackingyoursensors]

[ By this point, he's gotten a fair amount of info. Has he really digested it? That's debatable. He knows there's a chance of doubles (having met his own) but Dick still does a double-take when Jason's double sits down. They look more like brothers than identical twins, so maybe it'll be easier to tell them apart.

A "flock of Robins." Subtle. ]

I heard some chirping not too long ago.

[robintohood]

Which chirps? Met the oldest bird yet?

[Because at this point, there's so many of them]

[hackingyoursensors]

It was practically a chorus. [ And his ears are still ringing. It was a lot of infodumping and forcing himself to make logical leaps. ]

The oldest? Yeah, I felt a close connection with him.