TEST DRIVE MEME: OCTOBER EDITION

[metamods]

TEST DRIVE MEME

A Confluence, capitalized, is the converging of one or more supernatural forces. It’s common to see these at least once a month, but you might see two or three in an especially wild one. Only one of these confluences brings in people from other worlds.

Your arrival is a welcome one! Though not all the following confluences will be so joyous, the people of this world are taking you as a sign that things are finally settling down.

With that being said, you might notice that the history of this world is… changing. The world itself seems to be altering bit by bit as it settles into its new timeline. Where once metahumans as powerful as you were a rarity, now there’s a plethora of them.

You can be Neutral, living your life as an ordinary person without using your powers. But the moment you decide to make use of them, you need to make a choice.

Will you join the Guardian Alliance and use your powers for the sake of others?

Or will you join The Society, and use them for yourself?

BRAVE NEW WORLD. CENTRAL CITY.

You’re falling through the sky. Wherever you were before, whatever you were doing – it no longer matters. You find yourself hurtling towards the earth at unprecedented speeds. Thunder rolls and lightning crashes, and you smash into the hard pavement of an unfamiliar modern city.

But you’re fine. Not a scratch on you.

Around you, other people are falling like meteors. Colliding into the pavement of this street – it appears as though it was blocked off, as though someone knew you were coming. You barely have the time to process what just happened before you feel it. Something extends its presence to you, equal parts a welcome and a warning.

You are here for a reason, though that reason is yours to define. Do not let Her decide for you.

No sooner do those words enter your mind than do you hear the crash, barely having time to duck as something throws a car towards your head. The city has come alive – literally. Bits of iron and steel are weaving together to form an Iron Giant, one hellbent on knocking you and all those who fell with you right back into the sky.

It looks like you have a choice: fight, or flee.

Whether you defeat the enemy or wait to be rescued, eventually the Guilds will arrive. Heroes and villains in brilliant costumes surveying the scene, agreeing to work together just long enough to get all the new metahumans off of the streets and into somewhere more secure.

With a flash and a bang, you find yourself standing in what appears to be a school gymnasium. There, you’ve given medical treatment, something to eat, and told exactly what has happened to you – you’ve been displaced and granted into another world. You can go home, but it’s temporary – for now, at least. And they’re here to get you settled.

Once you’ve been given the introduction to your situation, you’re given the proverbial keys to a pretty lavish location. Hopefully, the LUXURY HOTEL they've put you up in will ease that sting.

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 access to a credit card provided by Winters Industries 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... unless you go completely overboard, that is.

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 the premiere of RUN BOY RUN, a story about a young boy who is granted the ability to speak to people’s shoes – but spends every waking minute of his life ignoring his calling. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll rethink what it means to have powers – and you’ll come out with a new appreciation for fine footwear.

You’ll also find a celebration in the (quickly being rebuilt) streets. It’s become an impromptu street faire, with food vendors and other craftsmen popping up to celebrate the world returning to normal. A sign that the meta-energy isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon and the weird world you’ve been thrust into is happy to have you.

For now, at least. It’s Central City. Their opinions change like the weather.

HALLOWEEN FRIGHTS. SUNSET FALLS.

Sunset Falls is a terrifying place to live at the best of times, but it’s especially heinous during the month of October. The residents often find themselves plagued by out of towners who visit the leylines to conduct poorly researched rituals. Most of the time, these end with the summon beasts simply devouring the fools who brought them into this world before expiring.

This time, however…

A new shop appears within the village, Randor’s Resplendence, and it offers sweets, treats, and tricks. The proprietor, Rancor, is a tiny man of about fifty with a charming smile and a persuasive attitude. You will find yourself unable to even consider hurting this sweet old man, and though he might not be able to convince you to buy anything, you will find yourself wanting to take a candy or two.

➢ Red candies cause your passions to run wild. You may find yourself suddenly falling in love, or hate. The further you give in to your passions, the hotter the fire within you runs. Careful not to burn anyone!

➢ Blue candies cause you to rethink your life entirely. Abandon your name, abandon your job, and become who you were truly meant to be. If you are an ambitious person you become complacent, and slackers will suddenly find themselves becoming over achievers. However, the deeper you fall into this transformation – the more you find yourself wanting to scream. And a banshee’s scream is lethal.

➢ Green candies seem to have a delayed effect. You may find yourself looking at an item you never cared about before – and now you want all of it. And you can and will attack that stranger for their pretty broach. Before long you will find yourself sprouting scales as the dragonification process sets in.

➢ Yellow candies cause you to burst into song, singing your heart’s greatest desire for all to hear. Those who hear you will be drawn to your siren’s song.

All of these candies will wear off after 72 hours.

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES. EXCELSIOR.

Excelsior has had it rough the last few months. Though the power grid is back on, the lingering effects of the outage have left their mark. Entertainment is scarce, and in these dire times, the kids make up their own fun. Rumors of a dangerous new game spread quickly throughout the schools, both civilian and guild alike. Passing by any infected device turns you into a player, whether you want to be or not.

It spreads through an app. The app, called SURVIVOR, appears on your home screen after you’ve encountered it. The icon is a garbled mess of pixels, seeming to glitch further the more you look at it.

The moment you interact with this app – whether to open it or to delete it – you’ve sealed your fate. The connection between your mind and body is severed, and your mind is thrust into the realm of the game. And much like a zombie from a horror movie, your body begins to move on its own – wandering the streets to spread the infection, at least until other orders come.

As for your mind – well, SURVIVOR is just as it says: it’s a survival game.

You find yourself standing in the middle of a replica of Excelsior. Some will find themselves designed as HUNTERS, armed with a weapon of their choice and told to do as Hunters do: hunt. Hunters who fail to fulfill their roles will find themselves forced into it: they'll be transformed into a monstrous creature, feral, bloodthirsty, and lacking self control. There are many Hunters in the game who have already suffered this fate; they stalk the streets, eager to find prey to devour.

The rest are PREY. There are more prey than Hunters, and they are given no weapons. Death in this simulated world is not permanent, though the pain is very real. Any who fall to the hunters will find themselves trapped in a digital hell, able to watch but do nothing to assist their team until the Gamemaker resets the match. While Prey are given no weapons, they are welcome to find makeshift weapons to utilize to the best of their abilities.

Discerning who is a Hunter and who is Prey is easy: clothing is color-coded. Hunters are dressed in all black, Prey all have bright colors. Changing clothing within the game is not possible, but Prey may attempt to hide what they are by painting over their clothes with paint, or dirt, but it's not a permanent fix, and any substances will fade after an hour, leaving them to need to find something else to cover it with.

In order to survive this nightmare you must outwit, outlast, and outstand your opponents – and, most of all, outsmart the Gamemaker. There are weaknesses in the code that can be manipulated by magic, technology, or might – break the game to break free.

CLIFF NOTES.

➢ In Central City, the city itself is coming alive - forming into a massive Iron Giant that's intent on shoving Starfallen right back to where they had originally come from.

➢ Off in Sunset Falls, tourists are enjoying all things Halloween-y. There is also a new shop that is offering out some suspicious candies that, depending on the type, cause different status effects.

➢ Excelsior is experiencing a virus problem - one that is causing people to get stuck in a virtual reality horror game where everyone must fight to survive.

➢ You do not need an invite to play on the TDM! But you do need an invite to join the game. Current players can extend one invite this cycle.

➢ 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.

WILDCARD

The world you've landed in is one that takes inspiration from all walks of comics. Explore the CITIES away from the chaos occurring to get an idea of what day to day life life is like. Something is always happening, whether it be big and bombastic as supernatural entities invading or as subtle as cats getting stuck in trees.

Perhaps you've encountered a supervillain (or hero) who needs to be thwarted, or a metahuman with unusual powers creating bizarre effects. Maybe you yourself are here to take advantage of the chaos, benefitting from other's suffering.