metamemes | TEST DRIVE MEME: OCTOBER EDITION

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TEST DRIVE MEME: OCTOBER EDITION

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Jason’s bombs detonate and the hand starts breaking down at the joints. Meanwhile, the electric birdarangs start short-circuiting the robot at the shoulder. The machine has noticeable slowed down and struggling to move]

Nice toys. Made them yourself?

[Though Jason still has his eyes on the robot and ready to aim for more joints, he’s also still assessing who Bette is]

[Bette's always appreciated a well-constructed sticky bomb, but she's never quite figured out how to make those works. It's not that she was bad at chemistry, but electronics were just a bit easier. She yells out as the arm starts to come apart from the shoulder - she doesn't see any civilians close by, but it doesn't hurt to shout out a warning either.

She moves closer to it, loosing an electric bola from her belt. She swings the bird-shaped anchor above her head, trying to figure out how to hit the thing's neck.]

Would you believe me if I said yes?

[The question's meant as a joke, but she's used to being underestimated by everyone around her, so there's a kernel of truth somewhere in the background of that question.]

There isn't, like, a lot of people to get this sort of stuff from without endangering the secret id, y'know? People put two and two together like way faster than you ever want them to.

[With that, she looses the bola, sending it flying towards the giant's neck. Or, neck area, at least.]

Heh. Ain't that the truth.

[Jason takes out more mini-sticky bombs and looking to go for the other hand.

Meanwhile, the electric bola shocks the robot at the neck and its movements stutter more. It's still slow but not down yet]

It's why you gotta be creative in this line of work.

[Jason bobs and weaves towards the other hand and plants more bombs on it. Just like with the other batch, they're stuck near the joints]

[Bette watches as the sticky bombs explode. She's already moving in tandem with Red Hood, going for the opposite side of the robot while trying to keep it contained in an already-damaged area. If it falls here, the damage will be minimal compared to if it falls after moving even a hundred feet in any direction. A few electric birdarangs go towards an approximation of a knee.]

I kinda figured you Gotham guys just, like, got a Bat-allowance or something. Like a private monthly bat-subscription box.

[There's no bitterness as she says this - she was never in what she views as the inner circle, so why would there be? But there is maybe a bit of wistfulness in there.]

Or are you a mostly solo act, too?

[Kate's warned Bette a bit about Red Hood in the past, just to be wary around him, but so far, she's not seeing what the issue is, exactly. He's been way nicer to her than Nightwing has, so far.

As she asks the question, her birdarangs explode, and the robot teeters, trying to regain its balance.]

[Jason snorts. It makes sense Bette would have heard of him, even if it might not be all the personal details and his connection to Bruce. He made it a point to leave a hell of an impression on Gotham]

Solo these days. No fun Bat-gadgets for me.

[Jason’s second batch of bombs detonate and blowing up the hand. It looks more like a scorched stump now.

He runs towards behind the robot trying to see if he can get a shot at the other knee]

You look like you’d be a subscriber.

[In more ways than one. Not just to the Bat resources but perhaps she follows Bruce’s code as well]

I subscribed to the special edition Batwoman one for a minute. It wasn't a good fit. Too militaristic for my tastes.

[She'd thought - she'd honestly thought that since Kate was both her cousin and Batwoman, that they'd be able to work together, that Bette would finally have a chance to be taken seriously, but even that had been a wash. The final straw had been going to West Point to please Kate, and realizing that it just wasn't a good fit for her. Neither was the Hawkfire identity. Flamebird is who she was - bright, showy, perky. A bright light in the darkness that constantly threatened to consume Gotham City. A bright light that even her cousin tried to proverbially snuff out.]

You know, I hear the Outsiders name is wide open for the taking if you ever want to make this little team-up official.

[Isn't that what they were? Outsiders to their specific branches of the Batfamily? Even to the Titans, in her specific case.

She pulls a grapple gun out of her belt this time and aims carefully before shooting at the robot. For a moment, it's anybody's guess if she's going to try to grapple up onto the thing, or if she's going to try to use the grapple line to pull the robot off-balance. At this specific time, it just feels like the right tool to use.]

[Batwoman is another Gotham vigilante Jason has heard about but hasn’t met. It makes him more curious who Bette is. Her costume alone shows she doesn’t fit in with the darker costumed heroes in Gotham. She’s not wearing Robin colors either. It’s something different. Jason suspects she’s been trying to make a point in being unique from the others]

Batman’s own little Justice League? Now that’s funny.

[Bette’s offer also makes Jason more curious about what she’s heard about him. He knows enough about the Outsiders to know that it’s a group that Bruce has developed. If Bette really got the full story of what he’s done, she wouldn’t be offering him a spot on the team. Then again, she could be thinking that he’s a different Jason Todd or a different Red Hood. It wouldn’t be the first time after a Confluence.

Jason takes out his own grapple gun and fires. The hook grabs onto the robot’s neck before Jason goes zipping upwards]

[If he thinks this costume is something, he should have seen her first one. That costume was...a lot. She still stood by it, though. It was cute. Really.]

The name can be reappropriated! Or we just choose a different one. The Outliers, the Outlaws, or even anything not starting with 'out'!

[Bette follows Jason, zipping up towards the robot. Using her free hand, she fires a few more birdarangs at the arm and shoulder area. Where there's arm and shoulder left, anyway.

The fact is that Bette doesn't really know Jason. Any Jason. She knows that Kate is Batwoman, of course, but as for the others...she only knows them as separate identities. Despite consistently trying to light the way, she's always been kept in the dark. But whether as Red Hood or Jason Todd, her cousin Bruce's one-time ward...she doesn't know him well at all. But she's had the benefit of the doubt taken away from her enough that she's more than willing to give it to other people, even ones her cousin has warned her about.]

It would be just like Batman to be on the Justice League and have his own little merry band of heroes, though. He seems that controlling.

[Granted, Batwoman was much the same.

Bette lands on the shoulder, steadying herself. She nimbly makes her way to the head of the robot and knocks her knuckles against it. Is anyone in there? Is this remote controlled?]

I've heard stories about you. Not a lot? But they usually come with like a warning label. I haven't like believed them, though? Not entirely. Everyone loves to gossip, and not all stories are true. Not entirely.

[Jason fires one of his guns several times into the robot’s neck where Bette’s birdarangs had damaged it before. He’s hoping the high impact hits from his bullets will further short-circuit it]

“Outlaws” has a nice ring to it but you gotta accept the implications to that word too.

[Not that Jason wouldn’t have a problem with it. He is by all definitions an outlaw]

And that’s real generous of you even after hearing whatever warning labels they said. I have a way of leaving an impression.

[If he's expecting her to be surprised by the guns, it doesn't show on her face. Not that Jason has any way of knowing this - unless he's ever taken a peak at Batman's files on Flamebird - but Bette's favourite aunt, Cathy, is heiress to the Hamilton Rifle Company. Though Bette may not use guns herself, it's not like there aren't those that don't use them.]

Vigilantes are technically outlaws. So are superheroes and crimefighters. Except for the few which actually work with the police. Which I have, like, mixed feelings about.

[Sure, the Batfamily had some connections to the police, but you don't live in either LA or Gotham City without acknowledging that a majority of cops are just awful.]

So far, it's not a bad impression.

[As she says this, the giant robot grinds to a halt. Bette grabs onto the head of the robot, steadying herself. Whatever damage they're doing to the thing, it's working.]

Unlike this thing here, which, I'm so rethinking the giant metallic art installation my parents wanted to do behind our home. Whatever's powering this thing must be in the chest, right?

[Jason’s also holding onto the robot’s head and remains standing]

It’s a good guess. There’s plenty of protection on the torso. We need to way to crack the shell though. Got another toy for it?

[For someone who claims to be so on the outside, it's a little remarkable how well her gadgets match up with a lot of the things that Batman and the others carry in their utility belts. While she doesn't have everything, she has a lot of items that have been modified in some way to carry a fire, light, or electric theme to them. Case in point, the little laser pen she pulls out. She flashes Jason with an excited grin.]

This laser pen is supposed to be like strong enough to cut through a lot of things? It's another thing I was toying around with when trying to figure out what I absolutely needed in my utility belt.

[She takes out her grapple line and aims for the part where the robot's neck meets its shoulder, anchoring her bird-shaped grapple hook there before starting to lower herself down.]

Let's just hope this thing isn't wired to explode on us when I start for the chest cavity. I'd like not to get hideously injured the first time I get to be all heroic here. Especially not during a surprisingly fun team-up.

[Once she reaches the chest area of the robot, she uses one hand to steady herself while using the other to cut into the chest cavity before looking back up at Jason.]

Got any more bullets or anything? We may need to slam this hole I'm making in, and I can't exactly swing into it from this angle. If you don't mind?

[Using his grapple gun's hook and line anchored to the robot's neck, Jason follows Bette and rappels down to the chest.

With one hand still gripping his line, Jason then takes out his gun and aims at the cavity]

Thank god for high caliber bullets.

[Jason fires several rounds]

[See, guns have their uses. Now that the robot's stopped moving, Bette's noticed a lull in the crowd below. Less fear. More curiosity. Luckily, people are just watching from a distance, though.

Once the shell has been shot in, they see a mess of wires, and something that looks like a giant processor. If there are any clues to who made this thing, Bette doesn't pick up on them. She's new here, after all. But she knows electronics well enough to figure out what a killswitch is. Whoever installed this one definitely didn't want anyone to find it easily. It's surrounded by a protective cover, and little magnetic pulses are still being given off by the processor around it.]

This is way more advanced than anything I'm used to.

[And she's used to very little. Tinkering with her own crimefighting gadgets is one thing.

She looks back at his guns, a knowing smile playing across her lips.]

I'm guessing those are the reason I was warned about you. I have to admit, they came in handy.

What are the chances that the thing that looks like a killswitch in there is some cruel trick?

[Without missing a beat]

50-50. But better to try something than letting this waste of scrap metal just stand around.

[As for why Bette would be warned about him, Jason can guess there are other reasons besides his arsenal.

For now though, he'll let her come to her own conclusions]

[She nods at that, sucks in a deep breath, and tears the rubberized cover off the killswitch without hitting it. It's only after waiting a few too-long seconds that she releases the breath. The magnetic pulses stop and the robot stoops over ever so slightly. She lets out a little squeal of delight and gives a smile to the man who she's been told before is soooo dangerous, but honestly just seems like...a decent hero?]

I'd like high-five you, but that might be too corny and also, balancing on grappling hooks. But check this out! Weird magnetic robot guy, zero; Flamebird and Red Hood, all the winning points!

[Jason snorts. Since becoming Red Hood, Jason finds it strange whenever someone thinks of him as remotely heroic. But for now, he’ll take this. They still have other matters to take care of]

Now we just gotta finish the job here. It might have a backup battery.

[Bette looks back at the core of the robot. She hadn't, admittedly, considered a back-up battery, but Jason had a point.]

I'm open to ideas on how to finish the job here. Shoot more birdarangs? Bullet it to definite death? Or do we just rip the core out?

[She glances at him, an eyebrow quirked up.]

Help.

Sometimes, the best solution is to just hit it.

[Without hesitation, Jason reloads his gun and then starts blasting away at the core]

[He's got a point. Better than the bullets than her electric gear though, at least in this instance. Sure, her birdarangs managed to help take off the thing's arms, but she wasn't sure if any electric feedback would help kick this thing back into gear or something, and that's the last thing she wanted.

The other last thing she wanted as this thing to start falling apart while they were still on it...which is what was happening. There was no magnetic pulses going to keep the thing together, she realized. Not after she and Jason had torn into the robot's core. The creaking noises were the first hint that something was going to go horribly awry. The second was hearing pieces of metal fall away.]

Alright, handsome - [Is he handsome under that hood? She's not sure. This is just how she talks. It's why she sometimes bears the reputation of being an incorrigible flirt.] - I think we need to jump to more stable ground.

[She really, really hopes that they have some form of Damage Control or something here for situations like this. She swaps grapple lines and shoots one out to a nearby building. She doesn't swing away though. Not yet. Not fair to leave someone else hanging. Instead, she holds out her hand and arm, in case he needs support.]

Ready?

[Jason knows he doesn’t have much of a choice at the moment so he grabs hold of Bette’s hand]

Careful. I’m dainty.

[Even in this situation with a robot collapsing underneath, Jason can’t help but be mouthy. It’s a carryover from his time as Robin]

[She laughs lightly and takes his hand in hers. Her grip is perhaps surprisingly firm, but then she's spent years gripping a tennis racket as a professional player. She can hold on tight when she needs to. The robot falls away from them, crumbling right where it stands as Bette swings them to safety. They land on a rooftop, looking down on the mess they've contributed to, surrounded by what could have been a bigger mess if they hadn't intervened. She's breathless, but there's a bright, almost chipper smile on her face. She truly, truly enjoys this. It's exhilarating.]

I hope that was gentle enough for you?

[Jason laughs. They’re safe now and apparently saved the day. He could afford this moment for now]

Yeah. Real Prince Charming-like. You were not bad I guess.

[She's wrapping up her stuff, putting things she's taken out back into the various circular golden compartments of her utility belt. It's about as flashy as Flamebird herself is, but it works. There's clearly not a lot about her that could be called utilitarian.]

You guess?!

[She laughs, unoffended.]

I'll take it. It's nicer than having someone tell me I was awful and should just quit. That's never happening. Ever.

[If being cut open from groin to sternum and nearly dying wasn't going to make her quit, she was fairly certain that nothing ever would.]

Look, that was like, fun and everything? And yeah, dangerous too. But I have to ask...what exactly is going on here? Not that I'm complaining, but now that the blood-pumping exhilarating, save-the-day fighty-fight is over, I'm still stuck with a little bit of yeah-but-what?

[Jason’s observes how Bette puts away her equipment and if it’s as Batlike as the others. Her question he anticipated as anyone would ask after a Confluence suddenly drops them off]

What was the last thing you remember before you met Mr. Tin Can?

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Oh dear. That cape…

It was A LOOK.

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