HOUSE OF M(ETA)

[metamods]

HOUSE OF M

A DREAM IS A WISH…

In dreams you will lose your heartaches,
whatever you wish for,
you keep.

Anti-Meta sentiments are on the rise. This is no secret. Check the news and you see it, politicians arguing about the dangers that superhumans pose to the world. What if they go rogue? What if they stage a mutiny? How can they tell that heroes are really the good guys, when so many of them have secret identities. In the last week, multiple protests against metahumans potentially moving to their cities have broken out across the United States. Some cities have proposed legislation that would make it illegal for metahumans to live within their borders.

Excelsior is leading the charge, politicians are looking to ban any metahuman whose abilities are not technical in origin from living there.

It is little wonder, then, that so many go to bed dreaming of a better world. One without the hardships of this one, or of the one they endured before.

Meanwhile, across the country, Sunset Falls is in a state of change. Mayor West finally has candidates willing to take the position of Mayor from him. This shift in the city's attention prevents anyone from paying much mind to the odd and potent energies taking shape. Sure, there are strange occurrences happening. A young woman walks by the school and immediately forgets her name, her job, and where she lives. Others report a strange feeling of being watched. Those sensitive to it may feel something otherworldly and strange hanging in the air. Bearing down on them with oppressive force.

And, dear heroes, as you know - two forms of surging energies create what is known as a Confluence.

THOSE LEFT BEHIND

You wake to pandemonium.

An emergency broadcast is blaring across any transmissible signal. A Confluence of unprecedented size has struck. Half of the country has been consumed by it.

By noon, there is a quarantine in place - not that anyone seems to be trying to leave the affected area. No, this quarantine is to prevent people from trying to go in. Unauthorized access is not permitted, not until the capes in charge have a better idea of what is going on. Once again, the Godfall Protocols are enacted. All able-bodied metahumans are recruited to the task, and once again, the Starfallen will find themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with those far weaker than them.

This time there is no giant monster to fight. Just a barrier, invisible to the naked eye, that seems to alter anyone who enters into it. The early metahuman scouts report themselves to be unaffected for the first few hours, but any normal humans who enter this space quickly find themselves… no longer themselves.

Atomight, Frances Starling and Mechanima are all at the Alliance HQ. For once, the three faction leaders seem to be in perfect harmony. This is a bad idea, they cannot send their people into this No Man’s Land… but they have no choice. The Godfall Protocols are what they are, they were created for this very reason. Though they are not arguing with each other, the government agents suddenly standing in HQ are telling a very different story. The three of them are not hiding the fact that they are all too aware that their “freedom” comes with a price, and their resentment is reaching a boiling point.

At some point during these early hours, Atomight finds himself temporarily locked out of his office. While the three leaders are distracted trying to regain entry, Fantastic takes center stage and begins issuing the most scripted heart-felt speech you have ever heard. Unlike the other three, he doesn’t seem to care much for what he could be sending people into. This is not a speech meant to inspire confidence that all will work out in the end, that the weakest among them will be taken care of, it is a speech to inspire soldiers.

By the end of this first day, they have gathered enough information to make a determination. The Starfallen seem to be more resilient to whatever effects are occurring than the rest of the population. They are called to a unique, private meeting - one in which all three leaders attend.

“We don’t know what you will be facing there,” they state plainly. “But we know you have the best chance of making it out with your minds intact.”

The choice is yours. You can help secure the area, you can retreat to Little Love and hope that this expands no further, or you can step into the unknown.

You can engage with the leaders here.

HOUSE OF (M)ETA.

Inside the quarantine zone, all is well.

Your alarm rings a little late and you find yourself groggy and briefly disoriented, as though waking from a very long dream. One that you find yourself considering to be unpleasant, and not worth thinking about. You stretch and slide out of bed, perhaps kiss your partner good morning and prepare yourself to wrangle your children and get them prepared for school, but today is like any other day. The world is as it always has been, and you find yourself oddly comforted to know that things are not as bad as they could be.

And then your day begins.

If you are a card carrying member of the Guardian Alliance, then you report to work before most of the world is up and running. Atomight appears to be busy in Central City, as he is not present and is not answering any calls, but you know what to do. The Guardian Alliance is all about finding ways to be useful, without enrolling in any of the government run Metahuman departments. It pays less, and you have to have frequent check-ins with actual government approved heroes, but you find a measure of freedom in it… though the pressure is immense. One wrong move and you may find yourself imprisoned for “irresponsible” use of your powers, branded as the reason why metahumans should stay under the thumb of the government after their service ends, and not allowed to organize themselves in fear they may take over the world.

If you took the darker path, then you will find yourself reporting to an ordinary office building in whatever city you live in, for a boring job that you do not have. Villainy is not a safe passtime, but those who band together tend to stay alive a little longer. The Society of Villainous Reformation exists to provide the community that most villains lack. Villainy comes in many shapes and sizes, and the Society has all sorts. The only uniting factor in this faction is the fact that you do not want to be used the way heroes are. You want to use your powers as you see fit, whether that means you get an edge on tests or rob banks to your heart's content is up to you.

Or are you a vigilante? A complete wildcard, answering to nothing and no one but your own personal sense of justice? Vigilantes have a reputation for being brutal and efficient, needing none of the teamwork and oversight that the guilds use. They are also generally less accountable, unless The Society or the Guardian Alliance steps in.

Starfall, formerly Starstruck. He was one of the first heroes to enroll in the government's War Hero project, which has now become a mandatory military service for all young metahumans upon reaching 18.

The most concerning thing right now in the world is the cult, the Battlements of the Shining God. They are known to sacrifice people to their fearsome God, stating that it will give them the power to put things right. But… you have never seen them in person. Only heard of the wreckage they leave. But disturbingly, if you tune in to the nightly broadcast that the Dreamers of the Willow Maiden put out to help lull you to sleep, you will note they seem… off. Warning of a war that is coming. You are fairly certain you can handle a confrontation with them, though. After all, nothing you couldn’t handle has ever happened.

And as you fall asleep at night in this perfect world, in your perfect life, you swear you hear The Lady herself whispering in your ear. Wake up, wake up, this dream is not yours to live.

Yet when you try to hold on to those words, they slip from your thoughts. And when you awaken, all remains as it should be.

SNAP BACK TO REALITY

For those who agree to go into the quarantined zone, you find yourself given the best gadgets both the Alliance and The Society can offer. They are unsure how to prepare you for this, though the scouts that made it back say that things seem… fine. Peaceful, even. Everyone seemed so happy, but they did not recognize them.

Contact will be difficult to maintain. The radios were functioning while they were inside, but it seems that the further they went into these zones, the worse communication got.

When removed from the quarantine zone, those who were affected regained themselves bit by bit. Some held on stubbornly to their illusionary life, but when presented with undeniable evidence of the life they had before, and reminders of any joy they found within it, they came back to themselves.

“Are you saying that they have to befriend them to remind them of their sanity?” Mechanima asks, torn between incredulity and amusement.

“What he’s saying,” Frances cuts in, “is that they need a reminder that they have a life worth living outside of whatever the hell is going on in there.”

Atomight nods. “This appears to be a shared delusion manifested by magic. So, a mass psychic relay would be the best way to break the hold. However, it will take time to do safely.” He turns to the gathered volunteers. “Your job is to start cracks, so the whole thing shatters when we deliver the final punch… and no one soul is left bearing the brunt of that psychic backlash.”

There’s a moment of silence. You find yourself being handed resources for your trip inside - no weapons, just first-aid kits and any items you may have told people to gather that could remind your lost friends of who they are.

"This is going to change everything," Atomight continues. "Even if all this goes to plan, the fact that it happened at all means things won’t stay like they’ve been."

He doesn’t elaborate. Mechanima’s mask turns to troubled static, and Frances throws a glance back towards the Alliance’s tents. Many of the native metahumans are gathered, and Fantastic is posing for photos with them. The hashtag #METASTOTHERESCUE has been trending for hours, and were you to believe social media, Fantastic is the one leading the charge.

You turn, take a deep breath, and walk through the invisible threshold into another world. The teleportation devices you have been given will take you directly to the city of your choosing.

IN SUMMARY...

• The unrest in Excelsior and the upcoming election in Sunset Falls has caused a massive confluence, which has affected a great portion of the country.



• Anyone within the border of these affected areas finds themselves thrust into an alternate universe, wherein they lived a very different life as a native citizen of this world. In this version of the world, the Godfall Incident never happened.



• All metahumans - regardless of if they belong to Society, the Alliance, and the Unaligned - find that the Godfall Protocols are being enacted, meaning that metahumans will be conscripted into assisting. Knowing most metahumans do not stand a chance against whatever metaenergies are causing this, the leaders of these groups are asking the Starfallen to enter willingly.



• Being in the alternate universe for more than 72 hours will make you start to believe that you are part of it. It is very keen to assimilate you into it, and you may find yourself slowly developing false memories the longer you are in there.



• Exiting isn't an immediate cure, but the longer you are out, the faster you will come back to yourself.




• You can bring your AU-affected friends back to reality by reminding them of who they are, and that the life they have outside of the bubble is equally good as the one inside.



• Anyone who wants to sit this one out can kick back, relax, and enjoy some Kansas hospitality. Little Love is a safe area and will protect any citizens who do not feel capable or are unwilling to jump into the unknown.

Please direct any questions regarding this log HERE.

Comments

Galatea | Justice League Unlimited | Very OTA!

[fearfully_symmetrical]

Woke up, fell out of bed; Dragged a comb across my head

There had been something, like a dream, and then - then she awoke.

She stretched, sitting up in bed, lifting her arms over her head, stretching with a happy sigh. Contentment flooded back into her world, as it clearly always did. Why shouldn't it? She knew, instinctively, that she had everything she had ever wanted, right in front of her.

She was Karen Kent, and every day began in a warm bed, wearing a silk nightgown, often with company. What else was there to want?

She stood up with a hum, padding into the bathroom, leaning over the sink and starting to brush her teeth. She kept the tune in her head, moving her hips in time. Yeah, this was the right way to start every day.

Breakfast, then the home gym, then work - then...play.

Snapping off a bite of a power bar, just a few minutes later, she stoops out the front door, wrapped in a fluffy, luxurious robe, to pick up the paper outside the front door of her place.

I read the news today, oh boy

She slid into her usual job as an executive assistant with relative ease, enjoying the beautiful, simple anonymity that the fake glasses granted her. Beyond that her outfit was simple. A blouse, a pencil skirt - enough to cover the basic musculature. That tended to raise questions, on occasion, that she deflected with talk about sports leagues, and so forth.

So far, the Guardian Alliance hadn't figured out her real extracurricular activities. It helped that her company did paperwork for them - she was close enough they likely never looked at their very feet.

This part of her day went pretty much on repeat: arrive, work, lunch, work, coffee break, out. Not terribly fun, but it was a living, right?

I'd love to turn you on

After work, well.

Well, well, well.

That was when she found her way back to the hidden loft in an old church tower that she'd taken over when she first started her career as Power Lass. The papers had given her the name, and she'd rolled with it. Sometimes she felt like it wasn't...what it ought to be. But, oh, the acclaim. She was technically a vigilante, but her style and her actions kept her in the good books.

So far, at least.

Not for the first time, as she hopped on one foot, taking off one of her heels before removing the other in the same manner, she reflected on how useful the old church tower was. Nobody ever came up here, and there were enough shadows around dusk for her to fly in without being seen.

Quickly, she stripped down, and donned the white costume. It fit like a glove, the long red cape dangling down her back from the gold clasps. She tucked her blonde hair into the white hood, donning the black mask that covered the top half of her face.

Time to go do some good, as she did every night. She could see the headlines now:

'Power Lass Strikes Again! City defender rounds up a band of muggers/arsonists/robbers who had disturbed the peace of our fair city to accomplish their dastardly deeds. Heedless of personal danger, our hero...'

Yeah. It was nice. This...this was the life.

CYA!

[OOC: Happy to add starters or discuss other ideas! Really eager to get her into meeting other people. Hit me up via PM or at c_for_characters]

[hevenly]

Angie's mornings are more regimented than her wife's— she has to be on base at a certain time— but that doesn't mean she makes sure to time everything right so that she can see Karen before she leaves. As Karen is reading the paper, dressed in her fluffiest robe, Angie steps up behind her and places a quick kiss on her hair from behind.

"Anything good in the paper this morning?"

[fearfully_symmetrical]

She immediately leans back into her wife's touch, reaching to draw her arms around her middle. If there was any primary reason for her good mood in the mornings, lately...

"There's a study out that mornings spent with beautiful redheaded spouses is good for your health," she replied, her voice a little teasing. "So I'm gonna live to be a hundred, obviously."

She turned around to peck her wife - her wife, who could fathom it? - on the cheek.

"C'mon, I've got breakfast on."

[hevenly]

"Is that so?" Angie smirks, happy to wrap her arms around her beautiful wife and tuck her chin over her shoulder to turn that cheek kiss into a real one.

Mornings like this make Angie feel... whole, in a way that she feels like she was missing, for a long time.

It's a shame that something so unpleasant as the secret that Angie knows she needs to confront Karen about has to go and ruin it.

"Mm... I could eat."

She gives Karen one last squeeze, then lets go to walk around the counter and sit on one of the stools there. It's clear from the distant look in her eyes that there's something on her mind.

[fearfully_symmetrical]

They've been a complete contentment to her. She's not sure why they mean so much to her, but they do.

"You'd better," she rejoined, moving back to the stove. "Given how much badass keeping-the-country-safe you do in a day." She's not one of nature's cooks, but she can do French toast with some breakfast sausages and fruit like nobody's business. She knows her wife has a lot ahead of her, but...

Then there's that look, as she slaps down the first slices of toast on the pan.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

[hevenly]

Even as Angie stares down at the counter, trying to think of the best way to come clean about how she knows what her beloved wife gets up to on those nights when they're not home together, she can't help but smile at Karen's constant compliments.

"Yes, I work every day to keep the country safe." A soft, exhaled sigh. "But I've heard tell of a new heroine who's keeping the city safe... They're calling her 'Power Lass.'"

Her eyes flick up towards the stove, watching Karen closely for any reaction.

[fearfully_symmetrical]

She'd never be able to explain why, but she'd assumed that love was beyond her - having found it, she wasn't likely to let it slip away.

Which is why, when the name drops in the middle of the conversation, she has a moment of dissonance. She doesn't want to do damage to either of the two worlds she's living in, but...no, she's not going to lie to her wife. If she asks, she'll tell, she decides.

Lying to your spouse is wrong, right? Lying is what bad people do.

She flips over the toast, leaning down to check on the sausages in the oven.

"Almost done," she says, absently, before straightening up, hand idly toying with her wedding ring before she responds. "Not the best name, is it?" she says, quietly.

[hevenly]

In Angie's line of work, it pays to be perceptive. So of course, she picks up on the shift in Karen's tone.

There it is. All the proof she needed.

"No, it isn't. I'm assuming you didn't come up with it?"

She would like to have faith that Karen won't try to lie to her to her face about her alter-ego, but the best way to prevent that is to address the issue head on.

"Karen... Why are you doing this?"

[fearfully_symmetrical]

She crossed her arms, looking away for a moment, leaning against some of the countertop they'd picked out and installed together. One of a million good moments that she suddenly worries are in jeopardy of suddenly ending.

"You know how the papers are. They start with something and you're stuck with it."

She sighed, looking at her wife, face a bit worried.

"Same reason you do. To help. How'd...how'd you figure it out?"

[hevenly]

It breaks Angie's heart to see Karen look worried like that. She stands and rounds the counter again, reaching up to place a gentle touch on Karen's cheek, her hand calloused from many years of hard work, but as light as she can manage as she tucks a stray strand of hair behind Karen's ear.

"You think I don't know my own wife's face? Even if it's hidden behind a mask?"

The hand slips around to the back of Karen's neck and she gets close, pressing their foreheads together.

"...Just promise me you're being safe."

[fearfully_symmetrical]

She leans into that touch, the beginning of tears forming in her eyes. Of relief, mostly.

"I wanted to tell you so many times," she said. "When we were dating, it was all 'hey, make sure this lasts' and then we were engaged and everything was so happy, why spoil it? And now, it's like it was too late or something..."

It all comes tumbling out, over Angie's second statement. The words she's wanted to say so many times, but never figured out how to.

"Nothing out there scares me, but telling you? That was terrifying."

this thread is going to make me cry IRL...

[hevenly]

The sight of Karen's eyes getting shiny with tears just draws tears from Angie's eyes to match. She takes her wife into her arms, and holds her as tight as she can, as if her strong arms can keep her safe, not just here in their kitchen, but when she's out there alone, on the streets of the city at night, fighting who knows what kind of terrible people.

"It's never too late, my love. You can tell me anything, anytime. Always."

The sausages are probably burning in the oven, but Angie doesn't care. She would rather have her wife in her arms than food on her plate.

Sign we're doing it right? :P

[fearfully_symmetrical]

"You're gonna get a lot of stories," comes a moist reply from the vicinity of her upper chest.

The food is completely forgotten in the moment. Words stumble over themselves, wanting to be expressed, piling up in her mind like derailing freight cars. Finally, one pushes through.

"I can fly," she said, with a bit of a chuckle. "I've wanted to take you flying with me so many times. Take you up over the city where it's all just laid out beneath us like...like it's a model set. Kiss you up there where it's just us, nothing else in the world, not even birds..."

YEARS LATER, CHURCH ROOF!

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

The thing about old church towers and rooftops is that, in a city full of metahumans, they're never as unoccupied as you think they'll be. Doreen's crouched on the peak of the church tower, taking a breather, her tail curled around the spire to anchor her weight.

She doesn't quite recognize Galatea when she emerges - Doreen is, unfortunately, one of those people who is genuinely fooled by domino masks - but the costume seems familiar, and it never hurts to say hi to a fellow superhero.

"Oh, hey! Didn't expect to see anyone up here!"

[fearfully_symmetrical]

"What the-"

She pauses, nearly losing her footing.

"Who...who are you?"

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

"Oh shoot, sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to startle you!"

Please don't fall off the church, Galatea!

"I'm Squirrel Girl. It's way easier to get around up here, yeah? Less foot traffic!"

[fearfully_symmetrical]

Instead of falling she launches into the air, fists balled.

"Squirrel Girl, huh? Who sent you?! Did they send you? I told them already, I'm not a joining kinda gal!"

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Doreen's tail immediately fritzes up in surprise.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa!" This escalated so quickly! "Nobody sent me! I'm not trying to get anyone to join anything! Look, no recruitment forms!"

She curls her tail back around the steeple and waggles her hands, jazz-hands style, to show that she isn't carrying anything!

[fearfully_symmetrical]

She floats there for a few more seconds, the cape fluttering around her. Insofar as her face can be seen it looks suspicious - but she lets her fists relax.

"Ok...then what are you doing here?"

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

"Literally just passing through! Remember what I said about foot traffic? Less foot traffic means less getting stared at, and less randos pulling on my tail to see if it's real. Genuinely did not think anyone else was up here!"

That said, she lives in Central, which is full of bat-people, so she probably should have expected something, but she's trying to de-escalate!

[fearfully_symmetrical]

"Of course your tail's real, you tol-"

She shakes her head, like a discordant note has ripped through every inch of her skull.

"No, that's...what, what was I...?"

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

"You... were saying that I already told you my tail was real?"

Okay... this is not what she expected. Doreen's eyes narrow, and she tries to get a closer look at the face behind the mask.

"Have we met before? What's your name?"

[fearfully_symmetrical]

She shook her head, clearly confused.

"No, I...we haven't...and it's Power Lass, thank you very much!"

Power past it, power past the confusion...

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

"O-kayyyy then..."

This is... hm. It's time to test a theory.

"Hey, have you ever visited Central City? That's where I live. You should check it out, the weather is really nice this time of year. Nice to get away from everything, you know?"

[fearfully_symmetrical]

"I've...been..."

She hesitates, fearing a trap. And why are her memories suddenly so fuzzy?