metalogs | HOUSE OF M(ETA)

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HOUSE OF M(ETA)

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Hunter slowly withdraws and moves to stand. He keeps a steadying hand on her shoulder, though. Doesn't want her to think he's afraid of her. Or running.]

At least the wings are cool.

[What the hell is happening?]

You wouldn't happen to remember some kind of secret curse a dark wizard put you under that explains this, would you?

( cool is not the adjective that eda would use to describe anything that's happening right now. her pick would be something like "unnerving" or "generally awful". while hunter had been able to help calm her down and possibly even keep her wits about her, she still feels like she's on the verge of losing control.

something within tugging, tugging, tugging.

but she forces a laugh. )

The only idiots who ever tried to curse me were hacks and charlatans. They'd never be able to pull this off.

( for this kind of thing. . . well! only she could do it.

but she wouldn't do this.

would she?

no. probably not. )

I'll take any easy answers if you got them though. Cursed artefacts or activated some ancient prophecy where you've been chosen?

( it's a very lame attempt at a joke, but she is trying.

trying her best to pretend she can be calm. )

No, but -

[He sits down heavily on the couch, chin in his hands, thinking.]

[Certain things have transferred over from reality. In this world, Hunter is still thoughtful. Curious. A bit of a planner.]

[In short, a nerd.]

We both half-remember something. Enough that my seeing that person in the mask, and you seeing their picture, triggered this.[He gestures to her...change.] Doesn't mean at some point we...whole-remembered it?

Lots of magic and powers can alter memory, right? What if something happened, something...bad? With the person in the mask. Something that changed you.

And we've had no clue since then because something took our memory of it away.

[Until he saw something that reminded him, and then drew it for her, reminding her. Bringing up something repressed. Suppressed. Causing her to undertake a change she'd forgotten she could even make.]

So, basically, you think something horrible happened and our memories of it were erased.

( simply stated, but mostly to confirm that the two of them were on the same page. it's not a bad theory.

it's really not. and should hunter turn out to be right about this, eda already knows exactly where she'd hedge her bets. after all, who else but lilith for something like that? )

It's. . . possible, yeah. Memory related magic is pretty varied and not difficult to perform. Just hard to master.

( for obvious reasons. )

What about what you saw outside?

( did he actually see something? or was he remembering something? )

I don't know.

Either it's something real that made me start to remember things or...me just starting to remember things?

[He's shaking now, thinking of the that antlered mask again.]

What if it's real? What if something just found us? I want to leave.

[Because he knows. Deep down. He knows what the masked person wants to do to him.]

( that's enough for eda. )

Then let's go.

( just like that. if hunter wants to go then she didn't intend to try to force him to stay. especially not when she didn't have any good reason as to why they should. this night has already been a nightmare. terrible. no good. bad. needs a reset button kind of night.

need a lot of alcohol to cope with kind of night too.

but she could settle for some vending machine snacks from some shady roadside motel for now.

eda stands up then or attempts to—her body is now a little too tall, forcing her to bend awkwardly against the ceiling. )

We don't have to figure everything out now. We can just skedaddle.

How are we going to hide you?

[She's kind of noticeable.]

I think you look cool, but people can get weird about metas.

( what kind of question was that supposed to be? her appearance was the least of their problems, easily hidden underneath a glamour. that's one of the joys of being a witch! solving problems through magical means and it took almost no effort at all! )

Whaddya mean? I have magic, baby boy.

( to emphasise her point of just how easy it is, eda begins to draw a spell circle in the air with a blackened claw.

there's a fizzle and a few stray sparks in the loose shape of a circle, but nothing else happens.

eda looks at it silently for a long moment. )

. . . Get me the blanket off the back of the couch.

( she eventually says. )

[Hunter does that because welp, looks like they're running away and he's just going to be running around with his aunt now turned into a creature.]

[He holds it out to her.]

Where are we going to go? A motel? Or something?

( eda clicks her tongue, the sound of it just a little strange in the new shape of her mouth, and points a finger towards her child. )

Oh, you got it on the first try.

( then she grabs the blanket, immediately swinging it around her back to start tying it at the neck. )

The ones off the highway don't usually ask too many questions. Wouldn't care if you checked in for the both of us.

( which probably sounds a bit too specific and that's because it is. there's a great story behind that, actually. )

Don't ask how I know that, kid. We don't have time for it.

( because leaving now really did mean now.

she already knows where the two of them will go, she has plenty of cash in her bag to make it happen, but the next issue is transportation. she could make an attempt at driving the car, but she really didn't think that her body would even fit inside of it anymore. that and there was no way in hell some cop wouldn't pull them over immediately at the sight of her crammed into the car like a can of spam.

right now her body had huge wings though— )

I bet I could fly, right?

...I was going to see if I could get you to let me drive the car, but now I want to know if you can fly, too.

[Really, this new form just keeps ranking up cool points and now he wants to see where it goes.]

( there's only one path forward.

and that path is seeing whether or not she can fly the both of them out of here. eda offers hunter a small nod before making her way out of the room, directing herself to the foyer. once there, she grabs her bag from off of the wall. she unhooks one of the straps from the bag, fastening it around her waist before rehooking it together.

it's not cute but it's serviceable.

then she heads outside, moving to stand on the stairs while waiting for hunter to catch up. )

Grab what you need and let's give this a go!

[Hunter doesn't bother running to pack anything but does put his sneakers back on, and a jacket. He stuffs a few things in his messenger bag and pockets. Small laptop, charger, phone, phone charger, wallet.]

[They can worry about anything else like clothes to change into later. They can alway buy it. They're not hiding from the government after all, they're hiding from something sinister and supernatural. They can still use credit cards and stuff, they just need to somehow break up their capacity to be tracked by...whatever.]

[He follows her out.]

I've got everything I can think of.

Alright.

( by all accounts, neither of them should need much. this should just be a weird and shitty night that ends up with them eating late-night doordash in some far-off motel. tomorrow they could figure out what to do and if there was anything even to do.

hopefully everything will be over tomorrow.

now that hunter's ready, she kneels down and extends her arms out to him. )

C'mere.

[His familiar flies over and curls up in his messenger bag. Boy, it'd be a lot easier if he could fly himself somehow.]

Are you sure your wings can carry both of us?

[He's hoping the answer is no, because being carried like a doll by your aunt is the opposite of cool.]

Yes.

( immediate answer. too bad it's a lie. eda is not actually sure that her wings can even fly, much less carry the both of them.

however, that has nothing to do with it.

this is a bonding experience.

one where if she looks stupid, they're going to look stupid together. )

Don't make me grab you.

[He puts his arms around her neck, though he's still skeptical.]

And you know this despite only just sprouting wings, how exactly?

Haven't you figured out I know everything yet? Just watch!

( this is something that eda has said several times before, but it is not always followed by success. there have been plenty of times when she had said exactly this right before things blow up in her face. last time she said this, she had promptly knocked an entire piping hot pot of chili off the stove and flung it everywhere.

the room smelled meaty for weeks.

but it's too late for second thoughts now. as if guided by instinct, eda spreads her feet, hunkers down, tightens her grip on hunter, and then launches the both of them into the sky. )

[He holds on very tightly, eyes squeezed shut, half expecting them to go crashing down.]

[And...they don't. There's just the breeze.]

[He opens one eye, then the other. Looks down.]

Wow.

( above them is the clear night sky, decorated with the kind of bright shining stars that can only be found out in the suburbs. then below them is their home, where apparently there is a frisbee wedged on the roof because eda isn't going to question that.

it's nice. even nicer is hunter's reaction. really makes her feel like she could turn the night around.

so eda laughs, a warm rumble of a sound. )

Not bad, right?

[He nods against her shoulder.]

At least one part of this isn't 900% horrifying.

[Everything else is.]

( eda clicks her tongue, unable to really argue with the fact that this has been a completely horrible night.

but what she can do is give him a quick squeeze, a feeble attempt at reassuring him. )

At least there's nowhere else to go but up?

( pun intended. )

Let's not linger too long. You ready to fly?

[He nods against her shoulder.]

Yeah.

( then with that, the two of them set off. there's no reason for any further delays. whatever is happening with the house tonight can just stay there—a problem for another day. such as tomorrow or maybe even later. they'd have to play it by ear. it really depends on how quickly she can figure out how to reverse the spell-slash-curse that's affected her body.

it's an uncomplicated journey, simple and easy in a way the rest of the evening has failed to be. the skies are clear and peaceful, an easy breeze underneath eda's wings. below them, the city looks beautiful. almost like a festival of lights.

eventually, eda touches down to land in the parking lot of a highway side motel that she deems sufficiently far away from their home. she makes a tired attempt at pulling up the blanket, trying to use it as a makeshift hood. it's dark and the place is mostly empty, but it's never a waste to be careful.

she gives hunter a quick coaching session before she sends him to rent a room for the two of them, equipped with cash and the excuse that she's under the weather if the front desk attendant gets nosy.

they don't. they barely even stop playing candy crush on their phone to exchange the cash for a set of two key cards.

then comes the easy part of the night. they order takeout; burgers, fries, and milkshakes. they watch terrible made for tv movies that are available on the motel's subpar cable setup. they pull all the pillows and comforters off the bed and make a fort in the corner to sleep in.

eda hopes tomorrow will be better. )

[His dreams are troubled.]

[Not all troubled, though. At one point, he is standing with some teenagers. He knows them. They're his friends. He does a secret handshake with a younger black boy, Gus, who then breaks off to talk with a girl. Willow.]

[He hangs back to speak with a dark-skinned, dark-haired teenage girl. Luz.]

[He knows their names. He has a history with them. Some of it bad. But they reached out to him anyway.]

["Don't you dare... mention that thing around them."

"What thing? That you're a Grimwalker?"

"Shh! Listen, I don't know if I'm a witch, or a human. All I know is that I'm a copy of someone Belos made... disappear."

"I don't know what you three went through, but they seem to like you."

"So I shouldn't worry how they'd react, right? If that's the case, have you told them about helping Philip?"]

[The girl looks mortified.]

["Yeah, I overheard everything. Don't tell them. Please."]

[She nods slowly. She's his friend now, too, he thinks. She's willing to keep his secret. That he's a grimwalker -]

[A grimwalker.]

[He suddenly plunges down. Into the dark. Pulled down into still waters - into -]

[Belos' subconscious? Where he'll fade away, flattened under the floorboards of Belos' mental reality. Not even the sound of his beating heart will haunt him. After all, who knows how many versions of himself have been killed before now. Killed without Belos feeling the tiniest tinge of remorse.]

[His consciousness starts to fade. He hears voices above him.]

["And what about Hunter? What's a grimwalker?"

"He's... a better version of an old friend. But, thanks to you, I'll have to make another one."]

[In reality, in their little fort, he sobs. Because of terror. But also because of heartbreak. Because he knows his parent never loved him at all.]

No.

No no, let go!

[He thrashes, fighting the blanket and sheet wrapped around him. It's too confining. His brain is conflating it with the feeling of being dragged down in Belos' mind.]

Let me out, let me out!

Uncle, please!

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her blanket cape makes her look like a child playing superhero

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