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CONFLUENCE 017
Who: Everyone!
What: A Confluence! An invasion!
When: Early April
Where: Everywhere!
Content Warnings: Nonconsensual life takeover, drug use, death
➢ New arrivals will be appearing in Central City. Their arrival will be expected and handled by a number of local heroes, helpful magic, and a few drones–except all of them (sans the drones) will be feeling tired and a touch under the weather. What gives?
➢ Central City dealing with some pod people. Not obviously, of course, but this is a problem that metas of all types are free to investigate. How people choose to deal with them is up to you, but feel free to hit us up with any questions about this mini-event down below.
➢ Little Love has a … cow problem. Or a goat problem. It depends upon your definition of problem. It's time for the great cow strike of 2023. The goats are just passing the word.
➢ Sunset Falls had a ghostly problem that has now become a withdrawal problem.
➢ Excelsior is on its anti-meta propaganda again. There are some citizens from the city exploring other locations to see if they can spot some trouble. Central City seems like it's in some trouble–it would probably be best not to let the propaganda engine catch wind of that, huh? Pod people are just a different name for metas, as far as they're concerned.
What: A Confluence! An invasion!
When: Early April
Where: Everywhere!
Content Warnings: Nonconsensual life takeover, drug use, death
ARRIVAL
A Confluence, capitalized, is the converging of one or more supernatural forces.
Wherever you were, whatever you were getting up to back home—it doesn't matter anymore. One moment you're standing, laying down, sitting, getting shot at—the next, you're falling. It's not from a short distance, either. The sky opens up, and out of it comes you. Maybe you've got the ability to catch yourself before your face meets asphalt, but if you don't, don't worry about it. The citizens of CENTRAL CITY are here to lend a hand. The thing is, some of them might find it difficult to control their powers. Many of them might keep you from crash landing, but you'll still fall and hurt your leg (if not break it). Their skin is pallid and they have dark rings under their eyes. Well, some of them, anyway.
Whatever way you've arrived, you're here now. Your saviors can't seem to focus to stick around too long, and just absently point out where you're going. That's right: you've been dropped off close to the DIADEM HOTEL and won't have to walk very far to get to your temporary housing.
Welcome to Central City.
Wherever you were, whatever you were getting up to back home—it doesn't matter anymore. One moment you're standing, laying down, sitting, getting shot at—the next, you're falling. It's not from a short distance, either. The sky opens up, and out of it comes you. Maybe you've got the ability to catch yourself before your face meets asphalt, but if you don't, don't worry about it. The citizens of CENTRAL CITY are here to lend a hand. The thing is, some of them might find it difficult to control their powers. Many of them might keep you from crash landing, but you'll still fall and hurt your leg (if not break it). Their skin is pallid and they have dark rings under their eyes. Well, some of them, anyway.
Whatever way you've arrived, you're here now. Your saviors can't seem to focus to stick around too long, and just absently point out where you're going. That's right: you've been dropped off close to the DIADEM HOTEL and won't have to walk very far to get to your temporary housing.
Welcome to Central City.
DIADEM HOTEL
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 just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Guilds feel it's 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. The employees here seem to be largely untouched by whatever's affecting the citizens outside–but that's probably because they know better than to touch some strange metas they come across.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets 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 ARCHETYPE 2: WAYS OF THE MOUNTAIN. It's a long, long movie about an alien species that needs to eat rocks to survive. While critically acclaimed, few people can summarize what it's about other than that it's a science fiction marvel for the ages. Not seeing it basically means you're not cool, but it feels like no one has truly seen it because no one even knows what it's really about.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets 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 ARCHETYPE 2: WAYS OF THE MOUNTAIN. It's a long, long movie about an alien species that needs to eat rocks to survive. While critically acclaimed, few people can summarize what it's about other than that it's a science fiction marvel for the ages. Not seeing it basically means you're not cool, but it feels like no one has truly seen it because no one even knows what it's really about.
CENTRAL CITY
Typically, Central City is a city of architectural marvels offset by terrible income disparities. Typically, the people here are aware of where not to go; they know which shadows to avoid, which neighborhoods to leave abandoned, and which pizza shops aren't likely to see trouble at all hours of the day. To the outside eye, all of these things remain true. Much of the city continues to be little more than a dilapidated shell of itself–a recurring reminder of what it could be if its citizens weren't afraid of its potential.
At the moment, Central City's citizens are feeling A LITTLE OFF, ALMOST AS IF THEY'RE BOTH IN STEP WITH ONE ANOTHER AND NOT. Why is that? An odd, new INVASIVE SPECIES HAS BEEN TAKING ROOT. That's right. It's pod people time.
To anyone observing the city, nothing has changed. But the people inside will undoubtedly notice the shift. A large number of people have been seen coming from the abandoned, forgotten parts of the city, dressed as if they're keen to return to their 9-5 job. The crime syndicates are keeping quiet; many of its members are fatigued and unaware, trying to go about even their most basic tasks like shaking down local businesses without feeling like they want to fall asleep on their feet.
That's the thing: CENTRAL CITY IS SAFER THAN USUAL because a whole lot of citizens are currently dead on their feet. Not literally–not yet anyway. At first this might seem like a blessing in disguise, but all of the strange behavior is likely to add up. What does this strange behavior look like–and what comes next?
➢ Right now, no one knows that there are pod people, and–in fact–that they have been quietly taking root for a while. A large part of this is because they're difficult to spot before they fully absorb an identity. Think of an ability that makes it hard to focus on someone–that's what's going on with them. As a group, they have a simple cellular structure and seem to have a central nervous system that they share. Yep, it's a hivemind folks. Now–where is that hive?
➢ As a species, the pod people are symbiotic in nature. Their "barely noticeable" forms are only illusions; their true form, at birth, is parasitic and worm-like in nature. They insert through someone's skin and begin to take root, sucking away at their energy bit by bit until they can begin to take on a life of their own. They quite literally form a new body near the hive and hatch out of it. Once they hatch, their host body will begin to wither quickly and die, as its memories and energy are no longer needed. Once they take on this form, they are able to sustain themselves away from a host.
➢ They absorb all aspects of someone's identity: their appearance, their quirks, their memories, and everything else. One might even ask if THEY ARE NOT TRULY THE PERSON THEY TOOK OVER WHEN THEY'RE DONE. Everything about them is the same, after all–EXCEPT FOR A NEED TO CONTINUE TO SPREAD NEWLY BORN PARASITES FROM THE HIVE TO OTHERS VIA TOUCH.
➢ The process of the takeover happens in six steps:
At the moment, Central City's citizens are feeling A LITTLE OFF, ALMOST AS IF THEY'RE BOTH IN STEP WITH ONE ANOTHER AND NOT. Why is that? An odd, new INVASIVE SPECIES HAS BEEN TAKING ROOT. That's right. It's pod people time.
To anyone observing the city, nothing has changed. But the people inside will undoubtedly notice the shift. A large number of people have been seen coming from the abandoned, forgotten parts of the city, dressed as if they're keen to return to their 9-5 job. The crime syndicates are keeping quiet; many of its members are fatigued and unaware, trying to go about even their most basic tasks like shaking down local businesses without feeling like they want to fall asleep on their feet.
That's the thing: CENTRAL CITY IS SAFER THAN USUAL because a whole lot of citizens are currently dead on their feet. Not literally–not yet anyway. At first this might seem like a blessing in disguise, but all of the strange behavior is likely to add up. What does this strange behavior look like–and what comes next?
➢ Right now, no one knows that there are pod people, and–in fact–that they have been quietly taking root for a while. A large part of this is because they're difficult to spot before they fully absorb an identity. Think of an ability that makes it hard to focus on someone–that's what's going on with them. As a group, they have a simple cellular structure and seem to have a central nervous system that they share. Yep, it's a hivemind folks. Now–where is that hive?
➢ As a species, the pod people are symbiotic in nature. Their "barely noticeable" forms are only illusions; their true form, at birth, is parasitic and worm-like in nature. They insert through someone's skin and begin to take root, sucking away at their energy bit by bit until they can begin to take on a life of their own. They quite literally form a new body near the hive and hatch out of it. Once they hatch, their host body will begin to wither quickly and die, as its memories and energy are no longer needed. Once they take on this form, they are able to sustain themselves away from a host.
➢ They absorb all aspects of someone's identity: their appearance, their quirks, their memories, and everything else. One might even ask if THEY ARE NOT TRULY THE PERSON THEY TOOK OVER WHEN THEY'RE DONE. Everything about them is the same, after all–EXCEPT FOR A NEED TO CONTINUE TO SPREAD NEWLY BORN PARASITES FROM THE HIVE TO OTHERS VIA TOUCH.
➢ The process of the takeover happens in six steps:
1. INFECTION - the symbiotic parasite is passed via touch
2. ENERGY DRAIN - the parasite begins to take root, causing fatigue in its host
3. MEMORY LOSS AND DISASSOCIATION - there is an odd sense that someone is in two places at once; in addition, it's hard to recall facts about themselves and the people around them
4. HIVEMIND AWARENESS - there is always a sense of power nearby in Central City, as well as safety–there will also be telepathic awareness of other hosts who are at this stage
5. COMPLETE TAKEOVER AND LOSS OF LIFE - the original host begins to wither into a husk, begins to die
6. REBIRTH - the new pod person is born and they are autotrophic in nature: small parasites can be passed from their body, always replicating so that they can continue and spread
2. ENERGY DRAIN - the parasite begins to take root, causing fatigue in its host
3. MEMORY LOSS AND DISASSOCIATION - there is an odd sense that someone is in two places at once; in addition, it's hard to recall facts about themselves and the people around them
4. HIVEMIND AWARENESS - there is always a sense of power nearby in Central City, as well as safety–there will also be telepathic awareness of other hosts who are at this stage
5. COMPLETE TAKEOVER AND LOSS OF LIFE - the original host begins to wither into a husk, begins to die
6. REBIRTH - the new pod person is born and they are autotrophic in nature: small parasites can be passed from their body, always replicating so that they can continue and spread
➢ COMPROMISED METAS WILL FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ACCESS THEIR POWERS RELIABLY. When the new pod person is born, they will be born with the power that their previous host had.
➢ STOPPING THE POD PEOPLE IS AN OPTION. So is SAVING THEM. No matter what, some investigation into what they are, how to manage them, and if they're truly harmful is needed. After all–being a part of a hive mind might actually not be so bad. It seems to have helped Central City.
➢ STOPPING THE POD PEOPLE IS AN OPTION. So is SAVING THEM. No matter what, some investigation into what they are, how to manage them, and if they're truly harmful is needed. After all–being a part of a hive mind might actually not be so bad. It seems to have helped Central City.
CLIFF NOTES.
➢ New arrivals will be appearing in Central City. Their arrival will be expected and handled by a number of local heroes, helpful magic, and a few drones–except all of them (sans the drones) will be feeling tired and a touch under the weather. What gives?
➢ Central City dealing with some pod people. Not obviously, of course, but this is a problem that metas of all types are free to investigate. How people choose to deal with them is up to you, but feel free to hit us up with any questions about this mini-event down below.
➢ Little Love has a … cow problem. Or a goat problem. It depends upon your definition of problem. It's time for the great cow strike of 2023. The goats are just passing the word.
➢ Sunset Falls had a ghostly problem that has now become a withdrawal problem.
➢ Excelsior is on its anti-meta propaganda again. There are some citizens from the city exploring other locations to see if they can spot some trouble. Central City seems like it's in some trouble–it would probably be best not to let the propaganda engine catch wind of that, huh? Pod people are just a different name for metas, as far as they're concerned.
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. You can also take a look at the MISSION BOARD to get your start as a professional hero, villain, or vigilante.
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Sorry! Sorry, sorry— ( her apology repeats as she bends over to brace her hands on her thighs, catching her breath while her body catches up with the fact that she's not about to splat on the street. it's just...taking a moment. )
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...you okay?
[That's probably a good place to start.]
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Totally. I'm good.
( her breath, not quite back, gives her lungs enough to make words. another huff and puff, and she stands upright, and..........holy crap. claudia, instead of being a normal human being person, just. stares. her mouth gapes, and her wide eyes move down to donnie's feet and then back up to donnie's face. in a moment of panic, she blurts: )
Nice goggles.
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He's pretty relieve that no scream is forthcoming, and the recovery (?)...well, it's still better than the alternative.
He pushes on.]
Thanks, made them myself. You make it a habit of falling off buildings or did someone push you? Was kind of preoccupied with not getting us both killed to go check on the latter.
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( she points up, up, up a little further on a higher roof where sits a tidy row of four flags. claudia tries not to stare, tries to set donnie alongside all the other unfamiliar things she's seen and experienced since falling. but her eyes dart back and forth to him curiously, then up to the flags, then around them.
she realizes she really isn't sure if she's still in central city. bIG sigh. )
I just--panicked and fell, don't worry. No moustache-twirlers around, I swear. Also, entirely unrelated and we don't have to get into it but do you know where we are?
( claudia, pls. )
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[Because it's totally normal for humans to be hanging around on flagpoles but know what, it's a weird world, anything's possible. Maybe she just likes...hanging out on flagpoles.
Donnie follows her glance back up though it's hard not to notice the constant looks from her.]
Apalone Spinifera, mutant turtle variety. -Do you mean like, here, here or general here?
[Even as he jumps back to her question he sweeps his hand over his left forearm to bring up the projected screen of his computer. A few taps calls up a bird's-eye view of street maps.]
General answer, Central City. More specific answer, on a rooftop on the corner of Seventh and Main.
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Well, I guess there's that. Small freaking wonders.
( she'd bamfed with only her phone in hand, and now that's probably dashed to bits in who knows where. but at least she has a heading. time to find a fire escape to climb down. )
Hey, uh, thanks. For the scoop. From what I've read about this city, who knows how long it would've taken for someone to come squeegee my toches off the roof, y'know?
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Oh, um. You're welcome. Kinda wasn't expecting it to rain humans but I couldn't just let you fall, right? Maybe find a better hangout than flagpoles, yeah?
Are you...new around here too? Seems to be a thing I guess, anyway...
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Wait. You're new? No way. You're all—woosh on your cool jet pack—and—Seventh and Main. Unfazed.
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Connecting to the internet seemed like a good idea in a weird, alternate Earth dimension. Call me a creature of habit but it's just been easier for me to get info directly than asking around, you know?
[He forces a smirk.] Anyway you're only fortunate enough to catch me after I've managed to acclimate. ...sort of. It's all actually still pretty weird and only part of it is because I've never been outside of New York before.
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( for now, she'll return to her fire escape search, stomping her converse-clad feet to the other side of the rooftop to peek around. )
New York must make this place seem like suburbs, huh?
( clang, clang goes the ladder as it skids downward to the steel platform below. claudia swings a leg over. )
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[He watches her go off in search of a way down, wandering after as she seems to still be fine with holding this weird conversation.]
Depends on what part of New York but yeah, the skyline's all wrong. -you okay with getting down and stuff?
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( down she starts, nice and slow. )
Don't get me started. Dumped out of the sky, yoinked up to stupid flagpoles, blinked out of the stupid hotel every time I get anywhere near my room. I blipped cheese fries all over the shoeshine guy at the subway earlier and didn't even get a chance to apologize, just popped back in front of the hotel again. I will say, though, that hotel has comfy lounge sofas. ( comfy enough for a middling night's rest anyway. )
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Hold on, 'blinked'? Like...I dunno, teleport? You can do that? Although I guess that does explain the whole flagpole thing.
Oh, you're staying at the...what was it called, the Diadem?
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I guess. Yeah. ( a gusty sigh the likes of which only angsty teens can produce makes her head roll back while she hangs off the ladder. it's extremely RENT or something. )
Diadem, yeah, that's the one. Swankiest stuffiest place they could find. Have you been, yet?
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You guess? Teleporting definitely has its uses- well, if you can make them work right, I guess does that make a big difference. I am assuming you have not gotten the hang of it.
[He makes a slight face himself upon the hotel confirmation.]
Not yet, no.
[Evasive? Nah.]
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What, you don't like really comfy beds and room service?
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Stubborn teenager versus stubborn teenager, go!]Can't really say, actually. Never experienced it on the account of well, this whole situation.
[He gestures vaguely to himself.]
That and I don't exactly trust the whole 'free ride' thing. Sounds nice and all? Too convenient? I dunno. Maybe that's just my 'getting kidnapped into an alternate Earth dimension without any valid or scientific explanations' paranoia kicking in.
...do you want me to just take you down to street level?
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( to really drive her point home she stomps down a couple more rungs. further away now, she does sort of have to yell it back up at him. but, like. as cranky and overly independent as she is, the guy wasn't thrilled about being touched and she can handle this. it's fine. )
The free ride is definitely sketch. And I guess you wouldn't fit in at the Diadem with those huge goggles anyway. ( claudia herself enjoys making the staff shiver whenever she drags her punk!lite disaster self through the lobby. ) But that's half the fun. I say hi to """Jessalyn""" at the front desk every chance I get. I think she washes her hands every time.
( her impish glee: can it be seen from halfway down a fire escape ladder in the dark?? )
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So he does the logical thing and hops down to hover alongside as Claudia makes progress.]
Heh. That is pretty funny when you put it that way. I'm sure something so swanky never expected to be repurposed for housing alternate-dimensional transients.
...unless it was built for that purpose from the start. I heard they give you a limitless credit card for the first month if you join the Confluence Club or something? So they've got the money, clearly...
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Oh it is not limitless, my friend.
( she grins the grin of a girl who immediately got it cut off. )
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[Donnie rolls his eyes. Overall this is not improving his perception of the whole guild deal.]
That go for housing too? I'll bet it does. What's the catch?
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( look she wanted to test the limits ok and also maybe cause someone a headache or two. she looks oh so very sorry truly so regretful mhm yes how can she ever repent... )
I think they said we get like a month or two to stay at the hotel, though. I figured I'd just hang out, push more buttons, y'know?
( also she's all alone again and hoping someone from home might show up there. but that's too serious for this convo, tyvm. )
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Lame! Can't even indulge someone in that one tiny thing!
I guess ordering some uranium on that card would be out of the question then.
[Okay, weird as their meeting's been, he supposes this chick's cool in his book. She's got a sense of humor at least.]
Gotta get your kicks somehow, I guess. But I suppose one to two months is generous/
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I'm still just getting to used to, all of...well, everything. ( big sigh. she'll get there. then she points her thumb at herself. ) Oh, hey. Claudia, by the way.
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