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STARSTRUCK
➢ This is the final log of our Starstruck event! As we head into this log, keep in mind that some of the changes made will impact the game long-term. If you would like to suggest something, we are still keeping an eye on our EVENT WORKSHOP.
April 3rd has been the anniversary of a tragedy for the last four decades. It was the day when everything changed, when worlds collapsed and new rules and regulations had to be created to prevent what happened from ever, ever repeating.
However, the action that spurned the world-changing event has been prevented. The death of his entire family was stopped, thus, Godfall never happened.
It's a change that goes against the Shining God's plan. A change that ruins everything, and she does not intend to let it pass unchecked.
History is forever altered. The question is simply how it will be changed.You hear a call. Wordless, but clear. Something is about to happen, you are all on the precipice of change and now is your last chance to help shape it.
It happens for all Starfallen: one moment they're continuing through their day, working jobs, taking a nice afternoon nap, defeating criminals or taking heroes down a peg when suddenly - vines sprout up from the ground, forming a delicate arch. On one side is the present, your present. On the other is the past.
The voice is whisper thin and fading, but somehow you know you can trust it. It's the force that kept you projected as you hurtled through time and space, the hands that held you as you fell. It tells you something in the past has changed, and it's going to change everything.
Walking through the archway isn't necessary; some may feel a push, one they cannot ignore no matter how hard they try. Some may miss the archway entirely as it appears just out of view, or some may feel the urge to continue through it but will be able to disregard the instinct.
Regardless: the archway lingers for several moments, before it disappears entirely. There will be no further option for them to travel back through time; the archway and it's call is the last the Willow Maiden can manage. Stepping through will take you to…
APRIL 2ND, 1985Unfortunately, with her powers waning, she cannot guarantee where you will land. Only when.
Was your character in Central City in 2023? Well, maybe now they're in Egypt, stuck in a tourist trap. Were they in Excelsior? Maybe they've found themselves in Sunset Falls, standing off the roadside. While they seem to find themselves in areas known for massive levels of meta energy - it isn't consistent.
You feel the call, you know where you must go. Central City is where the world will change. Where the Godfall Incident is destined to occur. If you have any hope of influencing it, you need to find your way to Central City or connect with those already here.
Those already in the past will hear the whispers of the Willow Maiden in the trees, announcing the arrival and her best guess at where people have fallen. Use your resources to gather your allies, because tomorrow will change everything forever.
LATE EVENING, APRIL 3RD, 1985
It's April 3rd, 1985. There should be a tragedy happening.
Central City should be torn asunder right now. A teenage boy should be grieving a loss he was never meant to know, suffering a fate he didn't deserve. The sky should be blackened and cracked, reality coming undone at the seams. Rather than follow his usual route home and run into the likes of Eclipse, Starstruck spoke to Leo and took a different path. The butterfly flapped its wings and fate changed. The sight of Atomight on the rooftop of his home was enough to warn away anyone who would dare to attack, thanks to the tips of Dick Grayson. The plot to destroy him by destroying his loved ones - thwarted, as Eclipse finds himself instead being carted off to the nearest jail by the CCPD.
This decade's biggest turning point, the reason the guilds had been formed, what had been cause for the rules the metahumans of this world have been following for forty years - prevented.
The birds are singing and the sky is a bright, impossible blue. History has charted a different course and it is all thanks to you, the Starfallen, interlopers to this world making it a better place.
However, your task is not yet done. Chaos Gate is folded in on herself outside a suburban home that happens to be only blocks away from where Starstruck's family resides, eyes clenched shut. The home belongs to Neil Perkins, whom she believes is responsible for Fantastic's fate. Around her is a wall of magic that no native metahuman can penetrate. History was meant to repeat with her, but it seems she may yet serve as a replacement for the young Starstruck.
The young Atomight makes a valiant attempt to punch straight through, just as the young Mechanima attempts to test his latest invention - neither so much as make a dent. The archnemesis glance anxiously at each other. Military personnel are trying to flag all metahumans they can find, knowing that this is a bomb that's about to blow - and they want her taken out before her fuse reaches its end.
Starstruck himself doesn't seem to know what to do. He stands poised and ready to leap in and fight, but he doesn't seem to feel good about this choice.
When the Starfallen approach this barrier, though, they find it familiar. It's the same warm, loving magic that brought them here. It parts smoothly as Starfallen approaches, welcoming - or begging - them to avert this tragedy. Entering is easy, but take a few steps and you feel it. The Shining God's loathing, the threads of fate being severed with each step you take. It is agony, and each step feels like being born just to die.
INSIDE THE MAGICYou know without a doubt that this is the power of metahumans. Whatever this is, the impossible has become possible. You are the conduit of change and this does not extend merely to this world, but to every other one that you have ever touched.
This is a test. Of you, of your determination, of your spirit and dedication to forge your own future. There is a push and pull, order and chaos are waging a war and you are the pawns that chaos is using to break the shackles this world is bound to. The landscape is ever shifting, the magical storm preventing you from reaching the out of control host of all this possibility. The effects vary from person to person.
➢ A VISIT TO THE PAST, you are transported to a pivotal moment in your past. A choice you had to make. Doing so completely alters the trajectory of the world you make that choice in.
➢ ALTERNATE SELVES. You feel the possibilities of who you could be suddenly waging for control of you who are. Villain, hero, something inbetween - you may try to sabotage other Starfallen who enter, trying to prevent them from reaching Chaos Gate. You may also be compelled to try to kill Starstruck, who is also lost within this shifting realm, as that would put the timeline right.
➢ DYSTOPIAN TIME TRAVEL. You may end up at different points throughout the world - your world, this world, and others. A butterfly flaps its wings and you are viewing the changes. Perhaps you find yourself in your own past, where your choice to deviate from the intended path has led to destruction. Perhaps you find yourself in the ruins of this one, or another you had briefly drifted into throughout your time in the multiverse. This is a threat, showing you what could happen if you change the past. Most of these will be dystopian futures, imaginary what-ifs.
These effects will last until Chaos Gate is subdued. However, they can feel as long or as short as wanted - time doesn't pass normally within the storm.
The Shining God makes herself known in the hurricane of power, burning brilliantly amidst the shifting landscape. She is the center point to which all are drawn to. It is plain upon arrival that this is not the Goddess herself, but rather one of the cult who has imbued themselves with her power. Agatha shines with the might of her God, and she is eager to serve her well.
It does not appear as though this individual can be reasoned with. To kill her would be to slay some aspect of the Goddess' divinity.
And rest assured, she is unwilling to accept any other defeat. She stands ready to eradicate all threats to their plan.
Once the Goddess has fallen, all there is left to do is to tend to the Chaos. There is an easy solution to your problem - slaying the girl would be a quick, clean end to all of this. However, speaking your own truths about what you have faced in this labyrinth may be enough to calm her raging heart.
Whatever action characters take is true: each may slay the girl, and each may save. In this pocket of time and space, both actions are equally true. Schrodinger smiles as his experiment rings true.
At least until, Wonder Woman steps in with a weapon gifted to her from Eros, subduing Chaos Gate and bringing all this chaos to a close.
SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2023The moment Chaos Gate falls unconscious, you find yourselves back in the present. The world appears far more vibrant than it did before, the leaves in the trees still a brilliant green despite the onset of Fall.
Yet the world has changed. Is changing.
The past and the present are reconciling slowly, weaving together to make a new whole. These changes will take time, but you can already see them starting to take shape - there are more metahumans than you remember there ever being before. The cult of the Shining God does not appear to be nearly as prevalent as it once was.
And none of the NPCs know who Fantastic is, nor are they able to recall the events of July… save for the three unofficial leaders of the Metahuman population.
They can't say what ways the cards are going to fall, but they tell you that they will have your back no matter what.
➢ Portals are opening to allow all Starfallen to return to the past to face the coming battle. Those who opt to travel through time will arrive more than 24 hours before the event occurs.
➢ They could wind up anywhere. Now is your chance to have a globe-trotting adventure to gather your friends!
➢ On the evening of April 3, 1985 Central City will be consumed by a hurricane of metahuman energy - not caused by Starstruck, but by Chaos Gate.
➢ Inside this hurricane, Starfallen will be faced with a number of challenges. They may find alternate selves struggling to take control of their body, they may be transported to a different point in time, they may find themselves at a point in their own past with the chance to change everything.
➢ The deeper you travel through the storm of meta energy, the more dramatic the onslaught gets.
➢ At its center are two figures - Chaos Gate and an avatar of the Shining God. The Shining God fights by creating duplicates of herself that move in unison, and bends light to create weapons. Players can SIGN UP to land the final blow.
➢ Once she has been defeated, Diana will be subduing Chaos Gate. However we are leaving room for players to debate the outcome, and their actions and choices will still have impact.
➢ Starfallen will find themselves back in the present, perhaps not knowing how this played out. The timelines will slowly merge together over the course of October.
➢ We will provide further updates on the shape things are taking in the October State of the Game.
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.
C
But there is a clear enemy here, or at least an entity that poses a threat to any and all Donnies (and other Starfallen, yeah, true), and that's enough to help him focus. He blasts away numbers of what copies of the Shining God's avatar there are, for as much good as that does given there always seem to be more.
The turtle springs back, trying to take stock of the situation, bō grasped in hand as he reassesses. He lifts his head at the voice, feeling some small relief ease that all too familiar knot of anxiety in his chest.]
Leo-
[He turns and his smile freezes as he takes in the cloak and the oversized blade, feeling that knot start to tug tight again. That stubborn part of him rallies.]
Well, for one thing, it's the current plane of existence we're stuck in so I'd say we have at least some partial investment in it!
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That was before it was clear how much Draxum valued Three’s mind and mechanical skills. They squabble over bigger things than numbers, these days.]
The Shining God just wants to put things back the way they’re supposed to be. That includes us. Just let her do her thing, and maybe we can all move on from this mess.
[He looks Three up and down, then scowls.]
What’s with all the purple, anyway? You look like a grape puked on you.
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[It's easy to respond and yet it's strange hearing this sort of thing from Leo. Donnie scowls right back.]
Purple, in case you have forgotten dear brother, is sort of my thing. Just as blue is...normally yours. Now I could assume this is demon possession but given the current circumstances, I think it's much worse.
[His brow twitches as he tries to ignore the other voices, the ones still lurking, just waiting for him to slip.]
So if you're not going to be helpful Leo, then at least let me get back to fixing this.
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Dear brother? Very weird. Leo? Completely incomprehensible. Either this is some new insult Three’s thought up that Two doesn’t have the context for, or it’s complete nonsense.
There’s a sharp tug at the back of his mind, but he ignores it.]
Leo? Did you finally knock a few screws loose in that giant forehead? [Talking about how blue is usually his thing, too. Like he has any reason to worry about colors.]
You know what Bossman says about humans. He’s right; that woman caused all this, just for fun. A game.
[His easy grin comes back, though any warmth that might have been present in normal circumstances is gone.] Now, I do love a good game. And she brought me here, so now I get to be a player. And I always win.
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[A slight edge creeps up in his tone, almost upsetting the forced laughter. Donnie's trying to keep a grip on his cool but it's pure ice that sparks through him with Leo's following words.
Bossman? Oh no
As if the notion that Leo...not Leo? Is working for someone isn't chilling enough, the grin that spreads across his face bodes no good.
More than one Donnie hisses a warning in the back of his mind, at least one offering a foreboding chuckle. Donnie's own grip tenses around his staff, eyeing Leo (Two~) (??) warily.]
This isn't a game.
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Why do you keep calling me that? What, that bitter about being Three? Heh, guess you can be petty when you want to be.
[He takes a few casual steps toward Three, the sword’s blade scraping against the ethereal ground they’re walking on with a harsh, grating sound.]
If it’s not a game then what is it?
[His grin is a challenge, now.]
Listen, I’ll give you one last chance, bro. Help me kill that human that the Goddess wants dead, and then we can get back before Baron Draxum even knows we’re gone. That’s the simplest solution for everyone.
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Oh no, nono no, you can not be serious! Baron Draxum?!
[It's easy enough to sound exasperated because part of him is, but Donnie's not liking the look of things by the second, nor the flashes of memories, the whisper of words trying to coax him to let go.
Donnie shakes his head as he steps back, giving a forceful spin of his staff before he catches it firmly again before him, trying to reaffirm his control.]
We're not killing her.
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And honestly? He doesn’t mind too much.]
You know, I expected this from Four. [He rolls his shoulders out, then his neck. Gives his free hand a shake.] He’s always been wishy-washy. Boss lets him get away with too much, and it’s made him soft.
But you? Heh. The true believer turns out to be a traitor instead. [He shifts to a two-handed grip on the odachi, lifting the blade.] Can’t bring himself to kill one girl.
[A surge of protectiveness rises, born from memories that aren’t Two’s. Some others’ feelings that are getting muddled with his. They beg him not to do this.
But there are other voices too, that cheer him on. Two, Two, Two!
He knows who he’s going to listen to.]
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And then he's moving before he's even aware of it, the flare of heliotrope light tracing around his bō and tapering the end into the sharp, gently curving point of a blade that extends two feet further as he swings it down and thrusts it forward.
The manic grin on his face lasts about a split second before it flinches into a grimace as he realizes he's gone on the offensive.]
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Two’s smile grows impossibly wide as he moves to block the attack. Unlike before (before? before what?), he’s practiced with the odachi now, and it moves more naturally as a part of himself.
And he’s fast.
He knocks Three’s blade away and spins to the side, already aiming a strike for Three’s back. He knows where Three’s weaknesses are.
(There’s a scoff from one of the Others.)]
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It only narrowly catches Two's blade but it's one more thing between it and his battle shell, and Donnie'd rather not test a mystic blade against that if he could avoid it. He activates his rotors, letting them unfold to help push back against the ōdachi, and he half leaps half flies as he pulls his bō back around, dropping back down to whatever they've been standing on. With it clear that Two's speed is not to be trifled with, Donnie readies to parry as he suspects the other turtle won't be thrown off for long.]
We don't have time for this!
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So Three has some new tricks - whatever. He can adapt. He can’t lose.
Draxum doesn’t tolerate failure.]
What do you mean? We have all the time in the world… or at least I do.
[And that said, he launches at Three again, coming fast with the sword on a downswing to hit his legs.]
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[Donnie's ready when he comes, bringing his staff down to catch the strike before it can get too close, using the ground to brace it before he kicks it and the sword back away. He twirls his weapon once and then reangles to thrust its end towards Leo- no, Two's chin.
He's never been a slouch with his bō, his own strikes fluid, quick and precise. Those other voices push him on, some calling for more panache, more punch!
Part of him finds the idea enticing, but he keeps reminding himself just who he's fighting. This guy may be a jerk but he's still Leo, and Donnie's not sure if his actual brother's somewhere in there or if this one's just shoved him out of this pocket of reality somehow.]
Guess it doesn't matter what version, you're always going to be annoying somehow!
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Annoying? Heh, you'll have to come up with something better than that.
[He adjusts his grip on the sword again, where it was knocked a bit off balance by Three - then makes a quick slash around his feet.
In a flash of blue, he disappears, and reappears behind Three.]
Besides, it's not like you have room to talk!
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Donnie gasps, head turning faster than he knows he can get his bō around as he catches a glimpse of blue light behind him, but he's trying anyway, twisting around. He's more irritated at the voices shouting in his head, berating him(self) for letting Two get behind him.]
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Even as Donnie's turning, Two is already on the attack, closing the distance in two quick steps, sword ready to see just how well that fancy shell holds up to a direct attack-
Like hell you are!
He falters for a second as the foreign presence, one of those others, tries to break through and take over. He pushes them back, goes on the attack again, but that moment of lost focus is a chance.]
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Whether he connects or simply drives Two back again, it's not a moment he wastes as he spins about to face his brother again, moving on the offensive once more, but this time to try keeping him off balance.]
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When it becomes clear he's not going to be able to regain his footing like this, he drops into another portal, putting space between himself and Three.]
Alright... this is getting boring, so how about we wrap this up?
[And he swings his sword to open another portal - underneath Three's feet, this time.]
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He's not sure that the lack of that cocky smirk is any better as Two's expression shifts again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Three barks out a bitter laugh at his brother's predictability once the other portals back, and just as quickly shouts a warning that nearly physically jerks Donnie back as he sees the first signs of light beneath his feet. Oh, he does not want to know where that goes or in how many pieces he might end up.
Battle shell unfolding, his rotors whine as they pull him upwards before his feet can sink.]
At least we're agreed in wanting to wrap things up. Fine.
[He holds his bō up like a mage bringing up a staff, that violet light appearing again, echoed in the markings on his skin and the lines of his battle shell. They trace out missiles of some sort, flanking either side of him.]
Sorry about this Leo, but if I can't get this jerk to give you back driving privileges then this is the next best thing. [(There's another option.)] -NO we are not doing that!
[Suddenly he charges forth, flying at Two as he lets those missiles fly. Not explosive but packed with electrical charge. And if those are expended, well there's plenty more where they came from.]
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Oh, it's a little scary being on this side of this attack.
No it isn't, shut up. As if Two would ever be scared of one of his so-called brothers.
Two dodges the missiles that reach him first, ducking under and to the side and rushing to meet Three as he charges forward. He moves his sword up in a powerful swing, trying to get past that bow and land a hit to Three's front.]
Time to swat a bug.
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I'll show you how to swat a bug!
[There's a hint of an unhinged grin on his face as he swings his staff around in a very un-stafflike manner, and that's only because it's taken on that glow again, shaping the huge head of a mallet.]
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Purple lights flood his vision as he looks up into the mallet that's suddenly headed his way. At this point he doesn't have time to make a new portal, and Two doesn't have the instantaneous teleportation that some of the others do.
He's going to wreck our beautiful face!
Shut up shut up shut up-
Two swings his sword up in time for the blade to block the mallet, but he's left holding the flat of the blade with his hand to keep it from coming down on him. It's not a very sustainable position.]
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[There's perhaps a surprising amount of force and mass behind what should otherwise be a construct of light. Donnie seems well aware that Two's blade isn't going to hold up against it.
Cruuuush him! Show him who's stronger!
He wonders if he should be concerned at just how many voices seem to be in agreement there. -no no, not the plan.
But Two seems sufficiently distracted, and while pulling out another missile might be fun, much to the disappointment of his mental passengers, Donnie opts for something less explosive.
...or at least less forceful. A purple glow blossoms at Two's feet. Not a portal, but something that looks suspiciously like a mine. Thankfully (Boooooo) he just wants to stun his brother, not blow him up.]
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Two does not lose. Baron Draxum would never tolerate it.
His brain scrambles, ignoring the mixed feelings from all the Others, most of them pleased or amused, plenty of others as furious as he is... except something occurs to him.
Leo, this Three calls him.
So he must recognize another name, too.
As soon as he thinks it, some of the Others think the name, bad at keeping secrets when all their thoughts are intertwined like this. It's all Two needs.]
...Donnie?
[His expression shifts, into something suddenly confused, scared. He lets out a nervous chuckle, eyes darting around.]
H-hey man, what are you doin'? If this is about the last slice of pizza, I'll let you have the next one.
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Don't, warns Three, forcefully enough that Donnie's fingers twitch around the grip of his mallet-bō, but the mallet-head is already dissipating.]
Leo..?
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