The "Lights Out" Test Drive Meme

[letsgolegion]

THE "LIGHTS OUT" TEST DRIVE MEME

The Time Trapper, the being responsible for bringing people into the Legion's universe, is up to some strange tricks! It's now creating illusions of alternate universes and dumping the Legionnaires into them to try to test them as Legionnaires. Each time this happens, the captives -- er, participants have knowledge of the scenario, their role, and what they're supposed to accomplish planted into their heads, but still remember who they once were. To complicate things, the Legionnaires from the 31st century aren't the only ones pulled into this adventure. Strange people from many worlds are being yanked in and finding themselves thrust right into the heart of these conflicts. These universes technically are just illusions (probably!) and all the participants have an inherent knowledge of this placed in their heads, but it's up to them if they believe it -- and the danger is real. If you die in one of these scenarios you stay dead. This time everyone is being dumped into a scenario where they're dealing with... A POWER OUTAGE THE SETTING Some kind of unknown attack has caused all the power to go out in the city of Resilia on Drolta IV. Due to the United Planets' over-reliance on technology, chaos has taken over this usually peaceful and technologically-advanced city. As turbolifts freeze, lights go out, hover-ships crash, and surgical droids shut down in the hospitals, the entire city falls apart. To a people who haven't had to survive without advanced technology for centuries upon centuries, it almost seems like the world is ending. Only very small forms of technology are able to be used in the city, like small flashlights and portable medical equipment. Every bit of electronics larger than something you can carry in your pockets is no longer functioning. While this is possibly one of the Time Trapper's strange pocket dimensions, this dimension is very similar to the game universe, and whether or not the sentient beings in need of saving are real or not is impossible to tell. It's a bad idea to risk not helping them in case real lives are on the line. Based on player preference, for the purposes of the meme, characters can either lose powers, retain their canon powers, or find themselves with new powers. It's up to you. On Drolta IV, as the evening winds to an end, true darkness is falling for the first time in centuries. SCENARIO A: RIOTS The city has erupted into dangerous riots as people break into stores to steal things and innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire. With disaster relief stations being set up, it's possible for the rioters to get supplies safely and legally, but only if the riots are broken up and they're told where to go. With communications down, you're the only ones that can stop the violence and redirect people to where they can get help. SCENARIO B: CRIMEFIGHTING While some of the chaos is being caused by scared citizens rioting, actual criminals and minor supervillains are taking advantage of the situation to perpetrate their crimes without getting caught. Banks are being robbed of any material forms of money they have on hand, like credit cubes and rare stashes of precious metals, and innocent citizens are getting mugged left and right. A few psychotic individuals have decided it's Purge night are even taking advantage of the disaster to perpetrate pointless violence on people, dressing up in masks and finding non-technological weapons to use. You're the only ones up for the task of protecting innocents being menaced by the criminals and villains taking advantage of the disaster to commit their crimes. SCENARIO C: FIRES Fires have broken out throughout the city and with electronic fire suppressant systems down, firefighting teams are having difficulty putting them out. You may be able to use your powers to help put out the fires, especially if you work together with other heroes. Or perhaps you can help rescue civilians trapped in burning buildings. SCENARIO D: MEDICAL EMERGENCIES Medical emergencies are happening everywhere. Hospitals are being overwhelmed by life support systems and surgical droids going down. Makeshift first aid camps are being set up outside hospitals and in crowded areas where people have been injured or have had artificial organs fail. If you have first aid or medical know-how, you can perhaps provide aid for the sick and injured, or you can help with medical emergencies by bringing injured people to first aid tents or hospitals. You and those you work side by side with may be the only thing that can save the ill or injured from certain death -- and every second counts! SCENARIO E: WILD CARD! With automatic doors jammed, and public transport like monorails powerless, many citizens are trapped in places throughout the city. Hovercrafts are losing power and may need help being signaled down to safe landing areas -- or may need to be stopped in mid-air before they crash. Water pumps in tunnels may stop working so that transport tunnels need to be evacuated before rising water levels cause the people escaping their vehicles to drown. The possibilities are limitless, but one thing is sure: these people need your help! OOC INFO ✦ Current players in game can jump into this and do starters if they like so they can play with new players and each other. This meme will count as part of the game canon for those that opt in, though they'll find their memories somewhat fuzzy afterward. These threads can count toward your AC, however the "new CR" credit cannot be applied since not every character joining in is guaranteed to join the game. This takes place before "In Brightest Day." ✦ Potential players can use this as a standard test drive and may use these threads as their log samples. However, at least one post in their thread must fit the requirements for apps, both in length (200 words) and in quality. If you do plan on using a thread as a sample, please make sure the writing throughout your threads is a good example of your writing skills and has some solid examples of the character's voice. ✦ Important Note: Apps and reserves will be closed from July 20 - August 16 for summer vacation. Apps and reserves will reopen on a normal rolling basis on August 17. ✦ Potential players can also opt to keep these threads as game canon when they app in, so that their character remembers the scenario and then suddenly finds themselves in the game universe. However, this is opt in and players can choose to introduce their characters fresh if they'd prefer that and no other characters will remember they were there. Please just note which you'd like in the additional info field on your app. ✦ If you are considering apping to the game, currently 30 of 50 player slots are available. The character limit is 4 characters per player. You can also scope out some of the game's upcoming plots here. ✦ Non-players who like the meme but aren't really considering apping to the game are free to jump in. The more the merrier! The Time Trapper wants a confusing situation and will enjoy the chaos of lots of strange people trying to figure out what's going on.

Comments

Renzo Shima | Blue Exorcist

[perverses]

b, but he's a spy not a crimefighter!

"Hey, hey, come on, we don't need to do this!"

Shima isn't the sort to go looking for trouble. If anything, he'd rather sit back and watch someone else find trouble, but not him! Why him? Why is it always him? The shock of getting dumped out of the academy and into whereabouts unknown had been somewhat interesting at first. Obviously, this isn't Japan. He's pretty sure it isn't anywhere he's ever heard about, either, only the widespread panic put a pretty big stopper on any fun exploring he could be doing.

Speaking of widespread panic, there's also widespread danger, which brings us to where Shima is stuck currently. Wrong place, wrong time, and a gang of vandals taking a break from smashing stuff to converge on the out-of-place stranger, looking to be dressed like your typical 21st century teenager who's decided pink is a good color of hair dye to go with. Armed, of course, which is probably what caught their attention. He's not a completely clueless tourist here. Suddenly in a strange place, of course he was going to pull K'rik out and put it together.

But then, why does a kid need a fancy metal staff like that, huh? That's what the head of the vandals seems to think, as that's what he's demanding Shima hand over.

"I mean, I really can't hand this over, right? It's an heirloom. I'd be grounded for the rest of my life if I handed it over to a bunch of lowlifes, yeah? So how about we all just go our own ways and-- whoa! Okay, nevermind!"

Here comes one of them with a... baseball bat? Does this place have baseball? He's not entirely sure and it doesn't look like he'll have the time to ask, instead focusing on leaping back and not getting his head bashed in.

[headinjuries]

The bad thing about the Nova Force is that it's really the kind of power that's made for blasting things up without worrying about the collateral damage.

Typically Sam's up against the kinds of opponents that can eat a few blasts, but he's not about to count on a bunch of rioting civilians being used to handling cosmic level superpowers, and he'd rather not hurt them any more than necessary to keep things from exploding. (Even if they are being total jerks about this.)

So he doesn't open up with an energy blast - not towards the guy with the bat, anyway. Instead, Sam aims it behind himself, to propel himself forward at high speed, foot first, and kick the thug in the gut, knocking him back.

"I'm pretty sure that's against MLB rules, dude. Why don't you go find a ball to hit?"

[perverses]

It's a good thing Shima's paying attention to where the other guy is looking as he's avoiding the bat several more times. Something behind him, sure enough, which is why he gets the inclination to sidestep out of Sam's way before getting kicked into the ringleader the same way said ringleader is getting kicked over right now.

"Uh," is his totally clever and well thought out quip to follow a rocket kid jetting in out of nowhere. That's new. Not so much weird costumes, though, but after a second or two of boggling at Sam, he's up to adding, "Oookay. Something tells me none of us are playing by Major League rulings right now. Ah, hang on--"

Shima turns, this time bringing his staff up in a jab straight into another vandal's face before he can finish coming up from behind. That's two down, this one with a severely bloody nose. Now that supposed back-up is here, someone's a little less shy to pick a fight.

"I don't suppose you can do that to all of them at once? 'cause it looks like the rest of their friends are showing up!"

[headinjuries]

"That? Probably not, but it's not the only trick up my sleeve."

The problem being that he'd really rather not resort to the rest of them unless he had to. There's enough senseless destruction going on already.

Sam edges back, positioning himself back to back with Shima, and glares at the group closing in around them. "Guys, I think everyone's gonna be a lot happier if I don't have to break out the big guns. You sure you don't wanna just back off now?"

[perverses]

Shima tosses a glance back over one shoulder at Sam when he goes back to back with him, but only for a second or two. He's back to keeping an eye on his side of the goon squad closing in on them, the first group gradually growing in rank as a second group that's finished trashing another street joins them.

"I don't know, I think I'd be cool with the big guns. The big guns would probably be really great right now! Unless there's something wrong with the big guns?"

He doesn't sound nervous, exactly. Exasperated might be a better word for it, at having only a metal staff between him and an angry mob. There's a better defense he could fall to, but that isn't a fact he's willing to share just yet.

[headinjuries]

"Not really anything wrong with them, so much as I'm usually using this trick on...you know. Starships. Incoming asteroids. The Hulk."

Big stuff, in short.

But there's a blue glow collecting around him, steadily getting brighter and brighter, and Sam gives the closest thug an exaggerated shrug. "So, I doubt your skin's as thick as a war cruiser's hull, right?"

[perverses]

"Incoming asteroids... Wait! Wait. Wait, wait, maybe that's a little too big!"

Mostly because Shima's worried he might get caught up in that the same as the gang of vandals!

He jabs another who gets too close, this time sharply in the gut and right back into another two, then he's giving the staff a spin to tap the ringed end on the street. It gives off the same chiming it's been giving off this entire time, with every swing, but this time a spark of black flame comes up off the end.

"I guess I can't avoid it. How troublesome..." The last of which he grumbles to himself for the most part. "Hey, guy, if you can get up off the ground really fast, now would be a good time!"

Because after that warning, he brings the staff up again and shouts something that, being a spell verse, doesn't quite come through as translatable. On finishing, the staff itself bursts into flame, just as black as the previous spark had been.

[headinjuries]

"Fast is -"

He's already taking off.

"- my specialty!"

They don't call Nova the human rocket for nothing.

[perverses]

That was fast. Well what do you know, is something Shima might be saying if he had the time to stop and stare up after, but for now he's got to focus. The staff comes back down, striking the street, at which point the growing flame around it scatters in every direction, lurching across the ground almost violently in motion.

Lines of hellfire head for various individuals in the crowd that had been ganging up on them. There isn't enough for everyone, but it does startle enough to get most to back off. The ones less quick to jump or find cover get hit, the flame lighting them up like flares, though only briefly.

There is a lot of startled screams, then a lot of people collapsing where they stood when the black fire disperses back into the air.

"...huh. Only eight?" Yeah, he was counting how many he got. "I guess I do need to work on that!"

[sofresh]

Well, that sure doesn't look good. Given that Kon's powers aren't quite what they used to be, he should probably go about this in a different way than he usually would

...except that he doesn't. He hasn't quite learned yet. So he kind of just flies down, landing behind the group, and giving them only a quick warning—

"Oh, hey. I wanna play."

—before the ground crumbles beneath the vandals, oops.

(Isn't this cheating, this is definitely not how baseball works—)

[perverses]

Ground crumbling beneath the vandals, vandals who were gathering around Shima, which means Shima is leaning way back to avoid another swing when everything under his feet goes sideways.

"Oh sh--"

It's only getting the butt of his staff slammed down against something slightly more solid behind him that keeps him from falling over all the way. Part of him wants to yell about the entire flying thing, but the rest of him settles for yelling something else entirely.

"What was that s'posed to be? A cool entrance?!"

If so, man, Kon, that needs work!

[sofresh]

Oops. That was not supposed to happen. He was totally sure he had that! But maybe if he pretended it was on purpose, no one would think too hard about how he totally screwed up just now.

"Duh. You jealous? It's cool, dude. It happens."

There was nothing to be jealous of?! But whatever, it doesn't stop Kon from kneeling down and putting a hand on the ground.

"You might wanna watch your feet for this next part."

Because some of the now non-functioning wires previously hidden underneath the road were now acting like... ropes? They seem to have a mind of their own now as they wrap around the vandals (and hopefully not Shima this time, but considering Kon's minimal TK practice...) to keep them in place.

[perverses]

Shima does manage to avoid getting caught up in the wires, at least, since he's found some better footing and hops up out of the hole Kon made. Back on solid ground, he'll blow out a huff of air. Admittedly, the wires grabbing the vandals and wrapping them up is impressive, but he isn't about to say as much.

Instead he lodges further complaint!

"Jealous? Of you missing? Come on, man, we both know that's not something to be jealous of."

[sofresh]

"I didn't miss. It was a, uh... tactical maneuver."

More like a tactical mistake. But whatever, he's not gonna dwell on that!

"But hey, you ain't hurt, so it's all good." Even if that was probably just a stroke of luck. Either way, he glances around. The vandals wiggle about, but as long as he's 'holding' them, they shouldn't be able to get loose. "We probably shouldn't stick around here, though. Unless you're lookin' to get acquainted with their friends."

[bashfulbibliophile]

There's a sound not unlike the fluttering of the wings of a swarm of birds behind the hooligans, followed by a small, but significant whoosh as a piece of paper whips into view and circles around the one with the bat.

The next sound is a clunking as the majority of the bat strikes the ground, cut off just above its handle cleanly by the offending parchment. The sheet of paper swoops around that vandal once more and returns to its source - a young woman who looks like she'd be more at home in a library than on the street. She has a determined expression, but by the subtle shakiness of her movements, she's definitely having second thoughts about this.

The question at this point is, just how much of their attention did she get?