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TEST DRIVE MEME #0

A TIME VORTEX has opened in downtown LA! Some magic folks have been contacted to close it, but they haven't gotten here fast enough for the vortex not to spill out a HECK TON OF DINOSAURS – all kinds of dinosaurs of all kinds of sizes. There are theoretically gentle herbivores among the fierce predators, but they are all pretty pissed off about their sudden, startling relocation, and a lot of them have spikes.

(The vortex is both temporally and spatially unstable, which is why the dinosaurs emerging onto the streets of LA are constrained neither by specific prehistorical era nor geographical location.)

What you do is up to you. Here are some suggestions, though:

Fight some dinosaurs. You might be trying to herd them back to the vortex, or just trying to stop them by any means possible.

Flee or hide. If you're lucky the dinosaurs won't work out how to open doors and you can spend your entire thread hiding behind the bar in a Starbucks with some other hapless civilians without having to confront any of them.

Try to capture the dinosaurs on camera. If you can get some really good photos you might be able to sell them to the local paper in order to supplement your elderly aunt's meagre income. Or just use them to get a bunch of notes on Tumblr, either way.

Take advantage of the chaos to do crime. The forces of law enforcement are preoccupied with all these prehistoric reptiles.

Or pretty much anything else you think your character might be doing. Any location in LA is game, although there's no real need to meticulously look them up – you can just assume a generic street, rooftop, store, etc. (You don't have to look up the dinosaurs, either.)

If you have a character who you'd like to assume is part of a team, but that team hasn't been named or brainstormed OOC yet or anything, feel free to indicate in your opening post that you're assuming your character is operating alongside others and encourage others to tag in as if they are part of the same team! Or just handwave it and assume they got caught without their usual teammates or separated from them. Whatever way works best for you.

Events from this test drive are not automatically assumed game canon, but individual threads can be if you and the people who you thread with end up mutually wanting to keep them.

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[ Milly is flying around as Starbreaker, her super hero alter ego, in her SWEET AS HECK SUPERHERO OUTFIT. A post-high school TEEN SUPERHERO, she is basically a Flying Brick but also secretly a cyborg. She is generally amiable to teaming up, so feel free to handwave that right in. Otherwise she'll be off punching dinosaurs right in the face, swooping in to save defenseless civilians. And she is doing it with gusto. ]

[Kit doesn't need to get close to the dinosaurs to get great pictures of them, she just has to technopathically steal the pictures from the phones of people who are stupid enough to get close. She's totally holed up in a coffee shop with about a dozen other terrified citizens, sitting cross legged on the bar and posting the best photos to an anonymous twitter account with her brain, looking remarkably relaxed considering what's going on outside.]

[Sun Wukong is having some wild fun riding the dinosaurs and flying amongst the chaos. He doesn't really like reptiles as a rule, but he likes pandemonium and destruction so it's pretty great. They're not demons, though, and seemingly not intelligent enough to converse with, which also means they are not really that fun to play tricks on since they just lumber around most of the time. Then he remembers that he's supposed to be PROTECTING THE CITY FROM HARM, and finds some raptors invading the monkey exhibit at the zoo. He goes and fights the raptors with his staff, pulling out a handful of hair to make copies of himself to fight the multitude.]

[ Neither Baelheit's psychic abilities nor his expertise on cybernetics are much use in a fight, and he'd been unlucky enough to be out and about when DINOSAURS STRUCK. So rather than put himself in harm's way, he's trying to run back to his lab in order to fetch some SCIENCE GADGETS that might be of use. He's definitely no hero, but he's not super keen on watching dinosaurs demolish LA, either. ]

Do I look defenseless to you?

[the 13-sweep-old Alternian who'd suddenly found herself knee-deep in reptile bird things (she didn't know what they were called specifically) glared upward at the flying superhero who was, apparently, attempting to save her. she produced a small orange ball and threw it on the ground, and with a tiny explosion a gaudy, red-and-white hammer suddenly appeared in her hands.]

Are you strong enough to carry me or do I have to bounce things at them from the ground?

[ Baelheit's been trying to get back to his lab, but for now he's stuck in the same coffee shop, staring impatiently out at the ongoing ruckus outside. If he could just get out there and get to his lab... A velociraptor scampers past the coffee shop window, stopping only to glare and hiss at the citizens inside, and Baelheit clenches his fists.

He glances back at the girl sitting on the bar and he pulls a grim face, almost annoyed. She doesn't seem fazed by what's going on. It makes him suspicious. ]

Do you find this amusing?

[ Ugh, talk about ungrateful!! Some people just can't be helped. Milly gives Amanda a huffy look, twirling around in midair to face her. ]

HEY! I'm the one risking my butt out here to help you! I don't see you doing anything useful! And -- and what do I look like to you, a pack mule?!

I was just getting bread! [Amanda sighs and rolls her hammer lazily in her hand.] I should have stayed in Japan. Giant dinosaur attacks are made-up there.

[and she very suddenly pulls out another orange ball and slams it against a nearby wall with that same hammer. a skateboard with a poorly painted heart-shaped symbol pops out; she gets on.]

I'm already sucked into this. Let's fight already!

[It takes Kit a second to refocus herself on meatspace, and her left arm whirs faintly as she reaches up to touch her temple, toggling a tiny button implanted under her skin.]

Amusing? Definitely not. [okay, it's a little amusing.] But I don't see how panicking will help anything. Besides, it seems to be safe enough in here.

Is it a bird? A plane? No! It's... a... sheepdog?

Ammy is having a delightful time. Yes, the temporal vortex will need to be dealt with, yes, mass havoc is happening, but these aren't demons or forces of evil, just confused animals. Fortunately, animals tend to recognize her godhood, and are almost always friendly.

Meaning, Amaterasu isn't fighting the gigantic animals, confused and upset as they are. She doesn't have to. Instead, she's gently herding them back to the vortex area, occasionally barking to get the animals' attention and interrupt any attacking they might be doing.

So that multi-ton pair of Tyrannosaurus, the small pack of Utahraptors, and the very anxious Triceratops? Perfectly under control. Definitely not anybody's dinosaur army, no matter what it looks like. The fact that they're being herded by what looks like a perfectly normal-looking white dog is nothing to be concerned about.

(At least people with spiritual sight can see that the dog is actually a sun-spirit. However, those people tend to be in short supply...)

Ammy is tracking down stray dinosaurs, and, since the zoo is one of the few places that smell like a lot of animals live there, she figures that some of them must have been lured by that.

Discovering Son Gokuu as well as a flock of hungry raptors isn't quite what she expected, admittedly. Gossip flies swiftly between Heavens, but the last Amaterasu heard, he was trapped under Buddha's hand made stone.

...and of course he's fighting the raptors before trying to herd them. Amaterasu isn't angry, Son Gokuu. Just disappointed. She barks, loud enough to be heard over the fighting.

[ Strapping young vigilante Jake English -- no, Golgotha -- is...

...hooting and hollering as he rides a stegosaurus.

But he looks damn stylish as he does. ]

"Move along, citizens!!!" Down from the sky swoops a random vigilante who fancies himself a full-blown hero. These dinosaurs are dangerous and he needs to do something about them! ~~Never mind that Jake is being a dork and riding one just one thread down from here...~~

He uses his superstrength to pick up that very anxious triceratops.

Ammy stops, torn between offense at someone interfering with her work and wondering if the boy is going to help by taking the herbivore to the vortex area separately.

The triceratops, meanwhile, is not amused with this treatment and bellows to show it, an impressively loud sound.

[Metabee had managed to get himself a nice spot on a nearby rooftop where he has been firing lasers at the dinosaurs. Unfortunately the small rounds didn't seem to be doing much from this distance besides irritating them, and he was pretty sure firing heat seeking missiles at cold blooded reptiles was a bad idea.

And of course some guy had to be riding them and blocking his shots. He leaned over the edge of the wall, shaking his fist.]

YO, do you mind? How am I supposed to shoot these dinosaurs if you are in the way , dude?

Edited 2014-01-14 14:59 (UTC)

The barking startles Sun Wukong, and he looks down to see a pure white wolf battling the large lizard [demons]. Wait--looking closer, he sees that the wolf is not battling them so much as fake fighting them, leading them somewhere like a tame sheepdog. He snorts. Figures that he's encountering one of them here.

The wolf has the aura of a god, but not one he recognizes. Of course, he realizes, there are other heavens with other people, and apparently one with self-important dogs.

"I don't know which heaven you're from," he shouts, "but if you've heard of this Monkey you'll know he doesn't take orders from those who cannot hold swords." And those who can, for that matter. It irked him, being commanded by a single bark. As if the dog knows better than he.

[While others deal with some of the larger beasts, something a bit more unpredictable has caught the Mockingjay's attention: namely a small back of raptors that have made their way into a residential area. She arrives on mechanical wing, but proceeds on foot. At least with creatures this size she can actually use her skills.]

[The appearances of the creatures frighten her. They are far too reminiscent of mutts, and at first that is what she had assumed they were. It wasn't until one of the other Trailblazers had told her they were dinosaurs that she knew they were actually native creatures of a former earth.]

[Needless to say, dinosaurs were not on the list of district priorities when it came to things to learn about. Thinking about things from that far in the past is dizzying.]

[Folding her mockingjay wings behind her, Katniss crouches low behind someone's car, and just listens, her bow at the ready. She's not sure where they are, but she'll find out soon enough.]

[Seemingly out of nowhere, the young superhero-in-training appears beside her fellow Trailblazer. She doesn't think she's supposed to be out in the field yet, given her inexperience, but she couldn't resist when she heard there were dinosaurs. Maybe she can subdue one and ride it to look awesome. She's sure that would convince the rest of the Trailblazers to start taking her on missions.]

Hey, what's the plan? [Cynthia keeps her voice low. The raptors may not be as large as some other dinosaurs, but that doesn't mean they're any less dangerous. She doesn't get to see this kind of danger up close most of the time, so it's pretty exciting. She just hopes they don't bite anybody.]

[Katniss definitely hears her arrives, even if the path is sort of unclear. Her attention is on the lawns up ahead, though, and not the trainee behind her. She's tense, and for the moment following the question, she doesn't speak.]

[Suddenly, she stands, her bow taut with an arrow. She lets it loose just as a raptor comes racing out from behind a parked RV, and pegs it right in the reptilian eye. A moment after the dinosaur drops, it explodes.]

That. [Her voice is a little nervous. She wasn't sure if it would be that easy, though she's not disappointed.] That's the plan.

As the dinosaurs run amok, cause carnage, destroy buildings and all that, Miss Flora Poste is perched in nearby a coffee shop--a distance not quite safe. She holds her smartphone up to the window. There will definitely be video. She also posted some tips on Running, and some links to Helpful Media regarding prehistoric megafauna.

"I don't suppose anybody could reason with them," she says calmly, to no one in particular.

Click. Oh, no; that is not a good picture. Perhaps an Instragram filter will save it.

"Excuse me, citizen of Earth? Can I get a word about the events of the day?"

Registering the sounds, the velociraptor turns, slowly, and looks at its prey. The humanoid does not appear to notice, and raises his arm to his face. A number of small square lights on his wrist switch on.

"Space Ghost here, reporting live from downtown L.A., where these citydwellers are having some trouble with transport within the city. Citizen dinosaur, you're new to the area. What is stopping you from getting around?" He offers his wrist to the dinosaur, a small red blinking light on the wristband indicating that recording is in progress.

The dinosaur bites! ...and watches, stunned, as its jaws pass straight through the arm.

"Not going to talk, huh? Well, listen, pal, listen to me. I don't need to know why you're in trouble. I can tell. When you have a bad attitude, no one is going to want to spend time with you on public transportation. And buddy? Your attitude stinks."

The velociraptor doesn't really care about much more than biting.

"Fine. Fine. But don't come crying to me about the death of journalism!"

He blasts the raptor with his wristband, and it falls down, stunned. The area isn't yet completely devoid of hapless civilians, and where there's peril, there's local area niche interest news. Space Ghost stalks off, determined to find someone to interview.

[That Kit's anonymous hasn't stopped her most persistent follower's advances. Another anon has dutifully starred and retweeted the whole of her timeline from the beginning. They're weird and creepy, but they're probably a spammer. Except-- except!

For the very first time, they tweet Kit. It's in reply to someone's picture of a little raptorish thing, trailing the handle-end of a dog leash from its mouth.]

o(｀ω´*)o...ŚРĂĞĤĔŤŤĨ

[That's... it.]

Edited 2014-01-14 19:54 (UTC)

[Cynthia gives an excited little clap. There's nothing like seeing a dinosaur explode after a shot to the eye.] Great shot! All of your shots are great, though, so that probably doesn't mean too much. ...Still!

[She looks around a bit, searching for more raptors to take down. She can't see any of them from this position, so she ascends into the air. When she's high enough to get a good view of the surrounding area, she spots a raptor entering someone's backyard. That's not good.]

[Swooping back down to where Katniss stands, she points in the direction of the raptor she saw.] There's one over there, in the backyard of the second white house. Should I lure it out so you can shoot it? [Cynthia sounds pretty excited about that possibility.]

[jon--longclaw--is not having an easy time of it. his claws are sharp, but not especially strong, and his attempts to subdue the more aggressive dinosaurs have mostly resulted in a lot of broken nails and feathers. currently he is scavenging for bits of rebar or loose piping on rodeo drive--not really an area known for its industrial byproducts, but hey, he's new. you can find him if you follow the trail of intermittent bloodstains and claw bits.]

For a while, Flora's been getting texts from unknown numbers. If she's bothered to block one, another will message her. They've been innocuous, so far.

Today:

b̛oring! bo᷂r͂ing! Б̛όяĬЛğ! b̛Ørïng! ๒◊᷂Я͂ⅰиб!!!

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