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seasonsgreetings2024-03-15 12:11 am
seasonsmods) wrote in seasonsgreetings2024-03-15 12:11 am
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Event #7: Knocking on the 4th Wall (Inside the Metaverse)
Knocking on the 4th Wall
LOGS | NETWORK | OOC | MEMES | NAVIGATION
On March 14th, everyone received a message. The Research Center is ready to try another test to find ways to beat the Darkness. This time the test is not done with the robots that were previously used, but instead everyone who volunteers will be participating in a virtual reality simulator. They're asked to come over to the Center on March 15th.
The researchers will explain that the purpose of this simulation is to see how several fully powered power holders fair against the Darkness. They have gathered enough data on it and the dark energy in general to determine the effects it will have on nature, monsters and wildlife if the barrier is taken off. This is the only safe way to actually test their theories.
After all the necessary explanations, everyone is asked to log in to the metaverse. Anyone logging in may notice that there are a lot of glitches as they enter.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, anyone looking at any kind of a screen (their own device, television, a digital advertisement, etc.) will have their mind sucked into the metaverse, due to the virus residing in the program. Their bodies will be left in a sleep-like state wherever they may be.
The Research Center staff intended for all otherworlders to start near the Research Center so they could get used to the metaverse in peace. There are no natives in the simulator, so testing out powers around the city would have been safe as well. However, because of the glitch, people can appear anywhere, either in the city or anywhere on the segments (save from the one closed off location).
Sometimes the scenery and items in the world glitch a little bit, reminding anyone that this is the metaverse. Except the glitches weren't meant to happen. Luckily they're all mostly aesthetical, but some items may work differently than they should. You have a spoon? It actually works like a fork.
Luckily, this doesn't mean they will be without any items. They can open a menu with the device on their wrist that lets them get anything at all from Riki's Rewards during the simulator without any cost. They can think of this as special opportunity to test out all kinds of items before buying them, as they work exactly the same as they would in normal space.
For some reason, the Shady Shop also appears in the menu. That was not anyone's intention as the items are, well, shady.
Other than the two shops there are basic potion and magical item menus that people can use where needed. Even vehicles, such as airships can be summoned through the menus for easier traveling in the segments.
Some might find the glitches concerning and wish to return and tell the researches about them. The problem with that is is that clicking "Log Off" won't do anything at all, even if it's supposed to boot someone out of the metaverse. But that's not the end of the strange things going on.
Along with the otherworlders that were participating in the test, others start to join in as well due to unforeseen circumstances. Luckily, they have the same "settings" as everyone else, so they're not completely without aid wherever they end up in. They also have all of their powers unlocked for the duration of their stay in the metaverse (including all animal transformations).
As part of the strange glitch going on everyone also has access to any powers from previous worlds, if they have experienced other places before. It would seem the powers can also be shared through the item inventory, should anyone want to temporary use another world's abilities. This is possible with even a person's native powers.
And as if that wasn't enough, people who weren't on Ellipsa start appearing as well. Anyone who doesn't currently have a body on Ellipsa has a mark somewhere on their body, signaling that they're just data. This mark is somehow related to the characters that has it and emits a faint light.
All of the people who are just visiting will also be able to enjoy the metaverse the same way as anyone else. They have been sorted into a Seasons and have access to full powers - and the same item inventory. All that's different from the others is that they have no physical body to return to in this world.
During the metaverse adventures, people are able to communicate through their devices, but the messages will not go out to the "normal" network. So the messages are only between those in the metaverse, but at least the network works the same way as it would in the "normal world".
Happy communicating.
The goal of the metaverse is to have a safe environment to test powers against the Darkness. All of the barriers have been taken out, except for the one surrounding the city of Nightwake. The city acts as a safe haven to anyone who needs a break or doesn't want to fight.
Everyone is encouraged to go to where the barriers used to be and use their full, unlocked powers against everything and anything the darkness throws at them to see how well they can fight against it.
Thanks to all powers being unlocked, destroying enemies powered up by the Darkness is a lot easier, but pushing back the approaching darkness still needs something more than just raw power. Though with enough power holders of different seasons working together and
Due to the barriers being off, all creatures are stronger due to the Darkness's influence. Even creatures that normally have no danger level can now at least do Dark damage. Some Slime especially may seek vengeance.
Unfortunately, due to the weird glitch in the system, everyone inside the metaverse is able to feel pain when they originally weren't supposed to, to make the experience safe. It feels very real, and there's a chance any non-lethal wounds will appear on the person's real body.
The Darkness is slowly expanding from all sides. Very slowly, at a snail's pace. Everything it touches turns into black sand, before transforming into something different. Some may even recognize the things that rise from the sand, as they're monsters, fauna or people from their own world, made into more twisted forms. They may even be creatures from a popular media from back home... or at least, someone's home (players').
If a Power Holder walks into the Darkness, they won't immediately turn into anything. Instead the transformation is slow and painful. Leaving the area will stop the transformation, but any damage already done remains. If the person changes completely, they might lose their sense of self completely and attack anything in their sights.
What they turn into depends on the individual (player's choice) and the only way to reverse the changes is to die. Luckily that isn't permanent even in the metaverse. The person just gets booted out, but can re-enter anytime they want to (or in this case; is forced to). This was told to anyone before entering the program, so they could go all out and test limits as much as they want.
A screen appears either when someone dies or gets forcefully booted out of the metaverse. It has two options: Remember or Forget.
Clicking "Remember" will automatically save everything that happened into a person's memory and proceed to boot them out. Clicking "Forget" will lead the person to a series of "Are you Sure" pop up windows. As the very last resort, the window suggests an option to only partially forget events that transpired in the metaverse. Choosing to still forget everything will make the person wake up from a long, dreamless sleep. The memories erased cannot be found later on, as they have been completely erased from their metaverse-selves. Even someone telling them what happened won't sound familiar.
This option is also available for any visitors during the time they're visiting. Whenever they die they get booted out and can be immediately returned to the metaverse (by the power of players) with or without their memories, depending on what they chose.
Of course, anyone can then tell the person about the very crazy stunts they made the last time they were in the metaverse. They could be complete lies, but they wouldn't have any solid proof, other than "I would never do that".
Finally, on March 31st, a message comes from the outside. It's telling everyone stuck in the metaverse that they can finally leave out of their own will and stay out this time. People can then choose to leave immediately be pressing by pressing the "Log Off" button on their screen or take a moment to say goodbye to the temporary visitors of the metaverse.
The screen asking if someone wants to "Remember" or "Forget" appears, once again. This time the Forget option is even more insistent on asking if the person is sure about their choice, especially since the memories that are erased can't be taken back later.
Once everyone who exists on Ellipsa has returned to their bodies, the metaverse will be shut down. All visitors have been booted out and returned to where they came.
• Ask 4th Wall related questions here. Read the 4th wall FAQ before asking them.
• You don't need to comment on the plotting post to participate & anyone can participate in the 4th wall (there's no separate invitation needed). However, if you wish to app in later, you need an invite if you're not a friend of the mods.
• This post is open to tag and top-level by everyone! Those arriving for the 4th wall can write 4TH WALL or VISITOR on their post and/or link their top level here!
• Check the Opt-in top-level if you're considering bringing in a character that already exists in the game.
• Smut is not allowed on the event post, so if your thread is heading that way, please move it to a separate entry (like to your musebox or characters' journal).
• Remember to content and spoiler warn as necessary!
• Reminder to players in the game that this month is Activity Check-in month and check-in ends on March 31th, at 23:59 PST.
Richard "Dick" Fords | Citizen (Catizen?)
Dick wasn’t stupid. Not completely anyway. He didn’t know how he ended up in some weird pink forest full of cherry trees, they were pink so they had to be cherry trees right? But when he saw one flicker to blue to green and back to pink with what suspiciously looked like the kind of glitching he’d seen on TV during a storm he figured it out.
“How the hell did I end up in that crappy simulation?” He almost growled. He had ignored that message for a reason! He was sick of being someone’s guinea pig and didn’t want any part of any tests!
Without much else to do Dick picked a direction and started walking. He had to run into someone eventually right?
“HellooOOOOooo!” Dick yelled out. “I didn’t consent to this test so if anyone is watching this can you like… unplug me or something?”
[Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks]
(Content Warning: Needles)
Okay… maybe walking until he found someone to ask what the fuck was going on was a bad idea. When had noticed the trees thinning with just darkness on the other side he had thought it was another glitch, like maybe he was heading towards a cliff and the rest of the world would load in once he was close enough to peek over the edge but he was wrong. Very wrong.
Before he start backing away from the black sand a hand was already reaching out of it.
“Oooooh! Hello Richard!” The sand cooed as it took on the form of a woman with crazy bleached curls.
Dick hissed ears back as he tried to pull his hand free. “Let me go!”
“Oh I don’t think so.” The woman was already a little taller than Dick, and she had heels on, so she easily used her hight to tower over him. “It’s been over a week and you’re still getting those nasty little headaches aren’t you? You know what that means~”
A glint of light caught Dick’s eye and he realised she had a syringe. Dick yowled and lashed out raking his claws against the woman’s face.
She screamed letting go of Dick who backed away his jacket sleeve crumbling away into black sand where she had grabbed him.
“He hurt me! Castel he hurt me!”
Dick had been so panicked at the sight of the syringe that he hadn’t noticed another form coming out if the blackness this one grabbing his other sleeve to pull the cat off balance before grabbing him by his throat and even lifting him up so his toes left the ground.
“I’m going to make you regret that.” Castel swore as Dick tried and failed to break free.
[Wildcard]
Got an idea that isn't here? Lets hear it <3
Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
"You okay?" He asked without looking at Dick. MK's voice was cold. It didn't have that warmth it usually had. Golden energy sparked off his body as he stood beside the cat.
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
The girl shrieked as she fell back into the darkness, vanishing under the surface as if she had fallen into a pool of water. Castel however did not, he staggered backwards, stone shrapnel sticking out of his face.
"MK?" Dick recovered his wits enough as ask stared at MK, he was a monkey and his personality had done a 180 from their last conversation and yet it sounded just like him...felt like him too.
"You're standing between me and my property." Castel said to MK, Dick snarled at the man intending to see if he could throw a fireball at the guy when he saw movement at the edge of the sand at MK's feet.
"MK look out!" Dick swiped his hand in the direction of the movement sending a gout of flame at the woman who had been pulling herself out of the darkness just enough to try and stab MK in the foot with her needle.
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
"So fuck off!"
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
Still Dick wasn't about to stick around and keep fighting the darkness even though actually being able to fight back against his owners was cathartic beyond words they still had enough of a hold over him that he was afraid of pushing his luck.
"MK! Lets get out of here!" He called to the monkey as he took the breathing space MK had won for him and used it to run away.
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
"Are you alright?" He asked, his voice still distant and devoid of that usual softness he had. At least Mk was warm with all that energy coming off him.
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
"I... yeah... Thought that was gonna be it for a second before you showed up but... I think..." He slowly pulled his claws free of MK's clothes and fur, hopefully they hadn't reached skin. "I'm okay."
He was also in MK's arms, which was weird. Especially with how serious he was being. He could get used to it though.
"Thank you for the save, I'm guessing you want to know what the fuck all that was."
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
"You're welcome. Who were they? Why did they come put of the darkness? They seemed to know you, Dick." All seriousness. MK wasn't being cold toward Dick but there was obvious anger directed at those two people or monsters. Whatever they were.
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
"Legally? They're my owners, Castel wasn't lying about that." Dick ran a hand through his hair before focusing on MK in his full monkey glory. "But look at you! I can see why you're Monkey King's successor now! Sure eyes are a little creepy but you're looking good, like a reguar Superman...er Super Monkey...Super Monkey man?"
Well it was safe to say that this attempt to playdown his terror at what happened and the fact he found MK's new form very appealing was falling so flat it was concave.
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
His friends were his. He watched Dick for a moment and finally a smile grew on MK's face. Well, more like a grin. His eyes even dimmed a little to bring down the creepy factor.
"Thanks. This is my monkey form." MK faced Dick completely. "You like it?"
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
Then MK growled which caused all kind of shivers especially when it was followed by a smile. Dick was pretty sure he was starting to figure out how MK had gotten himself four boyfriends.
"Well you used it to save my life, send Castel flying and then literally swept me off my feet," Dick smiled back. "I think I would be a fool not to like it."
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
"Well I can do a lot more than just sweep you off your feet. If you need some help...destressing after all that. Wanna go find somewhere private and have some fun?"
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks
Fuck it, MK had just send Castel flying, Dick himself had burned Skye, the simulation thing had started like crap but it had only gotten better and better from there, why not continue chasing the good things?
"You know what? Why the hell not?" Dick asked, reaching forward and trying to pull MK into a kiss. What better way to try and hide that it had been a while than charging full steam ahead?
Re: Darkness to the north of Cherry Blossom Parks