seasonsgreetings | Event #7: Knocking on the 4th Wall (Inside the Metaverse)

Knocking on the 4th Wall
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Prelude (Pre 4th Wall)

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.

Wrong Turn at Albuquerque

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.

You're in the Metaverse Now

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.

Communication is the key

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.

It's Getting Dark, Too Dark to See

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 ~~crossing the different seasonal element streams~~ fusing together different elements from each season in a single attack, it's possible to halt the advance, much like a barrier would, for 24 hours.

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.

Effects of "The Darkness"

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.

Wait... Did I Save?

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".

Time to Say Goodbye

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.

OOC TIPS

• 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.

code bases by tricklet

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Wukong recognized the voice of his brother instantly, and he almost missed his own strike in surprise. But he quickly corrected, flipping over the creature, landing a flaming boot on its flank, and kicking it into the oncoming energy waves. The smell of singed fur and flesh filled the air, but he almost didn't notice as he looked to Azure, not hiding his surprise.

Azure hadn't realized who had joined the battle. He spun around as the creature died to see who had come to his assistance. His eyes widened as he saw who it was.

"...Wukong," He said softly and just stared.

"Azure."

Wukong wasn't hostile, but he was a little guarded, conflicted. Azure's death played in his memory, him literally being forced to destroy himself to reverse the shattering of the universe. His final smile. But there was also everything leading up to that. And he couldn't be certain where they stood right now. It depended on what the Celestial Lion did next.

The lion stared for a long moment. As the final memories of his time replayed in his mind. The fight. The words. The rage and hate. The sadness. The acceptance. Finally, everything he had said to the monk, to Macaque, and to Red Son. His time was short and here was the one person he wanted to speak with most.

"Brother," He said finally and smiled. "I am glad I found you."

That was probably the the best reaction he could hope for, all things considered. "You're lucky I got pulled in, because I'm guessing this is where you arrived." It was a safe bet that if Azure had been in the city proper then they would have already had a run-in.

After a moment, he closed the distance between them, staring up at his brother. Because Azure was still his brother at the end of the day.

"I did, yes," Azure raised his arm to show the strange glowing symbol on his arm.

"I am glad you were pulled in. I was told you were here and I was hoping to get to speak with you, brother."

The admission was met with an exasperated groan. "Everyone wants to talk here. Ellipsa? More like Talkia."

It wasn't a real complaint, not really. Wukong was partly being flippant and, well...Wukong. But he did look at the symbol and then to Azure. "Well, here's probably no the best place to talk, so we should probably at least be close to Nightwake so we're not interrupted."

Azure chuckled. Wukong wasn't the one to talk much. He nodded.

"I promise to keep it short. Then we can find a more enjoyable activity to do," Azure said with a nod. He kept his sword out and motioned for Wukong to lead the way.

"Let's get moving. We can surely cut through any monsters that get in our way."

"Don't know if anyone told you, but that's kind of the point of this."

Wukong was off like a shot, not too concerned with Azure being left in his wake. The lion was no slouch and wouldn't be far behind. It would also let him try to mentally prepare for this conversation a little.

Azure didn't get a chance to respond. He took off after Wukong. He wasn't nearly as fast the monkey but he could keep up well enough. He was more of a powerhouse. Always had been. The point was to cut these foul creatures down. At least he had no guilt about that. Monsters like these were not demons and could not be reasoned with. It was best to eliminate them for the safety of others.

Though it was hard to think of that duty when his eyes couldn't leave Wukong. His heart ached deep in his chest. There was so much to say. He could only hope he'd find the right words.

Between the two of them, the various monsters were mostly just a nuisance between them and the safety of the barrier. And while their new seasonal magic was equal in strength, Wukong used his with the ease of months of training. Which made sense. He was know for learning things surprisingly quickly, but finesse only came with practice, even for him. Well, finesse and merging the seasonal magic with his much more hands-on style.

But he was also keeping tabs on Azure, more making sure nothing caught either of them off guard and the lion wasn't falling behind, and only slightly to keep a read on him.

Azure followed well enough. The powers were new so he worked to fold them into the way he already fought. Wrapping his energy waves in fire and surrounding his blade in it as well. He moved in after Wukong once they reached the safety of the city. He panted from the running and energy drain from all that fighting. Sure, they could dispatch them but it was eating up his energy, at least.

"We are safe now. Hm. Brings back old memories, doesn't it?"

Event #7: Knocking on the 4th Wall (Inside the Metaverse)

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