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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.
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She resumes walking, leading the way towards the nearest mall entrance as pointed out by her phone - one of the underground slides, as it happens. She wonders if Floyd will enjoy essentially hopping down a manhole only to be spat out on top of a soft landing area in the mall! It's very weird, and she remembers screaming the first time she took such a route with Jade.]
You don't enjoy life on land as much as Jade does, do you? Or is it only mushrooms that you don't like?
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[And then his whole demeanor changes, his voice gets low and you'd think he was ready to fight every single mushroom in Elipsa with how threatening he sounded.]
But Jade's got this stupid fixation on mushrooms. He was puttin' them in everything we ate. Now just looking at 'em pisses me off.
[He eases up when she stops, and stops as well. Just in front of the entrance in question. All it would take is one push for him to go down...]
Why we stoppin'?
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This is the fastest way to the underground mall. I just... I just hope that the pillow heaps are still there in this simulation. But everything else is as usual, so they should be.
[Still, she suddenly has doubts! Maybe they should walk to the nearest proper, walkable entrance instead? Then again, the researchers said that they couldn't get hurt or die in this virtual world...]
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Fortunately there were, indeed, pillows to land on.]
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They really need to improve this..!
[The sight of the brightly lit yet empty mall somewhat stops her in her tracks. This is eerie, really! No customers, no employees... and yet the music is still playing! If they wanted to, they could rob every store in sight!]
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Heeeeey, check it out Cuttlefishie, we could make out like bandits!
[and he jumps onto a display table set up outside a shop, and looks out over the whole place.]
They got a good place for shoes here? Maybe some candy…
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[Since it's only a simulation, it should be alright for them to take what they want, right? It's not like it'll go missing in the real world!
The map shows three shoe shops and five candy shops (though not all of the latter sell just candy). It seems like they have their work cut out for them! Starting with the nearest shoe shop, even Frieda wonders if she shouldn't try any. She has her sturdy boots from home, plus a pair of sandals for the hot districts and warmer boots for the cold ones, but... she eyes the pretty heels!]
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Followed shortly thereafter by the sound of a bouncing ball aaand... the shoe store was now under assault from a rogue basketball.]
Oi, Cuttlefishie! Go long!
[Wrong sport but whatever. There was a 50/50 chance that basketball would abruptly turn into dodgeball at a moments notice.]
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[Even though she just thought that they could be lawless here, her impulse to want order kicks back in right away!]
Stop doing that! Bring the ball back!
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[And he comes over to retrieve the ball, only to start lazily dribbling it.
Then he gets an idea on how to make this more fun.]
You can bring it back if you want.
[Presuming she can get it away from him.]
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[Still, she holds up her hands to catch it, expecting him to toss it over! She definitely won't engage in a basketball match with him!]
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[And this is him, not tossing the ball over and just continuing to dribble it.]
And you’re the only one here that cares.
[So basically just “you’re here” again.]
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Alright, then. I'll stop caring.
[Surely, that'll make uninteresting for him faster! She leaves him to his play and turns back to the shoe display. While other noblewomen back home would wear heels, especially on special occasions, she always found them impractical and even dangerous - how easy would it be to break an ankle! -, and despite the pretty shapes of some models, she ultimately is ready to move on sooner rather than later... which reminds her:]
Why did you want to visit the shoe shop, anyway? You're not even looking at the shoes!
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[He dribbles the ball a few more times before catching it and trying to get it to spin on his finger. He’s a little wobbly at it, but he can do it.]
But then I found this ball and wanted to play with that instead.
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[This is her own fault. She brought him down here! What did she think was going to happen? She needs to get them, or at least herself, back on track. Sure, she didn't sign up for being pulled into this experiment, and neither did Floyd, but should they really just mess around at the mall while the others are investigating the Darkness? Her sense of responsibility is increasingly gnawing at her, much as this isn't her world.]
If you're done with the shoes, let's go to the candy shop, and afterwards, let's go back to the surface rather than visiting the arcade. I know you wanted to have fun, but if we get sidetracked a lot down here, we'll end up spending all our time here while everyone else is out in the Segments.
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[And he just bounces the ball off the side of one of the shops and catches it on the rebound.]
I think I wanna keep playing with this right now.
[Mostly because she's trying to put his fun on a timetable, and he's here to mess it up on principle.]
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Don't you want to test out your new magic?
[She opens the holographic menu to access Riki's virtual shop, and after some clicking and scrolling a Travel Crystal materialises in the air for her to pick up.]
Did you even notice that you got new magic? I don't know what season you're aligned with - I don't assume you passed through the usual seasonal space on your way here -, but it's got to be one of them.
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[And now he's balancing the ball on his forehead, again, just for funsies.]
I already got magic, what's so cool about this new magic?
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[In fairness, his welcome message is a hologram, so it's probably running in the Research Centre even in this simulation - unless Floyd indeed arrived in the real Ellipsa before he ended up in this virtual reality!]
Depending on what season you're assigned to, you may have magic types you didn't have before.
[Does he really not find that the slightest bit interesting?! She's at a loss with this eel boy!]
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Though he IS curious what's got his brother so interested in this chick. There's gotta be something entertaining about her. Or maybe it really is just because they're both clingy and they latched onto each other like a couple of octopi.]
Okay, yeah, like what?
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Well, if you're spring-assigned like me, you can heal any wounds, make plants grow much faster than normal, and create winds so sharp that they can cut through anything.
[She regrets that as soon as the words leave her mouth. The last thing she needs is for him to run around slicing the whole simulation up!]
But if you're winter-assigned like Jade, you'll have water- and ice magic, and you'll be able to see and exorcise ghosts and spirits, among other things!
[Granted, if Jade is anything to go by, the first half of that will probably be boring to Floyd!]
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[So as predicted: boring.]
Besides, I'm "summer" apparently.
[Yeah he knew the whole time and was just being a pain in the ass.]
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Come again? You were kidnapped by ghosts?
[Didn't Jade mention something like that - that kids disappearing, especially around the time of the year when the veil between worlds is thin, is a regular occurrence?]
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There wasn't any treasure or anything left in it, so I was just swimming around thinkin' about how much of a dump it was then-BAM! Real loud-like. Doors slam like that on land, but they don't underwater.
Nearly startled the scales off me, then I realized I was locked in some cabin on the ship. No matter how I pushed or pounded the door, the thing wouldn't budge, so I looked through a hole in the wall. There was like, a whole party of pirates all dancin' and singin' about havin' caught me and pluckin' out my eyes n' stuff. Then they started talkin' about draggin' me out.
[Floyd's expression briefly goes sour, and voice goes low, much like how it did when he was talking about mushrooms.]
I got me mega ticked off. I waited until they opened the door, then rushed 'em tryin' to give 'em the Squeeze. But ghosts aren't solid, see? So I just went right through 'em. Long story short, I thrashed around so much I busted a wall and just left.
Thing is, moment I was out, whole place was dead silent. No voices, no music, nuthin'. Whole crew was completely gone. Went back home, apparently a whole day had passed, I thought I was only in the ship for like, two hours maybe?
[He laughs and rubs the back of his neck.]
Jade doesn't like the story. He mighta been an only child if I hadn't gotten away.
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I can imagine! He must've been so relieved! I hope you haven't gone on your own again after that!
[She can't even imagine losing one of her siblings! (Well, she can, she just doesn't want to. All kinds of terrible things can happen to people, from illness to accidents to worse. She's seen it all in her ancestors' memories.)]
There are shipwrecks in the sea here, too, I'm sure. Jade and I didn't see one when we went, but we did find an old temple! Luckily, there were no ghosts in there.
[Unless Jade saw some and just didn't tell her... but surely, he would have!]
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