Seasons Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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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.
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Only because his back was turned! I realised immediately!
[After Floyd stared at her for what felt like a whole minute, but even so!]
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So there must have been an added reason Floyd was calling you "Cuttlefishie", I wonder what it could be.
[He knows, Frieda. He knows.]
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He reasoned that I had to be so friendly because you're so needy.
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He called you needy too, didn't he?
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[She lets out another exasperated sigh.]
I'm glad to have met Floyd, but he certainly is a handful, as you said. You know, maybe you should visit the botanical garden already today - if he didn't get sent back home, that's probably still where he'll expect you to go sooner or later. Unless you think he'd have checked the network and identified you by your username?
[They're both morays, after all, and very few other people are!]
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[After all, if she couldn't tell them apart with her closeness to Jade, what hope did a regular person have? Still, he heaves a sigh. He'd heard about the guests from those that woke before Frieda. He'd followed it fairly closely after all.]
If I were to guess, the simulation likely generated him from my memories. I would presume what you saw to just be a facsimile of him, rather than the true thing.
[At least, that made it easier for him to handle it. If it wasn't real, then he couldn't mourn it.]
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So it wasn't really him? That's...
[It's chilling, in a way. He was simply a virtual construct, a... what are they called again? An 'NPC'? She was sure she was spending time with the real Floyd! Being deceived like that by a virtual reality makes her feel uneasy. However, since she doesn't want to seem like even more of a country bumpkin, she doesn't quite express that.]
That's a pity.
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[Jade can see the unease on her face, and he can understand it. If it was a construct built from memory, then there would be none so complete as his brother.]
For what it’s worth- I’m glad you met him in some form.
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[In fairness, if the real Floyd had chosen to forget everything, the outcome would've been the same, but even so! She reaches out to take Jade's hand and feel the flow of energy once more. This shows that she's truly back in the real world, right? Her hunger and thirst already proved it, but still, everything in the simulation felt so real, too!]
...
Maybe I do need some time to adjust back to reality.
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[He is more than happy to take her hand in his, and once more have it driven home that he’s awake and well.]
I’ll be right here for as long as you’ll have me.
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Oh!! I missed Annika! A new episode must've come out while I was stuck in the simulation!
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[If there was anything he was known for, it was anticipating such things, after all. It's why he was so valuable to Azul. But in this case, it had just been a way to assure himself she would wake up. Which paid off, they now had a good activity to do while she rested.]
Finish your meal, and we can watch it together.
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[She sets to clearing her plate. Despite her initial drive to jump right back into their real-world activities, it surely is for the best to take things somewhat more slowly, and watching Annika together is the best way to combine both things!]
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[He says like he doesn't develop the most controversial takes he can just to piss people off. Though his predictions tended to be scarily spot on sometimes, which just made his takes even more infuriating to most.
Frieda knew his game though, and could only get riled so often before catching on. That's honestly what he enjoyed more than the show itself.
So after washing their dishes together, he sets up the couch for them to watch. As always he took his seat beside her, but this time let his arm drape around the back of the couch, not quite on her shoulders buuut... perhaps subtly inviting her to lean in if she wished. He'd never say out loud.]
Ready?
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She does lean again him, feeling like she has the excuse of still arriving back into reality after her long VR adventure. It feels nice, having someone to lean on to (Historia is always there for her, of course, but as the older sister, Frieda doesn't want her to support her all the time when it should be the other way around!).]
Ready!
[Hopefully, the ongoing preparations for war in this episode won't cause her to have one of her own "episodes"... but if she can maintain the mental divide between the fictional story and her world's grim reality, she and Jade should be thoroughly entertained.]