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seasonsgreetings2024-03-15 12:11 am
seasonsmods) wrote in seasonsgreetings2024-03-15 12:11 am
Entry tags:
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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Tch. As if ya would.
[ Kenny isn't interested in anybody encroaching on his fun, now that he actually gets to prove he's stronger than a Titan... er... esque creature, whatever. At least it seems the guy has the good sense to move along, so he doesn't wait for any more words and instead zips off toward the monsters again. ]
[ He may or may not be aware of the snowmobile running into some trouble over there... ]
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No!! Bastards, cut it out! You don't need this!!
[He got kind of unlucky: When his snowmobile drove smack-dab into the nicely camouflaged group of solid snowmen and got up overturned, he was so caught off guard (and still spooked from the encounter just before) that he failed to activate his Aura in time. On the other hand, it could've been worse; he didn't break any bones at least!
He lifts the vehicle off himself with telekinesis and applies the same to the snowmen, which go flying in all directions, but they've managed to get his heavy winter coat, and he wants it back! While he's busy righting the snowmobile first of all, a couple of the titan monsters take notice of the commotion and start ambling over to where the crash happened. You're not going to let them get away from you, are you, Kenny?]
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[ Now that's interesting. ]
[ He hooks on one of the sort-of-titans, swinging in front of it and then down through the between of its legs to avoid the arms -- a maneuver not dissimilar to what Hijikata may have witnessed during the battle with the ice titans -- flying up behind it to cut it down. His strikes aren't quite as precise and swift as those of Survey Corps, though; he's never actually fought titans before Ellipsa, but he is nothing if not adaptable. ]
[ He's... not really engaging the last one, though. In fact, he seems to even hang back a little to allow it to reach Hijikata first. Perhaps he's interested to see if whatever ability he'd just demonstrated would save his skin again. ]
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Come the hell on!! Who's got the gear between the two of us?!
[For a moment, he considers elasticising his arms to grip on to the monster's hair and pull himself up there, but the risk of getting grabbed in the process is too high, so he stays where he is, broadens his stance, summons a lava bazooka (now with his Aura activated so it can absorb the contact damage - he's got fire resistance, but lava is on another level!), and shoots a lava rocket.
Sure enough, it hits the titanesque creature in the forehead, causing a messy explosion. Unlike a real titan would, it stops walking and collapses. Hijikata dismisses the bazooka - only to find that the snowmen are encroaching on him again.]
You shitty things, I've have it with you--!
[Given that fire will do nothing against them, it looks like he'll have to employ more drastic measures here! Bone, despite its durability, is an organic material that can decay, so he decides to take a risk and try out the rot ability he should have access to here. As the first snowskeleton grabs at him, he presses his hand against it, fingers splayed out, and focuses on breaking it down. He has practised this in the real world, but he wasn't quite there yet! Now, however, it seems to be working. The bone snowman all but turns into goop under his magic.]
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[ He offers a wry smirk to the figure fuming in the distance. ]
Ain't look like ya need it, grouchy.
[ Heh. It almost reminds him of someone-- ]
[ Nevermind. ]
[ With the giant enemies dispersed (for now), the smaller snow monsters seem to be getting bolder. Kenny whistles, though it's hard to say if he's actually impressed or just being sarcastic, as he watches a skeleton seemingly rot rapidly. That's a terrifying ability, actually, but definitely one that could be useful. Especially when it comes to hiding bodies or getting the cops off your ass- ]
[ Unfortunately, while he's admiring the view, it seems some of the snowskeletons finally notice him too. Several of them make a determined stroll toward his tree and start climbing it with surprising agility, considering they have no muscles. ]
[ Kenny's grin finally fades. ]
Oi, oi. Ya gotta be shittin' me, these guys spread like cold sores. Keep 'em to yourself!
[ He blasts a couple of them off the tree, then decides that wasting more bullets on this isn't the answer. The next snowskeleton gets impaled by what looks like a giant icicle and thrown back to the ground where it pins it down. ]
no subject
It's not my fault that they like you better! Are you staying here?! Because I'm leaving!
[This jackass can fend for himself, he showed that already! He's got ODM gear, a gun, and a decent enough handle of his winter magic, so it's totally fine if Hijikata ollies out! Right? Right!]
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Not the fuckin' hat, ya bony cretin! Over my dead body!!
[ It may or may not be a gift from someone important to him... :) ]
[ This is certainly getting troublesome, and he can see the other man making way toward his weird self-driving sled. He waits until a mass of skeletons is in the tree right under him, and jumps off, landing on the ground a distance away, breaking his fall with a precise burst of gas. Immediately, he's straightening up to his full impressive height and pointing one of his guns at Hijikata. ]
Ya try ta leave me as bait for these shitfucks you drew in, I'm gonna reel yer ass outta that wagon like a fuckin' carp fish.
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I didn't draw anything in!! They were coming your way when I drove into them!
[But he did drive into them, which wasn't a great course of action! Seeing the remaining snowskeletons drop themselves off the tree in the background, apparently trusting the deep snow beneath to soften their fall sufficiently, he mutters a curse under his breath and waves for Kenny to take the passenger seat.]
Get in, but stop waving this thing in my face.
[Does he want the death vision bastard man in the snowmobile with him? Hell no!! But if the alternative is getting that death vision fulfilled right here and now, fine, he'll put up with him for the ride. How do I avert it?! Is this guy just going to take me out no matter what? What's his deal?
As he starts the vehicle, which quickly puts distance between them and the monsters, he tries to at least get some information out of the stranger.]
You're new here, aren't you? I'll give it to you, you got your head in the game faster than some people.
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Or what?
[ At least this fellow is smart enough to give him a ride, it seems. He wasn't joking around before, after all. It's a nasty way to die. ]
[ He leans back, making himself comfortable in his seat, and flicks the front brim of his hat lower, so that it doesn't catch in the wind. It does sort of make him look scarier when he glances Hijikata's way again, eyes shadowed and barely visible. ]
Yeah. 'M new.
[ He doesn't elaborate on the other part. ]
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Maybe he can get him to talk a little more by revealing some of his own knowledge...]
You're from that crapsack-ass world with the titans, aren't you? We've got a number of your countrymen around here already.
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[ He does holster the gun eventually, though it hardly can count as putting it "away"; it's still mostly on display in his harness and he could whip it out faster than normal people can blink. ]
[ At least, Hijikata's words seem to finally have an effect. Kenny looks more serious for a moment, frowning, shooting a brief dark glare his way, as if calculating. Then he simply leans back in his seat however and stares straight ahead... or at least that can be assumed; his eyes sort of disappear behind the brim of his hat. ]
[ Why does this person know about their world? What does he know? Which side is he on? And, of course... ]
That so? [ His tone remains fairly whimsical, despite the somewhat steelier expression. ] There a midget among 'em?
no subject
A pretty outstanding one, yeah. A little black-haired bastard. He's good with the ODM gear, too.
["Good" is an understatement, really. Given Kenny's behaviour so far, he can't really hope for him to drop any hints about his relationship with Levi, but maybe he'll at least get confirmation of whether they're talking about the same person!]
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[ Sure does sound like him. Kenny's expression brightens for a moment -- perhaps not quite fondness, but there's certainly some kind of a positive emotion, like watching your kid beat the shit out of someone else's on the playground while you yell encouragements from behind. Pride, maybe. ]
[ Then he's frowning again. If Levi is here, and he is here-- ]
...That mean he's dead, too?
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[Granted, several people who arrived here in the metaverse thought it was the afterlife... does that mean that this man, too, is dead in his homeworld? They all must've been pulled in from their last moments. Why do these worlds love to do that?!]
This isn't the afterlife, if that's what you think. It's another world in another galaxy or universe or dimension, hell if I know. I'm still alive back home, too; most of us are.
...
If anything, he looks like he survived all sorts of shit that'd have taken most people off the census.
[It's not for nothing that the initially thought Levi'd been ran over by an isekai truck!]
no subject
...I see.
[ A moment later, a smirk is back on his place, though it somehow looks a bit less deranged now. He's... actually happy, he realizes. It would've been a waste if Levi had survived him only to perish somewhere else. The brat deserves to live a long life. Find some sort of happiness. ]
Heh. Runt's still got it, then.
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"Still got it" is an understatement. He's been making bank going on quests here. But honestly, even the complimentary amenities here were already an upgrade from your shitty world.
[He wonders if Levi and the hat-wearing stranger worked together before... but the way he called him a runt so affectionately almost seems like something more of a mentor-mentee relationship.]
You know him, then? Are you also in the Survey Corps?
[Maybe he was Levi's senior there? Come to think, didn't he use a similar technique earlier..? Could it be that this guy is Levi's teacher?! No wonder he's scary!]
no subject
[ Losing his dream. Losing people he loved. Never tasting the ultimate power. ]
[ He huffs and spits overboard. ]
Pshah, that gaggle of lunatics racin' to become titan shit? That's Levi's hobby. I've got better things to do with my time.
[ Speaking of which... the hat rises a little so he can stare at Hijikata again. It's not a glare, exactly, but it's still plenty unnerving, in the same way Levi's looks often are; their irises are the same stormy gray, too. ]
Ya seem t'know a lot about our world for somebody who hasn't spat out a word 'bout his own. What's yer deal, Twitchy?
no subject
It's only now that the similarity of that steely grey glare really hits him. Are they related..?! But as he tries to formulate the question in way that might actually net him an answer rather than just some dismissive quip, Kenny beats him to it and inadvertently gives him a good lead-in.]
That's Hijikata for you. What's your name, anyway?
[He can answer that first before he gets to learn about Hijikata's own shitty world!]
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[ Kenny glowers a little, considering whether he should entertain this guy for a while longer or just shove a gun into his mouth. He did technically just tell him his own name, but the information disbalance still irritates him. Well, he can always deal with him later if he refuses to cough up anything interesting... ]
[ Is this a bad time to remember that Mikasa's glare is also quite similar?.. Speaking of which; ]
That's Mr. Ackerman to you.
[ Is he petty? You'd bet. He says it with a huff, too, clearly mimicking Hijikata's own words. But he'd figured his name isn't exactly a protected secret anymore, especially not here, and there's nothing Hijikata can do with it anyway. ]
no subject
What are you, his uncle or something?!
[Why is this whole family ending up here?! Granted, it can't be said that the Ackermans aren't amazing assets in the fight against the monsters and the Darkness, but hell if they aren't difficult to deal with!]
no subject
Hah, not bad. Took him twenty years to figure that one out.
[ THAT'S BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T FUCKING TELL HIM KENNY!! ]
no subject
Oh yeah?! And why would it take someone twenty years to figure out who their uncle is, I wonder?!
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Oi oi, calm down will ya? If ya shit yerself I'm gonna hav'ta throw ya overboard.
no subject
You know what? I was fed up driving through this shitty cold, anyway! You can have the snowmobile!
[It's not like he just selected it from the holographic menu for free or anything!]
I'm out!
[He tells the crystal his destination:]
To the summer guild HQ!
[And the crystal works as designed... which, of course, includes transporting along anyone in physical contact with the user.]
no subject
[ His eyes widen slightly as Hijikata becomes gradually transparent before his eyes -- and of course his reflexes are just fast enough to intercept the teleportation before it fully goes off, gripping Hijikata by the lapels. ]
[ Which he promptly lets go of as the summer guild HQ materializes around them. Immediately, he's got both guns out and pointing at whoever happens to be around in the moment -- or just looking for someone, if they happen to be alone at the moment. ]
Oi oi oi. What the fuck was that? Ya can shadow travel, too?
[ But it was only supposed to work over short distances... ]
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wrap ig?