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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.
no subject
Huh. Same shit, different day. [ He flicks the brim of his hat upwards slightly with the barrel of his gun, as if wanting to give himself a bigger field of vision. ]
[ He still thinks that this is, technically, an afterlife considering they're both dead, but Frieda does have a point. This doesn't sound like anything any cultists or Wallists or priests ever spoke about; nothing like what mawmaw used to spout, either. Still, at the mention of gifted magic, there's a slight glint in his eyes. ]
[ He'd never refuse a power boost, after all. ]
So all that wasn't just a sack of crap, eh? I'm in. Don't feel any different, though. Ya sure that thing didn't skip me over?
[ Wouldn't be the first time he's denied a greater existence. ]
no subject
Kenny's flippant attitude puts an amused smile on her face.]
Did you pass through an empty landscape before you arrived in this city? If so, what was it like?
[If the simulation didn't provide an equivalent of those strange spaces (she still isn't sure about their nature - are they physical locations in this world, or merely metaphysical ones, like the space in which the Coordinate exists?), then they'll have to find out Kenny's assigned season through trial and error!]
no subject
Mm, nope. Like I said, just showed up here in town first thing.
[ He also probably has a mark on him somewhere, indicating that he's a temporary visitor... but it seems it's hidden from view, and he himself certainly hasn't noticed it either. Maybe it's on his ass, wouldn't that be poetic. ]
no subject
[If she did, she could create just about anything out of it, if her ability tree is to be believed! Then Kenny could test out whatever element he wields on it. Oh well, no matter. She'll show him something else! She walks over to a sapling just peeking out of the soil and focuses, hands splayed out towards the young plant.
Immediately, it grows taller and unfolds its first leaves. Within a mere minute, a large magnolia tree grows up in front of Kenny, until it's big enough for its flowering crown to throw its shade on them both. It makes Frieda's heart soar.]
Try to grow one of the young plants as well, won't you? If you can't, we can probably rule out spring for you. Oh, I remembered another easy one - if you can look straight into the sun without being blinded, you're a summer power holder!
no subject
[ He huffs and nudges the brim of his hat lower at the mention of the sun. ]
Tch. Ya want me to spend my last years blind, brat?
[ Nonetheless, he finally gets up and follows her, staring at the plants for a moment before sighing and holding his hands up, clearly trying to mimic however she did it... there's not really anything behind it, though. ]
[ Nothing happens, either. He grumbles. ]
Oi oi, this feels ridiculous.
no subject
[In any case his assigned season isn't spring, apparently... Frieda picks up a stick and hands it to Kenny.]
Try freezing it over. If you can do that-- well, you can imagine!
[He'd better hope to be a winter power holder, because next up will be a balance test to check for autumn powers, and who know what precarious makeshift balance beam she'll make him use!]
no subject
[ He doesn't even need to look it to squint from the bright light. It is part of why he'd kept a hat as part of his outfit even once he'd left the Underground; spend enough time there, and your eyes may turn a bit more sensitive to the sun. ]
[ He groans in exaggeration as he takes the stick from her and stares at it. Nothing happens still, mostly because he's not really doing anything. ]
Freezing it over how, exactly? Do I gotta wiggle my fingers or sumthin'?
no subject
Imagine it. Maybe close your eyes if that helps. Try to envision the ice and frost, how cold it is and how it spreads over everything, and imagine that you have control over it - then call it forth. I know it's hard at first, but you have to really believe in it!
[Maybe she should have made him do that for all the elements first of all. It was ambitious to try and start with a highly advanced sping power, much as she hasn't been able to do it before just now either!]
no subject
[ Nonetheless, he scoffs and closes his eyes, trying to focus on the feeling of freezing-- ]
[ Still, nothing happens to the stick at first, but the temperature around them suddenly drops rapidly, thin layer on frost spreading on the ground, up the freshly grown tree's bark, and yes even over the stick. ]
no subject
There you go! Winter's your season!
[She can see her breath..! She smiles fondly. Who'd have thought that Kenny would be aligned with the cold season? For all his temper and tenacity, she'd have expected him to be a summer power holder. You always surprise me, my dear Kenny. (That feeling is one she inherited, isn't it?)]
Let me show you an overview of your powers, alright? Or do you want to test them out yourself?
no subject
[ Kenny doesn't really know the implications of any given season. Ice seems close enough to what he considers himself as, even if he's not a huge fan of winter overall. He whistles. ]
Well damn. That kinda trick would've been useful back home.
[ Would've made the bodies not start stinking for longer, for example! Oh well. He thinks he could probably figure them out, but... Maybe he does want to spend a bit more time with Frieda, and with who also lives in her head. ]
Sure, yea, go ahead.
no subject
[If he doesn't, she'll use her own to show him the winter guild's website and the overview of winter power holders' abilities.]
Please don't get too excited about the shadow travelling and void pockets, alright? In this simulation, we have access to all abilities our season provides, but in the real Ellipsa, we have to learn them one by one. I've barely even begun to master my wind control.
[Her intrusive memories and episodes of struggling between her vow's original purpose and the changed future circumstances really don't help her focus...]
no subject
[ He fishes out a strange device from his pocket and just casually throws it at her. Hope she's good at catching! Either way it will probably be easier to show him the information on her own phone, and then give him the rundown on how to use his afterwards. ]
[ Kenny still looks skeptical but he does read through it; every now and then he turns away to immediately test out something that has caught his eye. Some things he gets immediately, others take a few tries, but overall he seems quite good at just knowing what to do instinctually once he's had some time to think about it. ]
Oi, who comes up with these shit rules? T'was my favorite.
[ As if to illustrate, he just... suddenly disappears, then shows up once again lounging on the bench. ]
'Nd they gave us all this-- magic 'n' crap, so that we fight their battles for them, am I gettin' this right?
no subject
She encourages him as he attemps various abilities, and she's sincerely impressed with how fast he gets the hang of most (including the shadow traveling) - is it because it's easier in this simulation, or is he just that much faster on the uptake than her? Or does her inherited will really nerf her this much..?
Before she can dwell on that too much, Kenny's last remark sours the mood a little, and she's quick to try and put things in a different light - emphasis on "try".]
You shouldn't put it like that. These people are desperate; their world is all but being eaten up, and they had to leave their homes and flee into these barriers.
[Does that sound familiar or what...]
That said, you're not wrong. They do rely on us to go out into the Segments and take out monsters they themselves are powerless against, and to eventually push back against the Darkness itself. This simulation is a test run for that task.
[Maybe it really is no wonder that she's struggling so much. Again and again, she finds herself reevaluating whether the locals even deserve the help, what with the 'Tragedy of Greed' bearing that name for a reason.]
no subject
[ Well, the simulation did grant them all the powers they didn't normally wield... and then, Kenny is pretty good at figuring things he's capable of on the go. Something something Ackerman. ]
Everyone's always desperate. Ain't changing the part where they just grab people 'nd expect 'em to do their bidding.
[ So. He says that, but does it mean he's unwilling to help? Probably not. He'd still like to be asked, though. Maybe given a mansion or something. ]
[ At the very least, they could give him back his friend and his sister, since apparently the powers that be are capable of that in this place. ]
[ But wait. ]
Monsters, ya say?..
[ Maybe he can at least get some fun out of this situation. ]
no subject
[And it doesn't take her long to find it! Look at all those creatures, Kenny!]
Of course, I don't seek out fights, but even I had a few encounters. I saw a demon and a snow shark!
[If not for the presence of capable fighters, who knows how those encounters would've gone? It's questionable if her vow would have allowed her to use her titan's strength even in self-defence... but then again, these monsters aren't the ones the Eldians are indebted to.]
no subject
[ He says, a little distracted as he skims over the monster-iary. Is he thinking about Frieda being too much of a lady to brawl or is he thinking about the holders of a certain monster being bloody pacifists? Yes. ]
Ha, some of these look pretty big! Maybe I'll help out after all.
[ Dying has certainly not dulled his appreciation for a good fight. The sensation of power surging through his body is certainly a nice feeling, too. He would almost say he's addicted to it, though he hasn't had many chances to go wild lately, aside from the obvious. ]
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[A tiny smile creeps its way onto her face. That's my Kenny. He'd die of boredom if there were no more thrills to be had in the world. (Again, a feeling that comes with a sense of echo.) This new word will provide Kenny with no shortage of excitement, that much she's sure of.]
The people here will thank you. Please try to remember what was a good way to defeat each monster, will you? That's going to help everyone going forward.
no subject
[ Wouldn't be the first time she'd spoken in his words. ]
...
[ Yeah. Fighting monsters should be a good distraction. He's definitely not memorizing all that text about them, though. But hey, that shouldn't be a problem, as far as he's concerned! ]
It'll be fine! I like a challenge.
no subject
Part of her wants to stop Kenny from leaving - both because she ought to ask him about the future, about what it was like when Wall Maria fell, and because she just doesn't want to let him go again so soon -, but another part of her doesn't want to mar this pleasant moment with such grim talk. She already got the gist from Eren, and there'll be time for more later. (There won't be, alas.) So, she just smiles.]
Have fun! But don't overdo it.
[She knows he'll overdo it. He always does. But this time, at least, no people should come to harm!]
no subject
[ Have fun, or overdo it? Yes. ]
[ Kenny is not a sentimental man. Sentimentality gets you killed. He'd always been harsh, with sharp edges and a cold center. And yet, he lingers. Perhaps Frieda (or Uri) isn't the only one who wants to make this last a little longer. ]
[ Maybe sentimentality is just easier when you're already dead or dying. He'd felt some way when he handed the injection over to the runt, as well. ]
Ain't no rush, though. Been a while since I've seen ya.
[ Maybe they will take a walk to a lake, like in the old days... ]
no subject
Then, let's sit by the water. It won't be long until sunset now.
[She half-raises her arm, expecting him to offer his own for her to take. Does she want to feel ladylike? Or is it a gesture brought forth by the pleasant memory of being supported on walks that got harder on an increasingly frail body? (Uri had his cane. He didn't need additional support. But maybe, it wasn't a matter of needing it.)
She still pushes away the most unpleasant topics, wanting to let their conversation naturally meander. Maybe Kenny'll want to tell her about his last battle, or maybe they'll end up debating what makes a paradise (she already knows that Kenny wouldn't want it to ever to completely peaceful, because that'd be boring). Maybe, they'll just sit in comfortable silence for a while. Maybe, this is a present she wants to give to the kind uncle who left her healing memories among the many painful ones.]
no subject
[ He's willing to tell her what she asks; if she leaves it up for him, he's probably just going to ponder ways to kill monsters and maybe make some shit jokes, as one does. He doesn't think anything like a paradise is possible either, though he seems rather fascinated by Frieda's ability to believe it, just like he had been with Uri. He wonders if peace really does become clearer once you stand so far above everyone else... or maybe you're just looking down at the clouds blocking the atrocities from your view. ]
[ All the same, though, he'll sit with her a while, until they see the setting sun, and only then he will complain about his ass falling asleep and finally make to leave. ]
no subject
And while even she doesn't fully understand the mysteries of the Paths and how all Eldians are connected there, maybe Uri, albeit unseen by them, will have been able to partake in this reunion too.]