CRISIS ON INFINITE DREAMWIDTHS: EVENT END

[metamods]

AT THE END OF THE WORLD

The sound isn't unlike thunder when the universe begins to crack apart. Loud, thrumming thuds that tear the sky and the fabric of reality. The nexuses are being stomped out, engulfed back into the void one by one.

Characters may be in these nexuses as they're slowly engulfed by the cracks. Some may be saying they're final goodbye's to old friends, new friends, or simply watching as the apocalypse descends on whichever world they're in.

And then, just before they're about to fall into oblivion - they're snatched away.

IN CENTRAL CITY —

Outside The Alliance HQ, Chaos Gate and the Silent Mystic stand with their eyes tightly shut, hands linked together as one. Above you the sky has turned a deep crimson. The crack is a yawning chasm as buildings are torn apart brick by brick, falling into the abyss.

If something isn't done soon then you're all dead.

This world is a nexus and this can't be changed, but it can be pulled from the 'between' it has fallen into, and restored to its proper place. This will require an enormous amount of energy. The mystics bid the gathered to join hands: they ask you to remember their world, the one they left behind and tether this world to it. Your strongest memories may bleed out, giving the people around you a glimpse of who you are, what you were.

The universally displaced are here with you. This is a last mingle opportunity. The comm will remain open so people can continue to play any threads they didn’t get a chance to during the run of the event. They too can join hands and share their memories, but as they are not tied to this dimension, when it’s restored they will either return to their own worlds or the nexuses they left behind.



CONNECTION —

Everything goes dark.

It feels endless, swallowing your sight as well as all sound as it closes in. Slowly, glowing threads begin to appear, tying one person to the next, then to the next, and so on. Only those who are linked to Metaheroes are tied with these golden glowing threads. The threads flow down to their feet and then shoot up towards the sky.

There's a boom, different to the thunderous cracks of before. The sky rushes back into place, day and night speeding by as it hurries to realign itself to the proper date and time. It's dizzying, for a moment, before it begins to feel grounding. Right.

The air feels different. Fresher, somehow. The sky is brighter; the world seems fuller, like it has been allowed to become what it should have been all along. A cheer goes up. The people are elated, relieved to see the sun again.

Players may be troubled should they have ventured into other worlds. They have seen the nexuses that have fallen to ruin, know how they too once felt exactly like this.



THE WORLD CONTINUES TO TURN —

The world has been restored to its proper place. Interdimensional communication is coming through again. The Guilds, exhausted as they were putting fires out across the non-meta cities, are relieved. Perhaps this is finally over.

With the return of interdimensional communication comes the return of interdimensional travel as well. This technology has been used in this world before; it was only with the advent of the recent powerful Confluences that it all went dark. Now that it’s back, the Guilds start to make plans immediately. It will take a little time to organize everything, but once they have a system in place, it shouldn’t be too difficult to locate everyone’s home universes and return them there. They set a tentative date for September 4th to start trying to return everyone home.

That being said, the government is none too happy with any of this. The Guild Systems were put into play by two metahumans who wanted the best for the world, as a means to protect them from those who would do them harm. Years have been spent slowly wrestling control from those two and now there is an opportunity.

Behind the scenes a storm is brewing. If they can spin this to blame the Unaligned then perhaps they have no more need for the Guilds. The Society is a thorn in their side that they’d like to finally be rid of, but they’re essentially untouchable. The Unaligned, however, are flagrantly breaking the law. Constantly putting themselves in the spotlight, making it all too easy to yank the rug out from under the metahuman leaders.

How wonderful for them that these strangers from away have made such a wreck of the trust in the systems that protected the metahumans of this world.

Mechanima is all too aware that things are about to go to hell. The Society is welcoming all metahumans, regardless of moral alignment, to join them. It is heavily encouraged among the rumor mill that the Unaligned should start reconsidering their position.

As the days go on, things begin to change across Meta.

• Excelsior has become vehemently anti-metahuman. While this outrage may pass, they’re passing new AI laws in rapid succession. Limitations on what AI can and can’t inhabit. Limitations on robot bodies, on mechanical prosthetics, on the research that can be done into what gives things the spark of life. Magic is essentially forbidden within the city. Any abilities that can be mistaken as magic are treated as suspect.


• Sunset Falls is worse for wear. Yet the people remain as grateful as ever to the metahumans who stepped in to save them. That gratitude outweighs any fear that they could have caused this - Sunset Falls has disasters all the time that have nothing to do with interdimensional weirdness. They continue to be unbothered by the metas among them.


• Central City, having witnessed all the off-world metas stepping in to save them, is oddly grateful for this - but they haven’t forgotten what happened. The disappeared are among them again and are unharmed despite their sojourn through the universe, but the fact that it happened at all is cause for concern. Confluences are a problem. They want answers, they want solutions.


• Little Love remains untouched and unchanged.

I DREAM A DREAM SO PRETTY —

Two days after the apocalypse is averted, every off-world meta will find a pillow lying on their doorstep. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you live - one of these pillows will find its way to you.

If you’re quick or wary enough, you may be able to catch a glimpse of the being that placed it there: a figure clad in blue robes. They’ll appear seemingly out of nowhere and lay the pillow down before vanishing into dust. Should they happen to notice they’ve been spotted, they’re clearly started, and lay a finger to their lips before departing.

Atop the pillow is a note: an invitation from the Dreamers of the Willow Maiden. You would have undoubtedly heard of this group: they have a presence in this world, though their reputation’s benign. They’re oddballs and weirdos, but ultimately harmless. They believe in the power of a good night’s sleep - literally.

If the note is to be believed, then the Willow Maiden herself has requested an audience with you, and this audience can only be granted in the world of dreams. Should you accept this offer, the note explains, all you need to do is lay your head upon this enchanted pillow. Sleep will come to you quickly.

Your dreams will be extremely vivid. There are recurring themes bleeding through them: your greatest accomplishment juxtaposed with your greatest failure. The moment you could have acted but stayed still. Highschool embarrassments. Falling. Flying. Here in your own dreamscape, you’ve got more control than anywhere else; you feel as though you can do anything. But beware: these dreams grab for you, both the nightmares and the fantasies. It can be easy to lose yourself and forget what exactly is real.

Luckily, the dreams grab for others as well. Sleeping metas may find themselves involuntarily wandering into one anothers’ dreams. Visitors to a dreamscape don’t have any powers outside of what they normally would, but they can reach out to the dream’s host, should they want to.

If no one else arrives, don’t worry. She is patient and waiting, and doesn’t mind that you stumble. Fall too far into the abyss, and she’ll reach out her hand to steady you.




THE WILLOW MAIDEN —

As you find your way out of the haze of your subconscious with uour allies at your side, the Willow Maiden greets you. She is a massive tree nymph, long-limbed and wooden. She is curled against an enormous tree, looking like a statue. At your approach, she lifts her head from the crook of her arm and extends a hand in greeting. Her smile is warm and motherly. You may feel distrust, but that feeling of safety and protection that guided you home radiates from her.

“You from a far away land, come to this world and made its own.” Her wooden lips don’t move, the words echo through your soul itself. “I can do little for you now but issue warning. Danger is waiting in the dawn, in the shine of her sword. You won this battle, your strength and the strength of all those you have touched has saved you… but she is coming.

She is coming.


“My time is short… your words cannot reach me as you are now. Carve yourselves a new future. One in this world and all others. Dream, and in those dreams, you shall become more powerful than even she can stand. My gift is the gift of new life, new lives, new futures… I have shielded you from her gaze until I could no longer bear it and now… I must rest. May the next time we met be true conversation.”

The Willow Maiden lays her head back down on the curve of her arms. Within moments, she’s asleep.

You wake. Not with a start, but as though you’ve been gently roused from a deep and restful sleep. The dreamsharing effect lingers, and can reoccur off and on throughout the month of September, but you will not find your way to the Willow Maiden’s realm again.

IN SUMMARY.

• The fourth wall ends in a near apocalypse. Characters will have a chance to say goodbye while the metaphorical walls are closing in. They will be pulled back from the brink at the last second.


• Through the collective effort of metaenergy, Metaheroes will rejoin the multiverse, tethered to the worlds which playable characters come from.


• As a result, there's tentative optimism that characters will be able to go home
.

• Anti-meta sentiment is growing across Excelsior, and within governing bodies. Government officials will begin looking to blame Unaligned heroes for various crimes and disturbances.


• It's a good time to pick a side. Or don't.


• Amidst all this, The Willow Maiden invites players to Meta's first dream share event. The dreaming effect lingers and characters may find themselves intermittently sharing dreams throughout September.


• However pleasant this is, however cathartic - it doesn't change that things are tense in the waking world. The Willow Maiden's warning will ring in your ears, too: who is coming?

Comments

3/3 i have no limits my hibiki brainrot is real

[determinationtofist]

[ ...only, like the tragedy itself, this memory continues past the actual incident. There are brief flashes of things that came afterward. Hibiki on an operating table, the shards of Kanade's gear being surgically removed from her chest... or at least, as much as they could manage to get out.

Another cut, and Hibiki is in physical therapy. Almost certainly pushing herself a bit too hard, but once she gets out of this... everyone will be happy to see her again, right?

Another cut. We're in a school now. Hibiki is standing in front of her desk, which is covered in newspapers all sporting similar headlines. "Families of the Deceased Overcome with Rage", "What Caused This Disaster?", "Over 12,000 Dead", "Countless Trampled During Concert Tragedy"... the list goes on and on. ]

"I'm amazed she has the gall to still be alive."

"Yeah, after killing so many people..."

"Haven't you heard? If you're attacked by the Noise, you get a big payout just by getting injured. They call it 'Special Disaster Compensation.'"

"That's Mom and Dad's tax money, right? Ugh, no wonder she's doing so well after surviving."

"What a waste of tax money."

"I know, right?"

[ It's almost like a slideshow, a slideshow in which the world has suddenly gone completely greyscale... in complete contrast to all of the colors just earlier. Hibiki hangs her head, biting her lower lip as students talk about her, knowing she can hear them. Sure, there's not a lot that's special about her, but why is it so bad that she survived...?

The memory cuts again. Hibiki is standing at the top of the school staircase, a girl facing her at the bottom with tears in her eyes. Strangely, her words are mostly a blur, perhaps because of Hibiki's own recollection of the event, but you can tell that she's screaming in hysterics, demanding to know why she had lived while someone else she knew didn't.

And while Hibiki struggles to come up with an answer, someone pushes her from behind.

Suddenly, she's at the bottom of the stairs, blood rushing down from her forehead as she tries to push herself back up. There's only one thing that can be heard around her.

"Serves her right."

...the memory cuts again, and Jason may notice that it's started to get cold. Hibiki is walking home from school, her head still hanging, along with a bandage on her forehead where she had fallen. She stops in front of her house, currently covered in papers used to vandalize the property with written jeers and insults. Murderer, tax thief, survivor, "give back my family", the list goes on and on.

Hibiki ignores it and heads inside. Her grandma sees her enter, eyes widening at the sight of the bandage on her head... but a quick glance from Hibiki and she just... smiles bittersweetly. ]

"Welcome home..."

Mm...

[ Another woman, presumably Hibiki's mother, can be seen entering the kitchen, immediately rushing towards Hibiki at the sight of the bandage, but then... glass shatters, and a large rock clatters to the floor along with the shards of glass that was once their window. ]

"HAH!! Take that, murderer!"

[ Hibiki's mother turns toward the jeering voices and storms toward the window. ]

"Ah! Run, she'll kill us too!"

[ The teens having quickly left after having their laughs, Hibiki's mother turns back to Hibiki... who is clinging to her grandmother, her shoulders shaking. She's taken into a tight hug by her mother. ]

"It's okay... your Mom and Grandma are just happy you're alive... okay...?"

[ Hibiki sniffs and doesn't meet her gaze. ]

Has... has dad come home yet...?

[ Answered in a small voice that already knew the answer, and answered by a stiff silence, just the way she expected. The dam breaks, and she just... cries, a soft whine escaping from her as she buries her face in her mother's arms... and yet still nothing gets warmer.

The memory makes yet another cut, and this time, she's in her room, a blanket over her head as she curls up on her bed like a hermit.

A girl with black hair done up in a ponytail and wearing the same school uniform as Hibiki enters the room, and as she does, the room starts to warm up. She stares at Hibiki for a moment, before suddenly yanking the blanket off of her. ]

G-Guwah...!?

Hibiki!!

E-Eh? Miku?

[ Hibiki waves her arms around frantically to get the blanket off of her as Miku looks down at her, worry plastered over her face. ]

O-Oh! S-Sorry, I didn't notice you come in...

[ Miku is silent, scanning her up and down and eventually landing on the bandage on her head. Her eyebrows furrow. ]

...

Um, Miku...?

...how is it?

Hm? Oh, you mean this? [ She lifts a hand up to her head. ] It's no big deal! It barely even hurts anymore, so I'll be better in no—oW OW OW OUCH!!

[ She's cut off by Miku reaching forward and applying some light pressure to her head, which illicits an immediate response. Miku frowns again. ]

I knew it, it does still hurt... you big liar.

Sorry... b-but I mean, of course it'll hurt if you touch it like that!

...That's not what I mean.

[ Her frown is replaced again with a look of worry, of fear. If things have already gotten to this point, could it get any worse? Could Hibiki even continue to attend school like this? As those thoughts clearly run through Miku's mind, Hibiki gives her a small smile. ]

I'm fine. Really.

[ Miku's expression doesn't change, especially since she still doesn't believe her, but she lets out a sigh. Hibiki's not going to back down from this, is she? ]

Alright...

...

...

[ The silence is deafening, but as Miku starts to lift her hand... ]

...Miku.

Hibiki?

You... you don't have to keep forcing yourself to come here.

Eh? H-Hibiki?

I-I mean, it's dangerous, isn't it? Plus, everyone is gonna start saying mean things about you too, and—

Stop.

Huh?

[ Miku's hands are suddenly on Hibiki's cheeks, squishing them a little and turning her head to look at her. ]

I'm not forcing myself to come here, Hibiki. I'm here... because I want to see you.

[ Hibiki's eyes widen a bit. ]

B-But...!

No buts!

They'll...!

I don't care! Hibiki... I really want to be with you. Do you... not want to be with me?

O-Of course not! Of course I wanna be with you, but...!

Then we have an agreement, then!

M-Miku...

[ The room starts to get even warmer, and more notably, the warmth is emanating from Miku, the girl in Hibiki's memory. ]

I have a few ideas on where to go for High School, but I think you'll really like—kyah! H-Hibiki!?

[ Hibiki has fully glomped the girl, the cold temperature being completely dispelled as color starts to return to this mental landscape. Her eyes are watering as she squeezes the other girl tight. ]

Thank you, Miku... you really are... my Sunshine...

[ At the very end of the memory, she is seen being pulled out of her dark spiral... all thanks to her Sunshine, the warmest place she knows, and where she will always return to no matter what. ]

[robintohood]

[While holding hands with Hibiki and going through each other's memories, Jason goes through a whirlwind of emotions.

First there was the shock and anger at having his own memory spill out without his consent again. Worse that it's a memory that's been broadcasted before. Then there's having to relive the trauma from the memory itself. Even before coming to this alternate Earth, he will never forget that day. He tried to save himself and his mother. He still doesn't regret his first kill.

Then there's witnessing Hibiki's memories. It's jarring at first seeing such a jubilant scene in contrast to his childhood trauma. But then the concert takes a turn and becomes a disaster. Jason doesn't have empathy powers as he goes through Hibiki's memories, but he doesn't need them to know the sheer panic the hundreds of people are going through. They're terrified and literally running for their lives.

He doesn't miss how the pop singers are fighting in ways similar to the way he's seen Hibiki fight. He flinches as he watches the shrapnel from Kanade's armor stab Hibiki in the chest. It's heart-wrenching as Kanade's sacrifices herself. Jason recognizes and understands the necessity, but it still hurts to see someone willingly kill themselves to save others.

When the scene changes to Hibiki getting tormented by her classmates just for being a survivor, Jason's blood boils. He's angry on her behalf. It's unjust and diabolical for people to channel their rage at a traumatized child for something she had no control over.

He's still angry when the scene changes to Hibiki coming home. But then there's also a stirring of sad recognition when she asks about her father. He knows what it's like to want a parent to come home and the feeble child's hope that comes with it.

The recognition continues when the memory switches to her bedroom. Feeling consumed by despair and the sense of being unwanted by so many people is a situation Jason's been in more times than he would like to admit.

When Miku arrives though, the despair feels lifted. Jason is genuinely relieved and glad for Hibiki that she had such a good friend to support her when she needed it the most.

Jason feels Hibiki yank her hand away. He also flinched away from her as he tries and fails to stop his body from shaking. The literal trip down memory lane was intense and leaving him at a loss for words]

[determinationtofist]

W-What...

[ She gulps, trying to push down the swirl of negative emotions born from having felt the feelings inside Jason's memory. All things considered, it's not what she just saw that has her reacting like this. Of course, watching him kill a man like that has her shaken, but...

It was her intimate understanding of the feelings behind what happened.

Man, this empathy thing hasn't done her a lot of good since she's gotten it, has it? ]

W-What... what was that...? Did we just...?

[robintohood]

[Jason takes a few slow and deep breaths to pull himself together before responding]

Memories. We saw each other's memories. They told us to think of our homes and that's what happens. I think.

[determinationtofist]

T-Then... was that...

[ "Your memory" she thinks, but doesn't say. Either way, it's obvious how she was going to end that sentence. What she was asking. Her mind flashes back to the sight of the man at the bottom of the stairs, blood pooling out of his head.

Bad question. Bad question. Change the subject. Change it change it change it changeitchangeitchangeit— ]

D-Did... did you see... m-my memories...?

[robintohood]

[Jason answers softly and with sympathy]

Yeah. The monster attack and the aftermath.

[He finds it miraculous that she upholds an upbeat attitude despite all the trauma she's gone through. It's not out of naivety. It's a sign of survival]

And I saw your friend Miku.

[determinationtofist]

A-Ah...

[ Considering how the Noise were a worldwide disaster, 'monster attack' is more vague than Jason realizes, but... the aftermath, huh? It's still vague, but she has a feeling she knows what he's talking about. ]

T-The Zwei Wing concert, right? Haha, those monsters used to appear a whole lot back home, so...

[ She laughs awkwardly, trying to use an awkward joke about the vagueness of Jason's description as a way to keep her smile up... in order to try and hide her nervousness and uncomfort at having her past brought up again. It had always been a kind of... unspoken thing, and she preferred it like that. She wants to live with thoughts of her life now, rather than thoughts of her life back then.

But, well, guess she doesn't have the luxury to completely ignore it, apparently. ]

A-Ah! You saw Miku!? Ahhh... I wish I could've seen her... [ She starts to feel her shaking subside. Even when she's not here, her Sunshine remains a comfort to her. ] We've been friends for as long as I can remember, and she kept me going... it's thanks to her that I realized just how warm it is when people connect and understand each other...

[ It's just a feeling she has, but... she might not have ended up the way she is without her. In that cold world, she was the patch of sunshine that she would always return to, an irreplaceable person in her life, the person most precious to her above everything else... without her, she would have been in a world without sunshine. ]

I guess... you saw the memories that make me... me!

[ Still, she can feel a lump in her throat. She changed it, she avoided it, but... she can't. She knows she can't. ]

I guess... I guess we both saw stuff that shaped who we are, huh?

[robintohood]

[Jason nods and though his helmet is hiding it, he's giving her a sympathetic look]

Yeah. I guess we have. What you saw was my first kill.

[It's a blunt statement he says with no pride or regret. There's no polite way to put it.]

[determinationtofist]

Mm...

[ She... she understands. She really does. Though she can't agree with killing people, part of her ideals is to understand why, and... she understands painfully well with this. It doesn't make it better, it doesn't get rid of the bad taste in her mouth, it's still wrong, but... ]

I... I don't think it's right, but... it was all you could have done back then, huh?

[ Because she had Miku, she managed to avoid hitting that point... but still, she looks up at him sympathetically. She can't see it, but she can tell he's giving her a similar look... she can quite literally feel the sympathy from him. She can feel—or rather, can't feel—his lack of pride or regret. ]

Is... is that why you wanna hurt people? Why you wanna...

[ She gulps, not finishing the sentence. ]

[robintohood]

[Jason coolly stares back at Hibiki]

I've seen society's safety nets and the justice system fail too many times. They've failed me too. You can hope for the best all you want but action needs to be taken for the people who've slipped through the cracks.

[It's an answer full of confidence and a conclusion he's come to a long time ago. He knows what he does is extreme but it's the route he's chosen for himself to help others. It's the route Bruce won't take]

SHE SAYS IT SHE SAYS THE THING

[determinationtofist]

Maybe... maybe you're right...

[ But it's as she's always said, time and time again. ]

But even so! I can't believe in a solution that involves hurting people like that.

[ An unshakeable resolve behind an unshakeable "even so". That is Hibiki's answer. The answer that she and a former enemy eventually came to share.

She stares up at Jason seriously... though it eventually softens back into a smile. ]

Though... I guess you still just think I'm being naive, huh?

[robintohood]

No. Not anymore.

[The exasperation he had towards her earlier is gone. Instead, he has more respect for her now]

Seems like you got a good friend to lean on. It makes a difference.

[determinationtofist]

R-Really?

[ Her face softens further, almost looking relieved. She doesn't like being reminded of her past, avoiding bringing up at all if possible, but thanks to it... they finally started to understand each other. At least, that's what Hibiki thinks. ]

Ahaha... you're right, I don't think I'd be anything like me right now if Miku wasn't with me. She... she means everything to me...

[ Ah, crap, she starts tearing up again. Dang it, she misses her... but she quickly wipes those tears away. ]

That's why I wanna help people! I wanna be the person who understands, the person you can lean on!

[ And to be honest, now that she's seen that memory of his, she's even more determined to be that for him. She's still gonna be an annoying golden retriever of a girl, Jason. ]

[robintohood]

[When Jason hears that last line, he realizes this is far from the last time they'll meet. Great. At least he has a better understanding now of where she's coming from. She's not a naïve kid.]

Just remember to keep using your own support too take care of yourself too. Otherwise, you'll crumble from the pressure.

[He thinks about his mother again and how he was the only who tried to do anything for her. Ultimately, he couldn't help her and was left alone. Then Bruce saved him and together they became a dynamic duo saving people, stopping villains, and supporting each other. For a while it was nice. He misses those days]

[determinationtofist]

Mm, of course! I'll do my best!

[ Let's face it, that advice is something that both of them could afford to follow. Still, at the very least, their supports are here, so then it's just a matter of them actually using them. Hibiki may not have Miku here, but she at least has the friends she's been making and Maria. ]

...Uh, wait. [ She looks around her. There's still a whole lot of stuff happening around them. ] Do we still gotta do this!?

[ Hibiki is usually never one to shy away from reasons to hold hands, but seriously!? What if something embarassing gets shared! ]

[robintohood]

[Well crap. Jason looks back up at the sky]

Not sure. They didn't exactly give us a minimum or a maximum, but it looks like they still need a lot of our memories or whatever they're drawing from us.