metaverses | CRISIS ON INFINITE DREAMWIDTHS: EVENT END

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!event end

CRISIS ON INFINITE DREAMWIDTHS: EVENT END

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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Strange" how? Supernatural or just sitcom weird?

The first one.

[Dryly]

Good to know.

[Jason takes Mayuko's hand again]

[With the sky shattering above them, Mayuko chose the expedient answer, for once.

She tries to settle her thoughts before... whatever happens. She was hoping for peaceful thoughts of home. But she still has that rush from the action, as well as that pang from seeing Red Hood encounter his mentor again, damaged as the relationship had become...]

By the X’s on Mayuko’s calendar, it had been five days since the super-zombies had broken out from… somewhere. Not “super” in that they were wonderful creatures; super in that they were bigger, faster, stronger and way more lethal than the bog-standard variety that ambled passively through Camp Fuck U Die. The all-call had gone out for everyone to shelter in place, and so Mayuko had stayed in the library. Five days of keeping the small group also sheltering within the library occupied, quiet and calm. Four nights of listening to the groans and scratches of the zombies outside the walls, probing for weaknesses.

So when the next all-call rang out for everyone to come to the hospital, Mayuko was more than ready to head out. The zombies had been cleared from the center of Camp, and the predominant odor was “Swamp in Springtime”. It was not a long trek-- the Library was south of the Mess Hall, which was to the south of the 2-story Hospital. A display with a map was set up and a man who looked like he had pulled the most edgelord outfit he could find from a Hot Topic rack was… well, broadcasting to the group of hundreds who had gathered.

“SO LISTEN THE FUCK UP! This is camp. Yeah, I realize I can't fucking draw, use your goddamn imagination. The important part is that under this happy little place is a laboratory that's been here since, like, for fucking ever, don't even ask me about it. In that secret lab there's a shit ton -- which I've been assured is a totally reasonable way of estimation -- of zombies. They're kind of a lot more fucking vicious than the jokes we keep around here, above-ground. Now some joker decided it'd be really fucking great to blow the sealed underground entrance to a thousand fucking smithereens, leaving a way for all these guys to come out like it was a goddamn undead pride parade. And considering the aforementioned shit ton amount, that could lead to super bad shit for all of you guys, who the boss has some fucking interest in keeping alive despite all of you being such fucking super twerps.”

He turns from the display to a huge stockpile of… bombs? That sure is an enormous pile of explosives just sitting out there!

“The only way to fight a bombing is obviously with another bombing, so we'll be taking the supplies I've so considerately brought with me and sealing up the entrance again. I dunno if there's some kind of goddamn math we can use to make it easier, whatever, just blow the ground fucking down the chute and that'll do the job the exact fucking same.

Are there any questions? Yes? Don't fucking care! Grab a goddamn bomb.”

There is a moment’s pause where those assembled process the information. And then… yes. Almost everyone grabs a goddamn bomb.

(The others are the ones who already HAVE explosive powers. Lucky bastards.)

They look like stereotypical bombs-- round, black, woven fuse sticking out of the top. Mayuko collects hers, about the size of a small medicine ball, and notes the heft. Just light enough for her to work with.

“Now this is a Mother’s Day to remember,” she laughs.

The loudspeaker waves her on. “Just remember to fucking aim!”

Then it’s a matter of heading to the indicated pipe chute with the others (yes, a big green one), getting a light and chucking this surprise down into the lab. A grim, fierce joy wells as the roar of the ensuing explosion travels up the chute. Catharsis, maybe? A red-haired teen with an eyepatch claps and offers to bring her another bomb, and Mayuko takes a moment to survey the goings-on.

Six months ago, she would have balked. If someone had told her she’d be throwing explosives down a hole to stop a zombie apocalypse, she’d have called them crazy. But in those six months, she had found and encountered so many crazy things-- strange, wonderful, sometimes embarrassing? Been welcomed by old friends and met new? This seemed a more than just end for those monsters who were threatening her temporary home.

Her home, and her students. She hears, “Ready to lock and load” from the munitions pile, despite the numerous explosions-- the gift and curse of teachers, the ability to pick their students out from the crowd. As expected, an orange-haired teenager passes by on his way to the chute.

She calls out, “Big talk there, tough guy.” This is light ribbing, compared to the butting-of-heads when he had first joined her class. And he takes it as such.

“Can you blame me, sensei? Not every day you get an opportunity like this. Let's make sure they regret screwing with us!” The color is high in his face, same as hers.

Now that she’s found one student, she keeps an eye out for the others from her world, in the midst of introducing more bombs to the chute. This boy, Kyou, he’s the hotheaded one of the bunch. Of course, he’d be out here. The others are probably still in shelter. At least, she thinks so until she sees a slender girl with waist-length black hair. Not her student, but another of Kyou’s many relatives. That’s a surprise.

“Normally I would prefer not to get involved in this sort of thing,” the young woman says. She throws her bomb with good aim into the chute. “But these zombies are getting on my nerves!” Mayu isn’t as familiar with this one, but can appreciate her efforts.

So that’s only two Sohmas to wrangle. More than manageable, Mayuko thinks as another bomb gets sent into the abyss. She’ll herd them back to wherever Hatori set up his medical station, as much for his peace of mind as for patching up if needed, when this is all done. There’s an added spike of feelings after finding them-- an odd blend of anxiety and pride. Hopefully… hopefully this will be enough.

[It's a strange memory to go through and not at all what he expected from Mayuko. Then again, he barely knows her so he wasn't sure what to expect. Zombies was certainly not part of those expectations. It's... a zombie prison camp in a swamp? Post-zombie apocalypse?

Jason finds the solution to taking care of the super-zombies surprisingly simple but it sounded and looked like a fun way too. Between the bombs and the warp pipe it looks cartoonish.

Jason also doesn't miss how Mayuko readily went along with the the program. He's amused.

Jason calmly pulls his hand back went the memory is over]

That looked like a lot of fun. So how long were you in zombie camp?

[Mayuko blinks as the contact is lost. A moment where she glances around for familiar faces, before coming back to the present. She rubs her ears ruefully.]

Uh, mmm, how long? Five years, short a month?

[Jason can appreciate how long/short an amount of time that is.]

[Jason appreciates it more than Mayuko even realizes]

The bombings looked like a lot of fun. Did it work?

Fun-- well, who am I kidding, it was very satisfying. Most of us had been cooped up for days and those kinds of zombies were actually trying to kill us? "Yes, let us apply explosives with extreme prejudice to resolve the issue!"

And it did eliminate the zombies buuuuuut the mastermind behind the breech went on to... do other awful things. As they tend to do.

[Mayuko glances up at the cracks, then as the Silent Mystic/Chaos Gate duo.]

It doesn't look any different, do you think it's working?

[Jason also looks up]

It'll probably take a lot of memories to glue it back together. All we can do now is hope and know that we did our part.

[He then looks back at Mayuko]

So was it a prison camp?

Yes, for a crime that hadn't even happened. New people got brought in or tricked into going to its location every month.

How big did the place get?

A few hundred people. Typically it got three small groups of under-21s, one large batch of over-21s in a four-month period.

That was in Louisiana, its initial location. We had access to the Internet, so we kept up on what was going on out in the world. We just couldn't contact out.

Having any sort of contact is surprising. How'd you all get out?

They haven't all gotten out. It's piecemeal, a person or a small group at a time gets the clearance. Sometimes you get advance notice, have a day or so to say your goodbyes. Sometimes not. I'd only been back home a couple of weeks before getting bounced here.

[Jesus...]

My sympathies.

[It's not a mocking tone either]

Hell of a shock you must've had when the Confluence dropped you here then.

Yessssss, that was a very unpleasant experience. No warning, just dump us in the middle of nowhere or THE SKY with some new tricks, have fun with that.

[She shakes her head- stupid ocean half-drowning her not five seconds in. UGHHHHHHH.]

At least it's still Earth, right? Even traveling within the country is more freedom than I got last time.

[Chuckles]

Yeah. Now you're free to visit and leave a swamp. You've been anywhere besides Central yet?

[Jason knows she's been to Sunset Falls but still have to maintain secret identities and all]

Oh my goddddd, I just got out, I'm not going back to the swamp!

[She says in a strangled wheeze, covering her mouth. That was actually funny, but it is Inappropriate to bust out laughing in front of a (possible) place of employment, in the middle of an apocalypse!!]

[Snorts]

Well obviously. I mean have you been to other places yet like Excelsior.

[crosses her arms.] You said it, that's on you for sidetracking me.

But I'd been looking around, yeah, just before all of this kicked off. They have the teleportation devices for the cities right in an office there, so it's a matter of checking one out.

It'll probably be restricted again to guild members only soon as this mess has been cleaned up.

The independent teleporters seem to be metas with that power, not people using devices.

[She remembers a post on OurPowers about someone advertising his services. And then there's Dana.]

Considering the Cronenberg-level of liabilities that could erupt, the regulations are probably ironclad. But even regular flights are heavily suspect-- international travel is off the table too, unless you're in the system.

[A bit sour at that, she already checked.]

[Nods]

It makes sense to regulate them, though a pain in the ass at times. There are probably some shady off-the-grid teleporters too but that's a risk to take.

Oh, probably! Man, in all the shows, you only ever see the one way being used. They make it seem simple. But then again, I'm no tech guru. We're still angsting over the Y2K bug when I'm from.

CRISIS ON INFINITE DREAMWIDTHS: EVENT END

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