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

[codicies]

[ Dylan's seen what Hibiki's capable of before — he knows to expect her grand gestures, earth-shaking punches, and her angelic voice carrying on throughout all of it.

He's not expecting to watch her left arm get torn off.

Dylan's almost sick at the sight — perhaps the only reason he wasn't is because this... shared space, whatever it is, doesn't involve his physical body. Still, watching he blood gush from the gaping wound, he can almost feel it himself.

When the darkness overtakes her, he... he's afraid, but not afraid of her so much as he's afraid for her. He's seen that kind of feral ferocity before, and knows the hardest part is often waking up after and seeing the aftermath of your rampage.

The fight is clearly over when she drives the spear into the creature and incinerates it. Is she changing back? It's hard to tell in this bright light.

He takes a risk. ]

Hibiki?

[determinationtofist]

[ There's not much in the way of an answer next... it looks as though the memory ends there, as Hibiki doesn't recall anything of what happened next.

Still, he'll get suddenly pulled backwards out of the memory, the vague sound of two other voices in the background as everything goes white.

"Tachibana...! Get ahold of yourself, Tachibana!!"

"Black isn't your color, you dummy...!"

And then, he's out of that shared space... that vivid memory, pulled out by force due to the sudden yanking back of Hibiki's left hand... now being clutched by Hibiki's other hand, a haunted look on her face.

If he looks close enough, he'll be able to tell that her left hand is trembling still, even with Hibiki holding it close to her chest.

Then she remembers that Dylan is here, and she looks up, a smile immediately being forced upon her face... a practiced-smile that doesn't belong on her face with the way her eyes remain wide and panicked. ]

O-Oh! A-Ahaha... s-sorry about that... t-that was a pretty um... g-gruesome memory, huh...?

[codicies]

[ Dylan has NO idea what the best course of action is. He's generally not a fan of trying to ignore someone's pain in the name of "positive thinking," as so many of the adults in his life had done to him growing up.

He doesn't quite understand what had overtaken Hibiki, but it reminded him of when Carnage had nearly done the same to him — imprisoned his consciousness in a corner of the hivemind and nearly engulfed his body. But he doesn't have time to explain Carnage right now, and besides, that's probably not what she needs to hear right now.

He thinks back to the words of support Spider-Man had given him at one of his lowest points, and supposes maybe Hibiki needs a similar approach. ]

That looked...

[ Scary? Awful? He tries to think of a word that couldn't be misconstrued as a judgment on her, instead of the experience she went through.

Slowly, gently, Dylan reaches forward and gently touches her trembling left hand. ]

...painful. The whole thing, not just... the start.

It's okay to still be upset about it. You know that, right?

[ Okay, not the most eloquent speech in the world, but he's still pretty new at this. ]

[determinationtofist]

[ Her hand flinches at the touch, but brings it back after a moment. ]

I-I...

[ She remembers it vividly. Even if she was incredibly fortunate and ended up growing a new arm to replace the lost one, it remains a vivid memory in her mind. The pain had been so sharp, so unlike anything she had ever felt before, that it felt like she had forgotten how to even scream in the face of it. She'd gone into shock, frankly.

Then everything just... went dark. Like she was trapped in a cage of her own rage and it was slowly closing in on her, getting darker and darker.

He's right. It was painful. ]

I-It was a long time ago! I'm fine! I-It's fine... I-I'm just... surprised to get reminded all of a sudden... b-besides! Look! I still have my arm! I-It's not like everyone gets to just... grow back a new arm, right?

[codicies]

Maybe. But it's not like everyone gets to experience losing their arm in the first place, either. Just because other people are hurting doesn't mean you're hurting any less, right?

I can't imagine what you're feeling right now, but I'm pretty sure that smile isn't it.

[ He leans in a little closer, so their foreheads are almost touching. ]

We're friends, right? So you don't have to lie to me, even if you think you're protecting my feelings.

[determinationtofist]

[ Hibiki meets his gaze with wide eyes, her cheeks turning a little flushed at his forehead being so close to hers, but... ]

A-Ahaha... I must be seriously rattled if I'm that easy to read...

[ She says it jokingly, but his words really did bring some level of relief. ]

But seriously, I'm fine... it was a long time ago, I just... don't think I could have ever expected seeing it happen again like that! I just... need a moment, is all...

[codicies]

Okay. If you say so.

And for what it's worth, I know a little bit about... going a little crazy. So if you need someone to talk to about that, too...

[determinationtofist]

Mm, thanks, Dylan...

[ She really does appreciate the thought, she does. ]

Still, it seriously should be fine. The only reason I could go berserk like that before was because I was fusing with relic fragments in my chest, and I don't have that in my chest anymore, so...

[ She shouldn't end up losing control like that on her own or anything, thankfully. At least, that's what she hopes. ]