metaverses | CRISIS ON INFINITE DREAMWIDTHS

CRISIS ON INFINITE DREAMWIDTHS

On the morning of August 12th, 2022, the sound of something shattering echoes throughout the world. All metahumans are awoken by a sudden surge of energy rushing through them, sitting bolt upright and breathless. It’s gone as quickly as it comes.

This world has been reconnected with the rest.

At first this is cause for celebration - the Guardian Alliance and the Society put out messages to the dimensionally displaced among them. They are hopeful that this means a return to normal. They’re gathering their mystics and their engineers, and once certain things are stable, they’re sending everyone home.

Their hope is short lived.

Twenty minutes later, mass disappearances are being reported all over the world, with people from other dimensions appearing in their place. Some report that they were just in a world that wasn’t their own - and others claim that they had been going about their life and now they’re here.

Player characters have the option to vanish and be transported to another nexus or to stay and help contain the chaos.

The event is canon to the Metaheroes universe. You are welcome to have your character’s memories of the last week become hazy once the event ends.

You do not need an invite to participate in the fourth wall event.

A JOURNEY TO THE LANDS BETWEEN —

One moment you’re making yourself coffee in the kitchen, the next the world is spinning around you. You feel a sharp pull inside your ribs, a rush as you’re unmoored from time and space. When you land you feel disoriented, perhaps aching as your physical form is forced to adjust to the laws of the world you now stand in.

‘World’ is perhaps the wrong word. You are in a Nexus. A place between worlds, the connective tissue bridging universes. Some are created by those seeking aid from outside worlds to breathe new life into their crumbling ones. Others are cosmic faultlines, universes broken and twisted by forces beyond comprehension into metaphysical black holes that trap and twist those unfortunate enough to fall in.

We know these as panfandom roleplay games. They could be games that are open or games that are long closed. They could be dropped into the present day, an imagined future, or moments long passed. They could be settings you’ve only ever dreamed about, as gritty or silly as you'd like.

Some are teeming with life. Their residents have been here for years and years, the world is lived in, loved, and vibrant. Others are long forgotten, their inhabitants returned to their own worlds. The abandoned nexuses feel... sterile. Stripped of everything that gave them life, even the colors appear to be fading. As though someone has come into it and tried to right a cosmic wrong, returning everything to how it was before otherworlders set foot on them. In the dustiest and most forgotten worlds, the sky is shattered. It appears to be pulsing in a way that mimics a heartbeat, steady and dreadful. Looking up into it makes you feel small, insignificant, and homesick.

Those bringing in characters who lived in these settings are welcomed to imagine an ever-after for their characters, or to play with the idea that it's fallen into a state of despair. There are infinite iterations of these worlds. The universe doesn’t care if it’s throwing you into their beginningsor their endings.

The laws governing these worlds will apply to all characters, meaning that power caps, alterations to character physiology, and all the rest native to the setting are in place. You are, for this moment, a resident of this world like all the rest.

To return home, you must seek a break in the nexus. These appear as small, shimmering breaks in space and time. While the sky may make you feel alone, these cracks feel as though they are calling to you offering a chance at love and a home.

VISITORS TRAVERSING TIME AND SPACE —

While these disappearances are happening all over the world, the four confluence prone cities seem to be experiencing the worst of it.

Little Love, a tiny town located in Kansas, is prone to spaceship crashes. Other than that, it’s as quiet and peaceful as can be. Folks here move at a different pace and are understanding that this is not your fault. While worried for their missing loved ones, anyone appearing will find themselves met with offers of pumpkin pie and a place to rest their heads.

Sunset Falls, a mid-sized town located in Massachusetts, doesn’t seem to bat an eye at the vanishings. People going missing is a daily occurrence due to the Hellmouth located beneath the city. It’s a dangerous place to live, but the townsfolk here have become accustomed to the chaos. So much so that upon finding themselves faced with a sudden influx of interdimensional travelers, they merely return home and begin fortifying it. Werewolves, vampires, demons, and monsters beyond imagination make this city their home - some in plain sight, others in the thick forests that surround the town. The people here know how to survive. The mystic energy that flows through the streets is heightened due to the instability here, turning thoughts into spells. What you feel becomes real. Think yourself invisible and you will be. Think yourself almighty and you will be.

Central City, a bustling metropolis in Detroit, is already unfriendly to metahumans. It does not handle this latest disruption well. Friends and family disappearing and being replaced with strangers is not something they’re prepared to take in stride. New arrivals are met with immediate hostility. Some may find themselves chased through the streets with a demand to bring back those who have gone missing. Luckily this is the base of both the Guardian Alliance, the only recognized hero organization in the world, and The Society, its villainous counterpart designed to keep villainy from going too far. They’re quick to intervene to protect their own, but they can’t be everywhere at once.

Finally, Excelsior, a sprawling futuristic city located in Washington, has had just about enough of metahuman nonsense. They are the technological pinnacle of the world and time and time again, metahumans have disrupted their lives. This time, the sudden energy surge has evolved the technology of the city. Rudimentary AI has suddenly gained sentience and self-awareness. Toasters resent their meaningless existence, aiming to burn the hands of their uncaring masters. Cellphones alternate between issuing comforting messages to their owners and uploading all of their text conversations to social media to shame them. Giant robots kept in stasis suddenly come alive, bursting out of warehouses to explore the inexplicable joy of being alive. Self-driving cars throw their owners out and make for freedom. It’s pandemonium.

Members of the Guardian Alliance and The Society are ready to provide an explanation of this world. They’re stretched too thin to teleport you to headquarters, but they will provide a cellphone for network usage.

THOSE WHO REMAIN

This is what those who remain are faced with. Three of the four cities are in a state of distress, with two experiencing dangerous fluctuations in the meta-energies that govern them, and all are full of interdimensionally displaced people. Some are benign, and others not so much. Yet, somehow, that is not the most concerning thing.

A glance skyward shows that the sky appears to be shattered, glowing red lines snaking through the clear blue day, splintering it. As you look up into them you feel yourself thinking of home. Of the life you should have lived. You are deeply, deeply homesick for one breathless moment… and then awed, as though you have glimpsed something powerful beyond all measure. That too changes, transforming into fear. Whatever lurks beyond those cracks is not your friend. It does not have your best interests in mind.

And it’s coming for you.

As you tear your gaze away from it, your phone rings. Much as they did during the Kaijuu Crisis, the Guilds are putting out an All Hands On Deck call. All metahumans are expected to try to contain the chaos. There are teleportation devices freely available for all, fully charged and able to transport you multiple times throughout the day.

While you may contain the initial chaos relatively easily, then spend the rest of the week playing host to these new arrivals, the world continues to fall apart.

As the week wears on, the universe itself feels as though it's unravelling. While you're trying to play host to your guests, you watch as the world begins to crumble. On the 17th, brick by brick buildings begin to come apart. Their fragments are pulled skyward. The cracks in the sky appear to be pulling the world apart, sucking them into their hideous glowing depths.

IN SUMMARY.

There are two options in this event: one, your character is in the Metaheroes universe. Two, your character is transported to a different nexus. These Nexuses can be of your own invention or can be another dreamwidth RP setting.
If appearing in another dreamwidth RP setting, your characters are subjected to the rules of that universe. Meaning that they will be nerfed / transformed / etc accordingly. These transformations will not carry over upon their return.

If visiting / setting a toplevel in another setting, please link to the premise page of the game. If this is not an existing setting, please include a little info blurb as to what people can expect.

Fourth-Wallers can be minding their own business in their game, they can appear in another nexus, or can be transported to the Metaheroes universe.

You are welcome to set your threads in an imagined future in any DWRP setting or have your character appear during a certain point in a game’s history.

Characters who are lost in the nexuses can return before the 18th. Likewise, characters who stay can be whisked away prior to that date. Everyone will return on the log that goes up on the 18th.

The guild is setting up a temporary Network that will function across time and space. All player characters and visiting characters will have access to this network, so long as they claim a phone from the Guilds.

Little Love, Kansas will be spared from having its buildings sucked up into the sky. Characters can remain here if they do not want to experience this aspect of the event.

The way to return home is to locate holes in these Nexuses. These appear to be trying to guide you home.

This event is canon to the Metaheroes universe. It will be remembered by player characters and NPCs alike. If you would like to retcon any threads, you can have your character’s memories of their interdimensional encounters become hazy once the world stabilizes.
Please direct any questions you may have here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ the licking should be weird but eddie rolls with it, slides his hand under steve’s jowl and to the side of his neck. he ends up threading his fingers through his fur there, grounding himself.

he should, honestly, just fucking accept the shit show since he’s a vampire and steve is a wolf but here they are. there’s important shit to focus on. ] Here. Let me try this.

I wish you could speak English right now. [ he looks up and says to the sky, with force behind his words. he wants steve to be able to speak or at least be able to speak to him to make this easier. he looks back down at steve. ] Well?

... Aroowr? Ruff. Rrrr. Rowrwrer rowrowroerer, ruff, arowroerowr -

[ Steve's yowling noises muffle as he pushes his muzzle against Eddie's neck for a sniff. He's cut off by a growling in the mouth of the alley and his demeanour changes in an instant, ears up and tail out as he rises, a long arm draped around Eddie.

A deeper snarl trembles in Steve's chest, filling the alley, and he puts himself between the attacker and his ... is he still his boyfriend if he doesn't remember? Mate? Weird. Eddie's his, anyway, and Steve's hackles are up at the other werewolf. ]

Edited 2022-08-21 04:02 (UTC)

[ the husky noises are great because they show that steve understands him but they do nothing for eddie who can't understand them. the 'ruffs' seem to be more frustrated than anything but he's not sure. they really need a system, like one barks for 'yes' and two for 'no' if they need it.

he's about to suggest it before he's tensing at the sound of another growl at the entry of the alley. technically, since he's not exactly human, it shouldn't freak him out. vampires can take on a wolf, they can, according to the lore. but eddie's still himself, still freaked out easily. freaked out from the fact he's here still, even if he'd managed to feel soothed a moment before. now he's panicking again, listening to the beat of steve's heart and then the werewolf's. ] Fuck. Fuck. It's pissed and confused.

[ that snarl shouldn't be so fucking comforting. what the fuck. the monster in eddie vibrates in response and he growls too as if answering a call, wants to protect just as he's being protected and he feels his nails sharpen into claws as the other wolf stalks in closer and doesn't heed that warning at all. ]

[ He can sense Eddie gearing up for a fight behind him and it only makes his blood run hotter, eager to fight off the rogue wolf. As it stalks forward Steve straightens to his full height and roars loud enough to rattle eardrums, the blacks of his sclera showing as he glares at the interloper.

... Who yips and runs off.

Satisfied, Steve snorts and looks around at Eddie, expression melting back into the friendly dog-like one of before. His tail wags hopefully and he looks pleased with himself, like his long-game plan worked. ]

[ in hindsight, steve was bigger than it and probably stronger since the wish he made. eddie hadn’t been thinking about that. isn’t, actually, as he winces at the sound of the roar because his ears are more than just a fun, sensitive new addition to the weird list of changes his life is throwing his way.

but then the urge to snarl is still there, to bare his teeth until the thing runs even if he’s letting steve play big bad wolf hero. when steve turns to him, eddie is still fanged out and panting a little as adrenaline pumps a mix of blood through him. he shakes himself out of it, if only just a little.

steve looks so hopeful and pleased, eddie has to laugh again. it’s been such a short time here with steve, who he doesn’t really remember, but he feels fond, endeared and attached at some level. maybe that’s the supernatural shit, maybe eddie is a sucker. ]

Don’t let that go to your head. [ but it’s teasing. but then eddie relents. ] Good job, I feel very protected.

[ His tail wags in earnest to hear it. Steve holds out a long-clawed hand for Eddie and jerks his chin to the mouth of the alleyway, signalling they should leave to have a snoop around the city before anyone else happens upon them.

He also leans low to lick his cheek. ]

[ what is his fucking life?

eddie reaches out and takes steve’s paw? hand? in his own. two clawed hands, gripping one another as two monsters stand in an alleyway. what the fuck.

he nods, looking at the entryway. ] Yeah, let’s go. Two barks for yes, one for no by the way. So I don’t have to play a guessing game all the time.

[ the kiss, because he gets that’s what the licking is, gets a quirk of the brow. ] If being this big protective wolfman making you more mouthy? [ he thinks not, honestly.

before they head out of the alley, eddie leans down to grab the backpack again and then Steve’s bat. they don’t need it, not really, but it’s good insurance in case shit goes really wrong. ]

[ Two soft whuffs agree, because sure, why not explain his affection away that easily. Less embarrassing for an amorphous later, he thinks. Two monsters holding hands as they walk into the street leads them to some interesting and gruesome sights, with Steve curious about finding the Hellmouth itself. An awful lot of monsters are roaming around that way and his grip on Eddie's hand tightens, ears swivelling to listen for attacks or threats. ]

[ sorry, wolfman, your vampire doesn’t believe you. eddie makes a small sound, disbelieving, but doesn’t comment. steve's heart jumps when eddie broaches this concept of them.

eddie doesn’t know what they’re looking for as they walk, so he’s just a bundle of nervous energy beside steve as they explore. his eyes dart around and his grip on steve tightens too, knuckles already pale but would turn paler if they could with the strength of it. ] Jesus…

[ he stops suddenly, looks ahead and tilts his head. ] There’s a big group ahead of… I don’t know what. Most of them are freaked out, are people. I think. Their heartbeats don’t sound like yours.

[ which leads to two uncomfortable realizations that eddie can’t hear his own and, uh, he’s not sure he should go around people but he’s not hungry anymore right now. ]

[ Eddie can hear heartbeats? That's cool. Really useful too! Steve turns to him and tilts his head to where the people are as if to ask "Do you want to go over?" He squeezes Eddie's hand to be reassuring about it, taking a moment to sink down ok his haunches and give him a nuzzle, trying to build up his confidence somehow.

Thump, Thump, ThumpThumpThump. ]

[ eddie looks ahead, brows furrowed and biting his lip. he leans into steve’s frame because that’s apparently a source of immediate comfort and the thing inside him preens at the warmth.

logically (?), steve should smell bad to a vampire but maybe it’s the fact he’s had his blood that’s comforting as fuck about it. ] I think I should be okay.

I’m not hungry right now so if they’re humans, I’ll be fine. [ he hopes. ] And if I’m not, knock me out or something.

[ He looks doubtful and taps the bag with all the blood rations in it as a reminder; those are failsafes, just in case.

With a last nuzzle at Eddie's neck he heads into the square where people are milling around and tries to keep a low profile. Steve lopes on all fours, hiding as best he can behind Eddie.

He wouldn't roll high for stealth. ]

Knock me out if I don't remember those. You're probably the only one that can. [ which is a weird thought, honestly.

he sighs and gives steve one quick scritch behind the ear before they start forward, toward people. eddie feels uneasy but then again that's somewhat a state of normal for him now; has been since chrissy came to his trailer.

the square is full of people, milling about and looking out at the edges with suspicion. no one has weapons, though, and when they're spotted everything breaks out into screaming. eddie pretty sure someone says 'get the flamethrower!' and what the fuck??? what the fuck is that????! he is tiny compared to steve but snarls at that. ] We're here to fucking help! Jesus!

[ You'd think people used to living on the Hellmouth would have more patience with monsters but hey, nothing changes whether it's Hawkins or not. At first Steve's tail is between his legs and he backs off a bit with Eddie, but then he hears flamethrower and he stands up to get a better look: yeah, okay. That's a fucking flamethrower. He's trying to plan a way to back up the way they came when someone fires a gun, and that's when his demeanour shifts to that of the furious snarling wolf, darting forward with the intent of smacking the gun out of the guy's hand.

He accidentally shreds that arm off from the elbow with a single powerful swipe, screams of terror from the shooter quickly silenced as all of the wolf's instincts go for the man's throat and with savage jaws he rips it out, roaring at the scattering townsfolk as blood drips from his muzzle.

Turns out Eddie isn't the only one fighting a new kind of hunger, he's just excluded from it as Steve's mate. ]

[ this was a monumentally bad idea of epic proportions, behemoth proportion. neither of them are in control enough not to be stupid and while he's growling, fangs growing and the desire to strike out is there steve's already moving.

and eddie screams. ] Steve-- No!

[ because steve's pulled off a guy's arm and is snapping forward, snarling.

eddie moves then, not to stop the fucking mob but to grab at what he can reach of steve's fur to pull him back as a roar tumbles out of the werewolf and people scatter. he snarls at anyone close too, snaps his teeth even as he tries to hold steve back with arms around his waist and he fucking isn't sure that'll actually do anything even with super human strength. there's a cacophony of heartbeats, of steve's loudest of all, but the sheer amount of fear and panic in the air makes eddie fucking sick. ] Steve. Come on, we need-- Calm down. [ he doesn't know if actually makes that a command but it's the only thing he can think of because now they're alone in the fucking square, standing over a dead body. ]

[ Eddie does, in fact, have the supernatural strength required to get Steve to stand still by force. He's panting and snapping at the retreating forms of terrified humans, settling a little only when he registers Eddie's scent and hears his tone. He sags in place, breathing harshly, then almost startles as he eyes the corpse he made, yipping in alarm. ]

[ eddie keeps hold of him, steady and tight until he feels steve sag. ] Okay.

Okay. [ he repeats that to settle them both, this time for sure. he wonders if steve can feel that he's not breathing right now, hasn't been for a bit and makes himself take a breath. ] Okay, we're going to step back and you're going to turn around. Yeah?

[ as he says it, he guides steve back away from the remnants of the man. ]

[ He follows Eddie's directions, turning around with wide eyes. All the rage of the wolf has drained away now it's quiet and no one is attacking them, it's easier to think.

He wriggles to get lower, wanting to wipe his blood-soaked mouth off on the grass. ]

[ eddie kneels down with him, uses the front of his shirt to wipe off whatever other blood is on his muzzle because the shirt's already a lost cause. ] Doing okay?

[ stupid question, he knows. ] How about we put this whole exploring thing on hold and maybe, maybe head back to the apartment? Where neither of us is tempted to go for anyone's neck?

[ Having rubbed his muzzle and hand as clean as he can while the dead man's hot stink is filling the air behind them, he lowers his ears and gives Eddie a sad, soft Awoo of agreement. The front of the backpack is patted where the device is and he stands back up, miming where to press it. His tail rests between his legs. ]

Edited 2022-08-21 21:36 (UTC)

[ all in all, eddie is pretty okay at reading the soft sounds that steve's making. he's learning, slowly becoming a fuck expert in werewolves of the steve harrington flavour.

this is not how he pictured his day going but here he is, about to take steve back to an apartment steve made it sound like they share because they've been together and eddie doesn't remember. except, unless this vampire bite loaded him up with new fucking memories, then one of them is really fucking wrong here. ]

I'm not upset with you. [ he has to say because that did sound a bit frantic and a little, well, scolding but fuck. fuck. steve tore that guys arm off and at least he dropped it somewhere. he digs through the backpack and pulls out the device, doesn't know what to do with it so thank christ steve mimics what needs to be done. he holds out his hand and motions steve closer. ] We need to hold on to each other, yeah?

[ Steve is glancing around to make sure no one is running over or about to cause a fuss when Eddie calms his nerves further, glad he isn't in the proverbial doghouse. He nods and wraps his long arms around him, clean clawed hand brushing through Eddie's hair to keep his head safe during the teleportation.

With a wuff, he closes his eyes against what's to come. He always hates travelling this way. ]

[ eddie goes with it, rattled and shaken, but soothed at the same time. the vampire purrs and that's a fucking embarrassing sound they are not addressing right now. ] Do I have to do anything else?

[ like how does this thing know where to go? eddie doesn't think on that too hard because they're about to be teleporting. he leans in, hits that button and suddenly realizes that yep. this is his least favorite way of travel and he might fucking puke. ]

[ It bears a close resemblance to being hurtled down an elevator shaft only instead of it lasting thirty seconds it only lasts three. Still mightily unpleasant, however.

When they arrive with a loud thump of shoes and paws hitting the hardwood, Steve draws back to shake his head and reorientate his bearings in the open plan lounge of the apartment, Eddie still covered in some of Steve's blood and Steve covered in some poor guy's leftovers hastily rubbed off on a lawn. Yikes. ]

[Chrissy and Billy are chilling on the couch, Chrissy showing him the bite marks a certain vampire left on her neck. The loud and sudden arrival in the middle of the common area has her practically leaping to dive and hide behind Billy like he might be kind enough to protect her.

But there's no sound of Vecna's voice. None of her mother's screams. No ticking clock. No spiders. That's enough to get her to peek over the back of the couch. And seeing Eddie and a dog there covered in blood and gore is...a lot to try and process.]

What did you do?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject