metamods: (Default)
meta moderators ([personal profile] metamods) wrote in [community profile] metaverses2022-08-12 08:01 pm

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.





robintohood: ([RH] First mistake)

2

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-08-21 01:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's the evening of August 16th and Jason is once again in his Red Hood suit trying to subdue angry mobs and rescuing metas caught in the crossfire. It's his birthday but that doesn't mean the chaos the city's going through has stopped.

He's used to the dark and the dangers that come from the work he does but the past several days have been feeling particularly taxing. It's easy to punch and shoot criminals. But safely subduing regular civilians demanding answers and looking for an outlet for fear and anger? That's more difficult.

Feeling that this is going to be another long night, Jason decides to stop by a convenience store for an energy drink and maybe a snack or two.

He steps into the store and stops in his tracks when he sees Robbie in costume chugging down a drink already]

You too huh?
an_extra_hour: (speedball - 014)

Re: 2

[personal profile] an_extra_hour 2022-10-10 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
[He makes an affirming noise around a mouthful of water, but doesn't stop chugging until all the water is gone. Then he sits heavily on a little stack of 12-packs of soda, puts the coffee and empty bottle down and opens a bag of trail mix.]

[ He finally talks. ]

I'm definitely running on empty.

[His kinetic field would still protect him, but being able to use it for anything else started to get impossible.]

Buuut that's usually how it goes with these big semi-apocalyptic crises. You just have to tough it out helping the people you can until the big guns do the fixing.
robintohood: ([RH] First mistake)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-10-10 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Jason nods as he browses through the aisle for a snack. He's not a big-time hero like a Justice Leaguer so just focusing on the civilians is the best he can do for now]

Those big guns better show up soon. The rest of us can't keep up with this forever.
an_extra_hour: (speedball - 015)

[personal profile] an_extra_hour 2022-10-10 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Robbie nods heavily to that, too.]

This world at least seems to have its own Avengers. You know, not counting all the people who signed on after being tossed through time and space in some kind of excellent adventure or bogus journey.

People that actually know what's going on.

[He looks out at the chaos outside the store's windows.]

At least I hope someone else can step up.

[He doesn't exactly have a strong history of always handling it well when he's in the hot seat. He just...doesn't want to be the guy everyone pins their hopes on. It was different, in the early days, when the team had more focus. when they fought threats to all of reality like the Sphinx. His track record now?]

[Not great. Failures and near-failures where it took someone like Vance showing up in the clinch. Robbie was never that eleventh hour miracle and probably never would be.]

[No, he knew himself. If it all came down to him, he'd probably choke.]
robintohood: ([RH] Got it?)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-10-10 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
Someone has to. There's too much at stake.

[He plucks off the rack an energy bar and then checks for energy drinks in the fridge]

Wouldn't hurt if we had some more Justice Leaguers around.

[Jason then looks at Robbie]

How're you holding up?

[Jason hasn't forgotten what they've gone through together nor the emotional turmoil Robbie's experienced. It's strange how much their relationship has shifted in a relatively short amount of time. It feels weird to call each other friends. But it also feels weird not to ask how the other has been doing]
an_extra_hour: (speedball - 005)

[personal profile] an_extra_hour 2022-10-10 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
[He's about to ask about the Justice League and use whatever he learns to make some cracks about the Avengers but then Jason has to go and be thoughtful.]

[Normally, he'd joke around and play things off but he knows the place it's coming from. That it's coming from a sincere place. Jason has a lot of reasons to put up a tough front. It'd feel like slapping his hand away to not deal with that with some gentleness.]

Okay. I've been okay. [For a given value of okay. The most okay he ever gets, at least.] You?

[Just asking how each other how the other is like it's not the possible end of the world.]
robintohood: ([RH] You and your toys)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-10-10 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, it's an answer at least. "Okay" is good given their current situation]

Not bad, all things considered. Still alive and in one piece so far. That's my birthday present for myself.

[It just slips out without much thought and it's another example of Jason using his snarky sense of humor as a defense and as a way to navigate through life. He's still surprised by the gifts his siblings had given him earlier. It's not something he thought would ever happen given what he's done in the past.

He then goes to the cashier to order a black coffee]
an_extra_hour: (speedball - 005)

[personal profile] an_extra_hour 2022-10-10 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
It's your birthday?

[That gives Robbie time to think. Maybe everything's crazy right now, and they can't really waste anymore time than a few minutes to refuel. But it only takes a second to snag two things near the register and pay after Jason is finished paying.]

[He turns away and there's the sound of wrappers being torn and then he tosses them into the trash.]

I have a feeling if I go in for any birthday punches I'll lose a hand, and now's not exactly the time to go hunting for a sheet cake, so here.

[He wheels around and holds up a twinkie with a candle in it.]

Next best thing.

[The candle's not even lit. They don't have time for that.]
robintohood: ([RH] Haven't lost the touch)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-10-10 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[Jason turns around with his coffee and then stops when he sees Robbie's improv birthday gift. His helmet is hiding his surprised expression. Offering a Twinkie with a candle is a silly gesture but after knowing Robbie as well as he does, Jason appreciates the sentiment.

Plus, given his previous birthdays and how today has been going so far, things could be much worse. It could even be argued today's a good day if Jason ignores having to calm down angry mobs and rescuing other Metas]

Heh. You really know how to make a guy feel special.

[It's another snarky remark but one made in lighthearted jest instead of insulting]

Mind if we all take this outside? Central's got plenty of good rooftops to perch on.
Edited 2022-10-10 22:42 (UTC)