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.





eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (SG - ha ha whaaaaaat)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-08-28 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Huh? Because there's work to do! People to save!

[ and because she has to concentrate on freelance work during the day in order to pay rent! It's hard making a living, okay! But that's getting back into 'secret identity' territory, sooo.... ]

Why're you up?
robintohood: ([D] Bittersweet)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-08-28 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[Shrugs]

The same as you. It's been worse than usual down there.

[Jason gestures down at the streets]
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (SG - oh jeez oh no)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-01 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ Doreen looks down, and grimaces. ]

God, no kidding. I hope things calm down soon, but in the meantime all we can really do is damage control.
robintohood: ([D] Last to hurt)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-01 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah. That's all I've been able to do so far. We can't last like this for too long so hopefully the guilds say something.
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (SG - that's actually really plausible?)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-02 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
Are you with one of the guilds, or are you kickin' it solo?
robintohood: ([D] Couple of walking armories)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-02 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
[Scoffs]

Well I'm not Alliance. I can tell you that much.
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (SG - actually...)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-02 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I kinda figured, they don't seem like they'd be down with firearms.

[ After a few seconds, she realizes how absolutely suspicious this line of questioning probably sounds, and gives a guilty start. ]

I'm not either! I mean, I'm not fishing for info. Just curious, everyone has different opinions on the whole guild situation, you know?
robintohood: ([D] Bittersweet)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-02 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
[Jason looks back at Doreen in mild surprise. He was so sure she was an Alliance member]

Yeah, I think I get it. How come you're not in a guild?
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (SG - oh jeez oh no)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-02 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
I just...

[ She gives it a few moments of thought, and finally shrugs. ]

Not gonna lie, I've thought about it, but they seem kinda sketchy? I dunno. I feel like they aren't being honest about things, and they seem more concerned with their own hype than actually getting people home.
robintohood: ([D] Last to hurt)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-02 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
[Nods]

That's part of why I haven't bothered with them. They seem too eager into getting people to know.
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (SG - hmmmm)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-05 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, it's a little suspicious. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the hotel and the credit card, but their approach seems a lot more "guess what, you live here now and also work for us!" than anything else. You shouldn't need a sponsorship to help people.
robintohood: ([D] Bittersweet)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-05 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah. It's almost like we're being punished for wanting to do our own thing. Back home, we have teams but you can still function as a solo vigilante if you wanted to.
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (sg - we can talk this out!)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-06 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
Right? It's the same with my world! There are perks to joining a team, sure, but they're optional. Every time someone's tried to set up some kind of mandatory registry situation, things have gone way off the rails.
robintohood: ([D] The real me)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-06 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
How bad does it get?
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (squirrelgirl119)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-06 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ Doreen has to give this a moment's thought. She'd been sixteen when the whole superhero registry 'civil war' situation had broken out, and the team that she'd just joined had signed on immediately - she was the new kid, plus she'd been underage, so she'd just gone along with it. But when she thinks of the event that kicked off the whole debacle, when she thinks about how poor Robbie had taken the fall for it... her usually sunny expression clouds over. ]

... Pretty damn bad. A lot of good people got hurt.

[ She swore!! That's how bad it was! ]
robintohood: ([D] Bittersweet)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-06 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
[It's small but Jason doesn't miss Doreen's pause]

All because they didn't wanna get with the program?
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (SG - back to work)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-06 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah. And because people were scared and stupid, and didn't think to sit down and talk things out like friggin' adults.
robintohood: ([D] Last to hurt)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-06 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
[Scoffs]

Why talk when you wanna control everybody? That's usually what it comes down to, even if they realize it.
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (squirrelgirl116)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-06 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
It... it was one of those situations where both sides had sorta valid points at first, but they ended up taking things to extremes before they could actually talk about them, and everything got way out of hand. By the end of it, people who wouldn't sign up were being put in jail.
robintohood: ([D] Bittersweet)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-06 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
And since these are superheroes we're talking about, they didn't go to just any ordinary prison.
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (SG - wut)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-07 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
... Yeah. Yeah, that about sums it up. One man's prison is another man's Negative Zone.
robintohood: ([D] Last to hurt)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-07 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
Sounds real friendly with a name like that.
eatsnutsandkicksbutts: (squirrelgirl126)

[personal profile] eatsnutsandkicksbutts 2022-09-07 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
It's about as nice as it sounds, although a lot of it's unexplored territory.
robintohood: ([D] Bittersweet)

[personal profile] robintohood 2022-09-07 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Well that's reassuring.