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➢ This is part one of our Starstruck event. At this stage, we are asking that everyone make a choice: Will their character head to the past to make a change to the timeline, or will they remain in the future and hope for the best? It's possible that "hoping for the best" aligns with the thought of spending as much time as possible with loved ones before you're wiped away. That's a very distinct possibility. Otherwise, they may stay in the future to try to guide the people in the past: letting them know what changes are good or bad for the future. Or if the world looks like it's about to explode. That helps, too.
➢ The next log will be posted on September 20, 2023 and will take place on April 2, 1985. We will have an event plotting post going live for this on September 8th.
➢ The majority of the groundwork for this event will take place in 1985 and there will be no immediate way for characters to return to the future, or characters from the future to head to the past. We will work with anyone who wants to create a new link between the past and present to make sure the best future is brought about. Either way, once the door shuts, Willow Maiden is tapped out of all of her energy.
➢ Depending on player actions, there is a very strong chance that the world of 2023 will be radically altered by the actions of the past. We won't be completely changing the setting, but may apply changes to better align with the needs of the current game population.
➢ However, a few things that are up in the air: the Godfall event could be prevented, Chaos Gate could be the big bad of 1985, and the world's perception of metas and meta powers could be radically changed.
You are in a forest, lush and evergreen. The sky above you is dark and infinite, but when you stare into it you feel only the rush of possibility. The trees wave to you in the breezeless meadow and you know it's not simply the wind. They are welcoming you to their home and hoping you feel welcome here too.
And then they gestured to the weathered path stretching out before you into the thicker part of the woods.
As you walk it, the line between leaves and stars begins to blur.
The Willow Maiden is the sun of this small universe and she smiles at your approach. Her wooden face is stiff and still, but you feel her joy nonetheless. She is as proud of you as a parent, and so glad you heeded her call… whether you meant to or not.
We haven't much time, she says, her like a soft bell ringing gently inside your mind. I had hoped we would speak again before She found her way here, but her loyalists ensured I did not have the strength. Now what I have left is given to keeping this world alive, and to keeping her out… But still, I wanted to speak with you - all of you - before what's next comes to pass. This world is at a crossroads, and what you do next will determine both its future… and its past.
You have lived this day a number of times. Infinite branching timelines, each with different choices. Some of you will remember all in the weeks to come, others will not. This is not the first time I tell you that new stars are falling today but it will be the last… at least, in this world as it is now.
An image fills your mind and you wonder if you've looked up to the stars above you. After a while, they reveal a young woman – Chaos Gate – who emanates with grief and an intense energy that feels as if it's been sucked out of the world around her. The Willow Maiden imparts a meaning to what you're seeing: Chaos Gate attempting to rewrite history, hoping to destroy what she once helped create.
I cannot stop her from entering the past. The Willow Maiden says. And there will be a precious few moments after she crosses that it will remain open. You must follow her into the past and stop her from ripping the world asunder in her pain. The past is malleable, but not in the way that she intends. Not with the power that she's wielding.
The Willow Maiden looks at you, and you feel her hope. She wants you to help – to make things different from how they will be if Chaos Gate's grief is allowed to reign supreme. Or different from how they might be even without that.
Then you wake up wherever you are just as the gray fingers of dawn begin to stretch through the sky.
11:58 PM, SEPTEMBER 1ST 2023, CENTRAL CITY, MICHIGAN .Everyone receives Willow Maiden's message.
But not everyone falls from the sky, as if shuffled from one reality to another. That experience belongs to the newcomers who have fallen from the sky time and time again; the dream, however, only occurs before the final instance of flight down to the area below. As if prepared by the dream from Willow Maiden or otherwise, everyone is called out to help, ready to use whatever powers or technology still functions in this world to provide a soft landing.
Down below, a Confluence seems to start: an abrupt whirlwind of energy. The time: 11:58 PM. A gentle voice guides anyone who's come to the site toward the doorway that opens before Chaos Gate. It's distant, strained, but if you reach into the recesses of your sleepy mind, you'll realize that it belongs to Willow Maiden. She needs your help. She needs you to go forward and follow Chaos Gate.
Though the answer isn't apparent or obvious, you might know one thing for sure: whatever you're witnessing caused the repeated days, like time was forced on repeat while Willow Maiden protected the arrivals of newcomers and sought a solution for the chaos that could erupt. If she hadn't done this, this world would be done. Over. You don't know what that means, but you know that this isn't a theoretical feeling. Chaos Gate will destroy the world. Something must be done. Willow Maiden herself can't find the words or the strength to tell you as much, but it's imprinted on your mind. You know.
Now you have a choice: head into the doorway that Willow Maiden has opened, or stay behind. Some others have arrived there and may need some help in getting acclimated. More than that, their arrival, without knowledge of where or why they're there, can disrupt the timeline in unexpected ways. But disruptions aren't as bad as complete obliteration. Willow Maiden believes it's a risk that's worth taking.
There is a sense that this choice must be made here. Willow Maiden only has so much strength to prevent any further passage of time. This door will close soon.
11:58 PM, MARCH 17, 1985, CENTRAL CITY, MICHIGANAlthough many new arrivals may recall 2023, they may wake from their repeated dream in the 1980s. The atmosphere is completely different: a handful of people shuffle by in leg warmers. On the other side of the street, there are a few guys who look like they're right out of a Van Halen music video. But more obvious than anything is this: it's not Halloween at all. Between the cars, the advertisements, and everything in between, someone can readily pick out one truth: it's the 1980s. 1985 to be exact.
Unlike the arrivals in the future, these arrivals are a lot softer: vines reach out to set arrivals down on the ground. The vines themselves are shaky in their grip, as if whatever strength they're holding on to is rapidly slipping away. Inwardly, you have an answer for this: her time is slipping away. And she is the tree-like woman from your dreams, warning you about a devastating possibility in a world where you've just arrived (or feel as if you've just arrived).
Just as a car peels down the street burning rubber, everything abruptly stops. Lighting streaks the sky overhead, and a gateway opens nearby. Someone steps out and then disappears, but the door doesn't close. Here, there is a choice, arising unbidden in your mind: stay here and help or head through the portal and wait. There is a sense that this decision needs to be made now. Whatever strength the Willow Maiden has is abruptly slipping away.
Once that choice is made and everyone has decided, the gate between 1985 and 2023 will close. Whatever will be will be.
For better or worse.
MARCH 18-APRIL 1st 1985, EVERYWHEREOnce the portal closes, everyone left in 1985 will be very aware that they are stuck in this past. Any power or ability to move through time will be barred, almost as if that's just out of reach. That doesn't mean it can't be regained or found. The power is simply lacking an energy source. Even in this neck of the timeline, Chaos Gate is sucking up all the energy around her; her grief acts like a parasite on the meta energy of this world.
➢ Any technology brought from the future to the past won't work. Any cellphones and other devices are right out the window (including any teleporters). Instead, people can cook up alternative means of communication. Or they can rely on snail mail. You do you. Travel to other cities will need to involve flight (if someone can fly or planes), powers, cars, trains, and anything else that comes to mind.
➢ Chaos Gate has disguised herself in this past. Through some inklings left in your memories, you'll know that Chaos Gate wants to eradicate the cult that caused a heap of problems in the future – as well as fight and destroy the god behind it all. Even if the Shining God probably deserves a punching or three, destroying her is very bad.
➢ A teen vigilante named Starstruck is the most powerful meta in this timeline. Despite his intense power levels, he's doing a lot of good in this world and has gained a lot of fame as a result. If anyone wishes to seek out Starstruck and get a sense for him, they're free to! This can happen in the NPC ENGAGEMENT thread.
➢ Savvy onlookers will also notice a group of individuals who always seem to be circulating around where Starstruck helps out citizens. While presenting as fans of his, they have ulterior motives – namely, they're planning these crimes to involve Starstruck so that they can get a good read on his abilities. A small handful of them will have a familiar emblazoned sun on them.
➢ There are, of course, villains all around Central City. This is before the crime syndicates had their grip on the city, so there is a lot of chaos that goes on in the darker parts of the city. There is a lot of corruption within the local government, leaving the city ripe for the taking for would-be villains. Feel free to make up bad guys to keep from causing trouble or to dig into the backstory of, as it might link back to the present in some way.
➢ Younger versions of a wide variety of NPCs can be found HERE if they want to be sought out for answers. Thanks to the weirdness of superpowers, they'll be more open-minded to the predicament than one might expect of a stranger approaching another stranger.
➢ All other world engagements can be brought to QUESTIONS & ENGAGEMENT. These will be addressed quicker than our usual engagements, given they are event-related.
no subject
His hand slides behind him, and while it hadn't been there before - he's pulling a bow around himself, along with a quiver full of arrows. Enchanted by Eros himself, the quiver will never empty, and the bow will never break as long as it remains in Diana's hands. "These cannot be stopped by magical means, which may come of use to you when facing her." It's not an ideal means of handling the problem at hand, but it is an option. "Not even the gods themselves are impervious to my arrows."
His attention shifts back to the map, unfolding it to spread it over the table. Eros slides his palm over the parchment, and one light appears, burning bright on the paper. He points to it, just outside of Central City. Checking in with Bruce will show that the location is the same as Neil Perkins' house. "This is where you'll find her, when the time is right." Not now, but now isn't an option.
no subject
Perhaps, with Eros behind her, she may yet be able to reach Chaos Gate's poor broken heart and begin the long process of mending it. Lifting her head, she stands and retrieves the map; slings the quiver over her shoulder. "And thank you, also, for the tea. It was lovely."
no subject
Eros sounds pleased enough with the way this meeting has gone. She stands and retrieves her things, and he moves to begin cleaning up the tea and remaining shortcakes. He does pause, plate in hand, to hum softly, "I'm sure you are aware holding the title of my champion will mean more than just having my weapons and tools. I'll be keeping watch over you, but the time may come when I require your help in return."
no subject
There's every chance Eros will want to keep her here for that whole time; she has to hope he will not.