♥ October (Lasohm) Fourth Wall Log

[hugtopiamods]

October (Lasohm) Fourth Wall Log

❥ Speaking of Wall Breaking...

The ghosts in town sure are weird, huh? But they're settling down, as the month draws to a close. They're becoming less anxious and random, their behaviour growing sort of… focused. As time passes some of them begin to develop features. They can interact with the world more consistently. You can… hear their voice.

And then suddenly they are people, real and physical and just as confused to be here as you are. They could be anyone, from your world, someone else's world, a place you've never heard of… some of them could even be you, from a different universe, a different timeline, an unknown reality. What does all this mean?

IT'S FOURTH WALL, Y'ALL. Tell your friends, people interested in apping or just playing around in the setting, anybody! Time to break the wall down and have some fun.

This post serves as a replacement for the usual Test Drive Meme, in order to consolidate the chaos a bit. Though it is being posted now, timeline-wise, this shift will occur ONLY during the weekend prior to applications opening: October 30th to November 2nd, after which point characters will either disappear or become permanent residents via the application process. This also means that the rest of the event effects will have worn off, and characters will be their normal selves through the duration of this prompt.

Some ground rules for the 4th Wall event:

For characters/accounts not in-game:

• a character does not have to meet application qualifications to post to the 4th Wall Event, except in cases where there is an intent to apply when applications open. Duplicates, CRAU, AU, etc. are permitted for the event.
  
• we do ask that crack shenanigans are reasonably limited, game rules are followed, and that the event involve characters only, not players or real people.
  
• anyone can toplevel! It'll be a free for all. Go wild, have fun.
  
• characters will be given a temporary, low-tech communicator for the duration of the event with limited network access, due to limited availability of the real deal.
  
• you will not arrive with any items/companions beyond the clothes that you wear
  
• check out the Setting or FAQ pages for location details! Also, have a look at the October event log, to see what else is going on these days.

For characters/accounts currently in-game:

• players can decide for themselves at the event's conclusion whether or not memories of certain visitors remain, and to what extent; memories could become fuzzy, faces or communication obscured, they could disappear entirely, or they can remain fully intact whether the person apps into the game or not.
  
• network communications with 4th Wall visitors that don't (or can't) app in will be wiped, with the locals citing a data error related to the older communicators being used. Technology can be unpredictable, huh!
  
• any communication exchanges that you WANT to keep can remain with some discretion; for example, if a spouse visits and you happen to take a selfie with them, and they do not (or cannot) app but having that photo of them would give you comfort, feel free to keep it.
  
• Similar to the TDM, 4th wall threads cannot be used for AC or AC Reward purposes unless it is between characters already in-game.
  

---

Click the above prompt to expand for details. Timeline-wise, this occurs October 30th to November 2nd. For players currently in-game, if you have any questions, please direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread on the original plotting post.

On this post, we've created both another Questions Thread and a Toplevel thread (see below) for visiting players, the latter so that anyone can track and see who's posted! When you've made a toplevel, feel free to comment HERE to let everyone know.

Comments

b AND HERE WE GO. cw: mental trauma in the thread because ouch.

[dontcallmebro]

I......[Oh look and here is a fellow dude with the similar glow in his eyes. Not that you will know who he is, Zack. However, he immediately freezes.

This guy....he looks a little younger than the memory Cloud saw. Maybe it's a different person. Who just happens to look alike. And happens to be a SOLDIER. A First Class one, given the uniform. Maybe he's not the guy Cloud somehow knew, even with all those coincidences.

Or at least that is what Cloud really wants to believe, anyway. He takes a deep breath, gathers his thoughts before replying in a measured voice.] You....just arrived here?

[f] to pay respects to sanity

[zacrifice]

[Whoa, hey, another SOLDIER! Not one Zack recognizes, and with kind of partial armor, but looks like a First Class as well, and he's not even a clone. Huh... he thought he knew all the 1sts that didn't abandon ship.]

Yeah! Just arrived today. Should I know you? I'm Zack.

Everything will hurt.

[dontcallmebro]

[Zack. Zack. That names definitely sounds familiar…

And as he thinks on this further, Cloud suddenly clasps his forehead as yet another agonizing headache comes.

He....he can't remember....and yet....there is this massive sadness in his heart once again. And he has no idea why.]

buddy...

[zacrifice]

Whoa, hey! You okay? Hang in there!

[Zack closes the distance between them to grab onto Cloud's shoulder, trying to support him in case he falls. He didn't see anything happen... maybe he's sick or something?]

[dontcallmebro]

[As his headache disappears, Cloud feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up.

Those eyes. They feel really familiar. Like Cloud gets the sense that at some point, in the past, they filled him with a sense of confidence and determination. And that thought makes him even sadder for some reason.

No, he doesn't know who this guy is. He can't....

He tries to pull away, looking shaken as he does so.] I-it's nothing. I'm good.

[zacrifice]

[Zack doesn't chase him, though he does withdraw his hand somewhat reluctantly. Something about this feels really weird, but he can't place it. They've never met before, right?]

You sure? Don't push yourself, buddy.

[dontcallmebro]

[He doesn't know this guy. He doesn't. And yet he feels such a mix of emotions at seeing him. Confusion, joy, and yet pain and fear.

It's not just that though.....he gets the sense that something terrible happened. Involving this guy. And the more he thinks about it...

Oh god, he's trembling really hard.]

[zacrifice]

[He is so so lost on what to do here. The guy says he's good, but he's clearly not good. He looks like he's about to pass out or something, and he-

-hang on. He's wearing-]

Where'd you get that sword?

[It's out before he can stop himself, realizing too late that this is not a good time to be asking questions. He can't help it, though. That's the Buster sword. That's Angeal's sword. Why does this strange SOLDIER have it?]

[dontcallmebro]

[The sword? That guy recognises it?

But....it's his. That sword is important to him. It's....

Bad move, Zack. Now Cloud is having another extremely painful headache.]

[zacrifice]

[....

You know what? He's... just gonna drag Cloud over to a convenient place to sit down (so he doesn't fall and hurt himself, SOLDIER or no) and park his butt nearby to wait it out and see what happens. It's obvious that his presence is not helping, but he can't just leave the poor guy alone. Especially not with Angeal's sword on his back.

Maybe the SOLDIER treatments didn't agree with him, or something? But someone with this bad a reaction wouldn't make it all the way to 1st... could be something else.]

[dontcallmebro]

[And Cloud allows himself to be taken to wherever he needs to be sat. It's strange but.....he feels he can trust this man, in spite of the fact he knows he probably shouldn't. After all, this guy still works for Shinra.

Nevertheless, he sits down, his eyes firmly shut, trying to wait out until the pain disappears.]

[zacrifice]

[Zack waits.


He waits a little more.


(He's bad at this.)


It's not like he counted how long it took, but his patience has never really been stellar, so after a short stretch of silence he rises and just... starts doing squats beside the bench while he waits it out. He won't speak or bother Cloud until he's ready.]

[dontcallmebro]

[Eventually, the pain in his head having finally died down, Cloud turns his head and looks towards Zack. The guy wants to know where his sword came from. And Cloud is afraid of thinking about it more.

.....Wait, he had that sword in Nibelheim, right? So he must have got it from before then.]

Had the sword for years. Got it when I was still in SOLDIER. [Said suddenly. And as a matter of fact.]

[zacrifice]

[Years... that doesn't really answer the myriad of questions rolling around in Zack's brain.]

So... you got it from Shinra?

[Maybe it's just a fluke. Angeal was a big deal in the company- or was, until he left and complicated everything. And the Buster is a really good sword. Maybe Shinra liked it so much it just became standard issue if a 1st Class picked one. Like if somebody wanted to learn how to use a copy of Masamune. Kind of tacky, but not against any sort of company rule, right? Not like Sephiroth had a copyright on unreasonably-sized katanas.

It's just. He'd seen it a lot, following Angeal around everywhere. He knew it from one end to the other. Knew every nick and scratch, knew how meticulously maintained he'd kept it. The sword on Cloud's back had some impurities that didn't belong, had definitely seen a lot more wear, tear, and rust (and he could imagine Angeal losing his mind over the state of it) but there were also certain... familiarities, too. Signs that indicated that it was no copy.]

[dontcallmebro]

[Well, he doesn't remember where he got it but he must have, right?] Yeah. You haven't seen one like it before? [There are probably a few similar ones out there. Or at least he thinks.]

[zacrifice]

[...Ah. Awkward.]

I've, uh. Seen one, yeah.

[And he's desperately scrambling to come up with an answer as to why someone other than Angeal would have it, and nothing he can think of is good.]

[dontcallmebro]

[He's seen one? Well, maybe it means that it's not commonly made.

Maybe. There is something about the guy's tone that doesn't sit well with him. And it makes Cloud more confused and nervous and it shows.]

You don't think there are others like it? [And it comes out before he can stop himself.]

[zacrifice]

You do?

[Zack shrugs. What is he supposed to say? "I think you stole that from my mentor"? He really, really doesn't like the implications, and it doesn't make a great first impression on either part.]

Plenty of 1sts have unique weapons. You ever seen anybody else using a sword like Masamune?

[dontcallmebro]

Well.......[His face falls. The guy has a point. There has never been a sword like Sephiroth's.

And....well, even if a lot of 1sts have unique weapons, it's got to be his. He had it in Nibelheim. He remembers that. So maybe.]

M-maybe not. But a few 1sts are sure to have similar looking ones, right? Not the same exactly, but... [The nervous tone in his voice shows that he's not sure himself. As if he is pleading for Zack to confirm that for him, to give him that reassurance.]

[zacrifice]

...Nope.

[He feels kind of bad, giving a negative answer. But he's a lousy liar, too. He can at least throw a little bone-]

Unless someone made a replica, I guess. An... exact replica.

[Flaws and all.]