❧ Off-Season 3 - Whispers Out of the Ether

[luministimods]

[Someone has been in the Luministi Research Labs.

To the untrained eye, everything is still in its place despite the undetected intrusion. Not a paper has stirred. No chairs have been pushed out of their original positions in the slightest. Not even a single blade of grass in the town square has bent or crushed. Yet something has changed.

Perhaps it's a slightly different tang in the air. One check of the life support systems, however, will tell one that the oxygen mix is the same as ever. The strange objects and rooms from the old citizens are still there as well, so still and untouched as the rest of the things in the town generally are. Even the remnants of the old Neptune sundial outside the library and the stone sundial in the park have been left alone.

The intruder smiles, knowing it is only the beginning. If the test goes as planned, then perhaps...

As quietly as the intruder came, the intruder now leaves without a trace. There are several observations to be done.

No sooner does the intruder leave, a video begins to play on all CAT units that shows a rather beautiful montage of the town while a kind gentleman's voice speaks. Some will recognize the voice as belonging to Mayor Caligin.]

Hello and good morning! It gives me great pleasure to be able to greet you and welcome you to the Town of Luministi. My name is Constantine Caligin, Mayor of Luministi. I am sorry I am unable to greet you in person, but there is always something to be done here in town hall! Surely you understand.

While I have a minute though, let me give you the highlights of our great and beautiful town.

Here in Luministi, we strive to maintain the integrity of our quiet small town life while slowly bringing in new blood and new technologies. One look at our fine, eclectic town square and you will see how well we are progressing! There are many new and exciting places in town for you to explore, like our fabulous restaurants, recently renovated cinema, and our famous library. We welcome any feedback about them, from convenience to pure aestheticism. Our latest additions are identical housing developments situated in the west and east of Luministi's town borders and we hope you enjoy the accommodations! They have been built with the ideas of comfort and ease in mind.

Unfortunately, that--[there is a slight disturbance in the audio, as if the original has been altered]--will be all for today. This has just been merely a test. Soon, you will see what joys your stay in Luministi will bring you. And it will bring you plenty of joy and happiness. So much so, you will never want to leave.

Not ever again.

[And on that note, the video ends on a rather ominous shot of the town hall, and unintelligible voices begin to whisper to fill the void the video broadcast has left...]



Plot Details: Off-Season 3

Welcome to Luministi's pre-season Fourth Wall event! If you have never participated in 4th wall with us before, the portion above the cut there is an IC continuation of the story that has been in the making for the past two seasons (a summary of which can be read here if you are curious, but it's not required reading!) But unlike past events, the majority of our in-game characters are off on different journeys or are even back home in their worlds! The town itself has been pretty empty for a while, so the video that was mysteriously broadcast just then will be everyone's view of the town.

Now, for those of you new to the game, the CATs, or Communications Audiovisual Transmitters, are personalized communication devices about the size of your palm, and for this day only, visiting characters will have this device. They'll have found it randomly on their person with no idea how it even got there. From a video broadcast standpoint, you'll be able to see the the immediate surroundings of the person you're talking to. More information about the CATs can be found on the FAQ page, which also has some handy tips about how the game is run and other questions about the game that aren't answered elsewhere in the mod journal. But if you don't see your question answered anywhere, please don't be afraid to ask!

In-game time, this event lasts a day, but you can tag for however long you want!

If visiting players do app into the game when applications and reserves open on April 14th, 12:01am EST, they will be able to remember the video of the town and everyone they meet the moment they show up in the town of Luministi for real. Yeah for ready-made CR, right?

And for returning players and those still in play in off-season shenanigans, here's the link to the most recent batch of updates, especially regarding things I'll need from you guys. I think I have just about everyone, but it's here again for your convenience! And character-wise, it's up to you what your character was up to when that somewhat familiar broadcast came over the CATs. Just when you thought you were safe from the town again, huh? Alas...

This event is merely a preview of what is to come in Luministi's third and final season. All of the storylines and mysteries introduced back in June 2010 when the game first opened will be brought to a close, and how it all does will be up to everyone involved. There are choices to be made and tasks that need to be accomplished--but only if you do it. Not doing something also will result in something, but whether it's for better or worse, well... You'll just have to come along for the ride and see, won't you?

luministi formally opens May 19th, 11:59am EST. I look forward to seeing everyone here! ♥

Now, let the fourth-walling commence! Have lots of fun~

Comments

[arcielwaath]

Happened before? [blink!] So you know what's going on!

It's not like that, that's for sure! [She grins a bit. She swings the CAT around to show what looks like a city located entirely underground -- stone and metal walls encasing the streets and buildings. But then, she gets an idea!]

Oh! Hey! Hold on! There's a really good picture over here on the wall!

[You can hear the sounds of a busy restaurant in the background as she apparently walks back into the bistro she'd just walked out of. She points the CAT at the wall, and Hawk will get a good look at this picture here.]

That's Eternus Shaft from the outside! That's where I am - in that city in the middle there.

[desertdaggers]

Ah, well, some of it! What would you like to know?

[he whistles] Oh, wow… I've never seen anything like it! Even the dwarves' village was a little more… rudimentary, but don't tell them I said that. It's lovely- Eternus Shaft, you said?

Have you lived there all your life, then?

[arcielwaath]

Well, where did this thing come from? Why do I have it?

[She laughs a little.] I don’t know who the dwarves are, so I can’t. But yeah! It’s pretty here! And that’s why whatever town they showed me doesn’t look real... how could it be? There’s no Tower, no support structures... nothing! How is that possible?

Um... no. Heh. I lived in Clustania. It’s higher up the Tower. [And if she can help it, that’s all she’s saying about that!]

[desertdaggers]

I'm not too sure I could say why you have it- [which isn't entirely true, but saying 'it might be a sign you've been picked to be stolen from home' sounds like a bad idea.] -but essentially, it comes from that town- or that's where we got ours, at least. I'm not sure if it was made there, or- well, on the space station supporting it, rather.

Haha, well… most of it's on ground level. [He makes a horizontal gesture with his hand.] There's not as much need for support structures. And- I think, if you build it well…

[he nods] So, there are places like that all through… that's incredible.

[arcielwaath]

[She moves back outside as he's talking -- much quieter! She can hear herself thing! -- and her eyes go a little wide at the mention of a space station.]

A what? Y-You mean... Something up there? In space?! That's incredible!

[And then her eyes get even wider.] Ground level? But... But what about the Sea of Death?! Are you even on the same planet I am?!

[desertdaggers]

[heaps better! He nods, and grins.] I know! There's nothing like that where I come from, so it came a shock when we found out.

[he tilts his head a little, eyebrows rising a little] Probably not. I don't know about a Sea of Death on my world, and we've been over most of it now. So that… covers the surface, then?

[arcielwaath]

Stations above the Blastline, and cities on the planet's real surface...! [Pardon, she's still in starry-eyed awe~]

Ah, yeah! It does. No one can live down there because the whole planet is covered in poison. And it won't go away either, it just keeps replenishing itself somehow.

[desertdaggers]

[completely understandable!] The Blastline?

Ahhh, that'd explain going underground… Could it be a curse of some sort? Or- it must be coming from somewhere.

[arcielwaath]

The... grid of plasma? Up in the sky? And above that, nothing can survive?

I don’t know... [She sighs.] No one knows! No one can even get close to try and figure it out, it’s so deadly...

[desertdaggers]

…ah, makes sense. [folding his arms over carefully] I haven't heard of something else like that before…

Someone must really have disliked the surface of your world. [He says it casually, but he's not smiling, fingers tapping against his arm.] And no one can get any of it to make an antidote, either? That's… [He shakes his head, and straightens up a little.] Has it always been like that?

[arcielwaath]

You think someone did it? [blink!] Like, just one person? They must be really powerful! And, yeah. No one can get to it. No one can even come close. It’s been this way forever.

[At least 700 years, but Finnel doesn’t know that. History records in her world are either outlawed, banned, destroyed, forgotten or some combination thereof.]

[desertdaggers]

Possibly more, but… for it to last that long, and cover the whole world, they'd have to be.

But how did it get there? Why? [chewing on his lip. He's not sure she'll be able to answer, but he feels like it should be figured out.]

[arcielwaath]

[She shakes her head.]

They say it's the Will of the Planet. Like it's forsaken us. Maybe that really is the truth...

[desertdaggers]

I doubt it. You've survived this long, haven't you? [it might be easier for it to crush them if they're inside the earth, but he doesn't intend to bring that up.] I think that means there's a chance this could be changed.

[arcielwaath]

Maybe you're right. Maybe one day... [sigh]

But there's so much else we have to worry about first. The Tower, and all of the cities... Everyone has their own problems! We need to stop fighting first, I think.

[desertdaggers]

Definitely!

[he nods] Mm, then you can focus on fixing the problems you share. What're they all fighting over?