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luministi2013-01-14 12:01 am
luministimods) wrote in luministi2013-01-14 12:01 am
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❧ You’ve Come To Journey's End
[The moment the countdown ceases, many things happen at once: the second computer terminal goes black while the first one returns to the main desktop, with several various icons on the side and across the screen in random places; Ferran spins away from everyone, completely ignoring everyone, and what they're currently doing, his movement frought with panic as he frantically shoves aside John and tries to restart the transfer process and mutters under his breath while he does so; and door appears--or rather, reappears in the place it used to be--on the wall, opens, and in steps Nathan.]
I think you'll find that this is all over, Ferran. We already have your anchor in our custody, and officers have already been dispatched to the site of your next experiment. And I've locked you out of the system. Everyone, please don't attack him. You're all safe now.
[Ferran doesn't turn around, but his voice is low and shaking with anger when he finally speaks.] ...How did you find it?
[Nathan starts motioning for Sophie, Kon, and the others to step away from Ferran and the boxes of equipment while he continues walking towards Ferran.] You need to be more careful of how you treat your associates. Don't make promises you don't intend on keeping, and definitely don't kill their fathers. You'd think you'd know better, since this all started here because your anchor wanted to bring his own father back to life.
Ahhh, so you figured it out at last? Good on you, Marshal Thanial, very good. Shame you did not put two and two together earlier. Imagine all the overtime you would have missed out on. [Ferran continues to try to access the terminal, but only gets denied access.] Damn it all...
[Nathan removes his CAT device from his pocket, pressing a button on-screen every time Ferran tries to enter a password.] I wouldn't bother with that either. Already locked you out of the system permanently. None of your old tricks will kick us back out this time, no matter how hard you try.
[For a moment, all Ferran does is hang his head, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles have turned white, but soon, he adjusts his hat over his scratched, injured face, and turns to face Nathan and the otherworlders.] You have no idea how close I have come to completing my work, nor how important it truly is. Their suffering is never permanent! None have died for good--
Except for Mr. Proctor and Ernesto Resarci, you mean.
They were of no further use to me. [He shrugs.] I could not merely send them home in the same manner as the rest. The process does not work the same if it is used in the same universe!
Save it, Ferran. You're only earning yourself a longer jail sentence. [Nathan types something into his CAT, the device soon changing shape into something akin to a pair of bulky handcuffs.] Hands.
[Reluctantly, Ferran holds his hands out.] There will be others. I am not the only one who wishes to continue this kind of research.
...What? [Nathan stares at him, a chill running up his spine at those words.]
[A chuckle escapes his lips, the hint of a victorious grin lingering in his expression.] Oh yes, my dear Marshal. You did not think I was the sole perpetrator of such curiosities? I know not who or what the others are, nor their reasons and means for the theft of the various otherworlders--but I am, indeed, not alone. You only found me because of the technology, and even then, I had been at this for well over twenty years just for my work to culminate in these past three years. Had I not become...overly ambitious, you may have never discovered the location of my experiments. That said...I have known of these others for a while now. Some of my test subjects were even taken from me before I could retrieve them for study. [He lets out a sigh.]
You're lying. There can't be others doing this!
Oh, certainly not others doing it in the exact manner as I have done, but the multiverse is a far more vast and plentiful place than our people have ever realized. If I were you, I would suggest drumming up a whole hell of a lot of recruits. I suspect you will be busy for centuries to come.
[Several different emotions flicker across Nathan's face but soon settle on something neutral. He isn't going to be baited now. He'll have to investigate these claims later.] I'll make a note of that in your arrest report. [He finally secures Ferran's hands in the handcuffs. The moment he does, Ferran freezes in place, a slight smirk still on his face.] Enough of that bullshit for now. [Something in his tone says that he's still bothered by the other man's words.] Don't worry, he's not going anywhere. Statis cuffs. Keeps suspects from spontaneously traveling to other dimensions and locations in the same universe, and makes it rather quiet since they can't move a damned inch either.
Now...there is something you all have to see. Two somethings, in fact. I know a few of you already saw this, but the rest of you need to see. Knowing the face of your captor will break that wall around a small, but crucial part of your memory. [Nathan gently removes Ferran's hat and sets it aside. For those who hadn't seen his face yet, they'll remember a small moment in time just before they were taken when Ferran, in his dark suit, hat, and camera, stood in front of them with a smile on his face and took their picture. This is true for those who later died.] That was just one thing.
The second is that even if, on the slim chance he manages to break loose and gets away? He can't use you ever again. With you all knowing his face, that bond between you and him is broken, and therefore, he can't sense your emotions in the same way any longer. [Nathan puts the hat back on Ferran.] That's one part of the research that he never talked about, but surely, he must've feared it happening. He'd have to start from scratch.
[A second later, he sighs and pushes Ferran back down into the computer chair, spins it around, and pushes him over to the wall before he faces everyone again.]
So! After I get this all taken into evidence, let's see about getting you all home! And this time, for real. I've got everything I need. The photos, the negatives, even the terminals and programs he used to manipulate your photographic images and subject you to so many things. If you can, give me an hour to do everything I need to, and then I'll get you on your way. [Nathan smiles, a relaxed and relieved look washing over him for the first time in a long while.] See you soon. [He puts a hand on Ferran's handcuffs, and in a blink of an eye, both men disappear.]
Plot Details: You’ve Come To Journey's End
I think you'll find that this is all over, Ferran. We already have your anchor in our custody, and officers have already been dispatched to the site of your next experiment. And I've locked you out of the system. Everyone, please don't attack him. You're all safe now.
[Ferran doesn't turn around, but his voice is low and shaking with anger when he finally speaks.] ...How did you find it?
[Nathan starts motioning for Sophie, Kon, and the others to step away from Ferran and the boxes of equipment while he continues walking towards Ferran.] You need to be more careful of how you treat your associates. Don't make promises you don't intend on keeping, and definitely don't kill their fathers. You'd think you'd know better, since this all started here because your anchor wanted to bring his own father back to life.
Ahhh, so you figured it out at last? Good on you, Marshal Thanial, very good. Shame you did not put two and two together earlier. Imagine all the overtime you would have missed out on. [Ferran continues to try to access the terminal, but only gets denied access.] Damn it all...
[Nathan removes his CAT device from his pocket, pressing a button on-screen every time Ferran tries to enter a password.] I wouldn't bother with that either. Already locked you out of the system permanently. None of your old tricks will kick us back out this time, no matter how hard you try.
[For a moment, all Ferran does is hang his head, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles have turned white, but soon, he adjusts his hat over his scratched, injured face, and turns to face Nathan and the otherworlders.] You have no idea how close I have come to completing my work, nor how important it truly is. Their suffering is never permanent! None have died for good--
Except for Mr. Proctor and Ernesto Resarci, you mean.
They were of no further use to me. [He shrugs.] I could not merely send them home in the same manner as the rest. The process does not work the same if it is used in the same universe!
Save it, Ferran. You're only earning yourself a longer jail sentence. [Nathan types something into his CAT, the device soon changing shape into something akin to a pair of bulky handcuffs.] Hands.
[Reluctantly, Ferran holds his hands out.] There will be others. I am not the only one who wishes to continue this kind of research.
...What? [Nathan stares at him, a chill running up his spine at those words.]
[A chuckle escapes his lips, the hint of a victorious grin lingering in his expression.] Oh yes, my dear Marshal. You did not think I was the sole perpetrator of such curiosities? I know not who or what the others are, nor their reasons and means for the theft of the various otherworlders--but I am, indeed, not alone. You only found me because of the technology, and even then, I had been at this for well over twenty years just for my work to culminate in these past three years. Had I not become...overly ambitious, you may have never discovered the location of my experiments. That said...I have known of these others for a while now. Some of my test subjects were even taken from me before I could retrieve them for study. [He lets out a sigh.]
You're lying. There can't be others doing this!
Oh, certainly not others doing it in the exact manner as I have done, but the multiverse is a far more vast and plentiful place than our people have ever realized. If I were you, I would suggest drumming up a whole hell of a lot of recruits. I suspect you will be busy for centuries to come.
[Several different emotions flicker across Nathan's face but soon settle on something neutral. He isn't going to be baited now. He'll have to investigate these claims later.] I'll make a note of that in your arrest report. [He finally secures Ferran's hands in the handcuffs. The moment he does, Ferran freezes in place, a slight smirk still on his face.] Enough of that bullshit for now. [Something in his tone says that he's still bothered by the other man's words.] Don't worry, he's not going anywhere. Statis cuffs. Keeps suspects from spontaneously traveling to other dimensions and locations in the same universe, and makes it rather quiet since they can't move a damned inch either.
Now...there is something you all have to see. Two somethings, in fact. I know a few of you already saw this, but the rest of you need to see. Knowing the face of your captor will break that wall around a small, but crucial part of your memory. [Nathan gently removes Ferran's hat and sets it aside. For those who hadn't seen his face yet, they'll remember a small moment in time just before they were taken when Ferran, in his dark suit, hat, and camera, stood in front of them with a smile on his face and took their picture. This is true for those who later died.] That was just one thing.
The second is that even if, on the slim chance he manages to break loose and gets away? He can't use you ever again. With you all knowing his face, that bond between you and him is broken, and therefore, he can't sense your emotions in the same way any longer. [Nathan puts the hat back on Ferran.] That's one part of the research that he never talked about, but surely, he must've feared it happening. He'd have to start from scratch.
[A second later, he sighs and pushes Ferran back down into the computer chair, spins it around, and pushes him over to the wall before he faces everyone again.]
So! After I get this all taken into evidence, let's see about getting you all home! And this time, for real. I've got everything I need. The photos, the negatives, even the terminals and programs he used to manipulate your photographic images and subject you to so many things. If you can, give me an hour to do everything I need to, and then I'll get you on your way. [Nathan smiles, a relaxed and relieved look washing over him for the first time in a long while.] See you soon. [He puts a hand on Ferran's handcuffs, and in a blink of an eye, both men disappear.]
Plot Details: You’ve Come To Journey's End
- This is well and truly...the end. AND YOU'VE ALL MADE IT! And we accomplished all the objectives to boot! After a silly break in which real life, the holidays, and my brain fizzling combined, I can definitely bring you the end at last. This has always been been my ideal end, for Ferran to be arrested and everyone to get to go home--but the events and details along the way and how things came about, well, that was all thanks to you all. There were some plots where people nearly did fail the objective. Had people not managed to restore all the life support settings early in the season, I really was going to kill everyone and have them start back in their townhomes. (What? Not like death is permanent...except if you tear your own photo /coughs). Many of the other quick-times, as well, would have set the plot back in terms of the characters having to wait for another opportunity to act again. Like, if Nathan hadn't been found, Ferran would have taken him again and waited to see how Nathan would escape again. He rather enjoyed blowing up the Marshall, after all.
And speaking of Ferran, I am genuinely surprised no one outright killed him, especially after seeing that Nathan being shot in the head wasn't a permanent death. I fully expected it when I opened up Ferran's post to anything happening! I was totally surprised that no one hadn't.
Normally, I'd be able to list the bad, good, and best end, but this year, there were so many placs where things could have gone differently that I just can't whittle it down that much. Just know that I am personally satisfied with how everything ended--and you should too. <3
Man, it feels good to have this story out at last. Oh sure, there are tantalizing little tidbits and references to other things--Ferran definitely wasn't lying when he said he came across others doing similar things, but any further talk about it would make the whole thing kinda meta in a way. And yes, Nathan really is talking about a program akin to fancy, super-advanced Photoshop on Ferran's computer. How else could he have 'manipulated' you or the town, or other hidden things? I've had that image in my head for years. (Just imagine how much Adobe would charge for that puppy. Hoo boy...)
But I digress. The bulk of the fun I had with this whole game was seeing how everyone would react to the things I threw at you guys. Not just the plots or the little events, but the choices. I loved seeing what everyone chose and didn't choose. There had been countless times when I adjusted my original plans to accommodate these changes because otherwise, it just wouldn't make a lick of sense, you know? And in the end, the changes were far better than I'd planned anyway. Like I couldn't have expected Xion, Natsuo, and Jamie to all team up on Ferran and knock off his hat and play monkey in the middle with it, or for Ichijou to become so attached to Filippo (the feeling truly is mutual there, by the by), or all of the many, many, many other things that occurred in the past three seasons.
I really was lucky to have such a dedicated group of people stick with me through this. To stay through some of the somewhat stickier plots (because let's be honest, some didn't quite grab people in the way I expected, whereas others did), to stay through my delays when life and my brain just weren't cooperating with me to write a plot exactly every two weeks (though with everyone else being busy, I thought it was to the benefit of everyone so more people could stay included if I did delay), and through some of the best times I've had RPing with such fun characters. And I got to explore a story idea and see it grow collaboratively with so many awesome writers and characters. So, thank you all so very much~ ♥
I have one more surprise, but a little business first to wrap things up!
For IC farewells and people going home, I am going to make a separate comment here for people to talk to Nathan. Any remaining IC questions your characters have, he can answer then. He'll walk through the exiting process with you. People who wish to do farewell entries are more than welcome to do so! In fact, I encourage it~
For any other comments, I'll have an ooc comment thing up in a separate comment as I've done for the last few mod posts and such!
As for the business of going home itself...I know there are characters who do not want to go home. And there are ones who wanted to go home the moment they set foot in their townhomes. WELL! Those who wish to stay...can. They are much loved in this universe and will have a dedicated fanbase and a nice severance check waiting for each of them, so they won't be without any money or means to survive. They'll have Filippo to thank for that--well, Nathan, really, because he made Filippo set up those accounts before he was dropped off in jail, but the younger Resarci will get a lighter sentence for helping stop things in the end. Nathan will allow the otherworlders to stay, if they choose, with the understanding that if they stay, they will have to send a duplicate back to preserve their universes. The universes can't stay on pause forever. The duplicates won't know they are duplicates as they'll be sent home without the CATs. (This is important; you'll see why in just a moment.) Just be sure to mention your intentions to Nathan so he knows people are staying and such.
Those who want to go home can go home and continue on with their lives are more than welcome to! They won't have to re-live through any canon events they went to before ever coming to Luministi. What has happened, has happened. No changes there. Now, it'll be up to the characters if they wish to bring their CATs with them. They won't be the means of being pulled over involuntarily any longer as the mastermind behind it all isn't there to pull the strings, plus their photographic data has been destroyed so it will be completely up to that person if they choose to ever return. The CATs hold their memories of their time in Luministi so they can still remember their friends, as well as find their way back to the universe where Luministi can be found if they so choose. No others can access the things and on the CAT, like neither Hikaru nor Umi will ever be able to use Fuu's to see where she'd been and what had happened, or even get over to Luministi. Only Fuu can.
What's this about coming back to Luministi?
Ah yes, that brings me to my surprise! (Though technically it's the second since the first is allowing characters to stay, but yes anyway!) As a thank you to everyone who has ever played here, I am going to keep Luministi open for you all to use for museboxing/psl purposes. Got a past plot you wanted to do, but the time was short and life just got in the way of it happening? Grab a friend and do it now! Or hey, want to explore the other worlds in the Eta system and bask amongst your adoring fans? Go right ahead and do so! Just be warned that those people are INSANE, but loving. We all know how fandom can be. The Luministi lab will still be up and operational. It'll eventually be bought up by fans of the show and maintained for all to visit. (Think of it like the house from A Christmas Story. Bought and cared for with the love only an uber fan can possess--just minus the leg lamps.)
This musebox thing goes for anyone who was in the game in any season. I'll still approve membership to the comms and such if people wish to rejoin and have fun, but I won't be posing any more plots or sinister machinations from this point forward. I will, on the other hand, be more than happy to answer questions about the universe if people are having trouble finding answers. The majority of info will be found in the mod journal or the mod posts to the main comm, as well as the off-season entries when teams explored the universe in search of Filippo.
So yes. I believe that is everything! (Now watch, I'll edit a million time because I forgot something, but it wouldn't be a mod post of mine with out an edit or two!) If you have questions, comments, etc please don't be afraid to voice them, especially if there are any plot points that stick out like sore thumbs. I'd be more than happy to answer every question now since everything's laid out on the table!
Once again, thank you all for everything. This has been quite the personal journey for me and I am glad to have had awesome friends at my side all through it.
~Love, Jchan ♥