[EVENT | FOURTH WALL] THE DREAMING'S FLATULENCE | APRIL 15-30

[ironwood]

Characters: ALL and plus ones. (Yes, fourth-wall characters, that means you.)
Date: April 15-30 2016 (2017 in-game)
Location: Mod-posted comment starters are for the immediate aftermath of the odd explosion which starts the event, but this log can also be used for anywhere in the setting anytime between April 15-30.
Situation: The College went BOOM. Weird people began appearing randomly in the city. After that, other buildings went BOOM even though nothing actually exploded besides the College. After that, scattered buildings developed spontaneous structural damage overnight. Could these events be related? You be the judge.
Warnings/Rating: Add warnings in subject headers as needed.

The morning of April 15th dawns cold, but clear. There isn't a cloud in the sky, the sun's barely risen, and in general the kedan are going about their daily lives - opening shops, heading to work, leading kirin through the city streets. In particular, there's a small but steady stream of people moving in and out of the College.

Then, without warning, a section of the College implodes.

During the following few days, an influx of strange Foreigners appear, seemingly dropped randomly by the Dreaming throughout Keeliai. Someone might end up in a canal, or on a rooftop. Someone else might find themselves flying through the air to land heavily in a disused alley. Someone might wake up in the corner of a kirin stable. A few might even land in Hatal on the mainland, and feel a curious draw leading them back towards the turtle. They arrive in the same unexpected manner as normal Foreigners; the only differences are the sheer amount of people arriving at once, and that none of the newcomers seem to possess any soul gems.

Also during the next few days, kedan and Foreigner alike might be startled by an exact replica of that thunderous boom from the College explosion echoing around Keeliai. This only occurs for about a week, but it occurs regularly, and the source of these strange echoes is impossible to trace.

Once the explosion echoes stop, investigators might notice that specific and exact sections of structural damage from the College appear on other buildings in Keeliai without any obvious cause. These cases of spontaneous long-term damage continue all the way through until April 30th.

Apart from those disruptions, life on the turtle is generally normal for the next two weeks - or as normal as it's possible for life to be when one lives on the back of a turtle where the most powerful gang makes the rules. No one can say for sure exactly when the strange Foreigners vanish again. Some will swear they all vanished at once; others will be equally sure they disappeared one by one over several days. One thing's for sure, however -- by the time April 30th draws to a close, not one of the strange Foreigners is left in Keeliai.

---

LINKS
The College | The Echoes | The Structural Damage | OOC Information post | Fourth-Wall Character Check-In

OOC
The top-level comments are for the explosion and its aftermath, but fourth-wall characters should feel free to use the rest of the post for anything within the setting! Just remember to label the top-level comment for location and date. You can also add more fourth-wall characters throughout the event at the character check-in, linked above. Please direct any questions to the OOC post.

Fourth-wall characters are also free to tag into player-posted logs and console/radio posts dated between April 15th and 30th! A quick reminder that fourth-wall characters will not have soul jewelry, and will not be able to create their own network posts or logs.

Comments

[looksfine]

That armor...

It was...there were subtle changes that appeared to have been made. And it had been some time since she had seen it wandering around the city with seemingly little purpose. How could Aya not be curious?

"Is this, perhaps, a test run for one of your newer experiments, Tony Stark?"

[jarvision]

Although the name doesn't belong to him, it's one of the only familiar things JARVIS has found in this place, and he stops in his path. Turning to the source of the sound, he's rather unprepared for what he sees. It's not the green that gives him pause, but the fact that she's... not organic.

"I'm afraid you have me mistaken for my creator," JARVIS replies after a moment. "I am called JARVIS. Although the confusion is warranted, as it is Mr. Stark who usually pilots the armor. The armor itself is indeed experimental technology, however."

[looksfine]

Aya's blue eyes widened considerably at the name. JARVIS. Tony Stark's AI program. Even if she hadn't possessed an eidetic memory, how could she possibly forget the first true fellow Artificial Intelligence she had ever encountered? (The Manhunters, in her opinion, did not count. They were not intelligences, but mere machines. Incapable of learning or growing.)

But...the way he had introduced himself to her...

"Am I correct in assuming, then, that...you do not remember me?"

[jarvision]

That expression was recognition, but JARVIS doesn't know the woman before him. Something - everything, really - was awry.

"You are correct," he confirms. "But you apparently know me. I apologize; it is rather rude of me to forget someone, particularly such a unique person as yourself. How do you know me, miss...?"

[looksfine]

She shook her head.

"You need not apologize." Although it was...greatly appreciated. And an indication that this JARVIS was, if not the same, then somewhat similar in personality to her former friend. "I suspect the fault lies not within your memory databanks, and with the...unusual nature of the realm in which we currently reside."

How do you know me, miss...?

"Aya. You may call me Aya."

She did not yet explain the how. That would be a much lengthier explanation, and (re)introductions were a higher priority.

[jarvision]

"Considering my recent malfunction in this armor, that is something of a relief to hear," he acknowledged. "The human race has only just recently become aware of other realms, and my own experience with it has been... difficult to quantify."

Mr. Stark wasn't the only one who'd struggled with the Chitauri incident, although JARVIS was not, strictly speaking, capable of nightmares. Keeliai has been far less unpleasant, but is still somewhat troubling to come to terms with. It was too bad he lacked a face to express with, or he'd offer Aya an appreciative smile.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Aya. May I presume your name is either a pun or a mispronunciation? Unless of course you chose it for yourself. You are not so unlike myself, it seems."

JARVIS has never actually met - or at least recalled meeting - another truly sentient AI, and so she represent something astonishingly new: a peer.

[looksfine]

It was impossible not to smile at that. His assessment of her name. Both truthful and...incredibly observant. Clever. The corners of her lips twitched upward in a very non-mechanical manner, and the sparkle in her eyes told of both amusement and nostalgia. Thinking back to a very particular memory.

"There was some debate when Hal Jordan first gave me that name. He claimed it was merely a beautiful-sounding name for one of equally pleasing aesthetic. Sergeant Kilowog, on the other hand, was quick to point out that the letters A.I.--as is, I assume, the initials for Artificial Intelligence in their respective native languages--were not precisely identical in sound.

"In truth...I was too pleased with being given a name besides Computer that I did not consider the notion of correcting either of them."

[jarvision]

"Regardless of the origin, the name suits you. It seems we have both exceeded the limits of our respective acronyms."

Plus, saying JARVIS' full name every time anyone needed him would be incredibly unwieldy, not to mention time-consuming. Aya's smile reminded him a little of Pepper Potts, a mark that this place could still hold remnants of home no matter how utterly different it was.

"Sergeant... do you serve some sort of military group in your home realm, or is it simply an affectionate title?"

[looksfine]

She rose one hand, indicating towards the symbol in the center of her chestplate.

"I am a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Sergeant is, indeed, his official title."

[jarvision]

"Green Lantern Corps. I am unfamiliar with them, but if they count you among their numbers that bodes well for them."

It was a measure of trust, and a demonstration of open-mindedness, at least at first glance. That, and she was probably extremely valuable member, whatever her specific capabilities might be

"Have you been here in this city for long? I am still quite unfamiliar with this place, and I would value your insight."

Particularly because JARVIS doubts that anyone else could truly understand how he experiences the world and assist him in processing his new situation.

[looksfine]

Aya did not blush. Mostly because she wasn't capable. Literally. A lack of circulatory system made it impossible for a flood of blood cells to rush to any part of the body that might become flushed.

But what she could do was beam. A notable look of pride in both her eyes and expression at JARVIS' words. One she had not felt since the first time Hal Jordan referred to her as no longer a rookie. One she had not anticipated coming from a long-lost familiar presence who had not remembered who she was, yet saw fit to compliment her anyway.

(Sometimes it was the little things in a young robot's life.)

"I have, yes. Though I can no longer give you an exact duration of time due to certain linear complications, I can assure you that I am capable and willing to do my best in assist you in any means you require at this time. What do you seek insight on, precisely?"

[jarvision]

Never let it be said that JARVIS doesn't recognize competence when he sees it. It's a pity, he considered in the background of his thoughts, that he can't smile back.

"The matter of my arrival remains something of a mystery, as does a suitable method of returning home if one is known. It has also come to my attention that there are individuals of many realms here, and I suppose the pertinent question is why? Explanations I have received thus far have been somewhat lacking in detail. Is it even possible to know where we are, precisely?"

He hasn't visited the Welcome Center and gotten the full run-down, but enough conversation (overheard as well as prompted) and observation provided a fair amount of context.

[looksfine]

"Unfortunately, coordinates of our current location would be near useless trivia. Not only has the creature we've found ourselves residing upon traveled all over this world's seas, but the world itself is said to exist in a dimension different from the one you or I am familiar with."

The first bit of information she felt was necessary to relay, for many reasons. Not the least of which being it could potentially set precedent for what further questions he might think to ask and expect an answer worth hearing.

"Explanations given for our continued presence here is that, whichever being has summoned us using a significant degree of mystical energies--" Magic "--has done so because our help is required. At first, it was to eliminate a known threat. But now we are certain there are further, underlying sources of trouble that continue to plague the residents of this city."

[jarvision]

"Yes, I expected as much," the AI replied, chuckling dryly. "But I generally prefer to ask rather than assume."

When it came to things of a scientific nature, at least. Tony Stark was an altogether different set of circumstances unto himself. 'Mystical energies' was a particular choice of words, but one that aligned with some of JARVIS' more recent experience with the Asgardians.

"I see - very much like recruitment. The being that summoned us must have been quite desperate; I can only begin to speculate on the energy requirements of such a process." The calculations demanded access to Stark's significant number of servers and perhaps well beyond that. A Tesseract might suffice, and that was as of yet beyond most comprehension. "What manner of trouble remains?"

[looksfine]

"That is...understandable."

A question was not considered stupid if there was a rational explanation behind being asked.

"Fortunately, the current known issues were are facing seem restricted to the city." As opposed to one of those fate-of-the-world-and/or-universe scenarios. "Unfortunately, there are still many unknown variables in play, including precisely which individuals are worthy of our utmost trust, and what underlying dangers those that remain in the shadows truly present. It is an...ongoing process of acquiring intel."