march 2020 swear-in: tech expo, eyes are the window

[pillz]

WHO: ImPorts, fans of them and technology
WHERE: Heropa, FL
WHEN: March 13, 2020
WHAT: A month after CNC2020, the March 2020 Swear-In features a new set of tech toys and an accidental memory share. Also see the OOC plotting post!
WARNINGS: Potential for some physical pain, recalled trauma; please warn for content in your subject headers!

SWEAR-IN

ATLANTECH ▲ EXPO 2020

Welcome to the AtlanTech Expo 2020! It's an impressive week-long celebration of technology recently developed by the giant conglomerate and its partners, taking place in Heropa, Florida. It is made even more impressive by the fact that ImPorts are going to appear on the final day for their Swear-In.

Super exciting. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

CONTENTS
► EYEWEAR
psychic vr	adult only	games
► IMPOWER GENERATOR
► OTHER AREAS
► GLITCH (MEMORY SHARE)

 EYEWEAR

personalized augmented reality

Although there is an obvious artistic and architectural element, this is ultimately marketing for AtlanTech. And the main product line they're publicizing is: augmented reality (AR) eyewear.

Each set offers the wearer a personal HUD. These glasses are incredibly diverse in fashion and style, everything from Ray Ban aesthetics to iridiescent visors, round specs and clip-on monocles. Power sources are concealed behind the backs of the user's ears. And guess what: each ImPort receives one pair on free loan, matching their preferences or aesthetic, to present to the public.

And the public has come in hundreds.

The AR HUD offers a wide variety of enhancements, from basic timekeeping to informational alerts, GPS directions and various interactive games. ImPorts even find there's an AR program to direct them to autographable surfaces! AR respond to both hand gestures (visual interfaces) and voice commands.

 VR: HARDWARE DEMO ONLY

This may seem like a strange choice, but inactive technology demonstrating AtlanTech's future in psychic VR is also on display. These transmission orbs are posted around the exhibition pavilions. They consist of highly reflective, hovering spheres, four feet in diameter. According to your AR headset, the plan is for this technology to someday allow individuals to access emotional and experiential data in virtual reality, in addition to your standard visual and kinetic, through the AR glasses.

The ETA at this point is another 10 years.

According to the captions, the potential is endless, from education to medical interventions, to a whole new way of receiving entertainment and interacting with video games.

 ADULTS ONLY (nsfw)

Click to expand! Text-based NSFW!

For users aged 18 and older, a goofy 'adult playground' is available, meant to hint at the future of sexual enhancement and adult entertainment without unfocusing the gala overmuch. (Note, this is not a space meant for having public sex, but sometimes ImPorts do what they want.)

Behold:

vagina analyzer

penis analyzer

anus analyzer

Don't worry, the AR has no ability to actually penetrate clothes and visualize what you have going on there. Instead, it takes the user's name and generates a farcical model of the body parts in question. One may share these with other 18+ users, using an AR interface.

 INTERACTIVE GAMES

And of course, AR lends itself easily to games. Several areas of the exhibition are cordoned off and set up with a variety of props. You can play several virtual sports and engage in sparring. Combining AR and other 'special effects' technology, the space around you transforms into a variety of settings, from gladiatorial arenas to a sandy beach in Malibu. You can even fight on the top of a fast-moving train, if you ignore the gigantic wind fans and motorized floor peeking in around your frames. Onlookers can get a sense of your experience too, through AR or external monitors!

Please be gentle. AtlanTech can't make you buy it if you break it, but the NPCs will look sad.

On a social note, there are a series of icebreaker programs set up. All you have to do is set your status to hello, and the program will start to generate friendly prompts, which you and your companions can respond to with video or audio. Of course, you can also write your own message. The glasses can of course also help direct you to find each other for a face-to-face interaction.

In a scale from 1-5, how afraid of dark are you?

<center><br /><div style="box-sizing: content-box; width: 80%; padding: 20px 45px; background: #468ad7; border-radius: 20px; border-radius: 20px; color: #fff; text-align: center; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 20px auto; border-radius: 30px;"><img src="ICON URL" style="height: 100px; width: 100px; border-radius: 60px; border: 5px solid #fff; float: left;"> <b>ICEBREAKER QUESTION HERE</b> <img src="https://i.imgur.com/XSSxZom.gif" height="50" style="margin: 0px auto 20px auto"><div style="box-sizing: content-box; clear: both"></div></div><br /></center>

IMPOWER GENERATOR

an import energy conversion exhibit

This next exhibit is likely to generate a little controversy. It's an enormous glass chamber, measuring sixty feet in each direction, filled with a gorgeous, sparkling array of lightbulbs. It is an energy siphon.

Any ImPort who enters may begin to actively exert their powers, as well as their passive caloric energy reserves, and find that these resources convert into electricity; in fact, the lights come on in glittering patterns. Look carefully, and there are even three-dimensional shapes hinted in the pattern of illumination, strange figures or hallucinatory, psychedelic shapes.

The ImPort may attempt to power them on for up to 5 minutes. In general, ImPorts with abilities closer to electricity, heat, -kinetic, and energy production may top out at 5 minutes; individuals with more 'internalized' powers (superstrength, telepathy) will tend to stop at 1 minute.

There is an auto-off if the system begins to overload. Mild fatigue is the only side-effect.

Signage indicates that this technology cannot be used for weaponization purposes... but if you're suspicious, well. The past year has certainly given you ample reason to be.

OTHER AREAS

a showcase of high-tech shiny objects

For all you tech nerds, there are tons of other toys available to check out! In addition to food, wine, and beer, of course, because nerds need sustenance too.

From sleek cars and motorcycles with AR enhancements to fashion that makes use of new production techniques; AR window panes to solar panels. Even a whole area dedicated to classic, even vintage video games. Renewable energy is clearly an ongoing mission. Feel free to test drive anything you see, in safely-controlled settings.

Much of the offerings are still in development, but if you're willing to offer critique or suggestions, AtlanTech and its partners are willing to take your feedback. Even angling for a celebrity endorsement. At least, up until the point you're yelling at them, in which case immediate awkward turtle.

T͎̻̼̼͉͡ͅḨ̫͍͇̤͓̥͎E̻̝̠̟͜͝ ̢̠͇̳̻͓̤G̨̜͙͙̥̕͠L̜̭͔͔̬̘̩͘Í̲͇̭̘̘͙͝ͅT̗̣̳͘ͅC͏̧̥̯H͖̙̥̤̭͔

accidental memory share event

And at 4:30PM, suddenly, everything goes wrong. A sudden spark ruptures through the network running the AR glasses, and pain flashes through the minds of the users. Electricity flashes through the psychic VR orbs, starting with the one near one youthful ImPort, Max Carson.

And suddenly, the memories begin to flood. Flashbacks, memories as powerful as hallucinations. Past experiences with a more intense emotional charge, such as experiences of great love, physical pleasure, or pain rise fastest, as if being targeted by the unknown phenomenon. Predictably, CNC2020 memories bloom quick to the harvest.

Telepaths and psychic ImPorts find themselves experiencing a dramatic loss of control, pulling memories out of even some individuals who are not wearing the AR glasses. The towering dread figure of Kylo Ren doubles over, his unseen passenger only amplifying the problem. The psychic magicks of Adam Parrish, Noah Czerny and Will Solace could not be more different, but also make them vectors for the spread. Kaz Brekker and David Alleyne find their tactile mentalist powers going haywire over startled -- then panicking -- bodies crashing by. Even more people knock into the two when Kon-El's telekinesis and telepathy rock the crowd like an unexpected wind. The ripple catches up in an instant to Wanda Maximoff, and the psychic wave builds even more lurching momentum off the Scarlet Witch's powers.

When the wave hits Darth Nox, a volley of Force lightning and telekinetic winds erupts from his stunned psychic pain, knocking over people and props. Anakin, too, sends everyone in a 10-foot radius flying... as well as subject to an eerie, bone-deep chill.

For the next 2-5 days, ImPorts may even find that their memories have abruptly been uploaded to the Internet, in a variety of formats: standard audio and video, as well as sensory VR, where black market tech can continue the spread.

Access and propagation is erratic; some individuals might find themselves involuntarily downloading and viewing the memories of their friends, while others can't even make reliable copies when they want to.

Bizarrely, on the 6th day, all recordings will abruptly self-erase, regardless of whether or not storage was networked or encrypted. Is this magic? Is this reality manipulation? AtlanTech maintains: the power surge was due to some type of ImPort activity, not a conspiracy of their own. Initial investigation suggests a magical accident was responsible, but there may be more to learn for those determined to find a resolution.

OOC Information:
PM pillz or shramp for futher investigations. Feel free to use the question thread below as well, for that and other lines of inquiry.

Additionally, if you'd like to get your character added to this post as one of the telepaths/psychics and/or energy manipulators who get temporarily hijacked by the glitch, please sign up below. I'll mention your character by name and link to your top-level if any.

To opt out, feel free to have your character not attend the event or get randomly missed by the interplay of tech and ImPort powers wigging out.

Thanks to Fey, we now also have a OOC potting post!

Comments

QUESTIONS

[pillz]

General question thread.

Additionally, if you're signing up to be one of the telepathic/psychic intermediaries, comment from that journal with the character name. Please also link me your top-level if you want it in there!

[fettchquest]

Regarding the memory share event: will the memories pulled from people's minds be viewable to anyone other than the psychic characters in the immediate aftermath of the glitch? Or do they only become "visible" to others once uploaded to the internet?

Commander Shepard | OTA

[boyscoutking]

( ooc: re: the glitch - shepardo doesn't have any kind of telepathic/psychic ability but suuuper open to other people dragging memories out of him! just hit me up on the pms if you want to plot a thing! )


[ During the day ]

Given the opportunity to find out more about this world's cutting edge technology, Shepard finds himself at the AtlanTech Expo, a thoughtful expression settled comfortably at his features. He knows there's an event at some point related to officially swearing-in, but he hasn't come here just for that. In fact, that's the part of the day he's least interested in.

He'd politely declined the AtlanTech AR eyewear offered to him, bypassing all the wearable tech because his omni-tool is already ahead of the curve on that front. At least, it would be if it worked properly. His half-an-idea of finding someone with the right skillset to help him connect it up with his communicator hasn't proven successful so far but here, at this tech expo, surely there must be somebody who can help? The adult-only tech he gives an even wider berth, sure that he doesn't want to get mixed up in that either. Maybe somebody will manage to successfully trick him into that playground at some point.

But the vehicles? They're what catch his attention. Sleek and looking far more like something he's used to and not anything like the regular cars he's already seen in this world. The unfamiliar and familiar sit side by side in his head, an interesting kind of juxtaposition. He's not usually all that great at distracting himself, but the idea of test driving one of the cars is doing a good enough job for now.

[ The Glitch ]

Later, Shepard is both fed and watered and still picking his way around the various different features when something changes. He doesn't understand at first, doesn't feel the change outside of the sudden tension in the atmosphere. It's people he hears, primarily, shouting and screaming, but can't quite make out exactly what they're saying. Turning on the spot, he's already picking up the pace to try and get to where the noise is loudest.

"Hey? What's going on?" he asks the first person he runs into, frowning but appearing in control as he tries to get to the bottom of what's happening.

"...are you alright?"

Glitch!

[silvallyant]

When the spike of pain hits, Gladion ends up dropping his drink and clutching his head, wincing from the disorienting feeling. He shakes his head as he tries to right his balance, having thumped against a wall. He doesn't even register at first that he's being spoken to by someone until he looks at them, but by reading the man's lips he's gathering he's being asked if he's okay.

"I... I think so. My head hurts worse than being punched by a Machamp." Which considering that a Machamp can punch its victim over the horizon, he's over-exaggerating, but regardless, his head is pounding.

He hasn't even realised that his Umbreon had popped out of his pokeball and was standing defensively next to Gladion, growling softly at the surroundings to try and keep his trainer safe in his disorientated state.

Padmé Amidala | Star Wars

[resoluteandunyielding]

【Ｄｕｒｉｎｇ　Ｔｈｅ　Ｄａｙ】

Padmé had been informed on waking in the facility about needing to report to the next Swear-In, though she was still confused about the forced choice of people to pick a side in a world they didn't know well so early into their arrival. Even with that (more thought than) said, except to Anakin, Padmé's choice is exceedingly simple when she makes sure to finds the Swear-In table.

The glasses she receives are not as strange as they could be. They have objects similar enough to them for flying where they come from, and so she experiments with them (circumspectly curious, compared to Anakin's readiness to experiment with everything already). She made a slow circuit of the psychic VR demo trying to reconcile how primitive this Earth seemed, while the technology of this showing was ahead of theirs even.

While Anakin might find it fun, Padmé skirts the games, watching (him, and the others, but mostly him) more than finding herself interested in playing. Though her powers don't affect it as much as others, she finds herself engrossed in the changing colors and patterns of the Impower Generator. Around these, she can also be found where the food and drinks are.

She does take up the interesting icebreaker, but she finds herself a little off put, with surprise at the question that pops up for her to send:

If you were offered the position as mayor of your city, would you take it?

ƬΉΣ GᄂIƬᄃΉ

When the pain slams into Padmé, it is entirely unexpected. A spike into her system that slams down her spine, feeling like it burns into her head, into her veins. Unexpectedly. Like everyone else, Padmé is not sure what has happened, but she jumps into action, helping those around her still reeling from the burst of pain.

"Are you alright? Do you need help?"

* Ʉ ₱ Ⱡ Ø ₳ Đ * ₵ Ø ₥ ₱ Ⱡ Ɇ ₮ Ɇ *

In the coming day, amid the hundreds that suddenly appar, a number of her own memories begin to circulate on the internet: a video of speech given by herself as the then twelve-year-old The City Supervisor about a new waterfall-water reclamation plan and an audio-only conversation between a new queen & her decoy just meeting for the first time [unreleased novel sneak peek spoiler warning for the link], the last a series of videos of what looks like a recent trip home.

[ Last Option: Currently Plot-Locked to Skywalker Family/SW Cast ]

The most unexpected, and panic-inducing one, is realizing her wedding -- the one only attended by herself, Anakin, one Naboo Holy man, and their droids, not even a single Handmaiden -- is suddenly in those files, as well. In an alarmingly realistic VR detail. The wind whispering through the trees; the scent and the sound of the waves everywhere around them; the sun setting in the distance as they'd changed their vows and kissed.

[private] audio

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

[Yeah he'd definitely not asked for any of this, but frankly trying to monitor the spread of this nightmare has definitely driven home the fact that this place seemed to enjoy tormenting them for like the 37th time. So Padme would be getting a message not long after the upload]

We have not yet met, despite another version of you being present for a portion of my stay in this place. There are a few matters I believe merit bringing to your attention:

First and foremost, you have my sympathy.

[That's...about as promising as it was specific, really. Granted, that sympathy is like 98% because for some reason she decided to marry Anakin Skywalker of all people, but Nox at least has just enough grasp of something resembling common courtesy that he won't actually come out and say it.]

Secondly, I cannot fathom why anyone outside the Jedi Order would marry into it. I will not deny that certain members may have their appeal, but that can't possibly outweigh having to tolerate so many rules. Or so many Jedi.

[It may have been a bit much to assume he had any grasp of common courtesy. Either that or what he did have was a very finite supply.]

And lastly: Your marriage to the Skywalker brat is apparently everywhere on this world's primitive holonet. I would advise you to brace for unwanted local attention while you have the chance, given how they fawn over relationships between imPorts.

KYLO REN

[photophobic]

...is one of the telepaths here to mess up your life!

Characters close to Kylo when everything goes wrong at 4:30 may opt-in to some additional misery: due to the overlap of his power with Ronan's, imPorts within range may find imaginary, worse-case scenarios they've agonised over being taken and uploaded as if they are memories... and later, when they sleep, they may find the psychic recordings flooding the internet have also followed them into their dreams.

Details, questions, comments over here!

before the cataclysm...

[photophobic]

For those imPorts who've been around long enough, it might be a surprise to see Kylo Ren stalking through the exhibit halls seemingly unaccompanied— just where is Ronan Lynch, Kylo's (arguably) better half? Is there a reason the moody darksider is dressed in his everyday black battle-ready ensemble with his lightsaber clipped visibly at his hip rather than the kind of head-turning fashion he's adopted for swear-ins past? Kylo's not telling.

1 ⮞

He eyes the AR headset he's provided with (sleek, minimalist, something like Google Glass, really) with mild suspicion before testing it out— very little about him suggests he's here to socialise with anyone, though he's surprisingly willing to indulge those brave enough to approach him with an autograph. Maybe a selfie, though no more than two or three in an impromptu session. He's prepared to employ his particular talents to disperse overenthusiastic crowds as soon as his patience wears out— what's a little demonstration of the dark side between a force user and his fanclub after all?

⮜ 2

Those spheres look vaguely ominous, don't they? Kylo can be found in muted, motionless contemplation of the mysterious, reputedly harmless transmission orbs, expression drawn taut with curiosity. He might seem completely absorbed in thought until approached... but Kylo doesn't need to rely on his sight to know when someone has their eyes on him. Lingering too long will almost certainly have him turning the full weight of his considerable attention squarely on you.

3 ⮞

Later, he examines the signage explaining the purpose of the imPower generator, though he seems unwilling to enter the chamber himself. He's content to watch, thank you, though a well-presented challenge might inspire enough competitive spirit to overcome his initial reluctance.

⮜ 4

He looms with utterly unnecessary menace over AtlanTech employees tasked with promoting the various examples of cutting edge technology, particularly interested in (perhaps predictably) cars. In the absence of anything approaching the kind of transport Kylo is used to, he's looking to scratch as much of the itch as possible with a high speed test drive of the fastest ride he can find. There could be an issue if you're ahead of him in line: as far as Kylo's concerned, lines are for other people.

5 ⮞

And of course, the spectacularly unfortunate can find Kylo at the bar, where for reasons unknown he always seems to get served by the suddenly blank-eyed bartender first, regardless of how many other patrons might be clamouring for attention...

Luxord | OTA

[xth_gambler]

Glasses Make The Man

They are an interesting sort of thing, are they not, these little glasses? Luxord has worked with many forms of technology over the years, and many forms of magic, and this? This seems to straddle the line. His own pair are wire-framed and very unobtrusive, except fo course for the power sources. Those he had been forced to take out earrings for, which had left him vaguely sour. But they were useful enough things, and so Luxord had put them on and agreed to move around to enjoy them. Mostly because, well, when someone offers you a means to play cards with other people when you have no control over it, well, the delight is there.

Beware, any who approach, Luxord is definitely challenging you to some digital poker. A man, after all, tends to stick to his tastes.


Beautiful Machines

He's not a fan of vehicles. Who needs them when you can open dark corridors to and from basically wherever you want. But the car...

"It's beautiful," Luxord nearly purrs as he looks at the thing. Yes, he has no emotions. But he CAN appreciate aesthetics. Enough that he half wishes he had emotions, so he could properly react to the thing.

"Alas, no driver's license. I do not suppose someone would be willing to allow me to ride along."


The Memories

When the memories start to circulate later, Luxord thinks nothing of it. Clearly they are emotionally charged situations, and it was hardly like he had experienced any emotions in the period of his existence. As a Nobody he was surely as immune to this as he had been when the Heartless had arrived.

As it turns out, he's wrong. After all, there were two instances in living memory, so to speak, where Luxord had been so much closer to a full human. The first time he was defeated by Sora, under the light of Kingdom Hearts had been particularly jarring because he hadn't understood what had been happening. And the second time had been mere moments before waking up in this world, trapped here, recompletion stolen from him. Once more he had been defeated. Had even wanted it. Alas, that had been denied him here.

And learning that his memories were out there were most definitely causing him something like the memory of annoyance.

Glasses Make The Man

[john_morris]

Morris had heard about the wonders of technology being put on display and he was very curious. It was already a very startling world to him in terms of the current technology and going these steps even further into the future was very overwhelming and he looked quite bewildered as he walked around. Some of the glasses, though, looked more familiar and he picked up a monocle, turning it over, before next picking up an older-fashioned set of glasses.

"Do people really wear such spectacles without needing them to correct their eyesight?" He says aloud, not quite sure what any of this does. He may seem a little naïve here, but it's only because this is all so far beyond his era's understanding of technology that he feels rather lost.

Quentin Beck (Mysterio) | cw: threats to children, teens & adults and a whole lot of bitterness

[mysterioisthetruth]

Beck's first bitter thoughts upon seeing the technology on display were that somebody had been spying on him and stealing his own tech. His second thought was this was some offshoot of what the Tony Stark who had been here had been doing - which still made him assume it was being stolen from his own ideas. As if technology wasn't already developing that way and others could be working on similar projects... But he was a selfish and self-centered individual, clever with tech but sometimes painfully dumb with everything else, including reasoning and social skills.

Still, for now, he managed to put his impulsive anger aside in favor of investigating what this tech really could do, and he did see some differences. Enough that he began taking notes, literally, on his own device.

He picks up a pair of glasses that, to him, look remarkably like E.D.I.T.H. and he puts them on, frowning but checking out what their functions were. Augmented reality. Interactive games. He may be there a while, testing various things out.

He moves on with interest - and annoyance at - the psychic VR with its claims and ends up scoffing at the ETA and what he perceives as narromindedness that this is all just for entertainment. Okay, let them do it that way. He has broader plans and glasses wouldn't even be needed. In a way, it makes him feel somewhat relieved that his own progress in some ways was ahead of this. He still had a lot of work to do to incorporate more emotions and all the senses, but it was clear that this wasn't quite like his own set-up. He continued to take notes for his own future reference.

He kept moving to the icebreaker program and set-up a question:

What excites you the most?

.... He had meant to put in What excites you the most about this technology? for his further research but somehow the input had been incorrect and come out with a much more potentially awkward question. He doesn't notice this at first.

At some point he can be found, getting some food and drinks and checking out the futuristic cars.

Later on, the glitch happens. A painful burst which pulls a few key memories from Beck's mind and people may experience them through their own AR glasses or further along in the upcoming days across the network.

The memories are:

a. A small child being yelled at by an older man - his father - and something going smashing over the child's head, shattering into pieces. It's a now broken video camera. The man calls his son worthless and tells him that he'll never amount to anything.

b. A younger Quentin Beck watching from the sidelines at MIT while Tony Stark gives a demonstration of what Stark termed B.A.R.F. It's a set up of VR similar to what's on show at this tech expo, complete with glasses, although it is mentioned as therapy. Beck looks disgusted as Tony names the tech to a laughing crowd and, to his eyes, belittles his work.

c. A very recent version of Beck in full mocap suit appears to be directing a VR experience. Much is unclear and muffled but he soon begins reprimanding the small group of people with him when it's shown that one of his projectors has been damaged. Weaponized drones threaten his team with laser sights as Beck says: "... and nobody wants a bullet in their head, right? Right?" The scene fades in and out, much of it unclear apart from that line and the next. Beck, looking even angrier, proclaims: ".... one day, after I've had to kill Peter Parker because of this, I hope you remember that his blood is on your hands!"

Memories: C

[bifroster]

Jane—Jane doesn’t know what to think.

She just stares into space for a moment. Too long to be considered normal for her. She’s horrified. Dismayed. Extremely glad that she did not bring up Quentin when Peter was her intern. She … she knew he was selfish and arrogant and had a lot of other flaws … and she knew that some of the things he said had a huge amount of bias, but …

She finds him sometime later, still angry. Still hurt and confused. God, she missed Peter.

“I don’t know what is going on, but I think you and I need to talk. About a lot of things. Like Peter.”


[OOC: Let me know if this is okay!]

Kon El/Superboy - OTA

[callmesuperboy]

Wandering the showrooms

Kon is here as a representative of his fashion agency, and as such can be found several times playing with the new toys, demonstrating them, and sitting in the new cars, with lots of photos being taken. He wears a stylish suit with a daring side cut, and without a shirt underneath, making him sometimes get mobbed by Importfans.

When he is not taking pictures or being mobbed, he can be found sitting off to one side, and actively avoiding the bulk of the crowds.

***

ƬΉΣ GᄂIƬᄃΉ

When it hits, Kon is near one of the units, carefully examining it. Why not? It could be fun.

But the instant it hits, he cries out as pain lances through him, as if all of his nerves at once are on fire. Its a scream, really, that he makes, and his whole body is wracked with shudders, his eyes wide and sightless, his back bent nearly double over backward, and a wave of telekinetic energy washes outward, touching everything and everyone around him. Unknowingly, spreading the glitch even more.

And then it is over and he collapses, panting, feeling like he has fought all the hordes of Apocalypse on his own for days.

"Why does this keep happening?"

***

Wildcard Kon can be found anywhere during the event, throw me a scene and I will roll or contact me on the ooc plotting post, or on plurk at AMostAncientWanderer to plot something.

[bifroster]

It takes Jane about half an hour to right herself again after the initial hit. Rumors and speculations are flying around now, a number of people leaving. The one time she hopes such an event won’t turn out like the others and she is proven wrong.

She spots Kon.

“Kon?” she called, unsure how he was. If he saw things like she had.

Finn Onaru | OTA

[fireandhoney]

Wandering Around
Finn roams around the showroom, glasses perched on his nose. If he didn't know better, he'd swear these were magic. He autographs a few things where the glasses say he can, and stops to read things when the glasses give little blurbs.

He stands before one of the motorcycles for a bit, "I bet I could ride that. I mean, I turned into one once."

Games
Of course he wants to try out the games. He's not good at video games, but maybe games played without a controller or keyboard might be easier for him.

Finn looks at the various options to choose from, his hand to his chin. So many choices, he's having trouble deciding. "Maybe on top of the train would be fun. Or the areana."

The Glitch
Finn's taking a break, just looking at some of the other areas, when the glitch happens. He yells out in pain, clutching his head, and doubling over. "By Azura!"

What's going on? What is it this time? Why does this keep happening?

"Help me! Please!"

[OOC: Plotting post here. Or find me on plurk arwingyoshi]

Wandering

[bodilesswarrior]

Barbara has her own pair of glasses on, of course, memorising everything about the tech that she can. But at the moment, she's gazing wistfully at the bikes.

She only stares at him for a second before grinning. "I'm guessing the steering works a little differently from the outside."

Anders | OTA

[rebelhealer]

Games
These glasses are pretty cool, like magic. Anders feels that they could easily be replicated in Thedas, because dwarves have invented glasses, and it would be easy enough to put a little magic into them.

Anders wonders what game he should play, since he doesn't really play games. "What is virtual racquetball?"

Generator
This looks interesting. Power generated by imPorts' powers. He might as well give it a try, just for curiosity if nothing else.

He pours electric magic into it, watching the various shapes and lights with a sense of wonder. They don't have anything like this back home. After fives minutes, he steps away and sits in a nearby chair. That took a bit out of him.

Glitch
It comes without warning. One moment, Anders is signing an autograph on a designated surface, the next he's on his knees, his hands clutching his head. Awful memories of Corypheus suddenly flare through him, irrationally afraid the darkspawn's found him again. Except there's no voice there, trying to tempt him.

"What is this?!"

[OOC: Plotting post here. Or find me on plurk arwingyoshi]

Games

[harvesthoney]

Lacey is holding a pair of glasses, wondering if she should try them on.  She overhears the question and even though she isn't up to date on all the high tech gadgets, she decides to try to answer. 

"I think if we put on these glasses, we'll see a racquetball court and it'll feel like we're really playing."

Tina Belcher | OTA

[continuousgroaning]

[If you'd rather do brackets, I will match!]

Tina is quite tired of moping after the events of last month, and feeling closed-off after the heavy things that have happened in general. It feels like it's been forever since she's been out and this sociable, and so the first thing she does after choosing a pair of glasses that are identical to her own mundane pair is send out an icebreaker question of her own choosing:

If you could make a burger themed after yourself, what would the toppings be?

Then she starts trying to integrate herself into the other participants. Oh, and since her birthday is tomorrow, she's wearing a cheap-ish but conspicuous plastic crown on her head declaring her to be the SWEET 16 BIRTHDAY GIRL. She also sets up her usual booth serving burgers in the food area, with the following specials written on a chalkboard:

(Vegetarian And Vegan Patties Available!}

Sri's So Heavy (two patties, topped with sriracha)
We Can Brie Heroes (topped with brie cheese)
Rye Rye Love (served on a rye bun)

And when things start to go haywire, some of her memories may be broadcast out.

Time for the horse girls to meet at last.

[walkontwolegs]

As soon as one happy customer left, a young girl came up to the booth. She looked about to order when she noticed the crown and her eyes lit up.

"Is today your birthday?"

Boba Fett | OTA

[fettchquest]

i. before the glitch
[All in all, this “tech expo” is a disappointment to Fett. There are no weapons and nothing even remotely approaching a starship, and the AR and VR technologies strike him as a waste of time. The vehicles are somewhat more interesting, but even they don’t compare to many of the speeders back in his own galaxy.

He passes his time around the sparring arena instead. For now, he watches the bouts, observing how the fighters react to the simulated environment. He won’t say no to someone if they challenge him, though judging from the nervous glances he’s getting from the attendants, they’re hoping he stays a spectator. Most likely, they don’t want all that weaponry on him anywhere near their tech.]

ii. memory share
[When the glitch hits, two of Fett’s own memories are torn out and added to the swarm being broadcast into people’s minds and VR devices. If you are unfortunate, you will experience one of Fett’s memories of CNC2020, an experiment in control. If not, the memory is of a gentler time, decades ago.

By the time you’re aware of your surroundings again, you may witness several things—Fett firing on another imPort with a blaster, a sudden, vicious brawl in the middle of the exhibition floor, and finally, a blast of power nullification that ends it. Then, as quickly as it had started, the glitch ends.

And with it, so too does the battle. As the other fighters disperse, dragging the injured to safety, Fett backs away. The nullification had forcibly desummoned his armor and weapons and even if it hadn’t, the glitch is over. The threat is gone.

He sits down amidst the shattered glass and other shell-shocked attendees in the exhibition hall, taking slow, measured breaths. After a moment, his eyes close. It’s almost unheard-of for Fett to leave himself in such a position of vulnerability among strangers, but there’s too much to process. The memories of others, the memories he’d lost, and the memories he’d tried to forget all crowd for attention.

It will be awhile before he moves.]

{OOC: If you'd like your character to witness Fett's memories in the days after the event, they'll be uploaded to the network here!}

[ct_7567]

[ Rex was caught in the trouble of it all, of course -- and he'd seen memories too, a swarm of them that he didn't know what to do with, some familiar, some not. One that he does focus on, however, features someone he knows, though never half as well as he should, both too similar and too dissimilar to truly connect. He walks his way through the hall, surveying the damage when he comes across Boba, sitting vulnerable in a way he doesn't think he's ever seen before, not even when he was a child. ]

Boba, [ he says, looking down at him, voice gruff. ] You all right?

Adam Parrish | ota

[detail]

psychic VR

While he's interested in the technology, he passes on the chance to wear them as he wanders through the exhibit. His interest, however, is drawn to the float orbs posted around the hall. The smooth, round surface of the orbs with the lights glinting off of them -- they were almost like scrying surfaces the more he looked at it. 

"Experience emotional and experiential data through the power of VR!" The spokesperson nearby continues, explaining the capabilities of the data that could be gathered by utilizing this technology.

Adam, however, is skeptical. These things shouldn't be messed with, so he stands perplexed, trying not to get too caught up in staring at them.

eyeware / vr demo

Adam does end up going back to grab the glasses, curiosity getting the best of him. The glasses showcase the HUD screen with date and time, and compared to how modern and futuristic everything? His glasses are much more subtle.

He'll be found around the exhibit hall. Catch Adam watching the VR sports demo or even participating if he's goaded into it. At the impower generator, he's a spectator, and despite the fact he has a decent poker face, the implications of what a device like this could mean are clearly read if one looks at the right time. 

He's also set his status to hello, which gives the following:

What’s something you always wanted to do as a child but never got to do it?

 

T͎̻̼̼͉͡ͅḨ̫͍͇̤͓̥͎E̻̝̠̟͜͝ ̢̠͇̳̻͓̤G̨̜͙͙̥̕͠L̜̭͔͔̬̘̩͘Í̲͇̭̘̘͙͝ͅT̗̣̳͘ͅC͏̧̥̯H͖̙̥̤̭͔

4:30.

He stands still, a chill running through his spine before he grabs his head and doubles over in pain. Electricity crackles through the air, crashing through the psychic vr orbs. Those around him are going feel drained, sluggish at first before it feels like their minds are pulled threads unraveling.

His own memories are pulled: a death, a murder, a love, and abuse. 

[ooc: If you'd like a specific memory you can reach out to me on the plotting post or at redfielding ]

closed; murphy; sensory VR; cw: abuse, violence

[detail]

A message flashes on Muphy's phone: Check out this new video. When he hits the play icon? It's apparent he can feel as much as he can see and hear.

---

It's dark, the stars clear above him as he watches the BMW pull away. Cool Virginia air settling on skin as the light on the trailer porch flickers above him. His heart raced, his body tense as he approaches the stairs to the front door. Florescent light floods his vision, crowding around his father as he glowers down at him. "Hi Dad." His voice sounded far away, detached, a distant part of him. "Don't 'hi dad' me." His voice was charged with fury, mouth twisted in anger, revved up and ready for a fight. "Come home at midnight. Trying to hide from your lies?" "What?" "Your mother was in your room today and she found something. Can you guess what it would be?" It's dead silent, body numb, mind reeling -- fingers tingling as he tries to think of what he could be talking about. It's a hundred things. It's nothing. His heart beats faster, cold sweat on the back of his neck and he takes too long, too long to respond as hands twist into the collar of his shirt, forcing his chin up.

Look at me when I'm talking to you. A pay stub. From the factory.

You lied to your mother about how much you made.

I didn't lie.

Do not look at me in my face and lie to me.

Too slow. Too quick. The loud crack of hand meeting face echos in his mind, the pain secondary. His balance lost, collar loose, he falls, watching as his father just lets gravity take him. Head colliding with the railing, pain searing through his skull, a blinding catastrophe of white light, choking on dirt and dust as he lays at the bottom of the stairs.

josh foley | marvel

[goldtoxicity]

the glasses.

I dunno, you think I can pull these off?

[ Josh examines his reflection in the nearest reflective surface, turning his head this way and that. he's trying to decide if he likes this or not - he's, like, a nerd now. but is this too much nerd? it doesn't matter whether he knows you or not, he wants a second opinion before he wanders around all day with these on his face. ]

I'm pretty sure they just look weird with the reflection off my skin. Right?

icebreaker.

If you could change your superhero name and powerset, what would you change it to?

psychic vr.

[ he's uncomfortable with it. immediately. this could go so wrong in so many different ways, with the very least of them being brainwashing and remote hijacking. he crosses his arms and cocks his head, frowning deeply. ]

I feel like.. the only people that'd come up with something like this are people who've never actually dealt with a psychic before... This... This is kinda messed up?

adults only.

That is so not accurate! [ josh huffs. ] That's not scientific and is also, uh, hugely wrong? Uh... Actually, come to think of it, I don't know if it'd be worse if it was accurate.

the glitch. memories.

[ when it hits, josh goes down hard. hands flying to his head, not screaming because he presses his lips tightly together and bites the inside of his cheek. the bright gold of his skin flickers to a matte black, fingers winding tighter into his pale white hair. the memories that surge forth are almost entirely unpleasant and traumatic, with snippets of sexy misadventures and childish dumbassery thrown in here and there. ]

[ ooc; plotting comment! ]

psychic vr.

[detail]

Yeah. A little bit.

[ He finds himself walking up and standing next to Josh. He keeps getting drawn to the orbs, wondering how they work, wondering if they should be really encouraging something like this. ]

I can't imagine this not backfiring.

Will Solace | Riordan Mythos | OTA

[pocketfulof]

A. Enter the Grid [Wandering]

After the last time, Will's thinking he really should be avoiding this kind of thing. Swear-Ins really seem to only cause trouble--he's starting to think it was because of all the imPorts in one location. It was a homing beacon for danger. But at the same time, he's tempted. So he goes.

And initially? He doesn't regret it.

There's something about the gadgets and the promise of tech he'd never be allowed to consider back home that draws him in. He shakes his head at offers ("Try the newest fashion statement and step into another world--free loaners!"), but it's obvious he's interested with the wide-eyed wonder he seems to direct towards every new tech. Maybe you can tempt him to have some fun? 

B. The Game has Changed [Eyewear/AR+VR]

It was only a matter of time before someone managed to draw him in with their pitch and the promise of some interesting technological experience. He still wears a hint of skepticism on his face as he takes the glasses. 

He isn't sure what to do, so he simply leaves it on social, the message displaying the following:

What do you do in your free time?

 

He might be tempted into some of the games or other settings once he's used to it.

C. D̨̨͈̟͍̘͚͟e͉͓̮̙̩̙̩r̝̪̘̻̪͍̜̹͓̺̯͇ͅȩ̱̣z̢̡̡͎̙̥̻̫̥͎z̟̤̳͙̳̭̼̪̖͎̜͍̤͟͢ę̰d̰̞͍͚̙ [T̢̜̙̘̳̦̦͖̪̰h̡͕͉̱̭̳̼̦̬̣͔͕͙̣͟e͚ ̨̡̢̨̪̘͔̗͕͜ͅͅGl̢̢̤̲̭̱̬į̧͔̤̯̳̤̳t̤̖̟̫̥͉ç̰̟̻̯̣͚h̬̝̤̣̘̱͟ͅ]

It starts like the scratch on a record--a screeching halt, a skip, and then a flash of pain that has him clasping his hands over his ears. It's too much noise, too much feedback. If you happen to catch sight of his eyes they're wide and blank, staring into a non-existent distance. He's either pulled somewhere else or pulling people in--he can't tell.

In this psychic trance, Will doesn't have a handle on his other abilities and it's a bit of give and take on that front. Anyone caught in the vector of these abilities will find themselves experiencing a riding flow of energy, from extreme highs to dibilitating lows. If you're lucky enough to not get pulled in, however, you may find yourself hearing things you don't want to hear--snips of the future from a son of Prophecy, Pheobus Apollo, himself. 

If you happen to trip into one of his memories you'll find a mix of war and death, love and loss, birth and rebirth.

[If you want a specific memory, or want Will to prophesize something specific in his trance, feel free to drop a comment on the Plotting Post, or hit my up on Plurk at likeredgold.]

B. The Game has Changed [Eyewear/AR+VR]

[harvesthoney]

Lacey sees the question and grins as she reads it.  What a wonderful way to start a conversation.  She presses the button for a video reply and waves. 

"Hi there.  I like games in my free time.  Cards, scrabble, charades, trivial pursuit, golf, hockey, um, what else?  I was in a slow pitch league back home.  Oh, and I was in a book club too, but it turned into a movie club.  What about you?"

Noah Czerny | OTA

[deadthing]

A (wandering + icebreakers)

Noah selects a pair of (chunky, purple, sort of retro) AR glasses to try out upon entering the expo. He ends up adjusting them a lot and, when he isn't actively using them to check out the displays or play a game, he walks around with them pushed up on top of his head. They're cool, but the HUD is distracting.

At some point while messing with the settings, he ends up generating a random icebreaker question:

If you were a worm, how long would you be?

It's, uhhhhhh. Definitely thought-provoking.


B (impower generator)

The exhibit with the lights is absolutely his favorite. The shifting patterns catch his attention and he stays to watch a succession of imPorts power the bulbs.

When he gets up the nerve to take a turn, Noah isn't sure what to do at first. Turn into a spirit...? That's usually more of a drain on ambient energy. Instead, after a bit of concentration, he manages to spark little swirls of lights that flit side-to-side and follow anyone passing by the chamber as he briefly touches their thoughts. It lasts a good 40 seconds or so; then the lights abruptly swell into a branching collective - something like a phantasmal forest - before cascading downward and dimming as Noah reaches his limit.

[Encounter him while he's spectating or after his own display! Permissions for Noah's spooky mind-reading are here and your character is welcome to notice him doing it if that's something they'd typically be aware of.]


C (glitch)

Noah is eating the ultimate convention food—yes, that's right, Dippin' Dots (or whatever tiny flash-frozen ice cream balls are called in MoMverse)—when the glitch ripples through the network. Sharp pain crashes into him, startling him out of his body, and the frozen treat scatters across the floor. His consciousness scatters too, spreading through the minds around him, their usual static hum blaring impossibly loud, thought-emotion-memory overlapping person-to-person in one confusing tangle.

When the torrent subsides and he returns to himself, he can be found curled miserably under a bench somewhere.

He has no idea yet what's been spilled from his own head...


D (memory: the d stands for death)

[cw: graphic violence]

Noah crouches in a clearing between some oak trees. He isn't entirely certain what he's meant to be doing, but Whelk insists that they have to do the ritual now. The trunk of his car thuds closed behind him, footsteps, then-

-pain blooms across his cheek as something slams into it, wielded from behind, and he screams. Shocked and afraid. It doesn't immediately click what's happening. Another blow smashes down on him and another and he buckles under the onslaught.

(His own skateboard, Noah realizes after a while. That's what Whelk is killing him with.)

He isn't screaming anymore. Something in his face has cracked and collapsed inward. His legs scramble uselessly, pedaling in the dirt and leaves, and his fingers claw and claw but he can't drag himself away. His breathing is ragged and awful, catching in his throat...

It takes him six more minutes to die.

[This memory can be accessed during the glitch, found later circulating the internet, or even experienced in a dream.]


wildcard

[Catch Noah elsewhere at the expo or use this option for other memories (hit me up @ onedumbjoke to discuss)!]

Icebreaker, Voice

[walkontwolegs]

"How long are worms usually?"

Oh, and this small child definitely seems like she's thinking very hard about this.

Tenno | OTA

[notyuvan]

[.DAYTIME.]

[The Tenno, like any teenager, can't help but be drawn in by the games, curious about how these ones hold up to Happy Zephyr, Frame Fighter, or Wymius. There wasn't a lot of variety on her Ludoplex but at least it kept things from getting too boring between jobs.

Otherwise, she'll check out some of the foods there. Test driving anything doesn't interest her, unless they manage to make something similar to her k-drive or archwing. She missed those methods of travel, although this place wasn't too awful.]

[.T͎̻̼̼͉͡ͅḨ̫͍͇̤͓̥͎E̻̝̠̟͜͝ ̢̠͇̳̻͓̤G̨̜͙͙̥̕͠L̜̭͔͔̬̘̩͘Í̲͇̭̘̘͙͝ͅT̗̣̳͘ͅC͏̧̥̯H͖̙̥̤̭͔.]

[The sudden pain is unexpected but she's used to pain, physical, mental, and emotional. So it's mostly the surprise that really catches her, making her double over for a moment with a gasp, clutching her head and squeezing her eyes shut while she waits for it to pass.

Once it passes, she'll go to other people still suffering or just starting to and get them to sit and rest, if they'll listen, and bring them water to help calm down.]

(ooc: network memory share post)

Izaya Orihara | OTA

[deviant_flea]

[Icebreaker/During the day]
[What better way to see others and their interactions in this world than to go to a large gathering? Izaya's decided to go, due to his curiosity of not only the people but the tech being shown off as well. You see, it's not only what others do that piques his curiosity but also what they make that gets him eager to know and see more.

For once, he's decided to behave and not create havoc, but instead mingle around others without being too much of an asshole. He's even decided to take up the icebreaker question on his glasses. The message makes him chuckle because it's a thing he'd ask someone to get see what their morality would be.]

If you could get away with a crime, would you? If yes, what would it be?

[GLITCH]
[At the time of when the glitch hits, Izaya's struck with a painful headache and temporary disorientation before he rights himself as to not fall over. An expression of annoyance is plastered on his face as he rubs his temples and looks around at the others who were wearing the glasses as well. So it seems that those wearing the glasses are all affected.]

Ugh.. That was annoying, did anyone else have anything strange happen?

[he's not paying attention thanks to the obvious headache.]

[OOC: The memories from Izaya that would be shown are as follows:

* Him and Shizuo meeting for the first time as the two try to kill one another.
* Him framing Shizuo for a crime the other did not commit.]

Icebreaker

[by_candlelight]

[ When the icebreaker pops up she looks thoughtful. At first she's temped to ignore it, but on a whim decides to go through with posting. ]

Grand theft penguin.

[ Of course, this was not honest. No, she would much rather carry out a crime that would allow her to change the world for the better. Something that would leave the people in her way in a position where any action would tear them and everyone involved with them down from power. But like hell was she going to be saying that where anyone could hear.

After all, why tell someone a crime you'd like to do unless you never planned to do it? ]

joseph kavinsky | ota

[pillz]

lights, cameras;

[to the natives of the world, this is joseph kavinsky at his finest, his most rehabilitated. he's wearing a blazer over a buttondown, made casual by jeans. his hair is just slightly rumpled. he's gladhanding, making jokes that just barely skirt the line of appropriateness -- but skirt, they don't cross. his glasses are a chic and minimalistic style.

he's sponsoring some medical tech. ar and displays specifically for surgeons and diagnosticians. he explains his roommate, dr. joshua foley, is a prominent member of the medical community. this is the version of kavinsky that you might remember from the relief effort, back in december. with an edge to his aesthetc, sure, but by all appearances, a law-abiding citizen, using his wealth and fame -- formerly, notoriety -- for the good of man.

of you're watching from anywhere nearby, he'll flag you down.] C'mon. Smile, [he says, a hand on your shoulder, grinning into the nearest cameras. the pap are eating it up. imports! imports! he says,] Give the people what they want.

icebreaker;

[but naturally, more of his character peeks out in the import-locked icebreaker game.]

What's up, homo?

[if your instinct is to avoid the boy with the custom starter popping up in your hud, you would not be wrong to do so.]

glitch;

[starters below, some open and some closed! let me know if you want one at shramp!]

[memshare] the cat; (for apollo & open;)

[pillz]

i;

[there are slim fingers smoothing through his hair. he fucking loves to have his hair petted, in a way that he has never, will never articulate, but the autonomous sensory meridian response is a magic with him that has never failed with anyone he's trusted to touch his head. there's a bleed-through red-in-dark; his eyes are closed. he's drowsing.]

Hyeeeh. Khhhthss.

[something hisses, and somebody laughs. he opens his eyes. he's lying on a carpeted floor, the meadows' rustic furniture in the backdrop. and there's a cat staring at him, mottled, a gorgeous tortoiseshell.

automatically, he glares at the cat. the cat glares back.]

Dude, [murphy's voice is full of laughter -- at both of them.] There's enough hands to go around. I know, [murphy's heading off the words that start in his next indrawn breath,] I know you're not a cat person, or a dog person, or any kind of person. Figure it out. I believe in you.

[a hand emerges. the word d r e a m tattooed across his fingers. he pets the cat.]

ii;

[he's laying in bed, this time.

it smells stale in here, of unwashed boy and misery; the 2019 version of a bedroom that he has since surrendered to its rightful owner, or at least, its rightful owner's rightful replacement; it doesn't look like this anymore. but in the memory, the sheets twisted up around his legs, corded between his ankles. he looks at nothing in particular, which is what happens when there is only one thing you want to see, and you can't have it. but there aren't any tears, no evidence of kleenex. not even a particularly extravagant bong lying around. he's just waiting, that's all.

plop!]

Meaah. Meaaaahhhhw.

[he looks down, across his supine body, at the cat. it eyes him with skepticism, then comes over to rub its belly on his face very suddenly, downy fine hair sucking straight up his nose. he can't breathe. he shoves the cat away, irritated, but he does get up to investigate the greywaren's abundance of animal husbandry supplies. what if it pees in protest.]

iii;

[by christmas day, kavinsky hasn't seen the cat in eight months; low-key, he wonders it's dead, and he could entertain the concept of feeling guilty about it, if guilt itself wasn't abstracted beyond all recognition. he doesn't think it's dead. the meadows is full of soft-hearted boys. it'll stay fed. maybe it'll choose to leave.

it appears while he's lounging in the kitchen, taking a brief break from the saccharine performance of human affection, as well as his own masturbatory ego gratification that everyone liked his gifts. he's playing on his phone, sitting on the counter.

plop!]

Prrbrr. Rrrrr. [it weaves its head, trying to gauge his reaction.] Rrrrprr. [he remembers suddenly that it's not an it, almost all tortoiseshell cats are shes, and the vet had confirmed this one was. murphy had expressed an interest in it, which is why he remembers. color is coded by the x chromosome, so lady cats -- xx -- get to have two. kavinsky had thought it was cheating. why should some cats get to have two colors, while others only get one?

cheating.]

Rrr. [kavinsky touches her back, feeling the cat sounds vibrate into his fingers. he strokes carefully along her spine, thinking absent-mindedly about stealing her away -- a plan he forgets soon enough, distracted by the house full of gay drama.]

Hey, [he says, forgetting for a moment, the injustice.] I guess you're pretty.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood | OTA

[mycrosstobear]

>eyewear

Did you know the AR glasses also come as sunglasses? Well, they do, and Wolfwood's found some in much the same style as his usual pair. He's walked around to the edge of the crowd, giving himself space to try out the stupid little hand gesture commands. There's the weather forecast for the next five days! As if it won't change in an hour anyway.

He's not exactly won over so far. "It seems like a bit much." Redundant, when you can get that information from something less obtrusive.


>other areas

One thing the glasses are useful for, though, is showing diagrams and notes overlaid on top of the vehicles also on display. Wolfwood has been circling one of the motorcycles for a while, some excitement underneath his skepticism. He taps the front cowl, looking over his shoulder to where he thinks one of the representatives is. "That's a solar panel?"


>memories

And then, there are the broadcasts. At the expo, across the internet or on personal communicators for the next few days. Always, unfortunately for him, with Wolfwood's i.d. attached.

[memory options in the comment below]

memories | OTA

[mycrosstobear]

A. (cw: medical experimentation)

The room is mostly concrete and steel - no windows, only one door, though there are a few electronic screens on the walls. What it has a profusion of is overhead lights and, nearly hiding a table in the center of the room, medical equipment. A forest of IVs, other liquids, strange pumps, and who knows what else are all hooked up to or apparently waiting for the figure on the table covered in electrodes. It's a boy, fifteen at the oldest, some of his black hair managing to stick out between the bandages wrapping around his head. He can't scream properly through the respirator mask attached to his face. But judging by the muffled sound and the movement of his chest, he's trying to anyway.


B. (cw: mortal injury)

It's an incongruous scene, two men sitting on a couch that somehow survived whatever explosions or other form of violence took out most of the walls of the room around it (and, from the bits the video captures to the left, some other parts of the building too). One of them is a pretty eye-catching figure, with a bright red trench coat and spiked up hair (blond, save for a portion in the back that's black for some reason). The other is Wolfwood, looking...distinctly worse for wear. There are bloodstains and jagged tears all over his suit and shirt, blood on his forehead and the left half of his face. This may be related to why he has, judging by the bottle in one of his hands and the full shot glasses each has, poured each of them a drink.

They toast and each take a sip. Wolfwood slumps backwards, while the man in red hunches forwards. They sit in silence for a while, the man in red looking like he's squinting at something off in the distance, Wolfwood looking exhausted.

Wolfwood's gaze drops to his shot glass. "Smile, Spikey." No response. "For some reason, you just look better when you do." Wolfwood raises his glass as if to drink again, but smiles slightly himself and keeps speaking instead. "I guess it was wrong of me...to say your smile was an empty one..."

'Spikey' leans further forward, gripping his glass with both hands as he clearly fights back tears. "Hey, Wolfwood." His voice is as choked up as his expression. "Don't say dumb things."

And abruptly, the video turns to static. It keeps running like that for two minutes, unless you can manage to turn it off.

Jonathan Walsh | OTA

[drivesadesk]

During the Day
It's probably a bad idea to go to another swear-in. They have a terrible track record, and the last one had been absolutely terrible. He still remembers losing Finn, even if it was only for a short time, and he knows this one could end up just as traumatic. However...it was a tech expo, and he loves learning about all the neat stuff humans make, so he kind of feels like he has to go. And try out the AR glasses. And the cars.

The cars are his absolute favorite among the displays on offer here, so he takes a few for a test drive, and comes to the conclusion that yes he likes them, and he absolutely wants one, but no he's not doing a celebrity endorsement because that might be a conflict of interest seeing as he works for a tech company. However, while the cars might be his favorite part of this event, he can generally be found all over, checking out the various parts of the expo with giddy fascination.

The Glitch
He's enjoying everything about this event until everything goes wrong. Jonathan grips his head, doubling over as he cries out in pain, his eyes reverting to their natural state as he stares forward, quietly pleading to no one in particular as memories are pulled from his mind and are unwittingly shared with others.

Solus zos Galvus | OTA

[hellufacade]

[ Now, good ol’ Emet-Selch did plan to go to the swear in, and he’s at least interested to see what the cutting-edge technology is like here. He’s not exactly impressed. It was decades past Garlemald, so that much was interesting. He accepts the rental glasses, opting for a sleek rimless style. ]

[ More than the technology itself, he’s looking to meet people. Wine glass in hand, he heads over to where the games and icebreakers are. He chuckles as one comes up about one of his favorite pastimes. He projects the following question as he raises his glass.]

Do you like theater?

Ah, theater. Truly one of man's greatest accomplishments. For all the technology that surrounds us and how it becomes new and old so quickly... Stories, those are truly everlasting!

A toast to the theater. And we have such marvelous toys here that really could transport us all into such convincing spaces...

Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto | X-men movies

[frankensteinian]

[During the Day]

So he'd said that maybe he should stop coming to these again, and then he came to this one anyway. It's hardly the first time he's been a hypocrite. Besides, it's just a demonstration of technology. What can go wrong with that? (Wonders the man who came here from 1983 and has no idea what any of this is.)

He's less impressed by the potential future psychic uses of this technology, but there's ten years to worry about that. Maybe he'll be home by then and it won't have anything to do with him.

He stays far away from the impower generator. He's not stepping into any kind of machine if he can help it. And he can usually help it.

He does decide to give the icebreaker option a try. Just because.

What do you miss most from home?

[The Glitch/Memory share (cw: death/murder/Nazis)]

He's just about decided to go home when it happens. The memory comes up unbidden, not that it ever takes much for this one to surface. He's fourteen again, standing in front of Shaw's desk, desperate to move the coin. Only he can't, because he doesn't know how to control powers that he didn't even know he had mere hours ago.

Then the desperation grows, as the man behind the desk pulls out a gun and aims it at the woman standing between two guards, a woman wearing a prisoner's uniform. Teenage Erik tries harder, with no success; the coin stays stubbornly on the desk. And then it's too late, as the man shoots the woman, and desperation turns to anger. It's not the coin that's the focus now as Erik's untrained power channels through the anger and tears the office apart, crushes the guards' helmets while they're still wearing them, and the man behind the desk watches it coolly and calculating.

Though the destruction stops, the anger and the pain remain. Something about the boy's defeat and the look on the man's face indicate that this anger and pain are likely to go on forever, never truly fading.

[ooc: The conversation is in German, but it's pretty obvious what's happening here. The woman's uniform is instantly recognizable as that of a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, in this case specifically Auschwitz, though there's nothing in the office to identify which camp. If you have questions, PM or find me at siriuslydementd.]

The Glitch/Memory Share

[drivesadesk]

Jonathan's not sure how, but he seems to have somehow just witnessed one of Erik's memories through the VR glasses. For a long moment, he just stares in shock, his eyes having reverted to their natural yellow state. Then, finally, he speaks.

"That...I would have killed him."

Max Carson | cw: potential flashbacks, anxiety, and general not good memories

[topmeup]

A
[It's been rough the last few months. With...Apollo gone, people disappearing for weeks, and then him disappearing onto to come back weeks later with no memory of it. Just...rough. Could be worse, but also could have been better. A lot better. He always liked the Swear-Ins and thought they were a great way to promote Aegis Force and to meet the new people around. So he figured he'd visit.

What he hadn't expected was AR and VR tech and a generator that siphons off imPort's energy like it's a game. There's a unconscious grabbing of his wrist with his inhibitor watch and him taking a few steps to the right to give the thing a wide berth. It wasn't the same, he knows, but he's cool giving it some space for a while. He'll be checking out some other stuff first like the cars, food and then heading over to one of the bigger demo areas...the AR glasses.

Thankfully, they happen to look nothing like the last bit of VR tech he had some ominous not-honor of testing out for someone. Glasses are nothing like a large helmet strapped to his head. And the text feature is fun. If he sees someone close by he'll be trying to sending something their way through the glasses.]


B

You get to swap one of your powers out for something different. What is it?

C | THE GLITCH
[He's mostly using the glasses to put silly filters on people and send out emojis because why not? But then he feels something change, there's a spark of energy nearby and just as he's turning to find the source his the VR glasses glitch, white flashes in his eyes.]

Ow, damn.

[He reaches up to take them off with his right hand, not thinking about how the sparks coming from the glasses might affect the inhibitor watch her's wearing, how the tech might conflict.

Turns out this was a bad idea.

He doesn't recognize it at first, blinking his eyes enough before putting the glasses back on. There's a tingling in his hands and the energy crackling along his fingers tips. Something definitely went wrong there, but he's not sure what. There's a lot of people around though he tries to avoid bumping into anyone on the off chance he might still be charged enough to give someone a nasty shock. Doesn't mean he'll entirely succeed though on his way to a more secluded location in the building.]

Excuse me, yo. Uh, trying to get through here? Please and thank you.

D | Memories
[Pick a color and I'll tailor pick a memory to go with it! Red is love, Blue is sadness, Yellow is fear and Black is major trauma aka All Of The Above.]


{OOC: Max's inhibitor watch is going to briefly malfunction and thus allow his synchronization power to subconsciously feel out the energy of psychics around and boost their powers. As he's an energy manipulator this also means he might steal some energy from those who get too close to him, if that's something you want to happen!}

B

[am_i_a_monster]

Abigail reads the question and decides to be social and answer it.  She chooses the video reply option. 

"Hi.  I'd swap out my enhanced sense of smell." 

She gives a small smile. 

"And I'd swap it for the power to avoid elevators, crowded buses, and so on, that have people with bad odor on them."   She pauses.  "Do you have a power that you'd swap out?"

Tim Drake | OTA

[notafraidofyou]

AR Glasses and games

Tim is pretty ambivalent about the swear-ins in general, but he has to admit, he's pretty into the technology showcase theme of this one. The AR glasses are extremely cool, and he'd even managed to snag a par in the rough shape of his mask, which is pretty awesome, as far as he's concerned. He'd managed to convince Bart to come along, and he's really excited to check out some of the games available. There's a traintop simulator. They're practically obligated to check it out, though he draws the line at sparring in public.

imPower Generator

He gives the generator a wide berth. The idea of being able to tap imPorts for power makes him extremely uncomfortable, especially given his recent alternate universe adventures. He doesn't want anything to do with it, and eyes it with deepest suspicion.

Icebreakers!

When he's done with the games, he switches to the 'getting to know you' feature on the glasses. Anyone out there?

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

GLITCH (CW Violence against a child, death of a child)

[notafraidofyou]

ǤŁƗŦȻĦ

(1)
Docks. Nighttime. Tim--a little younger but still recognizably himself--is slammed into a seat on a wooden crate. His hands are tied behind his back, and he's glaring up at a man who looks like he's had a line drawn directly down the middle of him. On one side, he's a handsome man in a white suit. On the other he's a badly scarred man in a black suit. He flips a coin then tucks it into his pocket as he leans forward to speak to Tim. "So, you're Shifty Drake's boy."

Tim glares back. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Then you're dumber than your old man. Now talk! Where is he?"

"How about I check his calendar?"

The man raises the hand not flipping the coin and slaps Tim across the face with the gloves he's holding. "He stole something from me."

"Your charming good looks?" Tim smirks.

He raises his hand to hit Tim again, then steps back, turning to the two men on either side of him. "Frisk him."

The two men search Tim and one pulls a piece of paper out from his pocket. ":Look, chief." He holds it out to the man who unfolds it and reads it. "'Sorry, Timmy. The heat's on. I gotta leave town for a while. Hang onto this for me.'" A key falls out of the paper and the man scowls as he tucks it into a pocket. "Why that scroungy little two-bit two-timer…"

He turns to walk away and one of the thugs calls after him. "What about the kid?"

He takes the coin out again and flips it, then glances over his shoulder at them. "Kill him."

(2)
Tim is stretched out on his stomach in front of a TV showing a car chase when a man many people would recognize as Bruce Wayne walks into the room and turns it off. "Alfred tells me you failed a civics test?"

Tim scowls and goes back to doodling on his homework. "Like I really care what a District Attorney does."

Bruce moves to take a seat next to him. "You don't know the first thing about the American justice system do you?"

"I know that it's bogus," he replies without looking up.

"And how did you come to that well-thought-out conclusion?"

Tim smirks up at him. "Watching you."

(3)
A warehouse. A huge, mostly humanoid clay figure is struggling to push Robin over the edge of a catwalk and into a vat of some unknown chemical. A girl in a red coat runs up the stairs toward them, shouting "Wait!" They pause to look at her as she continues to run toward them. "I'm the one you want!"

"Annie!" Robin yells. "Don't!"

She slams into the clay man like a linebacker, tackling him and knocking him away from Robin, despite her small size. The girl and the clay man both cry out and the clay flails out in tendrils, keeping the girl from escaping.

"No--"

"Run, Robin!" she yells, as she sinks into the clay man. "Hurry!" A few moments later, she is completely absorbed and the clay man reforms into humanoid shape again.

"No!" Robin's face is furious, and he throws a batarang, puncturing a nearby container of solvent and making it spill onto the walkway, forcing the clay man back, so he won't be dissolved. "Bring her back!" He punctures the container again, spilling more of the solvent.

"I can't! She's gone!"

He pulls back to throw another Batarang, and Batman drops in, pulling him back. "Robin, no!" He continues to drag Robin back and away from the clay man as his attacks grow more and more wild, eventually sparking an explosion in the warehouse as Batman and Robin escape.

Gladion | OTA (will match style)

[silvallyant]

1. Icebreaker
[Curious of the technology, Gladion has decided to go. If anything, these events could get him more information than before about living here and he hopes that it’s nowhere near as bad as last month’s chaotic mess with the Heartless. He hasn’t heard of any monsters or anything happening yet like he did when he was introduced to this world so it didn’t hurt to try one more time to see what a swear-in was like.

He’d even accepted the glasses that were being given out for testing, and decided to try out the icebreaker to see what questions there were and was surprised to see the question he’d gotten for his. He had learned piano as a child himself, so he decided to keep the question for any who may be musically inclined.]

Do you play a musical instrument?

2. Food (and wandering?)
[After a while, Gladion finds himself getting hungry and makes his way to the food area where everything is clearly overpriced. But, food is food and he didn’t bring anything with him from home so he’ll have to deal with the food here. A good thing that it doesn’t look too terrible and he orders himself a slice of pizza and a coke, as well as getting a cookie as a treat.

Unfortunately the seating area seems quite full and there’s only one table available that has any open seats, but alas there’s already a person sitting there as he makes his way over to it.]

Are you waiting for anyone to come and sit down here?

[ Arceus forbid he just sat down, no, he has manners that were drilled into him as the next heir to his mother’s organisation.]

3. GLITCH OUT!! (memories included below)
[When 4:30pm rolled around, Gladion, like others around him wearing those glasses, had a sharp pain spike. His head began searing in pain, disorienting him as he dropped whatever drink he’d had in his hand. The pain wasn’t only in his head, but that’s where it’s the worst as it shot through his body, specifically through his nerves. It hurt, and if he hadn’t been nearby a wall, he’d have fallen over completely.

Umbreon has popped out of his pokeball and is standing guard next to his disoriented trainer, making sure that the boy is safe.]

What the hell just happened to me? [he looks around, seeing that it wasn’t just him it’d happened to, but the others wearing the glasses as well.] What’s going on?

4. WILDCARD
[use this as a means to find Gladion at any point before or after the memshare happens, alternatively you can use #3 as well for the memshare as well. Feel free to find me @ TsundereShadow for any plotting!]


[OOC: Memories that will show!
With #2 feel absolutely free to come wail on the kid for betraying Guzma if you're in Skull/know Guzma. Ruin his day, I’ll enjoy it.

1. A younger Gladion with his sister, Lillie, witnessing their mother have a fit about their father abandoning her before they’re guided by another woman into an area of the Aether Paradise where it’s more peaceful with only Pokémon around as the woman explains to the two that their father has disappeared and that it’s not sure when he’ll return. (Gladion would have been 10 at the time and Lillie would have been 7 as this is 5 years prior to them porting in. Lillie’s player and I have agreed upon this memory. For those unfamiliar with Pokémon: their father isn't a deadbeat that ran off, he actually did disappear but came back with no memories of his previous life.)

2. A present-day Gladion filled with anger as he confronts Guzma about his sister’s kidnapping, betraying Team Skull and challenging the Skull boss to a Pokémon battle. He loses the battle and is upset over losing and feels helpless because he's not yet strong enough. watch from this point it’s linked from to 8:52 for the memory (His player character is the female protag but this video has the male protag, which is all I could find) ]

Memory 1

[xth_gambler]

Gladion isn’t the only one with a guardian there after it happens. Not that a Gambler decides to appear just because Luxord is in pain. Instead he summons the Gambler to his side to support him through the pain. Others might react poorly to the Nobody at Luxord’s side, but he frankly doesn’t care. He’s been dealing with the memories and he doesn’t like it.

And one of them moves him to seek out a boy he hadn’t expected to run into again. Sure enough he finds the young man, staying back a bit as the Umbreon clearly is concerned about its master.

“You have a sister.”

Not a question. A statement.