victory_road | Fourth Wall!

Entry tags:

Fourth Wall!

Who: ANYONE AND EVERYONE
Where: ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE
When: May 24 - 26
Summary: GET IN HERE AND MINGLE
Rating: BUT PLEASE MARK YOUR THREAD CONTENT ACCORDINGLY
Log:

Much of this Fourth Wall is similar to what you've come to expect. While it might be set in Paldea, the general oddness remains. Doors open onto the wrong rooms, routes don't seem to match up right, and if you warp anywhere, you could very well end up, well, anywhere.

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However there is one spot that stands out -- one spot that acts a little different.

The gymnasium of the Academy has been transformed into a location fit for prom. Somehow, once you've entered the wide double doors, it's perpetually Sunday evening and you are wearing your prom best. Wasn't it just Friday? No, it is Sunday now, and you shall celebrate prom. Did bring any prom-worthy clothing? Don't worry, Arceus got you.

So come and mingle, browse the long table set with all sorts of delicious treats and perhaps have a drink or two (non alcoholic for the kids!!) The music piped in through the stereos is the kind of peppy pop songs enjoyed by high school kids everywhere. The decorations are of the cheesiest sort, taking you right back to your high school days.

(Or giving you a preview of what's to come, if you aren't quite that old yet)

There is a Photo Booth. There are props. And somehow a photo taken here at this booth will not be subject to the normal inability for pictures taken during the fourth wall to stay. Of course, your character isn't going to know that until Monday, when they'll find whatever pictures they took neatly delivered to their rooms in an envelope. Hopefully they didn't just pull weird faces!

So come and dance the night away and away and away, cause baby in here? It's always prom night.

Need a reminder of how Fourth Walls work in VR -- check it out here. If you have any questions specifically for this Fourth Wall, feel free to ask them here

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A. Random Locations

Somehow, and later he'll think to question it, Ed finds himself not only all over random parts of the map, but accompanied by a small entourage of his Pokémon. Mimikyu, Litwick, Furfrou, Houndour, the Ponyta with a Vulpix on his back. While sometimes the first two are nowhere to be seen, the others are a near constant presence, always with him and seemingly never constrained to a pokeball. For now, at least.

Things were different here, although he isn't sure how different yet, he is aware that something’s off. The world had changed and he wasn't around for it, as if he'd been in a very long coma until just now. Obviously, the first thing he thinks to do is check his ‘Gear for answers but he can't find it anywhere.

Which means he's spending a lot of his time stubbornly triple checking his pockets and dumping the contents of his bag to search through it. “What the hell is going on here?!”

One thing is for certain, it wasn't as if he had the whole map memorized, but some changes were far more obvious than others.

B. Bench

The surprise of it all was fairly short lived. Of course, it would be one of those weekends. Of course, he couldn't walk through a door with any certainty of where he'd end up on the other side. He isn't sure half the Pokémon that seemed to be following him around were even his own at this point.

Ed claps his hands together before pressing one to the bench he's sitting on. The familiarity of a transmutation is hardly a comfort, just more proof that things are not right or normal. Normal for this place, at least. There was no way to know who here would even stay after things settled once more, so at least he had that predictability to fall back on for the time being.

C. Prom

Ed's arrival at prom is far less dramatic. He's dressed no differently than usual (for him) and tends to stick to the wall or refreshments as if he can vanish into the shadows with enough luck. He's not looking to mingle or socialize, by now he's figured that anyone he knew before is long gone. It doesn't even occur to him that his stay here might be temporary, with how busy he is resigning himself to this return and what that might mean for him.

D. Network

Ed's expression is a scowl as he finally addresses the network that he's been avoiding. The conformation he doesn't truly want to face.

“Hey, I don't know who is going to hear this, but- I'm looking for anyone the names Edward or Alphonse Elric mean anything to.”

E. Wildcard!

Hit me up on plurk

thesinnerwithin to hash out something else!

Many things have changed indeed. But for this bizarre, interdimensional social circle? Semi-awkward reunions are eternal.

Heather recognizes the face on her screen immediately, and well, if she didn't, the namedrops would have at least gotten her attention. It isn't the biggest surprise she's ever had on one of these weekends, but it is safe to say this is one person she hadn't really been expecting to pop up.

Now, whether or not HE remembers HER is another question entirely, and she won't know that till she asks, so HERE GOES.

"Uh... hey, Edward."

She is SEVERAL YEARS OLDER and her hair's in the process of growing out of a late-night-impulse undercut, but it is HEATHER MASON nonetheless. Judging by what's visible behind her, she's somewhere on the party grounds.

"Long time, no see...?"

There is no real indication time has passed in Ed's memory. One minute he was there and now he's there and yet- things are not the same as they were. He can logically deduce some things about the passage of time and fill in blanks from his past experiences. The knowledge of how this world works and people vanish all play a vital role in his assumptions about the current predicament he finds himself in.

Heather's physical age discrepancy and hesitant greeting confirm more than he's willing to admit just yet. Still, his reaction should be telling, the recognition is immediate, as is the way his expression closes off, teeth clenching briefly before he speaks, sounding more tired than anything.

"Guess so. You mind filling me in on how long?"

... Okay, yep, okay, she knows that look. He remembers.

It's hard to predict exactly what someone will know, when they come back after leaving. There's the ones whose entire experience in this world was seemingly wiped clean, reset, who have to adjust all over again. Then there's the ones who went back and lived out more of their lives back home, only to show up here again older and with more tales to tell. ... And then there's the poor bastards who just blink and suddenly it's years in the future and there's middleschoolers awkwardly dancing in a gymnasium with streamers everywhere.

"It's been... five years, I think? Give or take, uh... I don't remember exactly when we last... saw you and Al."

This is said with an apologetic grimace-- the exact same one Edward may already be used to her wearing when they talk, on account of the company she keeps.

"We're in a different region than normal right now, there was this... sponsored trip opportunity-- it doesn't really matter. Where are you, are you like... okay?"

He does not look okay.

He definitely did not look okay by the time she asked, considering the color draining from his face the moment she mentioned his brother's name. He should have expected this by now, there had been no sign of him and he hadn't responded to the message Ed posted.

Elric denial sure can go a long way though, and it's remarkable that Ed's immediate reaction wasn't to ignore what she'd just said to pretend everything was fine. Nope.

Instead, focusing on the much more pressing issue. For Ed, at least, "Al's really gone?"

In all their previous conversations, Ed has struck her as... well, obviously troubled (because isn't EVERYBODY who's remotely connected to her social circle?), but... stoic. Carefully composed.

It's the first time she's seen that composure slip this visibly, and even if he's the Elric she knows least well out of the three she's met... it yanks on her heart something fierce.

"... Yeah," she says after a moment, and she hates that that's the answer she has to give. "I'm sorry."

He's definitely got that Fake It Til You Make It front going in just about every aspect of life that doesn't center around Al, so she's not wrong. He hasn't really had a reason to worry about his brother in this place, because Alphonse was more established and settled here than he could ever hope to be.

After a moment he seems to catch himself, offering an almost distant smile and pointedly not thinking about that meaning his brother is inevitably going to wind up back in Munich rather than home.

"Five years, huh? Well. It's good to see you again." Totally just going to sweep that under the rug and move on to Current Events, it's fine.

"You want to fill me in on anything else I missed?" You know, things he should be prepared for in advance.

From one faker-till-you-maker to another, she sees him slip back into form and offers a wry, commiserating smile of her own. These weekends are fleeting, and in the event that he doesn't stick around after it's over, she sees no need for him to waste his time confronting unpleasant realities.

So she will welcome the topic-shift off of Alphonse and onto more positive things.

"Well, let's see..."

He probably doesn't care much about ~Pokemon Training Milestones~ that she and Envy have accomplished... so she'll hold off on the bragging about becoming a Pokemon Champion.

"House got quiet for awhile, but it's livening back up. Lust opened a classy nightclub-type place in Ecruteak. Oh, and Scar's back-- er, I guess he wasn't around when you were here last, but he'd been here before at one point-- showed up right outta nowhere last summer. He's doing better this time! Less... lurking."

Their mutual Understanding of the coping methods sure has been a huge benefit to Ed getting adjusted here the first time, and will likely continue to be so going forward.

He does brighten up at the mention of Lust's club, not that he has any interest or investment in such an accomplishment, but it's still nice to hear she's doing well and getting to be human as this place allows. Although he doesn't get a chance to really acknowledge it before Heather mentions Scar and the look on his face- twists into something akin to confusion. Like she's just gone off script and he isn't sure what to do about it. It's fine...

"No, he wasn't, but... It sounds like everyone's doing okay. How about you-?" He is absolutely going to leave the and Envy part unsaid. By the time he's made this network post he knows the homunculus is still here, but their conversation definitely wasn't going to go in that direction, not on the first meeting, at least.

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foolishwren - 2024-09-01 21:43 (UTC) - Expand

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alltoblame - 2024-09-02 01:06 (UTC) - Expand

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foolishwren - 2024-09-02 01:21 (UTC) - Expand

Ed is going to find out at this highschool dance that he was, in fact, very mistaken about not knowing anybody at this party. His favoritest half-brother is also here! Once again, in a dress.

Envy hasn't seen hide nor hair of an Elric from either universe in years.

So it figures that as soon as one does actually appear again, they're going to wind up in the same room. At opposite sides of the same refreshment table. Envy had just wanted another one of the little round brownies but now he's looking up and squinting through the giant table decoration at a kind of familiar blonde haircut. Is that...?

Edited 2024-07-28 05:19 (UTC)

Envy shows up at about the point Edward realizes he needs a refill on the drink he's taken more interest in than anything else at this prom. Frankly, at this point the dress is the least weird thing about the whole situation.

For a split second, on seeing his absolute favorite half-brother, Ed reverts to fight or flight mode, whole body tensing in preparation for a confrontation. Granted, their last interactions were mild at best, but it has been years and Ed is consciously aware of the possibility that Envy maybe isn't the same as the last time they'd spoken. Whether because of his experiences here since or the simple possibility this wasn't the same Envy he'd seen last.

Still, momentary confusion switches abruptly to caution, gaze predator sharp, drink momentarily forgotten as he waits out the first move. Certain whatever it is will set the mood of things going forward between them.

As Edward tenses, Envy does recognize that yep, that's exactly who he'd thought it was. His own eyes widen, surprised, and moments later narrow in automatic annoyance. Not a positive reaction, but from Envy? The lack of that edge of viciousness he'd always had back in Amestris at least doesn't mean he's about to leap across the table.

Envy's seen Edward come and go enough times over the years that he...really doesn't quite know how to react. This one doesn't have the red coat and looks a little older than he remembers from Amestris, or from all the ones that used to come through from the other Amestris. But it's been long enough that he probably wouldn't even remember that much detail if he hadn't used to literally transform into him as a joke, so he's not sure. There's also the fact that the last time they'd been here, the half-brother situation had gotten. Complicated. Which who knows if this Ed even remembers that either. The deep, simmering anger hadn't ever really gone away, especially not with Ed, and it bubbles up as it always has, but the edge is blunted by time and the various uncertainties.

They're going to have to stand there and stare at each other like a pair of feral cats who've made eye contact across the street for a minute while Envy tries to do some complex mental grudge math.

Taillow Swift's latest hit single starts playing loudly in the background. Some eleven year old in an ugly school uniform reaches around Envy's elbow to get at the platter of round brownies.

This is...not Dante's ballroom.

Envy's grudge math can't get far without knowing more than he does; he has no idea himself what the mood is here. But no amount of time is enough for him to amass the maturity to shrug and walk in the other direction. So his expression slips back into what, for him, counts for a neutral--the masked, carefully deliberate smirk.

"Edward Elric," he begins in the tone that Ed heard coming from a castle ceiling, and starts to slowly saunter around the table. He's making sure that he doesn't look like he's actively coming to fight, so how Ed reacts to his approach can probably tell him at least a few things. He's feeling this situation out just as much as the other is. "It's been a while since I've seen you around here."

Envy's eyes narrow in annoyance, not blind rage, and that alone tells him so much. While the homunculus is doing his grudge math, Ed's working on some calculations of his own. The fact that he doesn't immediately approach with murderous intent translates to one of two things: either this Envy is so new it hasn't occurred to him that his powers are back to make use of them or- the far more likely option. This is the same Envy he'd already met here. Powers or no, straight from home, he's certain any other variation would have launched directly at him, regardless. He wouldn't have the luxury of standing there like a cat that had strolled into the wrong territory if Envy hadn't been tempered by years of experience away from Amestris. Years had passed, that was the part he had to keep returning to, while it didn't seem long to him, there was no telling what Envy had been through in his absence.

While a part of him had opted to get along for Al's sake, he didn't really actively want to fight Envy. He wouldn't have a reason to - here especially - as long as there was no attack. There was also no Al to get along for the sake of, but Edward doesn't know that for a fact yet, and even despite that he'd become fond enough of Heather and Lust in his time here to weigh that in his own consideration. Unless things had changed, Envy was part of that package as well, whether either of them liked it or not.

Envy saunters closer and Edward, fully aware of his alchemy availability to him, tenses - feels the involuntary high alert in the shift of his own body - but holds his ground there. When he does move, it's simply to put his empty cup on the refreshments table in front of him, golden eyes never moving from the homunculus as he approaches.

"Yeah, I guess this place wasn't done with me yet." it's glib, performatively indifferent and uninformative. He recognizes this place, remembers knowing Envy here, and he's not exactly offering up any more information than that. At least, this time, there's no need to dance around which universe he's from. No reason to play off not knowing just who Envy is and what their shared past happened to be.

Envy stops approaching when he's a few feet away, keeping track of Ed's reactions carefully. So, this one's definitely been here before. Envy adds that together with the way this one carries himself, the signs of nervous tension and the intentional indifference. He supposes that it's not impossible that the other world's Edward Elric could have gotten older and less rash too. But none of the times he'd been here had he ever acted with this particular combination of not jumping to fight and ALSO as though Envy could be a genuine potential threat.

He's pretty sure he can assume that this one is his actual half-brother. Which, he can't deny, DOES immediately fan up the old grudge. It makes him feel like picking a fight himself, he can feel the urge to, at the very least, start some kind of shit. It would be the easiest thing to do. Alphonse isn't here to upset anymore...but Lust and Heather are.

And! He still wants to dance with Heather more, which he probably won't get to do if he gets kicked out of prom and also she's Disappointed In Him.

He leans one hand lightly on the table, continuing to play up the whole not instantly leaping for Edward Elric's throat thing. He has one more question he can ask to really confirm his assumption, anyway.

"Well, since you have your memories, do you remember the truce we had going last time?"

He's only ever needed to agree to a truce with one Ed.

Ed knows that Envy more or less has to behave in this place. Not out of any concern for rules or law breaking, but due to his social circle and their own expectations. As long as there are others here and they are still navigating how to Get Along together, he isn't likely to cause too much of a fuss. Or so he believes, at least.

He quirks an eyebrow at the question, thinking it over for a moment before answering with the same measured indifference he's keeping up for the moment.

"The one where we agreed to get along any time we're stuck with each other?" So as not to burden the people they care about with their own petty grievances. Of course he remembers, it was his idea.

"Or was there another one I'm forgetting?" There could be, Ed isn't actually aware Envy didn't have any others with different versions of Edward Elric across the multiverse.

The tension that's held in the air between these two sizing each other up is definitely keeping people away from this entire side of the school prom snack table.

The Big Question, at least for Envy, has finally been answered for sure now and he can complete his very complex grudge math. Which boils down to...yeah. Yeah, half-brother grudge is still on, even if it's gotten a lot more nebulous and twisty and confusing over the years. But this Ed is also the same one that had acted, well. Kind of unexpected and strange about the whole thing.

"Yeah, that's the one. Haven't been any others for you to have gone and forgotten about."

In his own return show of smirking indifference, Envy lifts one hand like he's checking his nails for invisible dirt. They never had really worked out quite how to interact with each other, and honestly? Envy still hasn't. It's been a few years, and it was complicated enough that he has very deliberately avoided thinking about it since. The ol' nonchalant asshole smirking is the easiest fallback.

"Aaaand since you do remember, I guess it can stay in effect."

Keith was attempting to go through prom prep, but this had to, of course, be one of those weekends, where everything was screwy. It was like getting ready for the wedding all over again, and he knew prom was important to Allura, so he was trying, despite everything.

Prom was never about him. He never went back home, and probably wouldn't go here if it wasn't for having a partner who enjoyed it and wanted to be there.

The clap, though, it catches his attention and he pauses to look, giving a curious look at the person in question as they seem to press against that bench. There was definite pressure behind the contact, a purpose to the touch, not just resting his hand there. Was this person bracing himself to stand or something? Whatever... Keith wasn't normally overly curious about that sort of thing, but the sound had caught him mildly off guard, so he'd looked out of an abundance of caution. It was hard to let go of his own battle-hardened fight-or-flight instincts sometimes.

Ed was not paying attention to whoever it might startle around him, blue light crackling around the wood as it warps beneath his hand. Nothing extravagant comes from his efforts, twisting one of the wooden slats vertical as if prying it from the bench before stopping halfway. Sullen, irritated as the light dies down once again. It isn't enough to disrupt the bench's structure, still sitting right beside the 'damage' with no issue, weight fully supported. Not that he seems happy about the outcome, clapping once more to reverse the motion if he's not interrupted first.

The actual show of power definitely got his attention. Now the motion made more sense. He watched for a bit longer as the person made the move to repeat the gesture, then slowly walked over.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his tone just flatly curious.

"It's called alchemy." Ed's response is just as flat, looking up at Keith slowly as the transmutation fades away like nothing had changed in the first place. "It usually doesn't work here. Something's off." It's not that he doesn't remember the weird weekends, he's just not entirely sure what rules apply the way they did originally. He also doesn't know what Keith is or isn't aware of, which makes that the simplest most straightforward explanation he can think of.

Keith raised an eyebrow for a second. Allura's alchemy didn't look like that. It was less sparky and lightning like than this guy's, more like just a glow.

"Yeah... it happens once in a while around here," Keith said. "People get their powers back for a day or two." He shrugged. "I've gotten used to it." He wasn't sure if this guy was here for just the visiting thing that happened, too, or not, but the fact that he had more than one Pokemon hanging around for the moment indicated to Keith that he might just be new in town.

Granted, he was apparently wrong, but... Well, he'd ask to be sure.

"Is this your first time?"

His expression shifts into a scowl, not at Keith, just the idea of it. Of course, being a complete stranger he has no way of knowing how getting powers back complicated things for Ed. It wasn't a relief to know certain others were capable of things they typically weren't. Especially with just anyone able to show up here when it happened.

"... I guess not. Hard to say when I don't remember leaving, but-"

But. It felt like his first time, it felt like he was still here from when he'd initially arrived. During a different one of these weekends.

"Looks like time passed that I can't remember, so... there isn't really another explanation, is there?"

Keith considered that, taking in those words for a moment.

"So, you've been here before, then," he surmised. "I've been here a couple years now... two, I think." About that long, anyway. "If that helps any." Since he hadn't seen this guy around before.

Ed watched the guy for a minute, clearly thinking about that information and how it might help him. "Two years, huh? Have you heard of anyone named Alphonse or Heather?"

Here he paused, seeming to realize how the rest might sound, "Or met anyone named Lust, Envy or Wrath?" It's equally possible those aren't weird names where this guy is from as it is they wouldn't exist at all in his world. So, about to test that theory. He had other friends here, but not many and those were the core group from his world (barring Heather, of course.)

Fourth Wall!

Edward Elric | Fullmetal Alchemist 03 | OTA with the latest top level ever

Network!

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