The Jar- let's jam.

[sandsculptor]

You awaken to blurry, pink sights of unclear lights and muffled sounds. Warm liquid, thick as jam, surrounds you, yet you do not drown somehow. The cosy ooze is quite comfortable, but you are slowly freed from its warm embrace as the goo drains, clearing your vision and revealing you are in a clear, cylindrical tube. That too descends into the floor, and hot water sprays from above to cleanse you of your stickiness. Once that ceases, the sterile white room buzzes to life as a translucent holographic interface appears, one made to appeal specifically to you as a source of comfort.

"Welcome to The Jar," the hologram greets you, as soft or stern as your emotional needs require. "Your new home."

The Jar is a panfandom sandbox setting modelled on the concept of a jamjar game where characters are pulled from their canon setting and deposited into a mysterious new realm from which there is no escape. Curious events occur frequently, and there's an overarching plot with which you may or may not engage. Players are free to do whatever they wish without asking permission, as all continuity here is optional.

Setting-

The setting is a large city, The Jar, surrounded by an unforgiving wilderness. Both are enclosed in an energy shield that prevents exit. Beneath the surface lies eerie ruins from which sinister forces emerge.

The energy dome simulates a horizon and sky, though the shimmering sheen makes it clear it is artificial. Nevertheless, the technology allows it to simulate weather, day and night.

The Jar

The Jar-
The Jar is a high-tech sci-fi city designed so inhabitants never need to step outside. All of the buildings are towering sky-scrapers interlinked by bridges and transportation tubes. In essence, the entire city is one giant complex that can fulfil all your needs. From arcades to zen gardens, it's all there. The whole facility is mysteriously devoid of life, aside from those brought there against their will. Even the aquariums and zoos are strangely empty. There is no trace of who built The Jar nor why they are no longer there.

A staff of Neo-Plastoid Companions, or NPCs, meticulously maintains the city. Artificial lifeforms with limited personality and intelligence do all the jobs you don't want to but aren't much for conversation. NPCs come in every size and shape suitable for their job, from floating spheres that act as couriers to anatomically correct recreations of humanoids.

The Jar's many technological marvels are presided over by a powerful master computer known as Master of Domain, or M.o.D, that interacts with characters through holographic interfaces that change to match its tone. M.o.D presents itself as a benevolent, kindly overseer who wants nothing more than the occupants to be happy. However, it does its best to distract people from the hard questions like 'Why are we here?' and 'What happened to the people?'

The Jar is roughly the size of New York City in surface area, though its universally vertical construction means more space is taken up.

The Surface

The Surface-
Nothing stops the occupants from leaving The Jar, though M.o.D will try their best to convince them not to. The surface is a sharp contrast to the sterile city, a vibrant and dangerous jungle. Old brick and concrete buildings similar to the modern day, far more primitive than The Jar, have been reclaimed by nature and covered in greenery. Creatures of every description roam the surface, an incongruous mixture from across time, space and dimensions- you're as likely to meet a deer, a dinosaur or a dragon.

There is evidence of elusive civilisation on the surface, freshly extinguished firepits and spears lodged in creatures' hides. A feeling of being watched if one lingers too long in one place. Arrangements of salvage into shrines. But who they are and why they prefer to hide is unknown.

The surface is about 50,000 square miles in a perfect circle before contact with the dome prevents further exploration.

The Labyrinth

The Labyrinth-

Beneath the surface are ancient ruins, a complex ant nest of buildings and interconnected tunnels. Accessible through caves or conspicuously dug entrances on the surface, the ruins go as deep as The Jar is tall, and the further one travels, the more eerie it becomes. Near the surface, it is little more than an abandoned fortress, but the descent brings mystical and sinister forces with it. Tormented spirits, magical constructs and bizarre monstrosities guard the magical treasures below. The geography seems less reliable the lower the level. Corridors shift, and doorways sometimes lead to different places. Occasionally the stone carved walls break out into underground nature, vast cave systems with underground rivers or magma flows. And yet, it is perhaps the only way to bypass the energy field that keeps inhabitants trapped.

The Labyrinth is below the entirety of the surface, and goes incredibly deep.

The Network

The Network-

Upon awakening, all characters are given a unique device called a Connector, allowing users to connect to the in-game network. It takes on a form familiar and intuitive to the owner. For example, Gandalf may have a replica palantír, Luke Skywalker may have a datapad and a modern teen might have a smartphone. Connectors are self-repairing and always follow their owners, refusing to be left behind by floating over their owner's shoulders. Connectors have an attitude and like to play up on their users by broadcasting embarrassing moments or sassing the user when responding to voice commands. All Connectors can be used for text, voice or video communication regardless of form. They can also be used as diaries, recorders and play Snake, amongst other uses.

Optional Prompts

A) House Warming-

M.o.D is trying their best to make sure everyone is comfortable in their new home, whether they like it or not. A city-wide welcome party finds characters wherever they go. M.o.D wants to encourage a sense of community, and residents may find themselves locked in rooms with each other until they complete a party game, dance with someone or otherwise socialise. The party 'encouragement' only intensifies whenever the residents try to escape or investigate. They'll play joyful party music louder when asked difficult questions and use moving walkways to send them elsewhere. M.o.D might even dump you into other people's rooms.

Speaking of rooms, M.o.D has tried to create cosy apartments for each resident. In the same way they draw from the mind to create the Connector, M.o.D has attempted to make things familiar- how good a job have they done for you?

B) A Sound of Thunder-

For those who are more adventurous, need a break from the festivities or don't trust M.o.D, going outside might seem like a good idea. The dense foliage has plenty to explore, but it also happens to be t.rex feeding frenzy season. Almost anywhere you go, you'll be faced with the rumbling of massive feet. They're curiously avoiding a few special spots, though, those old dilapidated buildings that may hold hints to the nature of the... nature.

And the activity in The Jar seems to have riled up the local wildlife. While normally they're content to ignore the buildings, the signs of life has led to a break-in! Dinos of all sizes and shape are roaming the lower halls, chasing down residents. Or perhaps being adopted, if you're the pet taming type.

C) The Test-

For those who enter the Labyrinth, they'll find it wants to test would-be explorers. It begins subtly, as whispers and shadows, but amongst the old artefacts and dust there's worse. Much worse. The corridors conjure the worst fear of their invader, to chase them out of the hallowed halls. This might be as simple as a giant spider for an arachnophobe, or as revealing as an illusionary depiction of failing to live up to their father's expectations.

Can they overcome this fear or will they flee? Is it simply embarrassing or horribly life threatening?