Level 24 - “Multiversal Music Group”
» SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY - 1.5/5: Level 24 has the potential to be extremely dangerous, but it has to be triggered. Don't play any songs and you'll be fine;
» ENTROPY - 2.5/5: Slightly unpredictable;
» ANOMALIES - 0/5: Level 24 is devoid of anomalies.
Level 24 is the 25th level of the Voidclusters, and is the headquarters of the famed music company Multiversal Music Group (shortened to MMG).
» DESCRIPTION:
Level 24 takes the appearance of a large building, with doors leading to various recording studios. Three distinct floors can be seen. The lobby is on Floor 1; one can see many couches and musical instruments laying on the ground, waiting to be played. Floor 2 and Floor 3 both consist of a long hallway in both directions consisting of numbered doors. The floors do not appear to contain any difference in general aesthetic, just the contents of the recording studios behind the doors. Vinyls and neon lights frequently line the walls of the hallways, which seemingly have no end.
While generally representing a normal music label headquarters building on Earth, the space appears to be non-linear — a few doors from Floor 3 suspiciously lead you to the lobby on Floor 1, but going back through the same door puts you in a recording studio. Despite our best efforts, such phenomena cannot be explained. The recording studios themselves take the appearance of normal recording studios — they have microphones, instruments, and computers for music production. Surprisingly, these items replace themselves if damaged; the studios revert back to the condition you found them in upon leaving and re-entering.
The televisions in the studios are on at all times, but cannot transmit signals. However, upon playing a song on the laptop in the studio, the television will begin to play the music video for the song. The songs on the computers are identical to songs made by artists in reality, and the catalogue is constantly updating. As expected, the song catalogue does not include any songs without a visualizer or a music video. Electricity never runs out and battery never goes down.
Notably, the music videos for the songs are not the exact same as they are in reality. For example, every music video starts with the music and ends with the music, with no additional scenes or noise. When you start playing the song on the computer, the song will start playing instantly; if the music video includes extra scenes, such as an intro before the song actually plays, those scenes will be cut and the television will start right from the point when the music starts. However, this is not the only change — the actual video itself will be slightly different from the original. In most scenarios, the lighting is more dramatic, the video synopsis takes a darker turn, and the video evokes an unsettling vibe.
A Word of Warning: Staring at the television for too long may result in the wanderer being transported inside of the music video currently playing, unable to leave until the song finishes. The characters in the music video will interact with the wanderer. In some cases, they may be friendly, possibly giving you souvenirs that will be teleported back with you when the song finishes; in other cases, the characters may be hostile and attempt to kill you.
We do not fully understand how the music videos work, but we have compiled a list of a few music videos below, which were modified from their originals. Hopefully, someone with more musical knowledge than me can make sense of them.
A basic description of the music video will be provided, as well as a subsequent log from someone who was transported into the modified music video (if applicable).
Music Video Synopsis: 24 in Level 24 (Fitting, isn't it?) shares the same visuals of the original music video, with Kanye West levitating out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. However, during this levitation phase, Kanye West is seen clipping from reality. He eventually levitates through Level 0, Level 1, and Level 2, before ending up in his final destination — The Beyond, where the video ends.
Log from Jamie Polinski: I felt at peace with myself for the first time. While levitating through the sky with Kanye, I saw the beautiful landscapes of Level 0, Level 1, and Level 2. The memories all flowed back to me like a rush of blood. I relived my first experience ending up here; it was around 6 years ago when I first arrived in Level 0 from my living room couch. It was amazing, like a child seeing her parents again after school. I experienced the emptiness of The Beyond and everything in-between, and I finally saw how relaxing it was to be surrounded by absolute nothingness. Life is suffering, and death is empty. I would do anything… everything… to experience it again.
There is nothing more left for me in this world.
I have done it all.
I have achieved enlightenment.
[GUNSHOT]
Music Video Synopsis: Party Rock Anthem in Level 24 shares the same premise of the original music video, with an infection going around the town, causing people to "shuffle" whenever Party Rock Anthem comes on. These so-called "Party Rockers" ambush anyone not dancing to the song and attempt to infect them. However, the music video takes place during nighttime and the music video is told in the first-person perspective of an uninfected human who attempts to outrun the "Party Rockers". At the end of the video, the protagonist ultimately gets infected himself.
Log from Jefferson Hoisnick: Look, I'm sorry. I had to. I've been stuck in the Voidclusters for at least 3 damn years and frankly, not a day goes by where I miss the days of party rocking. So my friend and I decided to hit up the studio and listen to Party Rock Anthem, just for feelings of nostalgia. I think we got a little too invested in the music video, though. After a few instances of us shouting out "Everyday I'm shuffling" and "Party Rock is in the house tonight!", we were both transported inside the music video, where a bunch of "Party Rockers" started chasing us. The rest of the song is a blur to me, but I remember my friend was caught in the crowd of "Party Rockers" and was infected. He ultimately became one of the Party Rockers. The song subsequently ended after a few more minutes of me running tirelessly so as to not share my friend's fate. I woke up on the couch back in the studio; the television had no signal, but my friend was nowhere to be found.
At least my friend died doing what he loved best — Party Rocking.
Music Video Synopsis: Similar to the original music video, Blinding Lights, as displayed in Level 24, appears to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada in a nighttime setting… after hours, if you will. The Weeknd does his regular activities while drunk — dancing, singing, and driving. However, the video, as it continuously plays, goes from a bright, vibrant setting to a dark, unsettling setting. The entire video feels like an acid trip; just watching it induces hallucinations. As The Weeknd violates the speed limit in his car as a drunken mess, wanderers feel a sense of dread, anticipating imminent death. In the climax of the music video, the visuals devolve into darkness and the car crashes, exploding into a fiery mess. The video stays on this scene until the song ends.
No Logs Found: Anyone watching this music video was subsequently found dead on the couch, bleeding from their eyes and ears. Burn wounds can be seen all over the body, but no sources of fire can be seen nearby. Autopsies of the bodies show high amounts of cocaine and alcohol in each victim's system, despite no drugs nor drinks being present in the recording studio. Despite the immense pain and suffering, every dead body manages to have a smile on its face.
Seems like they really enjoyed it. So much that it killed them.
Join them, won't you?
Music Video Synopsis: Thriller night becomes much more dangerous and creepy; in this new revised version of the music video, the protagonist gets her brain eaten by Michael Jackson and his zombie crew after being caught. The zombies look much more unsettling; they don't even resemble humans anymore, more like monsters. As the song progresses, more zombies rise up from the dead in the cemetery and do the iconic dance. Unlike the original, this was no dream — Michael Jackson is in fact a zombie in this video, and a bloodthirsty one, too. Playing this song in October results in the lights in the studio going off for whatever reason. They will turn back on when the song finishes.
Log from Jules Hefner: I made a massive mistake. The zombies — they're out for blood. They want human flesh… human brains. They're merciless — I ran for my life through that cemetery; no matter how fast I ran, Michael and his crew were always faster. I heard screaming from other victims of the zombies, who were not as fortunate as I was. I ran into a small cabin and hid there for the remainder of the song while lightning struck outside and zombies danced. I narrowly survived that ordeal… and I'm never returning to Thriller night ever again.
It was a thriller night alright… but also a killer night.
I'm lucky I even made it out alive. I woke up back on the couch; the small cut on my leg from when I tripped on a small branch was still there and still bleeding. I put a bandage on the wound and went about my day. That was absolute horror.
Music Video Synopsis: God, am I even allowed to describe this? The original music video was extremely sexual in nature and a massively disturbing sight. In Level 24? WAP's disturbing nature has been amplified by a factor of 10. The tigers and snakes in the video are hostile, attacking the women. The mansion's hallways are dimly lit and have a non-linear feel to them. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion actually start looking like demons from Hell in this music video. I don't suggest watching this, let alone listening to the song. Please. Spare your ears, your eyes, your sanity.
Log from Kelsey Teller: I'm done. Good lord, where is the bleach? I need to pour that stuff into my eyes pronto. I'd rather go blind than have to see that disturbing music video again. I almost got mauled by tigers, suffocated by snakes, drowned by backup dancers, and killed by live fountains. I don't care what you people say about Level 9, whatever that level has that's "scary" doesn't even scratch the surface of what WAP will provide you.
I seriously need to see a therapist.
I swear, I'm hallucinating.
I'm dizzy, nauseous, disoriented.
I can't go on like this.
» COMMUNITIES:
Anterior Six: Anterior Six is an indie band recently formed in the Voidclusters, consisting of members Grigorovich Flannel, Fuchsia Janes, Julia T. Hutchinson, Derrick Wells, Ryan Wadderson, and Bucky Dearing, all around 20-30 years of age. They all met each other in the Voidclusters and discovered that they shared a common love for music. As a result, they decided to start a band; occasionally, they may play in front of small crowds in Level 11. Unfortunately, they cannot book any tours yet (MMG strictly forbids this). However, in their free time, they hang out in Studio 231, playing their electric guitars or mixing vocals. They don't like to be disturbed — their craft is much too important for anyone to meddle in their process.
You may know them from their song "Sunday Masses", released in 2018 as the lead single from their album "Bittersweet", which is still yet to release despite the release date initially being set to early 2019. Their main instruments consist of cowbells, electric guitars, drums, and keyboards, while their primary genres are pop, rock, and alternative.
Other notable songs from Anterior Six include: "Dreamscapes", "Cry About It", "Behavior", "Industry Fighter", and "Creeper (Aw Man)".
Give them a listen! Just don't criticize their music. They don't like that.
» ENTRANCES:
- Enter a building labeled MMG in any level resembling a city.
» EXITS:
- Exit out the front door on Floor 1; you'll be taken back to the level you entered from.
