This is how the timeline proceeds in order for that bad future to happen.
1) Defeating Cthulhu in Christmas present does NOT stop the Fourth Wall falling. Perhaps it turns out Mister A was right about all fictionals needing to be sent back (something we MIGHT have trusted hi m on if we had been given more evidence that it was true –which in fairness, is something he couldn’t control; or if he’d just behaved in a way we found more trustworthy –which he COULD have controlled but refused to, and started terminating any instantiations who showed promise.)
2) So the Fourth Wall falls... Deanna escapes her prison/asylum/wherever and now that the wall is so broken down she CAN get into the void – she continues her plan to kill mister A
3) Some of the instantiations realise there’s a threat even if their father won’t accept it, and bring the human Metaguards into the void to try and stop Deanna
4) The Metaguards fail mostly due to their unfamilarity with the void, Mister A is killed, Deanna instantly gains control over the void and all the instantiations.
5) So then, while the Metaguards are just sort of staring at her and pointing out that ‘yeah reality’s still ending’ Deanna demonstrates the advantages of human imagination and does what Mister A could not do – she fixes the wall. Not sure how yet, but she DOES. The Metaguards don’t like putting such power in her hands, but what choice do they have? The world is literally ending RIGHT at that very moment, and she’s the only hope they have.
6) In the wake of her basically saving the world, Deanna announces her total control overthe void and, thus, both reality and fiction. Some Metaguards have the anticipated ‘AW, HELL NO!' response. In the resulting... debate, Eli is killed, and Deanna decrees that they are all either with her (and alive)o r against her (and dead)
7) Not wanting anybody else to die, some Metaguards agree to stay provided others are set free (who stays with Deanna and who gets away will be decided by you as individuals –we’ll have a thread where you can choose for yourselves, or something and will discuss any specifics with you).
8) After this has happened, some Metaguards stay with Deanna, others escape. Cut forward to two years later or so and the Metaguards who stayed with Deanna are just trying to make things better for those she subjugates. While the other Metaguards are rallying one last ditch attempt at a coup which ,of course, fails miserably because this is meant to be a really bad future.
I will make no mystery of the fact some people are going to die here. Anybody have anything against themselves being one of those killed SAY SO now.
PLEASE NOTE: I am also adding an imperative that any Metaguards under the age of eighteen will NOT be killed in the story even if they're okay with it and are not permitted to suggest they can be. I know these Metaguards are just fictional avatars of ourselves and not REALLY us, guys, however familiar we are, but the lines tend to blur around here quite a bit, and that sort of thing has the potential to get us into a lot of trouble. This is a story, that's all. Let's not do anything phenomenally stupid.
Pyro, you know what I said above about our not killing any metaguards under the age of eighteen for both legal and moral reasons?