The Unplugged

This isn't some computer simulation. Everyone in the Meta exists in the Real (well, every human anyway--the chatbots and robots sadly don't count). For the vast majority of humans, their consciousness is fully immersed in the Meta, and they have no awareness of the Real. Thus, they have a "shadow-self" in the Real, who is an independent being, that thinks it is a singular being. The shadow-self of a typical Meta dweller represents everything about the person that doesn't fit into the Meta, things the Meta wants them to suppress. Facets of our identity we aren't supposed to reveal in the superficial world live on only in the shadow-self.

But some humans are different. They can become dissonant, and begin to see the cracks in the Meta. This can be confusing, and even maddening, especially if they have no guidance. But, if guided, they can become unplugged, fully opening their eyes to the Real. And if they can cope with the system shock, they can begin to understand the situation of their home world.

Being unplugged doesn't mean they've transited into a new, separate world, and can never see the Meta again. They simply disbelieve the illusion. They can still see the Meta, but it's clear as day which parts are lies and which are truth. The people they see in the Real are in the same location as their Meta selves. They can interact with them, although if what they say and do doesn't fit the Meta, the people won't really perceive them.

The "unplugged" are, generally, permanently disconnected, but can "plug in" to the Meta for brief periods of time, if they choose to. They can also choose to "unplug" again, and return to the Real. This is an ability inherent to all humans, but naturally, the Meta-dwellers don't know they can do it, and disbelieve that it's possible.

Shadow Selves

Shadow selves, the real counterpart to the Meta consciousness, are mirrors of their Meta selves, but only to a point. As mentioned, their personality traits are different, as the parts of their nature not welcome in the Meta can only exist in the Shadow. But there are physical constraints as well.

As best they can, the two selves try to stay in sync. If a Meta dweller thinks they're in a 100th-floor arcology apartment, that's where their shadow-self will be. If they think they're driving a car, their shadow-self will be in the driver's seat. The infrastructure of the Real does exist--the Meta isn't inventing buildings and roads out of 1s and 0s--but the Real is decaying and crumbling. Sometimes, there are physical barriers that forcibly separate the two selves, and as you might guess, this is very disruptive and harmful to both of them.

In extreme cases of dissonance, the Meta dweller can be institutionalized, or possibly targeted for rectification by agents of the Technocracy, while the Shadow can become fully disconnected, not quite an Unplugged, but a remnant of their former self. Since the consciousness or "soul" is still trapped in the Meta, the Shadow isn't quite human, and begins to drift.

The Natives

Earth was not a lonely place in the old days. Faeries, demons, angels, gods, monsters, and all manner of supernatural beings lived here. They had their own cultures, their own societies, and their own struggles. Some of them had ways that didn't easily gel with human society, and there were usually ways to resolve those issues, one way or another. But the Technocracy couldn't accept that; they had to be swept away entirely.

It is theorized that the primary purpose of the Meta is to eliminate all supernatural beings that could compete with the vision of the world that the Technocracy wants to create. The Meta simply doesn't allow them to exist, so they don't--in the Meta. But of course, they still exist in the Real.

Vampires, pixies, werewolves and the lot can be found in the Real, just doing what they do. Which is to say, band into gangs for mutual protection and engage in constant turf wars. Before the Meta, there was a mostly peaceful concord, agreed between the Wizards and the supernatural nations, enforceable with the might of magic. That's all gone now, and the Technocracy, despite being able to delve into the Real, don't seem to care much to bring peace to this world.

Some of the more populous groups of natives include:

• Vampires, who tend to concentrate in dense urban cores. Despite the intuitive idea that they would find easy prey among Meta-dwellers who literally can't see them, it isn't so easy. The blood itself isn't what they need, but the life energy linked to it. With the consciousness stuck in the Meta, and the victim unable to perceive the attack, the inherent magic of blood drain doesn't work. To feed, vampires must plug in and find victims the old fashioned way. Despite the overwhelming forces of Paradox, they don't find this too difficult; they look human, they can move faster than cameras can see, and they can lure victims into dark places with their charm. It isn't hard to be a Vampire in the Real, but it's hard to enjoy life there, so many of them spend much of their time plugged in, to enjoy the pleasures of the Meta, and to find victims.
  • It is worthy of note that there are quite a lot of Unplugged in the Real. It's not a tiny percentage, it's substantial. There are plenty of good targets for vampires in the Real as well. But as explained, it's not difficult for them to prey on Meta-dwellers, whereas everyone in the Real is well aware of vampires, and won't be caught off guard in some dark alley. The Meta is a much easier hunting ground, and the vampires know it.
• Werewolves, who tend to concentrate in the wild patches of the Real that are still untamed. They have a strong connection to the Earth, and are able to draw power from it, so they don't need to plug in to survive. While dangerous to humans while acting on their hunting instincts, there aren't many humans around, and the abandoned countryside is abundant with animals that fill the stomach just fine. They are actually thriving in this world, but as beings that aren't obligated to prey on humans, they have largely adopted a role of protector to the Unplugged humans, further defending them from the other threats of the Real. Unplugged humans may have the philosophical freedom to reject the Meta, but they're still just humans, and the Real is a dangerous world.
• Faeries, who mostly prefer natural places. For long centuries, their share of Earth was ever-shrinking, with tiny islands of what once was Earth reduced to demiplanes like Avalon. By the dawn of the 20th century, they feared extinction. But all that changed with the Technocracy's coup. The Real is unguarded by wizards, and they've reclaimed their lands and then some. Their numbers have flourished, and their powers are unchecked. And unfortunately, they are still faeries, so if you encounter one in the Real, it's very unlikely it's a sweet, kindly Faerie Godmother, and very likely a hunter of the Wild Hunt or a trickster who will steal your soul for a laugh. Faeries tend to band together in tribes based on biomes, with tundra faeries preferring the tundra, desert faeries preferring the desert, and so on. On the political map of the Real, they absolutely dominate, but land isn't everything. Vampires have numbers and supernatural power too, and werewolves form a ring of protection around human settlements, so the faeries must think twice before deliving into human affairs; but they often don't think twice, because they just can't help themselves.
• The Fallen: no "true" celestials dwell on Earth, sort of by definition. But the Fallen are not servants of the Devil, turned from angelic grace to horrific demon form. They are celestial beings, blessed with Divine Grace, who chose to descend to Earth to defend it and its population from the coming apocalypse. They are staunch defenders of the Creator's Will, which has been gravely upset by the Meta and the Influx. That said, as Fallen, they have free will, and no two of them entirely agree on everything. Some of them are more militant, and some of them are more pacifist. Some of them are more focused on protecting the Unplugged, and some of them are more focused on fighting the forces of darkness that created the Meta. But they all agree that the Meta is an abomination, and that it must be stopped. In this, they've found an unlikely ally: The Adversary, Lucifer himself, whose host works with the Fallen to restore the rightful order of Earth, as it inevitably is tied to Heaven and Hell.
• The Old Gods: gods are immortal. It's in the definition. For long centuries, many were weak, content to hide in their divine realms, strictly rationing the tiny bits of Grace they had remaining. At least the ones who weren't as lucky as Thor and Zeus. But now, the forces that worked against their worship are gone. The Unplugged desperately need gods, and they've found willing patrons in the Old Gods. The Old Gods are thriving, and their Grace is flowing again. They have more power than they have had in centuries--more so than that, in some cases, as "billions of worshippers" was not an option in Odin's time. The Old Gods are willing allies against the Influx, but less so against the Meta--as much it defies the natural order, it also made them relevant again, and they aren't sure they want to lose that.

The Influx

Before the first human was born, elder gods without names claimed Earth as their own, and defended their claim from outsiders. Wolf, Elk, Bear and Spider had their turf wars, but they were united against a common threat: the Other. The Universe is a vast place, and the number of beings that should not be on Earth outnumber the Earthly ones by infinity to 1.

When mankind was born, a gradual shift was undergone. Humans became gods, and displaced the elder ones. But still, there were gods. And they had loyal servants on Earth, contributing their worship and sacrifices, empowering the gods to protect Earth. And so they did, from Inanna to Zeus to Amaterasu, they kept the Other at bay. The Abrahamic God and his angelic host had no trouble shouldering the burden for a few thousand years.

All that was before the Meta.

Earth is vulnerable, and the Void calls to it. Every manner of monster, betentacled and whatnot, faces little resistance in the Real. The barriers between planes, long since adamant, utterly involate, are now porous and weak. Demons of the Abyss force their way into Earth and have their way with it. Outsiders from the Far Realm invade and corrupt the land. The Influx is a constant, overwhelming tide of horrors that threatens to consume the Earth, and the Meta is doing nothing to stop it. The Unplugged are left to fend for themselves against these threats, and many of them don't even know what's coming for them until it's too late.