PHASE 3: AKVOS: THE END.

[acatamods]

I ▫ main IV ▫ premise       XI ▫ applications XIV ▫ activity II ▫ logs V ▫ rules VII ▫ bestiary   IX ▫ canon updates XII ▫ taken XV ▫ drop/hiatus III ▫ ooc VI ▫ faq VIII ▫ setting   X ▫ mods XIII ▫ reserves XVI ▫ players the great escape. The Circle has quite a lot on their plate, this time around. Multiple players are fighting for the control of Akvos, and many difficult choices to make. No matter what path you choose, though, one thing is for certain: it is a bitter fight to the death to ensure that Akvos remains standing, one way or another. There are three main areas for the characters to explore in the final log of Akvos: (1) The Kingdom of Akvos, where the King is fighting to seize control; (2) The Rift, where the characters will encounter the Dreamscapes; and (3) The Kingdom of Polankos, which is where King Ka'pouli has reigned since his arrival in the pocket dimension. Decisions made in all there areas will affect the outcome of Akvos, so get to exploring. THE ASSAULT ON WAHINE. The King’s forces will attack in three different fronts. There will be mermen attacking from above, riding saddled giant seahorses and manta rays, launching spears at the mermaid-warriors below with terrifying precision. They seem to be indiscriminate, in their aim -- the weaponry, charged with the same dark energy that the shadow creatures seem to be made out of, find their target in civilians and warriors alike, raining down a sea of terror upon the central stronghold of the Kingdom of Akvos. The mermen will also be attacking at the ground-level, attempting to burst their way through the Palace Gates to flood the city with numbers. While the mermaids outnumber the mermen, the mermen are certainly more brutal than the mermaids. Some of them, though, in finding the city, are more concerned with looting it than with senselessly murdering everyone inside. Indeed, this is the most food they have seen in a long time -- and markets are destroyed in grabbing as much food and riches as they can, pressing closer to the Palace, and toward the Queen's stronghold. And, finally, they will be attacking from below, navigating their way through a network of tunnels meant to transport goods and bursting their way into people’s homes, to sneak their way closer to their ultimate goal, which seems to be the Palace itself. The Circle's main goal, here, is to protect civilians, usher theminto the underground strongholds beneath the Palace, and fight for their own lives should they attack the mermen first. Man the wall, if you so choose, to attempt to block the air attacks from the mantas. Fight on the ground, to protect Akvos from destruction. Or make your way to the underground strongholds and tunnels, to block access to the Palace. All of these will certainly assist in keeping Akvos safe. In addition, please remember that shadow creatures (which can only be killed by magical means) are still making their way through the entirety of Akvos. While King Ka'pouli's forces are targeting the Palace of Wahine, the shadow creatures are still present everywhere. Get to killing! INTO THE RIFT. Some of you, however, have elected to traverse into the mysterious rift that appeared in the midst of the Fields of Akvosia. It looks like a black hole into nothingness, crackling with odd energy . . . and passing through it feels as though you have stepped through an icy waterfall. For a moment, you cannot breathe -- and then, you are treated to beauty. The gaps between time and space are full of sparkling lights, bolts of rainbow starlight winding around you as you move through the uncertainty that is the void. It seems endless, but something inside you is tugging you forward . . . and, suddenly, there is a soft voice in your ear. A familiar one, to those who reside within the Circle . . . the confused voice of Astoria. "Hello? My Travelers? How are you within the Void?" The Void? That word hadn't been used to describe whatever this magical place is before, but . . . well, a witch with the ability to send you all across the universe probably knows what she's talking about, right? "That should not be possible . . . who opened this doorway?" You can tell her, or you can not. It seems to matter not, because: "Is this not getting through? Why can I not hear you . . . but I can feel you, I can -- please, if you can hear this, be careful. The Void is not something for mortals to interact with, and it can show you terrible things -- terrible things, so please--" And, right before you have the opportunity to respond to our benevolent witch (or captor, depending on your point of view), you see a bizarre glass-like surface in front of you. It looks like a mirror, and you see a perfect reflection of yourself. It is absolutely captivating, and it beckons you . . . almost urging you to touch it. And Astoria's whisper grows a bit louder, more urgent: "My dear Traveler, be careful what you encounter here -- can you hear me? Can you see me? I am trying to get you out of there, to bring you back home--Akvos is--" But it is too late. Your fingers graze the edge of the mirror, and you are pulled -- a sensation that is familiar to you, the same pull in your stomach that you feel whenever Astoria thrusts you across the universe, into new realities. And, when you blink your eyes again, and look around . . . you are no longer in Akvos, or the Void. You are somewhere entirely new. Welcome to the Dreamscape. THE KINGDOM OF POLANKOS. Once the Circle emerges from the Rift and the Dreamscape, they will stumble into another world . . . but this one's wateris shallow, in comparison to the massive depths of the crystal-clear kingdom of Akvos. You can quite clearly see the surface, here, and there are shallows that allow you to come up onto islands, tropical in nature with fruit, odd creatures that appear to be multiple-headed monkeys and parrots, and sandy shores. It's a bit jarring to see, after spending so long underwater. Indeed, you emerge to trudge onto land, and look around, somewhat mystified that the deep-dwelling mermen would be from a place like this. However, exploring the islands (which is not very difficult to do, as they are all small and will not take very much time) will yield the discovery that on the islands themselves are tunnels -- underwater caverns that thread through the islands to much deeper water. It's almost as if the islands themselves are barriers to the underwater caverns below -- shallow water, a layer of land, and then a (mer)man-made bubble of water below the barrier of land. And that whoever lived on these islands tunneled through them to find deeper water. Princess Kea, (who will attend on these journeys, while remaining in the water), will tell the Circle members that King Ka'pouli told her that when the mermen were cast out, they landed on solid land, and had to slowly dig deeper to their salvation. Navigating through these tunnels will be somewhat perilous -- and the Circle members will need to carry Princess Kea to the nearest tunnel to get her into some water, because while she can breathe on the surface for a certain period of time, she cannot navigate the land as quickly as you people with legs. Additionally, underwater caving isn't exactly a blast, but the deeper you go, the more clues of civilization you can find. And, eventually, once you go deep enough, you emerge into a massive underwater cavern to find the small Kingdom of Polankos. In comparison to the Kingdom of Akvos, Polankos is witheringly depressing. It is not brightly colored, nor open -- indeed, it is tiny, with mermen huddled together waiting patiently for the forces that went through the rift to return. There is not a lot to find here, save for some interesting weapons that possess a dark energy, versus a lightning energy -- and those weapons will be given to the Circle members who ask for them, because those who wield them are in no condition to fight. There is little food, little room to sleep, and these are a people clearly in need of assistance. In order to get them out of Polankos, you will need to usher them through the tunnels back up to the Rift above -- it seems that King Ka'pouli opened the Rift on the surface, rather than risk the city below in case it did not work. The mermen there (who seem to be elderly and weak) will be eager for the assistance to get out Polankos, and at the promise of being brought into Akvos, they will happily go. There will be no resistance from them. You may also see Princess Kea, who has filtered in and out of the Rift to assist on the journey -- teary-eyed, heartbroken at the sight of these individuals who require rescue, organizing the mermen with the promise of keeping them safe in Akvos. "Hurry," she tells you, as she rouses another merman into getting to the nearest tunnel. "We do not have a lot of time to pull this off, and we must work quickly." Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These areas of the world are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore -- you may use as much leeway as you want in order to come up with what your character will do, especially in the Dreamscapes. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the various threads back in the OOC post from before!

Comments

[sendinthecavalry]

I. wanderer, your journey will end with victory

ooc: plotting post

[The moment metal fingers brush against cool glass there's a spark of something, something unspeakable and unknowable,

He's everywhere at once, pulled in so many directions and drowning in so many deep, dark holes that he's spent so long trying to patch and ignore. And as the world warps and changes, it reaches out to others, dragging them down into the depths with him.

The world that emerges is chaotic, vibrant, and entirely unmatched in chaos and anyone (un)lucky enough to be drawn in will find themselves thrown to the wind. Luckily, things seem to coalesce at the last possible moment, four distinct and strange worlds that all vye to steal those poor souls caught within. There's no telling where anyone will land, it's all up to the whim of the dreamscape.

It may be the bright, warm, welcoming glow of the Tower, bustling with life as guardians and civilians alike go about their days as normal.

Perhaps it's the wilds of the solar system, untamed and dangerous but filled with the promise of riches beyond one's wildest dreams.

Maybe one has the misfortune of landing in the Last City, its streets ablaze and the skies filled with choking smoke and fumes from hostile ships above and bullets flying as an invading force strives to eliminate the last bastion of humanity.

Or mayhap a whirling dervish of snow and ice awaits, the world fragmented and distorted save for the faint outline of something tall, iron, and cruel in the distance.

No matter which, eyes up Guardian.]


II. our choice is simple: find our strength, or face extinction

[Emerging from the dreamscapes has been a harrowing ordeal, but the pressing matter of the mermen is enough that Cayde can momentarily shake off the emotional baggage that comes from having painful memories laid bare. They need to evacuate the remaining civilians, that's priority.

He's managed to get his hands on one of their weapons although it's not doing much good, given the tight quarters. No matter, he's designated himself a guide to help usher the mermen out through the tunnels and grabbed whomever is near to help out without asking. If you're around? Congratulations, now you've been conscripted into becoming a sherpa for the poor mermen whether you wanted to or not.]

C'mon, we gotta go. Keep up!

[Maybe it would behoove him to be a little bit more patient, but with the princess so adamant about their lack of time he's trying his best to evacuate as many people as possible.]


III. the leader we need is among us, not above us

[wildcard! hit me up, dreamscapes and rescue and war are all super super interesting!]

[tamerinblue]

(ooc: Plot Here and I wrote in prose, but I will switch to action if you prefer)
A. [Ruki Through the Looking Glass]
It’s hard not to think about the Digital Fields and, more specifically, the layers between the Digital World and her realm. It’s beautiful and disorienting at the same time. Ruki isn’t sure if she should be paying much attention to Astoria. In fact, she’s pretty sure she should be focusing on the people she was following into the Rift to begin with. However, it’s hard to stay focused, especially when she catches sight of the mirror that seems to appear out of nowhere.

“Hey it’s...me?”

Ruki isn’t normally one to be taken by her appearance. In fact, up until recently, she’s more or less actively rebelled against her mother’s desires for her to take any sort of interest in her appearance. However, this time it’s not a normal mirror. Normal mirrors don’t move to entice you to touch them. Ruki acts without thinking much, too curious not to at least see what this stuff is made of.

She’s surprised when, a moment later, she finds herself in a park at night. In fact, it’s a very familiar park, one she had wandered countless times with her friends and by herself. Ruki shivers, though she shouldn’t be surprised, after all it does appear to be starting to snow.

Of course, it could also have something to do with the white demon looking thing sinking into the fountain just behind Ruki. But she doesn’t seem to notice it...not yet. “What is going on here!”

B.[On The Other Side]
Ruki isn’t exactly thrilled by what she finds on the other side of the Dreamscape. Seeing him again had certainly not be at the top of her ‘To Do’ list. And now that she’s in a place that’s almost as bleak and cold, she’s just about ready to give up on this whole endeavor. She pushes ahead, possibly even literally shoving past you, “Let’s just get this over with.”

She doesn’t seem too thrilled about any sort of rescue at the moment.

C. [A Helping Hand]
It’s only when she sees the emaciated forms of the mermen that she softens a little. Ruki has come a long way from the ice queen she used to be and even she can’t maintain the charade that she doesn’t care about these people who are clearly sick and old.

She jumps when she feels one of them brush against her leg, reaching for her hand. “S-sorry. Don’t worry. We’re here to help.” She speaks softly, but is already looking for another member of the Circle to help her. She may be small, but it’s clear even she isn’t going to have much of a problem lifting these people...of course the real concern MIGHT be her height after all.

D. [WildCard]
[Give me some other prompt to work with. I'm game, especially for shaking up her Dreamscape if you want something other than Shibuya and an IceDevimon]

[fairysong]

[A; Wahine I: The Escape]

[Sheryl's not a fighter. That has been more than proven, several times over, by the fact that she's needed rescuing here from creatures that she is simply not equipped to fight.

It chafes at her. It makes her pride hurt. She's Sheryl Nome, the Galactic Fairy. She shouldn't be a burden on people. She has to help where she can.

Right now, helping where she can is guiding groups of panicked mermaids and their children to safe shelters. Sheryl sings to them on the journey, songs that she hopes soothe their fears or at least give them something else to think about other than the battle raging. One thing she's always been good at is reading and influencing the mood of a crowd.

This latest group is almost all in the safe location when one of the mermaids approaches Sheryl, seeming frantic. And after a quick conversation, Sheryl approaches the nearest Circle member-- you-- with barely concealed worry in her voice.] There were supposed to be two children with the rest of them, and they aren't here. Have you seen them?

[B; Wahine II: Hearing Damage]

[Her experiments with Deku earlier and his amplification of her power had proven one thing: Sound travels further, and more intensely, under water. And here, her powers are stronger than ever.

It hadn't really been feasible out in the deep seas, but in narrow corridors that defenders are having to hold to keep intruders out of the palace, Sheryl's idle thought about how to weaponize what she can do is finally worth trying.

Which is why she's floating at one end of one of the underground passageways and waiting for a group of attackers to show themselves. And when they do:] Earplugs in, everybody~

I usually like to make sure people enjoy my shows, but we've all gotta make sacrifices sometime!

[And she blasts... as many sounds as she can produce at once, as loud as she can. It's an echoing cacophony of strings and drums and guitars and synths, a horrific noise that's only amplified by the narrow passageway. The mermen are going to have a rough time pushing past the blast of sound.

But how long can she keep doing this?]

[C; The Rift: Bug Attack]

[She didn't mean to wind up here. It was over-eagerness on her part to help drive the attackers off with her blasts of sound. She'd pursued a little too far into one of the growing strands of darkness.

The fall, the peace, the beauty, the voice... it seems dreamlike, and Sheryl has always been a willful woman, especially in her dreams. So she touches the mirror surface without a second's thought.

She doesn't recognize where she winds up. It's a wholly unfamiliar place that she's never seen before in her life. But a shadow flits overhead, and her eyes go wide in shock. She recognizes that thing. That monstrous insect.] Vajra--?!

[She's in your dreamscape

but she's brought some monstrous bug aliens with her.]

(ooc: If you want to plot something, PM me, or hit me up on Discord or at my new plurk! idolhells)

[brodakota]

[ I - Ushering Civilians]

[Well, the situation got about ten times messier. And North really hasn't had a moment to sit down and think about what it all means. That's the problems with crises. There's never enough time to think.

And so in lieu of that, North acts. There's civilians to protect and if nothing else, he can do that. It seems like the most neutral option, and that's about all he feels like dealing with right now. He's directing crowds towards the strongholds.]

That way, keep moving! There's room for everyone!

[He stops to help a child that's been separated from their parent and ignore the wave of exhaustion that comes over him. This is harder work than he remembers.]

[ II - In the Stronghold.]

[Once he's managed to get at least once stronghold full and safe, he reinforces the doors with his power. With the boost they're getting, it should hold for a while, and he can always recharge it.

So for the moment, he sinks against a wall for a breather.]

Okay, I think we're safe for the moment. Anyone want to explain what's going on?

[III - Wildcard]

[Looking for a different prompt or want something specific? let me know at urbaninja and we'll plot]</small.

[courtmagic]

dreamwalking.

[he doesn't fear the rift - walking into it, it feels more familiar than anything else recently. there is no reward without risk, there is no end without trying, and it is that calm, underlying disregard for himself that leads Merlin to touch the surface, to let Astoria's voice wash over him like another sound. the world shifts, and he remembers words spoken by a made king - remembers the sensation of immersing himself in dreams and magic, and faces the new world with his head held high.

what comes forth, then, can be anything. what one must prepare for is anything.]

[[ooc: I will be writing individual dream starters for people! please check my plotting comment if you want to get in on that.]]

support unit.

[if you're in a tight spot somewhere, if you're valiantly trying to survive, you might feel a rush of something warm through your body. a new resolve springs up, as if someone's just helped you to your feet and said that you can most certainly get through, meaning it down to your soul. and with that encouragement comes a feeling of strength. something's changed in you. whatever you consider to be your strongest trait, be it your magic, your strength, your wits, your creativity - anything and everything - it's now better than ever, and can carry you through.

oh, and you're also now glowing somewhat. have fun with that.

the wizard responsible is at a distance, staff tight in his hands as he commands the magic Astoria's granted him towards the weaker, the ones that need bolstering and guidance. his staff glows the same as the magic he dispenses, sword drawn in his other hand, and he smiles to see the spell take hold.

glad that someone's come and helped you? irritated that you can't be the hero on your own? Merlin's not running away just yet.]

wildcard.

[any and all other options! have an idea? hit me - sky's the limit.]

[grawlixes]

the palace.)

[ This is some sort of fucked up version of war and Kainé doesn't even understand the point of it. It felt better for her to side with the Queen because screw this guy and wherever he came from. After fighting those Shadows, Kainé has long since ditched the spear (sorry A4) and instead is using her newfound magic -- the ability to use ice. It has most certainly gotten stronger here and she has learned to use it better. When they get back, she is most certainly going to do whatever she can to work on controlling it and see what sort of limits it has.

It isn't the same as her swords, but it is good enough for her. ] Piss off, you stinking, ugly piece of shit. [ Kainé growls at the Shadows and raises her hand to freeze the water around them. ] This isn't going to end well... those merfuckers are going to get in if these shitheads don't stop.

[ Using them as a distraction would be wise and it is the reason that she's on the ground to protect and fight. Anywhere else felt useless to someone like her who isn't afraid to get messy when it comes to fighting. This is (she assumes) where they will aim for first so she might as well stick around here for the party. ]

Oi!

Don't just around there.

[ Kainé knows she is a good fighter, but she isn't as strong as before and she certainly isn't going to escape harm's way as easily as she onced would. There's no Tyrann to come save her ass should she get it beaten. ]

dreamscape.)

[ After a couple of hours, Kainé got sick of that Palace's shit and decided to see what the Princess' had happened. The Void caught her attention and while she knows it would be smart to not go in, she does it anyway. Why? Because she can do whatever she wants. ]

[ It is such a shame that after being in the dreamscape for a couple of seconds, she already wants out. The area is familiar to her because it is - was - her home. There is their house which is where Kainé can hear pain screams coming from her and that alone made Kainé's blood run cold. It feels as if minutes have gone by before a there is a crunching sound which draws her back to reality. ]

... This is just my fucking day.

[ There is a Shade burned into her memory and its name is Hook. ]

Come here, you piss of shit and fucking fight me!

[ It's time to face this ugly creature once again and hopefully, someone else will be coming to join the fight because in her current human state, Kainé's chances are not the best. ]

wildcard.)

(ooc: want to do something else with kainé? please feel free to hit me up, or post your own prompt! )

[theseuschip]

electric sheep

[ The rift doesn’t seem like that big a deal. The prospect of walking into a black hole is a little unnerving, once he sees it and it turns out to in fact be a black hole, but as far as Simon is concerned, he already does this all the time. And usually he doesn’t choose when he does it, or even get a heads-up, for that matter. It’s almost an improvement to at least be able to brace yourself.

The fact that Astoria, the witch who sent them to stop a world-ending storm and threw them to the bottom of Atlantis with no Wi-Fi, starts cautioning him against approaching the mirror should be worrying. It kind of is, but the pull of it drowns out her warnings.

Simon reaches out to touch it, and even when his environment transforms in his peripheral vision, the first thing he sees is his outstretched, human, arm. He pulls it back, turning his hands in front of him, dumbly.

The hard metal floor and dry air, though, are probably enough to startle a newcomer for that first moment. ]

[ooc: i’m doing individual starters for this! plotting comment’s here or you can also get me on plurk (honchkrow)! otherwise i’ll just give you a standard Terrible Surprise ]

[hatamon]

dreamscape i. (all purpose digital world option)

[ The Digital World is pretty dreamlike already, really, so at least the transition is an easy one. Welcome to the Village of Beginnings, where the architecture looks straight out of someone's playpen and the ground is soft enough to bounce on.

Most noteworthy are the various eggs littering the place--that and the many baby blobs gathering at your feet, clamoring for attention. If you've gotta be stuck somewhere for a while, you could do a lot worse than this, right? ]

dreamscape ii. (obligatory suffering)

[ Takeru knows this isn't real. You know this isn't real. And sadly, neither of those facts seem to matter at all. ]

There has to be an exit or something...

[ Since just wanting it doesn't seem to be doing the trick this time. You're walking the streets of Odaiba, though the fog is so thick it's hard to make out many details. Little things seem to be off here and there--maybe you'll catch a glimpse of a creepy clown man out of the corner of your eye, or hear a childlike, singsong voice inviting you to play in that tone that implies it definitely wants to kill you.

[ That's all fine. Takeru knows large parts of his life are horror movie cliches. He also knows that dream worlds are malleable, so as long as he keeps himself focused, none of that can be more than background noise.

[ Or maybe not. Maybe thinking you have all the answers encourages the rift to go harder to fuck with you. Whatever the case, Takeru suddenly stops to stare at something hovering the air just a few feet ahead of them. Meet the final boss: Angemon, looking bigger, angrier, and distinctly more murder-y than usual. Takeru recognizes the purple glow surrounding him as infection, but to an observer, two things are immediately clear: 1.) your new angel friend really wants to kill you both, and 2.) Takeru is so stunned he's probably not going to do more than stand there like a damsel in distress. Good luck. ]

iii. polankos islands

[ Land! Sweet, beautiful, wonderful land. Takeru suddenly understands why sailors in movies throw themselves to the ground with joy. He's not going to go that far, but he does take a moment to sit down, breathing in deep and basking in the sun like it's bringing him back from the dead. ]

Are you sure we can't just send the mermen back to Akvos in our place?

[ He's kidding, but. Lingering on the surface a little longer sure is tempting. ]

[spaceforged]

Into the farthest reaches of time

[Stars wheel through the expanse and his thoughts stall. Astoria's voice through his audio sensors is almost barely paid attention to. The Void. His eyes glow as he twists, shooting through the endless stretch of space and color like the slash of a blade.

The Void.

He isn't dead. It hasn't all been a lie and he's been dreaming it within the Lion. Right?

A glass-like surface is to his left, he makes to skim along the wall and a tug yanks him inside instead.

The world opens up into the cold expanse space, stretching out forever. Or turns the glint of the fading sun against the hoverbike...or the light on a distant planet as one feels alive again for the first time in a while...

The possibilities spin together. How they end up, well, come see.

(ooc: I'm making custom dreamscapes for people, get in on that here. Otherwise, there's a default set of memories I'll go for.)]

To be the shield of Wahine

[Thunder splits the din of the battlefield as a large black shape cuts through the water above the walls. A burst of pale light tears through to smash projectiles out of the air.]

They're amassing an assault on the north wall!

[Shiro's bark of command is brief. He spins in place, summoning a blade into his lion mouth and peels away from the wall to move just in front of it, cutting down weapons but never harming the combatants.

He takes a hard strike to his side and turns his roar on mermen, blasting them and shadow creatures with his burst of sound. His wings fold in and he shoots past them, his jaw blade carving through a shadow beast.]

We need to find out where these shadows are coming from and put a stop to them! If this keeps up they could overrun us!


I never saw a reason for keeping secrets from myself.

[Wildcard. Hit me up for dreamscape stuff, other scenarios from rescue to holding tunnels to trying to find where the hell the shadows are coming from.]

[wraithes]

( dreamscape: ketterdam. )

[ the streets of ketterdam, of the barrel, are dark and dingy. however, the city is bustling, and people are moving along the bridges along the canal and pitching their wares, attempting to get you to go to their gambling hall, their bar, their dance club, their cabaret -- pickpockets are aplenty here, and if your pockets suddenly feel a bit lighter, you can likely blame the kid running down a small dark alleyway.

there are definitely richer areas of the city versus the poorer areas -- inej's turf is in the poorer area of ketterdam, at the crow club and the gambling halls of the dreg's terf. but her memories possess certain areas of importance in other areas, too. the university of ketterdam, the wealthier restaurants . . . but after some wandering, and if you don't pick a place to step into, you do slow to a stop to a kid tugging on your sleeve, with a bunch of paper in hand, a wide grin showing a missing tooth, eyes bright: ]

Are you looking for somewhere to stay for the night?

[ read: spend your money with me? ]

( dreamscape: rafka. )

[ there is a massive tent set up in what appears to be an obvious traveling circus -- and an older man, with darker skin and dark hair, is handing out pamphlets to people on the side of the road, urging people to attend: ]

Come on, come on -- only a handful of coin to see the best show on the market -- you must see the wondrous jugglers, the sword-swallowers, and our famous acrobatic delight, Inej --

[ the crowd is bustling and seems to be attracted to the circus tent -- the smell of roasted dates and peanuts is rich in the air, delicious carnival food being passed around, cotton candy and wonderful chattering and joy, in the midst of this traveling circus troupe.

come watch the show? ]

( the kingdom of polankos )

[ after inej emerges on the other end of the rift, she drags herself up onto the island, coughing up some water and sucking in air, her hair hanging in her face as she drops herself onto the sand, drawing in another breath before she says: ]

Never again -- I am never listening to his insane ideas again --

[ `jump into the rift,` kaz brekker said. that worked out well. ]

[teratias]

Through the Rift through woods through the darkness and the shadows

Right before the dreamscape

[What the fuck?! What the fuck! What the entire fuck!!!

Waver knows Astoria's voice by now, even if he's taken great pains to avoid contact with her. Ignored most of her words, except now, now they feel closer to a lifeline. There's something to be learned by the fact she seems to exist here, to have control of some sort in the Void, but there are others trying to talk to her and it is all so very, very one sided.

Terrible things.

The mirror is there, and....]

Maybe these get us home.

[If the Void crosses planes then...then maybe....maybe this is the key.]

DREAMSCAPE: FUYUKI
[The city of Fuyuki, Japan, is so very much in the 90s. It is also dark, save for a horrifying mist rising out of the river that splits the city neatly in two. Beyond that mist, sitting in the middle of the river itself is a horrible thing rising ever up, up, up.

Waver swears. He swears loudly. And he whips his head around.]

Have any of you seen a chariot?!

[He asks, wild, terrified, knowing how to handle this situation but he needs to find Rider but now.]

Polankos
The Tunnels
[Waver's magic works again. That means that the minute the tunnels present themselves, Waver is all too excited to do magic. His magic. Magic unfettered by the rules of his home, something that he has been reminded of recently. Within moments of being in the tunnels, he has scribbled something down to put lights into the deep water itself.]

There! I don't know how deep they will go down, but it should work!

Wildcard

ota!

[efface]

W A H I N E : O N T H E G R O U N D

[ for better or for worse, riza is fairly used to this scene. her time in amestris, and then her time in the capital, have prepared her for the chaos that is a city at war. it's not something she's necessarily proud of, it's not something she will necessarily share, but it does give her a level of calm and a sense of being in control, even in the midst of ultimate chaos.

when it starts, riza decides to head for the city. because whether or not she believes the queen, or cares which side is correct, there is violence being brought to innocent civilians, and riza can't quite stand for that. so her immediate task is going to be going from house to house, holding off the mermen where she can, and getting families into the stronghold in the middle of the city. she is barking orders, helping families where she can, and if she sees another circle member engaged in any kind of altercation, she will step in - offering help by means of backup, or an extra push to their powers, whichever is more helpful.

unfortunately, she has no real means of fighting the shadow creatures, though it won't stop her if it comes to that. which does mean she might need some help. ]

W A H I N E : T H E P A L A C E

[ when she is not out in the city, riza will be back at the palace, working to help organize and guide the civilians she brought back with her. her tone is still quite militaristic, telling people where to go, who to find for help. she is still calm, though by this point she will look tired, just trying to get as many people to safety as possible. when there aren't civilians to guide, riza will be making rounds around the palace itself - helping the queens guards what is more important, trying to find and help direct circle members, anything she can do to help.

you can find her just about anywhere in the actual palace, checking and aiding and really just moving to move. she doesn't sit still well in these scenarios, so feel free to run into her just about anywhere you might think to look. she's definitely finding ways to keep busy. ]

W I L D C A R D

[ want to run into her somewhere else? just hit me up on plurk for some plotting or message this account and i am down! disarmingly ]

[nogoldenmirror]

I'll shape your belief...
[Morrigan had been far more willing to let the weak rot. She honestly did not give a damn who won in this spat, and to be quite honest, she does not appreciate being used as a pawn here. Yet something stops her as she makes her way to the rift.

A young mermaid crying and alone, hiding behind a stall that still mostly stood, though barren of whatever items it once held. They looked younger than she was when she killed her first templar fool, and for a split second, it's almost as if Morrigan's fighting something within herself. Then the frightened merchild looks at her, and she recognizes them. They'd complimented the feathers on her shoulder and asked what they were a couple weeks ago. Said they were pretty, and she gave one of them to her. The child still wore it around her neck on a string of some sort, likely made of seaweed...]

Oh, for the love of- [Why is she even doing this? Fur bursts forth and in the woman's place, a grey wolf snarls. The next thing she's aware of, the witch is swimming between the child and a spear and knocking her out of the way. She barely manages not to get struck herself, growling still as she tugs on the hair and motions for the little girl to grab onto her. Tiny fingers grasp on warily, and she takes off toward the palace.]

Hold on tight. I've got you, creature.

[The girl whimpers and she has to fight not to roll her eyes. Morrigan almost freezes when she hears two words between the pitiful noises escaping the young mermaid.] Thank you.

No. Thank Amell. If he wasn't so insufferable, I- [And that only causes the child to cling tighter. She stays that way even as they reach the safety of the palace and an underground shelter. How in the world did he stand this...?] You are safe. You may let go, now.

[...The child is still clinging to her and shaking her head, almost as though she fears if she does let go, she'll be alone again. Yellow eyes look to the closest person. Help? ...Please?]

Each moment I'm watching my vengeance unfold...
[A wolf growls at the the voice, but she's unable to truly get anything out.

The Void... There were legends of such a place back on Thedas, and her blood runs cold at the thought. The ancient elves once called it the Abyss. All manner of horrid creatures were supposed to reside there, the Forgotten Ones locked within its depths.

Yes, she's aware that they're likely different, but something named a void doesn't exactly have positive connotations regardless of context. And for once, she's in agreement with the other witch. She tries so hard to resist, but as she returns to her human form?]

It's so- beautiful. [The endless expanse, the mirror, it almost reminds her of the one Amell had given her - the first gift she'd received without a single string attached. The mirror Flemeth shattered to teach her a lesson as a child. She freezes, the ghost of the witch's voice echoing in her head. Beauty is fleeting. Love is fleeting.

She glares at her reflection, and for an instant she almost saw her mother when she was young and beautiful. Her eyes glow just a little brighter as she shoves the warning down deep; ignoring it. Her fingers brush the cool surface, and then...]

((ooc: I'll be making customized prompts for people when it comes to Morrigan's dreams and memories. Poke me here or on twilitfall ))

Tread careful, one step at a time...
[The moment they clear the tunnel the first time, Morrigan halts just to the side. For a moment, she can see weak they left behind. The castless dwarves in Orzammar's Dust Town. Sick elves slowly turning into werewolves. Her fists clench and she remembers how they first came across Sten.

Everything in her screams to go back to Akvos and drag that so-called "queen" down here and let her see what state these people suffer in. The actual people she could care less for, but for mercy's sake alone... She hates this. She hates this so much. A deep breath, and she approaches an elderly merman with a dark aspected spear; the lightning-aspected weapon from the Thunderdome still on her back.]

Give me your spear and hold on. We're here to get you out. [One complaint and she'll shift into a housecat and they can deal with it.]

[After the first time, Morrigan is often oddly silent save the occasional sharp barb. She has not slept well since attempting to decipher the runes, and it shows even more every time she goes through the Void to get here and drag another blasted merman through the bloody rift between each reality. Sometimes dragging in packages of food to help them regain strength for the trip beforehand.

Yet when she herself stops to eat, she isolates herself on the island. Watching from a distance as others keep working with the evacuation efforts.] 'Tis almost like home... Tch.

Wildcard
((Want to poke Morrigan but don't like any of the options? Come at me, friends.))

[shootstyles]

(i. dreamscape: go beyond )

[You're on the side of a cliff, overlooking a forest that's burning with blue fire. It's probably not a place that you have been but as you enter this rift, into the mind of whomever's memories it is, you feel like you know. You're on a school trip, you're training to become a hero, and now villains have attacked you and you're fighting for your life. Not just your own, but the life of a small boy cowering behind you against a man that is a monstrous form of twisted muscle and maniacal energy.. You have to protect him. You're a hero. You won't let this guy get past you and to the kid. You won't.

"It's okay! I won't let him get past me!"

You've already broken your arms from your last attempt at attacking this guy but it doesn't matter. The villain barrels down on you, the muscle exploding out of his body, the force cracking the ground beneath your feet, pressing you down like you're nothing. It hurts, you can't breath, but you keep pushing. You made a promise to this kid and you'll see it through, damn it! If using your power at 100% won't stop this guy, then you'll have to go beyond that, one million percent!

The force of your power explodes the bones in your arm from the inside out. This has happened before but you’ve never damaged yourself this badly. It hurts. It hurts so much it’s almost like your brain can’t even register the pain. All you can think about is protecting that kid and making your promise a reality. The force of the blow rips apart the villain's muscles as your fist collides with his face, smashing him into the side of the crevice with a force that seems impossible for you to manage. You don't even know how you did it.

You stumble but stand tall. Your body is broken but... the kid is safe. That's what matters.]

Ah. [The voice that you'd been speaking with is suddenly beside you. A young boy with messy, curly hair and a small build. He’s rubbing his arms in a nervous and somewhat embarrassed fashion. This must have been his memory.] Um. Pretty wild, huh? Sorry you had to deal with that.

((note: feel free to have this viewed in third person instead of your character experiencing it. Here is a video reference!))

(ii. The Kingdom of Polankos)

[Izuku is trying to help with the evacuation through the tunnels. He’s quite small and surprisingly strong for a boy he’s size so he’s useful at moving up ahead and shoving stones out of the way so the tunnels are easier to navigate.

Unfortunately now he’s facing down a giant boulder that’s blocking the path. He can’t seem to push it out of the way no matter how hard he tries. He grunts in frustration. If he had his normal powers, this would be easy.

They can’t backtrack. It would take too long and those waters grow more dangerous as minutes pass. He presses his shoulder trying to brace his feet on the ground as much as possible as he strains.]

Damn it. My power here, it’s…

[Then suddenly he feels that power, that familiar warm feeling, but instead of flowing to someone else it’s flowing through him. He has to keep trying. He cries out and gives the boulder a shove and it moves, it moves like it weighs nothing. He forces it forward and out of the way, clearing the path.

Izuku stares at the boulder then at his hands, then down at the boulder and then suddenly slumps against the cave wall looking like he might pass out or be sick.]

What… was that? How did I use my…

[Okay, looks like he might actually collapse. Help the kid out?]

((ooc; I'm also down to make custom dreamscapes and what not! Feel free to hit me up on discord at trevelyan#6066 or plurk at mythal or at my plotting comment!))

[formleg]

A. Monsters & Mana: 2nd Edition (Dreamscape)
[One minute you're jumping into a mysterious Rift with your friends and the next you're running through a forest being chased by three DireMice and two sentient Food Slimes. Hunk can't explain why he KNOWS they are called DireMice or Food Slimes, since he was fairly certain that was just some of the monster's in Coran's Monsters and Mana Book.

Which wasn't real.

Except for the fact that these creatures are totally chasing him right now.'

Which means they are real? It was really making his head hurt, especially since he also seemed to be having some weird, conflicting memories right now. Was he Hunk? Or was he Block,? He did seem to be wearing the clothes he had written up for Block's appearance. But that was supposed to be just a game! There wasn't really time to think and those monsters were gaining. Hunk was so preoccupied that he didn't notice the large root sticking out of the earth until his foot caught it, sending him crashing into the ground.]

Oof!

[Hunk pushed himself up and found himself completely cornered by the Enemy.]

Aw man...I could really use some help right now.

B. The Quest for the Panthera Leo Lutum (Dreamscape 2)
[You now how in dreams you're doing one thing one moment and then, without any warning, there seems to be a kind of shift in the plot? Hunk isn't sure how much time has passed, but the monsters seem to be gone for the moment. Instead, he's standing near a large cave and holding a yellow crystal that seems to be pulsing at the end that faces the cave. He's not sure where the cave came from or where the yellow crystal came from for that matter...but he senses it's importance.]

I...really don't want to go in there.

[Behind him there's a distant roar. Something is coming towards the cave and Hunk looks back to see that there are flashing lights and loud explosions. He looks back to the cave.]

Of course...it might be safer in there actually.

C. End Game
[Hunk gently moved his hands away from the merman. He looked better, more stable now. Hunk wiped the sweat from his brow. He was happy to help and he knew he couldn't heal ALL of the mermen, even if his powers DID seem to be super charged right now. But, the ones that were worse off...well if they wanted to make it through the rift he felt like he should at least give them a little boost.

He hears a noise behind him and looks over his shoulder.]

Oh, hey, these guys are ready to be moved now. I'm sorry...but I don't know how many more I can actually heal.

tony bologne from that superhero shit✫

[billionaires]

you go sleep with the fishes.

---

[ tony initially thinks the right play is to side with the king. he's the wronged party here, isn't he? in fact, he would've been on board with killing the queen and taking the castle by force, but there's collateral damage to consider. these forces are too desperate, too hungry. he's overwhelmed and realizing all too quickly he may have gotten in over his head (again.)

when they come up through someone's house, he loses it. innocent bloodshed is the whole reason he turned his life around. it's how he became iron man. there's not a chance in hell he can turn his back on it now. he gets the mermaids to safety and puts himself directly in the path of the crazed mermen. he may not have his suit here, but even he has to admit astoria gave him a pretty cool power. ]

Pointbreak, eat your heart out.

[ anger is easy to summon when he's freaking pissed off, and the supercharged abilities while they're stuck in this place are a nice touch, even if everything else has been b a l l s. lightning surges down through the ocean, somehow targeting the mermen while leaving tony and anyone else around out of the blast radius. not bad, he might give thor a run for his money yet. ]

there's no room for you here.

---

Into the rift, ooookay. That's not ominous at all...

[ woah what the heck?? why is astoria talking in his ear right now. tony whips around, trying to get a good look but she's - right. goddamnit. stupid void, stupid witch. ]

I'm pretty sure you can't hear me right now, but it won't surprise you to know I'm going to seriously consider what you just told me and then do the exact opposite.

[ god he hates her. when he looks up again there's a giant mirror and his eyes sparkle with fear as he approaches. he keeps expecting the image of himself to turn into some shambling monster or something else dramatic. instead: nothing. it moves with him, it looks like him. except maybe better rested. he touches fingertips to his own and he's pulled in. it's like the vacuum of space and he's cold, too panicked to move.

there's a man in the middle of the path, impeding him from moving forward anyway. the man seems to be staring straight through him and when he turns, it's to the headlights of an oncoming car. tony throws his hands up, a bit of a warning crackle on the surface of the water above him, but the car passes right through him, like a hologram. what...? the car swerves and hits a tree violently and suddenly he feels his face grow hot. the sea carries his tears away, but it can't erase what he just saw. by the time he runs up to the car it's disappeared and stars are all around him. here come the heart palpitations. why does it always have to be space?

thankfully, that part doesn't last long, but what comes next is the real rotten cherry on top anyway. for anyone present this scene will play out. and unless you can change the dream with perhaps the influence of your own? tony will be near inconsolable by the end. eyes unseeing and breathing coming in loud, violent huffs. can he drown right now? he feels like he's going to drown. ]

This would be a super inconvenient way to die. Anyone feel me on that? I can't be the only one.

( feel free to go wild with the dreamscape stuff or hit me up for a different prompt! i'm always reachable by PM. )

[archaeo]

I. is this a star war

[Before heading into the Rift, Aphra can be seen talking to those on the Queen's side. She reassures everyone very vocally that she is obviously supporting her worshipfulness. So also obviously no one should attack her. She mentions that for no reason, no reason at all.

Later outside, she's been cornered by a group of mermen.]

Whoa, hey! Look, I'm on your guys' side! I'm kind of a big deal in the Rebellion back where I'm from so maybe lower the weapons?

[Someone please write her a callout post.]

II. that scene in tlj where rey snaps a lot

[Well, the mirror thing was weird. It sorta reminds her of myths about the Force she's read before, but would all this even be connected to the Force? Everything goes dark, like she's out in the middle of space, floating in nothingness. Then she hears something. Breathing. There's no way she couldn't recognize that sound. If she lives long enough to get all old and wrinkly, she's sure she'll still hear it then.

The vision begins to fill out, darkness becoming a space station. If she turns around, she knows she'll see him. This is when he killed her, after all. However, that's when she realizes she's not alone this time. Aphra looks to her fellow rift traveler with overwhelming relief and gratitude as she grabs onto them and holds them between her and Vader.

Hey, it'll buy her some time?]

III. duel of the fates but it's spider-man 2 pizza theme

[In any other situation, she'd love for Magna Tolvan to be on top of her. The current situation? Not really doing it for her. Doing the opposite, actually.

They're in Accresker Jail, which is still hurtling at the planet below it. Tolvan has Aphra completely trapped, with a blaster pointed right at her head.]

Th-This never happened...

[is Aphra's first thought. Even so, she knows the memory well. She's the one who created it.]

You betrayed me! Just like you betray everyone. The Empire, the Rebellion, your partners, even your family. Is there anyone you actually care about, Chelli Aphra?

She doesn't- doesn't sound like that.

[Tolvan's face shifts, becoming Lopset's then Sana's then her mother's.]

Evil's just a measure of how much your choices take away other people's.

I didn't have a choice, I didn't have a choice, I didn't have a choice...

[foundafamily]

[The Rift/Dreamscape]

[New York City, 193?

The only certainty about where you “wake up” is that it appears to be an underground casino, richly decorated and packed with customers. A playground, of sorts, for the ne’er do wells of the city as well as the wealthy. The two groups can be easily distinguished by their clothes and bearing but rub elbows freely as they crank slot machine handles, watch roulette wheels spin, peek at their cards, and exclaim with despair or excitement over their fortunes.

The casino is the only certainty because there are a number of oddities that nobody else seems to notice.

There are gunshots going off in the distance at somewhat regular intervals. The guests don’t hear them or just don’t care, though you may catch a cavalier whisper of the guards’ target practice as if that explains it. There are no guards to be seen.

What might be even more dissonant in the casino atmosphere is the sound of cell doors rattling and slamming. The resulting echo sounds like it comes from a much emptier, harder setting than the soft acoustics of this room, which is carpeted and full of people. And, again, there are no cell doors in sight that could be making the sound.

It’s probably fine.

Actually, it might be better than fine; if you stand still long enough, one of the slot machines near you might suddenly spill out a jackpot of its own accord! Enjoy. Don’t mind the guy who’ll stride towards you like a shark who’s smelled blood. He has a polite smile on his face that, to anyone who knows him, doesn’t seem like Firo’s. He's just arrived in this dream as well, and his automatic inclination at being home (sort of) is to fall into the motions of his usual job, which includes greeting and scoping out new customers. Especially those who seem to be suspiciously lucky.

It’s probably fine.]

[ooc: If you’d like to have your character approach the casino differently or do something else, go for it! Also feel free to inject elements from your character's own dreamscape (or grab other stuff from Baccano!) throughout the thread if you like!]

[Polankos]

[Firo tries not to think about being on dry land for the first time in however many months. He has a job to do, people to find. People who… probably aren’t here, but he has no proof that his friends have vanished from this place (maybe the network’s just being screwy again, maybe they’re trapped somewhere and need his help…). So he has to look.

If you see him on the islands, he appears to be searching for something, but for now he skirts the tunnels entirely in favor of going over the surface. In fact, if you’re coming out of one of the tunnels, he might be so caught up in his own task that he trips right over you. Sorry.]

[ooc: I’ll match your format. If you’d like to talk over another prompt or something for dreamscapes, feel free to hit me up by pm, crowghostie, or discord at crowghostie#2437!]

[paladorable]

A ☀ dreamscapes

[ Like so many others, Arenvald found himself entranced by the strange mirror that seemed to blossom from nothing in front of him. Heedless of Astoria's warnings, he reaches out, fingers brushing the glassy surface... and is suddenly whisked away. ]

i ☀ the primal in the throne room: [ The throne room of Ala Mhigo's royal palace is a grand, wide room, adorned with towering statues of lions and griffons. The throne, however, sits empty. There are no nobles here, no court, and no guards.

You find yourself here, a good distance away from a group of people sitting in a circle at the room's center. They are an odd bunch, some of them human, some decidedly not – women with the tails of snakes, alongside what looks like a large rodent gone walking on two legs and wearing a hooded coat. Others somewhere in between – men with the features of felines. They talk about politics, about the state of their nation, about where next to go now that their freedom has been won after two long decades of subjugation.

Arenvald and several others stand with you, well away from this meeting. You get the sense that you're here to observe, to protect, should it come to that. Judging by the quietly satisfied looks on your companions' faces, you get the sense that this meeting is going well.

Until one of the snake women, the one garbed in blue, is beckoned to speak. She rises to her full height, slithers her way to the center of the group, throws her arms to the sky and declares,

“You shall all worship Sri Lakshmi!”

All hell breaks loose then, as light comes pouring out of the fountains on either side of the throne. Crystals hidden in the water whose power gives shape to a massive woman. Beautiful, yes, but there is something ethereally terrifying about her, and the sheer power she radiates. The people in the middle of the room panic, your companions toss about the word “primal”, and with urgency declare that she means to make thralls of them all.

Arenvald turns to you then, seemingly mistaking you for someone else in the moment. He's not yet realized that this is a dream and that an ally from the Circle stands where the Warrior of Light should be standing. ]

It's up to us. Come on!


ii ☀ massacre at the waking sands: [ The Waking Sands is a small building of sand-colored stone in a small port town called Vesper Bay. It is quiet, usually, save the busting of merchants and the comings and goings of adventurers alike.

Today, it is a war zone.

The interior of the Waking Sands is in shambles, blood staining the floor and bullet holes riddling the walls. Soldiers in strange armor and full-face helms pour through the hallways, gunblades brought to bear, turning them on anyone and everyone they can find. It is in a back room that you find yourself, a place piled high with crates and old papers, the sounds of the battle and the screams of the dying muddled by distance but growing steadily closer.

With you in this room is Arenvald, dressed a bit differently than you would have seen him around the Circle. Gone is his shining armor or casual, more modern dress. Apart from him, there is a young woman (though still older than Arenvald) with features that can only be described as elven, her white hair braided tightly into a short ponytail, a spear gripped tightly in her hands, and an older man with the ears and tail of a cat.

The report of gunfire echoes closer still, and the cat-eared man shoves Arenvald – and by extension, you – behind a pile of crates, barking out in a harsh whisper,

“Stay put and stay quiet. Leave the fightin’ to me and Aulie.”

The man departs, then, lifting the fist weapons from his belt as he does. Without thinking, Arenvald reaches over, fingers tangling into your sleeve or clasping your shoulder in a white-knuckled grip. ]

B ☀ wildcard

[ Arenvald has a lot more to offer as far as dreamscapes, though anything from his early childhood will come with a CW for abuse, maiming, and possible mentions of rape. If you want an early memory of his, please let me know! You can PM me or hit me up on plurk.

Otherwise he can be found in Polankos helping with the merfolk or feeding sunlight into the rift to help overload and possibly close it.

Feel free to hit me with your own dreamscapes as well, or we can transition from one person's dream bubble to the next. I'm easy! Like I said, feel free to PM me at his journal or on plurk at exposition to plot out the finer details of things. ]

konoha | jinba | ota

[lumberlady]

01 | BENEATH THE PALACE OF WAHINE | SHELTER

[Konoha is not a fighter. She knows she isn't. She isn't trying to be pointlessly brave, isn't trying to potentially risk the lives of others who might need to defend her if she attempted to find a place on the battlefield... so she flees to the Underground, taking with her anyone she can find.

As the battle rages on above them, the clamor of conflict and clash occasionally audible in the strange, water-logged manner in which sound traveled in this world, Konoha huddles in the tunnels in a circle with the old and young, doing her best to hush them and keep them distracted with tales.]

And that's how Princess Kaguya left, and returned to the moon...

[But she's running out of stories, and Konoha turns to the nearest Circle member, brow furrowed with worry betraying her even as she manages a smile, trying to keep a brave face for the rest, despite her own fears. Pleading for a bit of help as she gently strokes the head of the merchild huddling at her breast.]

Let's hear a story from another world this time, okay?

02 | THE DREAMSCAPE, INTERRUPTED | A MOMENT OF PEACE (PERHAPS)

[You find yourself in a forest. Whether this is the first dream you've stumbled into or it suddenly begins infringing on your dream, the mountainside, just beginning to slope into a valley, is lush with new growth, with the beginning of a bountiful spring blooming here and there. A small, rural village can be seen spreading through the valley below between the trees, thatch roof homes interspersed between sprawling rice fields. In the trees birds are singing, and there, in the clearing... is Konoha, staring about in awe and confusion.

She had entered the rift because others had already gone, and come back alive, but... This- This wasn't Akvos, nor some strange, dark world.

It was hers. Her home. ... Wasn't it?]

03 | POLANKOS | TUNNEL TRAVEL

[She can't fight on the battlefield, but she can at least make herself useful helping in other ways. The elderly and the weak need to be taken to safety from this horrid, strange place, and they are not easy to carry over the parts of the tunnels that are dry between the portions of the world underwater proper.

At least, not easy for a human, maybe, but. Thankfully in this instant, (thankfully on the dry legs of their journey, at least), Konoha isn't.

She's dripping wet from making her way through the dark sea, just having crawled out into the dry tunnel, beginning to resituate her harness now that she doesn't need to swim for a while, giving reassurance to three whizened merfolk bobbing in the shallows as she does so. She can carry all of them, she's confident, but some of them are too frail to get up on her back by themselves... ah- there!]

Excuse me-

[She waves over the nearest Circle member she sees, gesturing to the waiting merfolk.]

Can you help me here?

[The faster they got these poor people out of here... The faster they could all leave. Right?]

[punshots]

i. dreamscapes.

[ There's only one way to move: forward. He knew that when he made the decision to believe Princess Kea and head into the rift. Maybe it's naive of him to believe her so thoughtlessly, but he does, and there are people on the other side of this tear in time and space that need their help. His help in particular may not contribute much over all, but as ever, he has to try.

Still, with Astoria's broken message ringing in his ears, he hesitates on the threshold, facing himself in the mirror. Whatever awaits them on the other side sure doesn't sound awesome, but he's not sure if he could even turn back now if he wanted to.

But he's not in this alone. He wasn't quite suicidal or stupid enough to make this journey into a spooky space-rift by his lonesome, so he glances over at his companion at his side, the corner of his eyes tight with worry, his fingers fretting together in front of his middle. ]

So...uh. Geronimo, or what?

[ That is, are they ready for this? ]

( ooc note: for dreamscapes, I'm open to memories being Prompto's, your character's, one and then the other, or something else entirely! If there's a specific memory of Prompto's you would like to see, hit me up on Plurk at retroscape! Otherwise I'll just go ahead and choose one. )

ii. polankos.

[ Once he actually makes it through the rift and has dispatched whatever personal demons for the time being, he heads down into those deep tunnels until he reaches the Kingdom of Polankos — and once there, it's clear enough what must be done. This is no place to live, this is no place to thrive, and now he understands completely why Princess Kea is so committed to her cause. Getting the mermen out of here is the right thing to do. It has to be.

This time, there's no hesitation in his actions — he's never been too good at abiding in the presence of others while they suffer — and so soon enough he can be found ushering mermen through the caverns, helping them swim along with an arm around their shoulders as necessary. ]

H-hey, tell me the rest of that story about the fish that swallowed you. I gotta hear the end of that one! Heh...

[ He could use the distraction, and he's sure the merman he's assisting could as well. This might be their only chance to live a good life after years and years of suffering, so no pressure.

This just has to work. ]

steve rogers | open

[valuedstrength]

dreamscape;

[None of this is ideal. Steve knows a lot about making the best choice in a bad situation from his days as a soldier. Right or wrong, the princess is at least trying to find a way for everyone to live. Smarter people can work out what the world will like after. All Steve has is today and a desire to keep as many people alive as possible.

He knew this was incredibly dangerous before Astoria showed up. He has to admit it's nice for her to check in finally. Maybe, just maybe he can remind her again not to toss them around like ragdolls because the past month has been a nightmare for him.

Steve doesn't get to say much before his dream begins. If you can't view it for some reason, here's what you will find. Steve in military dress trying to get through the most unsettling victory party known to man. If you're from Earth the 1940s aesthetic is a tip off as to what they are celebrating. If not, well, it's a party. Have fun? Except Steve clearly isn't. Every flash of the camera sounds like a whistling sound before an explosion. The partiers are squabbling aggressively at some parts. In others, people just laugh as they clean up a wine spill on their clothing that looks like blood.

Steve is followed or rather haunted by a woman in a blue dress and dark hair. She asks him to dance over and over again, reminding him they can go home, as disappears and reappears like the phantom she is. Sometimes he manages to dance with her and others she disappears with the rest of the party to leave him alone.

Her voice still haunts the room. They can go home. Why can't he imagine it?]

POLANKOS;

[Steve is emotionally drained by the time they make through to the surface. The job isn't over yet. Frankly this isn't the first or last time he's had to pull it together. The sun and land help some, but it's clear from the grim look on his face that he's not having the best day. Really, who is?

Eventually they reach the tunnels and the city. Steve throws himself into the job of getting these men to safety. Regardless of who is right, this is definitely wrong. It brings back so many ugly memories that he can hardly stand it. He will. He always does.] I can carry whoever needs it. [He offers and that's the end of what he has to say if he can help it. All he'll be focused on getting these men back and forth.]

[extirpator]

dreamscape)

[ there is peace in this silence — in this blinding light. it overwhelems him, his senses fading into nothingness for a moment. he enters the rift, entertaining the idea that maybe, just maybe the princess had the right idea. in retrospect, he wishes he hadn't. the world he was tethered to slips right out of his grasp. instead, here he is, standing before a cobblestone bridge, a grotesque, 7 armed monster hovering over it. it oozes a forest greem slime, a dark red susbtance emanating from its skin — its eyes glow gold as it stares you down. Hey...! You shouldn't be out here! [ a voice calls out to you. it is boyish and high pitched. there is a boy, and he may or may not have familiar blue eyes and stark white hair. it's tied up into a bun; he's small, lithe and quick on his feet, an affable kid who would seem entirely unassuming if not for the massive sword on his back. ] Get behind me. I'll distract him long enough for you to get to the library, okay?

wildcard)

[ he's pretty much just obsessively killing the king's men and the shadow creatures. go wild, hit him up wherever. ]

[fashionabot]

a. dreamscape (a4's mission - the server room)

[ You find yourself stepping into a cold, dimly lit room. The double doors behind you automatically slide shut. The server room is located deep underground, with what appears to only have one way in and out: the elevator that you just stepped out of. But upon examination, the doors are tightly shut with no control panel in sight. You're trapped here.

On the opposite side of the room, a set of stairs lead up to an elevated platform. There isn't anything else on the other side of the platform, but one misstep could send you falling further underground.

Scattered along the floor are machines, nonfunctional and appear to have been torn apart by a blade. Among the machine bodies are three human female corpses wearing ragged clothes. At a glance, they look human. There's even a liquid substance pouring from them that resembles blood. Closer inspection shows wiring, circuitry, and mechanical parts sticking out from broken limbs. "Dead" androids.

In the circle of corpses, A4 can be seen wielding an electrified sword from Akvos. Her state of appearance is the same as how it was when she was with the Circle: a more simple, one-piece black dress. Artificial skin missing from her left arm, revealing the metal underneath as a clear indicator that she's an android.

She's facing off against two little girls dressed in red. Yet no matter how many times she tries to swing her sword at them, they dodge her attacks with an unusual amount of ease. ]

Shut up, shut up!

[ "Why do you try so hard?" "Why do you choose death?" One girl sounds childlike and the other more robotic. ]

I know what you're going to say. I've heard this before. Just shut up!

[ "Humanity abandoned you." "You live only to die."

After another futile swipe of A4's sword, the red girls dodge again. Her gaze follows them, until she catches sight of the other Circle member watching the scene. ]

What... what are you doing here? Stay behind me!

[ A4 positions herself in front of her companion, protectively sticking her arm out. She's yet to realize this is a dream, convinced that she's being forced to re-live this moment. And now, somehow someone from the Circle is thrown into the same mess by her side. ]

b. polankos

[ A4 is tired. Her experience in the Rift placed a lot stress on her systems. But if she sees someone glancing her way, she strains an exhausted smile.

With her heavy weight, A4 remains in the higher tunnels where the waters are shallow. Throughout her time in Akvos, she's already well aware that she's unsuited for deeper waters. Once others from the Circle emerge from the waters with the mermen, the android will be waiting to offer her assistance. ]

Hey. Do you need any help? I can carry two of them the rest of the way.

c. wildcard

[ Feel free to do a variation of any of the prompts! My dreamscape plotting comment is located here or hit me up at propinkist. There is only one way to escape the server room... in canon anyway. I'm open to outside influence or other dreamscape influence to avert A4's fate/wake her up somehow. ]

[unpatriarchal]

( THE RIFT )

[ lotor will enter the rift without much fanfare or hesitation, but once he is in the rift, he will be exploring with a ton of curiosity. he finds himself in front of a rift bubble, eventually, his sword at his side, though he doesn't look all too . . . troubled, by what he sees, or hears.

he seems to be ignoring Astoria, for the most part. but to you: ]

Shall we?

[ touching the rift bubble with lotor will transport you into one of his dreamscapes! but feel free to convince him this is a horrible idea. ( he will likely ignore you and go by himself but you can try, okay. ) ]

( DREAMSCAPE: ORIANDE. )

[ it is a dazzling purple-ish white realm, with a massive temple situated on the largest piece of crystal. you can feel the magic in the air, a power that only few have been able to witness. and, unless you are (1) lotor or (2) allura, you begin to get the sudden sensation that you are not supposed to be here. you are not chosen.

that being said, you can feel free to wander around. gravity does not seem to be a thing here -- you can "moon jump" from rock to rock, and eventually make your way into the temple itself, but you are prevented entry via a massive large white lion. it grows, threatening to attack, pacing the entranceway to its proverbial kingdom . . . do you attack, or do you stand your ground?

either way, that lion is absolutely going to attempt to rip your throat out. and lotor is nowhere to be seen to stop it. ]

( DREAMSCAPE: ZARKON. )

[ meeting zarkon can happen in two (2) ways: (1) in which lotor is exiled from the galran empire for not committing mass genocide, which takes place on the bridge of a galran ship or (2) zarkon's death at lotor's hand, which takes place in what appears to be a wasteland of a planet with absolutely no life.

the first will play like a film, in which there will be a past version of lotor and a present version of lotor. the second will be lotor himself fighting for his life against zarkon, and you can choose to help him if you wish. both will end as canon intended -- that planet is going to get destroyed, and zarkon is going to die. however, lotor himself will be present to attempt to shift it if he wants . . . in other words, here's your opportunity to see Lotor As A Person. let me know which you want in the subject header, or ping me at his plot comment on the OOC post! ]