TDM 003

[etrayamods]

⏵ arrival ⏴ NOTES\WARNINGS: Space horror, existential horror, clown horror, potential graphic violence & psychological trauma. Please add additional warnings as needed within threads. Your arrival does not go as anticipated. While most Etrayans wake up in the hospital, you find yourself somewhere else entirely. Not within the city bubble, not on the planet, but in a desolate room aboard a space station. There’s an endless mechanical whirring that can be heard from anywhere from just behind the walls, although the cause of the noise itself is difficult to discern. Instead of Aurora’s voice telling you of your situation, you are greeted by a man running past the sliding door of your room, opening it, and potentially a couple of others along the hallway. He stops just at the edge of the hallway, a hesitant smile on his lips as he raises a hand to the back of his hair. "Hey! Sorry about the uh–unexpected vacation? Trip? You can call me Alex, I’m one of the hands here aboard the Titan Eight. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but you don’t really belong here. Aaaaand neither do we! Haha, so at least we’ve got that in common. Right? We’re uh, stuck in the gravitational pull of a black hole of some sort and haven’t found a way out yet, and we keep getting random people pulled aboard." His hand smacks the wall next to him, and it opens up - revealing small handheld communication devices lined up behind it. "As you can probably tell, we’re getting used to it. Anyway. Feel free to take one of these, and read up a bit on the ship if you want. There’s a map, you were given a translator—" With a hand dropping to his collar, where a small button rests, "soon as we found you down below. Didn’t want you waking up and freaking out, did we? Just don’t break anything, please? Or don’t break it worse than it is. If this thing gets a big enough hole in it, or we run out of oxygen, or it, gods forbid, explodes, we’re all dead. I’ve got a thing I’m on the way to, but our AI, Aria, can lend you a hand with whatever. Just click her little icon on the comm. She's a bit basic, but she gets the job done." With a little salute, Alex turns himself around to run further down the hallway, leaving new arrivals to themselves and their little communicators. Looks like we’re not on Etraya anymore, Toto. For new arrivals, they will find themselves waking up in the sleeping quarters of Titan Eight, a space station that has found itself trapped just outside of what looks like it must be a black hole. The station is running low on supplies, but it has been for a very, very long time. Or at least, the crew seems to think it has. They’ll say they have two weeks' worth of supplies left for those currently on board, except every time they go back to their supplies, it’s still two weeks left regardless of the amount of time it’s been since they’ve last checked it. Even the crew seems to think it’s odd, looking at one another in confusion every time they’re counting their stock only to realize that it’s still drastically low but never too low. How long have they been here? Years, some seem to think. There are numerous children on board, some as young as nine, but no one on board is aging either. They have tried to track how much time has passed before, but it seems they’ve never been able to track it successfully. Journal entries all carry the same date even as crew members try to mark them differently — marks made on the ship and on bodies fade after midnight as if they had never been there to begin with. This is where the mission, and Etrayans comes in: remove the space station from the black hole’s gravitational pull. There are no further instructions, no limitations on how to accomplish this, and they are not given a time frame. Newcomers will not have this mission information on hand until someone who has stepped foot on Etraya proper can inform them. All of those who drop onto the ship were originally meant to be brought to Etraya and similar city bubbles, but the same pull that keeps the ship by the black hole seems to be preventing whatever method Echo and Aurora are using to get people to Etraya and is instead pulling them here. Titan Eight is not just an average space station. It was built by residents of Caerys 2, and used to serve as a vacation home for those who can afford the luxury rooms in the fourth quadrant. The first quadrant houses a carnival of sorts, the second hosts numerous vendors, and the third is where the crew, and unexpected guests, can be found during their off time. The fourth quadrant houses some of this galaxy's richest families. A mother and her two sons walk through the hallways, carrying umbrellas despite there being no natural light on board, but a closer look at them might explain it: they're so pale, their skin looks clear, dark black veins visible through skin. Their sclera are black, and their 'hair' isn't hair but long black feathers. Numerous guests aboard the ship don't appear to be human; rather, species' of all kinds. An engineer is more dragon than anything else: his long body extends throughout the engine facility, taking up a significant amount of space, but given the dragon himself seems to be leading all efforts to keep the ship running, everyone else tries to work around him. ⏵ whirlwind whimsy ⏴ During the daytime, Titan Eight is fun. Numerous rides are strewn about the wide open area: a massive carousel, ferris wheel, bumper cars, and various others. A seer will offer to tell your future, and performers gather in the big top, showing off their ability to bend themselves into unnatural shapes, or their lack of fear as they balance on thin wire high above the ground without a net to catch them, should they fall. One popular ride is the Tunnel of Love: a small boat that only fits two and steers itself through a tunnel that goes under the carousel. Soft, serene tunes play as various images play over the tunnel walls. While those who have been aboard Titan Eight for a significant period will likely see hearts, short videos of people holding hands, watching the sunset while swinging together - it's not the same for those displaced onto the space station. Instead, they'll see doorways into other worlds: an underwater city full of humanoid beings, a city bubble that looks like a small suburban area, a city built out of trees, or perhaps their own worlds: images of what they may be missing out on, or what could be. The House of Mirrors is also popular: a carnival worker will tell those passing by that it shows you other versions of yourself - who you could be, what you might become, who you once were, or the person you wish you were. Rumor has it the mirrors will whisper to you, telling you what you can do to avoid certain outcomes, or how to achieve others. There are also numerous carnival games set up: Balloon Darts, Ring Toss, Rifle Ranges - anything you could imagine at a carnival is set up somewhere. And given this is meant to be a luxury ship, everything is free of charge. ⏵ midnight entertainment ⏴ Titan Eight being stuck in the pull of the black hole doesn't seem to be the only problem. When the clocks onboard read 0000 hours, everything shifts. The fun carnival feels eerie. Children's laughter can be heard bouncing off the walls — sometimes sounding bright and cheerful; other times sounding downright sinister. Crew members and carnival workers suggest staying out of the first quadrant. After 2230 hours, they exit their workstations and find other spaces to hunker down in for the night. No one wants to be around when the excessively tall clown walks out of the House of Mirrors, dragging other clowns of various shapes and sizes right through the mirrors themselves. Carnival workers will explain they have tried breaking the mirrors but given how the ship resets at midnight, attempts to destroy everything have proved futile. The clowns themselves are odd. The tallest one has a smile filled with blood and a laugh that sounds like it belongs to a young child rather than the creature it is. It carries around a bloodied carving knife but doesn't reach for anyone who goes near it. Some clowns cry and sob, ripping fingernails from their nailbeds as they claw at the door leading into the central hub. Others laugh and scream, wandering around the open carnival area to cause damage wherever possible. Some hurt each other, or the other creatures wandering the carnival area. Most of them will attack on sight. During the nighttime hours, this is their area. And yet many remain around the House of Mirrors, guarding it, as if there is something inside of it that they must protect. Getting past them is near impossible: when one clown falls, two more rise out of the mirrors. When the mirrors are destroyed, the tall clown drags its hands against the broken pieces of glass, helping it to reform. By 0500 hours, the clowns have made their way back into the mirrors, taking along with them whatever they had been so protective of. ⏵ toucan play that game ⏴ While the fourth quadrant is generally reserved for guests who can afford to pay for the space and the staff who manage it, with the station stuck, they've opted to open the area to allow others to come and go during the day. In the center is a massive aviary, filled with birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some of them have no feathers yet still manage to fly, some look as if they should have gone extinct thousands of years ago, and others are - completely unidentifiable, alien. Most of them are peaceful. But not all of them. Off in the far Southwest corner is a bird with three eyes, a long black tail, and a beak full of massive teeth. While it will not attack others, it will open its beak and speak in a voice that mimics one familiar to those wandering past it: a friend, a sibling, or someone who had long since passed, and says the last thing they remember that person saying to them, repeating it over and over again as long as they stay close to it. Outside of the aviary, there are exercise facilities, sunning rooms, a massive swimming pool and hot tub, areas for pets to rest and play with one another, and a large ballroom where dances are thrown once weekly. Residents dress up in their best gowns and suits, don masks, and dance away the stress of their situation. Staff and displaced are invited to join, although staff are encouraged to come to every other dance, so there are still enough to man the ballroom. ⏵ current player notes ⏴ Aurora approaches those currently stationed on Etraya individually, informing them of the mission at hand. She tells them that she is capable of releasing them much in the same way Echo originally pulled them onto the planet, but with a 'tether' still attached to keep them from getting lost too long. Time does not function the same way on the ship as it does on the planet; she suspects their time being on the ship won't register as any time at all to those remaining on Etraya, and that when they are pulled back, it will likely be as if they never left to begin with. Current characters are not pulled to Titan Eight during missions happening in game but in the downtime between them. Small rescue ships are docked at the Southeastern island, and she will send individuals off a few at a time. The ships will pass through the barrier without issue, but won't travel far at all outside of Etraya before they blip out of existence, and reappear in Titan Eight's orbit. They will also get a friendly introduction speech from Alex, and a ship communicator for any network-related needs while aboard Titan Eight! Earpieces will not work aboard the ship. When characters are pulled back, it will not be on rescue ships. Instead, they will find themselves suddenly dissipating at midnight, as the rest of the changes aboard the ship shift back to how they had been originally. The rescue ships disappear at midnight, along with the player characters. ⏵ NOTES ⏴ This TDM covers June to September. The TDM is game canon, meaning everything happening above is occurring within the game properly, and threads can be kept as game canon even if a character does not app. Time does not function the same on Titan Eight as on Etraya! Characters can be brought onto Titan Eight at any time and stationed there long before any of the Etrayans arrive to assist. For any questions relating to the contents of this log, please reply to our mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. This is going to be an ongoing plot, which characters are welcome to try and solve, even if they aren't yet in the game!

Comments

Mod Queries.

[etrayamods]

[keepgodwaiting]

Re: "toucan play that game" -- is the toothy "last words" bird in a cage or flying around freely? If a character were to attempt to shut said bird up with violence or magic, what would happen?

Tim Hunter | DC Comics/Books of Magic

[bookofmagic]

Tim - or Mary, rather, given that her glamour is still firmly in place around her neck and continuing to show the image of the young, teenage girl she's gotten comfortable claiming as herself since fleeing to the Inn Between Worlds - is having an out-of-genre experience. She's had more than enough weird experiences as Tim and Mary and met plenty of strange and alien creatures, but her life's always been firmly on the side of the fantastical, ever since the Trenchcoat Brigade showed up and sent her on a journey through the magic of the universe. This is like stepping into a scifi world, at least on the surface. There's not much magic around, except for the basic stuff that can be found wherever life and existence is gathered, and she can't help but think of back when she was told about the orderly, scientific way the world could exist if Tim Hunter had chosen not to believe in magic.

While this might not be magic, it's clear the world could've been just as weird in different ways.

Whirlwind Whimsy

The carnival might not've been her first choice of a place to go on a space ship, but it takes up enough space on board and it's recommended to her often enough that she supposes she can't help but go. It would be pretty brilliant if it didn't come with the sense of unease of being kidnapped to a spaceship with no way off. She still tries to have fun, and before long she's found herself wandering around with a few treats - cotton candy, a bright plastic bracelet, a small pink bear that she won at a ringtoss game. She can be found at any number of small games, but the area she keeps looping back around to is the House of Mirrors. She can be found standing a short distance away, a distinct pallor to her skin and a sick look on her face as she considers whether or not she should try going in.

What would she see? The Other Tim Hunter, the one she left behind to live his life until she's strong enough to defeat him? The fragments of himself that the Other killed and absorbed? Is it a one-way mirror, or could he look back at her, past the glamour she wears, and see the real Tim Hunter, hiding from his own life and responsibilities like a coward?

Midnight Entertainment

Of course, when she's advised against staying in the carnival past midnight, she has to know what will happen. And then immediately regret every choice she's ever made because of course it's completely mad. Of course there's terrifying clown creatures streaming out of the House of Mirrors (she knew she didn't trust it), and it doesn't take long to gauge that they're as dangerous as they look when they come on some poor animal left wandering the area and rip it to shreds.

Not for the first time, Mary wishes she were still Tim, wishes she still had his magic. As it is, she's just some skinny barmaid whose only real option is to run and hide and hope she can find some way out without getting herself killed. At least she's kind enough, when she spots another non-clown walking around out in the open, to grab their wrist and tug them towards her current hiding spot (under some blankets in a carnival booth) to keep them from getting torn to shreds. "Quiet! Don't let them see you."

Toucan Play That Game

Maybe it's not as horrible as some things other people hear. There's certainly worse things that Mary - Tim - supposes she could hear. Molly's not dead, after all. She's alive, even if she doesn't live in the same world as everyone else now. Even if Tim failed her.

Which is why Mary is just sitting nearby, her eyes shut, looking so very tired, as the bird repeats, in a young girl's voice: "I waited, Tim. I did."

"I know you did, Molly," Tim says through Mary's mouth. "I just didn't see you."


[available for plotting purposes via PM or goodnonsense@Plurk.]

midnight entertainment

[supervulture]

Tokio folds up pretty quickly, for such a lanky guy. His attempt to sneak past the carnival booth ends with a tug on his wrist and he instantly follows, startled but asking no questions until after they're both crouching behind the booth.

(There's a brief mental assessment of the situation, but it's pretty limited to "strange girl!? not particularly cute.")

Another moment as she speaks and Tokio listens, a little wide-eyed. Then he nods, and responds quietly.

"Oh. Yeah, I was..." Actually no, he changes the subject.

"Do you need help getting out of here?"

Agatha of the Woods Beyond | The School for Good and Evil

[soulofgood]

[I] ARRIVAL;

[Everything was moving at such a breakneck speed that Agatha who had already went through more than a few moments of breakneck speeds was already dizzy. Mechanical whirring, a man rattling off things about gravitational pulls, black holes, here's a communication device and what the heck was the translator for again?

He salutes her, dashes off and Agatha just sits there frozen, hair in a wild disarray still dressed in the sapphire-blue armored mesh of the Trial tunic. After a moment she stumbles off her bed, nearly faceplanting onto the floor before she manages to run to the still open door itself.

The first person who runs by will seemingly jolt Agatha back into action. She starts out the door as she calls out:]

Wait a minute! Please!

[II] WHIRLWIND WHIMSY;

[Agatha has seen a lot of things in the last few years, some equal to the glitz and color and glamour of this particular area. However there are more than a few things that stop her in her tracks and make her ogle at them.

The Tunnel of Love gets a sceptical look. What was so love-inducing about a tunnel? Every tunnel she'd been in had been horrible, either something filled with slimy water, bats, rats or all three plus some bugs. This one didn't look nearly as bad but Agatha merely leans over to gaze down the tunnel itself for the moment, her expression all skepticism.]

Where does it come out at?

[The House of Mirrors meanwhile has Agatha looking stiff and uncertain. Her voice is touched somewhat by fear.]

I'm not so sure how much I'll like the other versions of me.

[She had seen so many untrue things of late she wondered how much she might see in the mirrors would be real or just a wish. Wishes were dangerous things.]

[III] MIDNIGHT ENTERTAINMENT;

[Agatha didn't need to be told twice that being around the first quadrant was a bad idea. People start leaving their workstations, one of them mentions they might want to leave for the night and Agatha is ready to follow.

... Did they tell everyone to leave though? Agatha's heart tightens in her chest. She barely knows anyone else here but the idea of running off and leaving anyone in here beyond without a warning is terrible. They've all been pulled here like she has so they deserve a warning at the very least.

So Agatha takes a moment with her right index fingertip glowing gold before she mogrifies herself into a white dove. It does mean she has to leave her clothes behind of course but she can get around a lot faster this way.

She begins darting her way around the Hall of Mirrors, calling out to draw attention to herself as she does so.]

Hey! We need to get out of here, now!

[IV] TOUCAN PLAY THAT GAME;

[By now Agatha had experienced all sorts of tricks and traps. The Woods were full of them after all and the Trials were all about surviving those woods. Flowers with teeth, wolves, on and on. When most students in a school can mogrify themselves into any number of birds and plants it's little wonder the sight of a toothy toucan with three eyes doesn't arouse complete suspicion in her. Most people did mogrify into normal animal forms but Sophie always seemed to be pink no matter what she was so...

Then the bird talks and Agatha's heart nearly stops. To anyone else it's just a bird flying around saying a particularly impassioned sound, "Forever." To Agatha though?]

... Tedros?

[Her eyes widen. Was this where he had been all this time? Caught up in a mogrif? She'd never seen him mogrif into a bird before so maybe he just had a thing for real weird looking birds? This wasn't particularly how Agatha wanted to learn her prince's quirks but...

She cups her hands around her mouth.]

Down here! Hey!

[VI] WILDCARD;

[Particularly interested in doing something with the ballroom. Agatha never got to go to a particular ball in canon so it might be fun to get dressed up and such.

If there are other prompts you want to throw my way feel free! PMs and plurk (goodluckstarfighter) are open for all your plotting needs.]

tunnel of love

[supervulture]

[... wait is she talking to him? You know what, he'll go along with that. Tokio also leans over to look into the tunnel, and there's no new information gained from that activity. It's a tunnel. The boats go into it.]

I don't know. It probably just loops around, right?

Mal Durrish | Star Wars: Legends (OC) | OTA - Current player/character (All CR welcome!)

[once_reborn]

Whirlwind Whimsy - OPEN!

Now, a space station she understands. Even one like this - though she can't see the planet below, she has some rather pointed thoughts that involve things like economic divides and societal rifts. Mainly because, well, she's seen it before. There's nothing the rich and powerful like better than a space station or skyhook quite literally floating above those they deem inferior, for whatever reason.

To say she isn't going to allow herself to be dazzled, then, is an understatement on a couple grounds.

She'll make her way through the various rides, looking carefully but not engaging terribly much - though she'll look at visions of other worlds for some time, seeing things that are familiar, and things that aren't.

But the mirrors, well. They offer something she definitely doesn't want to see - but feels she has to stare down. Any who find her will find her watching one in particular. The woman on the other side of it is both Mal and...not Mal. For one, they wear a strange costume - a red hood with trailing edges over a dark blue bodysuit. For another thing, they're smiling. And not like Mal tends to - it's an eager, dark smile.
This is the Mal that was, the dark warrior made by the Empire.

It's hardly a secret, thanks to the...whatevers are running this place. But she sure doesn't like seeing this version of herself again. And all the reminders of the cost between then and now.

Midnight Entertainment - OPEN

Fighting clowns? Fighting clowns. This is her first encounter with Earth-style clowns, and she has no idea they're meant to be anything that isn't excessively creepy - and now, apparently, violent.

She's using her lightsaber, but notably not to kill - it isn't even ignited. Instead, the reason it's shaft is so bulky by lightsaber standards becomes obvious - she's long since built a stun gun into the butt of it. Each clown she makes contact with gets a burst of bright blue energy arcing across their form, knocking them out - even if it takes multiple blows.

But perhaps the thing to note here is how she moves - the Force flows through her, and she moves with unnatural grace and speed. She's simply not where the enemy choose to land blows - using their momentum against them, breaking up their attacks and stunning or even throwing clowns wherever she can.

And she'll very happily aid you in defeating however many oppose you - because this is what a combat Jedi like Mal does best.

Toucan Play That Game - OPEN

She has no idea how to move a station out of position unless it has engines of its own - which as far as she can tell, Titan Eight doesn't have. At least that she has access to. She therefore spends a lot of time in the aviary, enjoying the wildlife. It's peaceful, and she'll take that, after everything else.

And, late at night when she's hoping nobody else is around, she'll make use of the hot tub and swimming pool, wearing a blue one-piece swimsuit which perhaps explains why she always wears long sleeves - there's scars on her arms and legs, reminders of that past she wishes she could forget. While swimming, one might even catch a glimpse of the primary reason she wears her fringe the way she does - the long, ugly scar running across her head - a reminder of just how close she came to death.

But the water is...soothing. Relaxing. And the only time so far she's been completely unarmed.

(OOC: Happy to come up with custom prompts, and all CR really is welcome, old or new. Happy to plot via pm or at c_for_characters)

pool & tub

[beagoodgirl]

Despite the lateness, and the danger thus inherent, the pool ends up not being an entirely solitary refuge. Some time after Mal's own arrival, a young girl with mismatched green-and-blue eyes enters, though her clothes are hardly typical poolside fashion. She seems herself surprised at seeing someone else present, but it only slows her down for a moment before she draws near to the pool and sits at the deck, feet kicking in the water. She has not taken off her shoes to do this.

For a long and uncertain stretch of time that Riley doesn't bother to keep track of, she's content to just ignore the other person in the room and space out in silence (not counting the splashing of water!), but she does eventually speak up.

"Do you want to keep those?" She says, turning to look at the only other person present. "The scars, I mean."

Emanon | Emanon

[emanon]

⅀ Arrival

Hmm.

[ After Alex comes and goes, Emanon grabs the communications device and walks out, idly walking away from the room while rotating the device in her hands. ]

Hmmmmmm.

[ She hums loudly, one hand going to her chin as she tosses the device up and down on her other hand. ]

I think I'm lost.

[ She nods, seemingly content with her conclusion. She then turns to whoever is the closest to her. ]

Are you lost? I could use a guide.

⅀ Carrousel

[ Emanon hops on the little boat, face alight with expectation. When it doesn't move, she pouts. If you happen to be walking by, she will wave at you, pointing at the space next to her. ]

I think the boat needs to people to work? Wanna take ride with me? I promise there won't be smooching, if that's not your thing.

[ There won't be smooching if it's your thing either, or would it? Who knows, maybe the ride is really romantic. ]

⅀ Attack of the Mirror Clowns

Oh, American Clown!

[ The clown in question is round, laughably so, much like a five feet tall yoga ball. It has a grimace permanently stamped on his face, teeth sharp as knives, and literal knives on each hand, arms long and curved in ways that human arms certainly don't work. None of the clown would work as a human, honestly.

The clown slashes wildly at her, and Emanon gets out of the way deftly, her smile not wavering. ]

Ooooh~

American Horror Clown! This is what makes little children cry.

[ Not her cup of tea, to be honest. ]

⅀ (Almost) Skinny Dipping in the Pool

[ Emanon has found the pool. Emanon doesn't have a swimsuit, and she doesn't go looking for one. She strips down to her underwear and jumps in. She then laps around for a bit before settling for drifting slowly as she floats face-up.

If anyone comes by, she will wave at them. ]

Hey! You have to get in, the water is deliciously fresh and cool!

[ And it's clothes optional! Kinda. ]

01

[tinflower]

[ The individual that Eammon's picked is a 6'4" green-skinned, half-orc looking teen--if she's able to guess he's a half-orc, anyway. He's still in the stage of squinting at the device in his hands, as if looking for something (very unsuccessfully), and it's a look that he turns on her at her question. She's looking at him? He's speaking to him? ]

You want a lost guide?

[ There's nothing pointed about it, but as he's taking her question into account of her request. Maybe she does?? She will definitely get it out of him. ]

Chrissy Cunningham | Stranger Things + Sail CRAU

[bubblegumheart]

Arrival;

"Wait! Please!"

That was a lot of information flying at her all at once and, honestly, Chrissy's head is swimming. The words were all familiar, things she could understand- it was just the things he told her that didn't make much sense. But standing around in this room feeling sorry for herself isn't going to accomplish anything. So she collects one of the devices, squares her shoulders and takes a step out into the hall.

Her first instinct is to try to follow the man who'd run past earlier. He'd said he was on the way to something, which could mean other people- or it could mean that he just had somewhere more important to be than dealing with a lost-looking cheerleader in a flippy little Hawkins High cheer uniform skirt and a Hellfire Club t-shirt.

There'll be plenty of time to see what the device is all about later, but for now she's going to make an attempt to find someone else who might be able to tell her what's really going on.

Whirlwind Whimsy;

It's a little odd, seeing a carnival here. It's also kind of nostalgic, in that it makes her think of being back in Hawkins. Back when things still made sense.

Chrissy's determined that she's going to see and experience as many of the rides and games as she can manage. The ferris wheel is always a favorite, and she takes several turns around the bumper cars. The tunnel of love catches her attention, though she's hesitant to go on it by herself- and she doesn't particularly want to go on it with anyone but Vance. She hasn't seen him yet, and she's definitely been keeping an eye out.

Instead, she heads into the house of mirrors. Once upon a time, it was one of her favorite attractions. This one is different, however, and it takes her all of about thirty seconds to realize that the reflection staring back at her is one that she hasn't seen in years. She'd been so happy in middle school- or, more accurately, she'd been happier.

Midnight Entertainment;

Sneaking out after dark probably isn't the best idea here, even though she'd done it fairly often in Hawkins. The blanket of darkness hasn't changed things dramatically, but there's a definite air of spookiness hanging heavy over everything.

Still, she's determined to press on.

The lack of people milling about isn't a deterrent, as one of her favorite times to walk around back home was after dark- specifically after everyone else had gone to bed. It felt like she was the last person in the world, and she loved it.

This isn't like that. The clowns that emerge from the house of mirrors aren't the most terrifying thing she's ever seen, but they still fill her heart with dread. So much so that she turns on her heels and flees the area at the first sign of them. Perhaps tomorrow night she'll be a little braver.

Choose Your Own;

Ye olde wildcard option. Feel free to catch Chrissy elsewhere if none of the above work. I'm open to prompts from the Toucan section, I just wasn't feeling inspired enough to write something specific at this point. Chrissy is friendly and generally agreeable. She's also coming in fresh from spending a year aboard the Serena Eterna (in Come Sail Away), so fellow shipmates are welcome to recognize her. You can also catch me at cornyflake to work out something specific, or just to chat.

Whirlwind Whimsy

[cohero]

Out of all the bad luck that Dick has had lately the last thing he expected was to be yanked away from the planet he'd been kidnapped to and thrown onto a space station hurtling towards a black hole. "Fuck my luck." He sighs as he walks around the station doing a little recognizance. There's no one he recognizes here, not that he'd made many close friends yet, but he had a few people he had begun to care about.

The situation was far from ideal. He knows that there's a way back, but isn't quite certain what it is. The carnival almost catches him by surprise, and it reminds him of his younger days in the circus. A part of him aches for those simple days while the other part remains highly suspicious.

Glancing toward the hall of mirrors, he can't quite resist. Once inside he expects to find the normal tall and large funny extensions of himself, but these mirrors show him many different things. He sees the view of him as a dad, the life he never took. There's one of him with his parents all grown up. He stares for a while before he realizes that he's actually standing next to another person doing the same thing. "Hey, sorry, I didn't see you there."

nuvia | original character | ota/potential new player

[utinam]

💧 ARRIVAL;

[A girl, between the ages of 16-18, with long cloud shaped hair connected to her cloud shaped dress, mist stockings, and shoes, will leave the comfort of wherever she was being held in. Her clear sky-blue eyes will be quickly observed everything the ship had to offer especially those passing by her. There were all kinds of different species surrounding her. None of which she recognized. It was all new to her. But noticing the similarities and differences, Nuvia's eyes will begin to shine, trying her best to not cry because she didn't want to cause a scene. After all,...

For the first time in her life, Nuvia didn't stick out like a sore thumb instead she seemed to blend in perfectly! Even when there were so many who looked very different from her.

A hand will be placed over her pink lips, finding the experience to be overwhelming as she remembers her home. No one was on her side except for those who needed her to accomplish their own purposes. Yes, there were those who have grown to genuinely care for her, but...it wasn't instant and took a while to accomplish.

Her thoughts "Mama, I wish I could show this place to you!" will be on the center point as she continues to feel a sense of happiness, acceptance, regret, concern, guilt, and sadness. With her thoughts and feelings overwhelming her senses, she may accidentally bump into someone which...

A) If the other person's skin touched hers, then they will trade telepathic feedback of whatever the two were thinking including images, feelings, and thoughts. Depending on the shock, both may receive some mental backlash enough to push them away from each other. There may be a headache, dizziness, feeling as though someone may have accidentally punched them in the head, or all of the above. Nuvia will fall over to the ground, touching her head wondering what hit her.

B) If the other person is clothed to the point no skin touch will be felt, Nuvia will quickly panic and take a step away as she looks at the other person with great concern.]

Hey! Are you okay? I am so sorry!

💧 WHIRLWIND WHIMSY;

[The appearance of a carnival will leave Nuvia completely speechless because this was the first time she was ever allowed to step foot into one. Even if it did seem like it had some downgrades, but it still looked amazing! She had no idea where to begin her new adventure. Forgetting everything she was feeling just a few moments ago. There was so much to see and do!]

A) tunnel of love

[Standing by one of the most popular rides after spectating the live performances, Nuvia will be patiently in line hoping to get a chance to ride whatever everyone else was excited about while completely ignoring the fact that it was a couple type of ride. Oh well! She'll find out once it was her turn.

Or maybe not?

The moment she was informed over needing one other person to go in with her Nuvia will ask if she could grab whoever willing to from the crowd outside of the ride which the bots approved of.

Quickly Nuvia will scan he area, then with her gloved cloud hand she will grab the first person she found who was 1) alone and 2) seemed to between the ages of 16-18 with a bright smile.]

Could you do me a quick favor? I want to ride that! [Pointing to the tunnel of love ride.] Can you come with me? I can't go in on my own.

OPTIONAL BONUS SCENE: [If the other character takes too long to respond, for whatever reason, Nuvia's excitement will make her believe their silence was compliance so she will be dragging them straight to the ride without a second thought or concern.]

B) carnival games

[The very bright and very loud booths filled with all kinds of games will quickly catch Nuvia's attention. It's been a while since she's been able to freely play without any stakes involved. Her bright sky-blue eyes were eyeing each one. From ring toss to ballon darts, water gun ranges, basketball shootout, bowling, and those testing one's strength with a hammer.

The minute she felt her competitive itch, she'll turn to whoever was nearby with a playful smile.]

Hey~! What would it take to get you to play this with me?

[Her playful smile will turn to a more confident one.]

Unless you're too scared to?

💧 MIDNIGHT ENTERTAINMENT;

[The sudden change of atmosphere of the carnival will not go unnoticed especially when the echos of children's laughter could be heard. Nuvia will observe her surroundings, trying to find where the voices were coming from. All she'll notice is the way some people seem like they were in a hurry. Where was everyone going? Was the carnival ending or...? Nuvia had wanted to ask someone about it, but she'll overhear the instructions from the staff. Oh? Was it mandatory to leave?

Before she had decided to ask for more information, she'll notice the area was less crowded and those offering instructions had already made their way out. Nuvia will decide to follow the tail end of the group until she overhears screaming, laugher, and more chaotic noises. What was going on? Turning around to investigate further, she will realize a large number of...]

Clowns...?

[All types of clowns will make their appearance known by filling the area with not just their presence and noises but causing all types of destruction. It was chaos. Some were fighting amongst themselves, hurting themselves, destroying the booths or whatever they can get their hands on, and some had just noticed her. Oh boy. None of them will give Nuvia a moment to talk to them because they'll begin to instantly attack her. She'll quickly dodge each of their attacks. Just as she makes numerous attempts to talk without any success is when she'll realize it was a loss cause. Without any moment to spare, she'll begin to levitate off the ground and float to the air realizing the entire area was overrun by them. In the distance she'll notice an even larger version holding a weapon. Large enough to kill anyone if it wanted. Nuvia will freeze until something was thrown towards her. Ow. The clowns on the ground were now throwing things at her.]

Enough already!

[Ice will begin to form on her arms and legs as she stops levitating to use gravity to allow her to fall down to the ground except, she'll be falling even faster due to using her ability to control her own gravity to make herself heavier. The moment her feet touches the ground, she'll use the remaining momentum to use her fire rainbow to "ignite" the clowns, making them believe they were currently on fire. It'll be enough to spook most of them away except for the ones believing they could use it against her. Nuvia can easily take care of the one in front of her, not so much the one behind her.]

💧 WILDCARD;

[Let me know what you want to play out with her. Just know there will be a "no" go for anything animal or pet related. Everything else is free game!]

(OOC: Hello! I will match prose and brackets. Either one works for me. I am super interested in getting the chance for Nuvia to investigate the clowns and mirrors. Anyone willing to help her get close enough to get a telepathic read of the giant clown would be cool. She can only use telepathy from skin-to-skin touch! Gotta bad touch the clown. If you have any questions or want to plot something out, please add me at misskoely or PP me.)

Midnight Entertainment

[levelshift]

[The idea of a curfew isn't anything new to Accelerator, it was necessary back home given the majority of residents are kids. But one existing in a place that should, realistically, have an ultra low crime rate? That's suspicious, and that's why he's out and wandering in the first quadrant after midnight. He might as well see what all the fuss is about, regardless of any potential danger.

Carnivals aren't his idea of fun, nor are clowns. Horror clowns out of some kid's nightmare? Irritating as all hell. Despite their aggression he isn't intimidating, and continues on exploring, drawn towards the sounds of what seems like a fight between those things and a normal person.

Well, maybe not normal. Some kind of cloud girl? He isn't totally sure, and he doesn't have time to mull it over. Noticing the clown edging up behind her he casually hits the switch on his choker. A split second later, his fist is slamming into the side of the clown's face, sending the thing crashing through a nearby wall.

He stops there, looking mildly annoyed.]

Tche, what a pain in the ass.

Otto Octavius | Spider-Man 2 / MCU / whatever

[doctopoda]

i-a. arrival

[Otto fully expects to come back to himself in the middle of a crisis. Just - not this crisis.

It's like missing a step. For a moment, he's too confounded to ask anything useful of his apparent new host, and then just like that, the man's running off. That spurs him into action.]

Hey! You can't just run off -

[His voice is largely drowned out by the clanks and thuds of the actuators as they carry him out the door after the man. It's instinctual by now; they're faster than his legs, especially after the time he's had lately. But as quickly as the things can move, it seems like that random guy is somehow quicker. He is gone. Otto pauses in the hallway, staring after him in disbelief for a moment, before huffing and pushing up his dark glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.]

Fine. Why not?

[This might as well happen!]

i-b. engineering

[After that, and after getting slightly more settled and speaking to a few other new arrivals, his first order of business is to find the engineering bay. Here, he's negotiated for a few basic tools and a corner in which to work - one of the actuators is still missing a claw, after all. Even with the new chip, the error reports keep nagging at the back of his mind, like they're afraid he'll forget - like he could forget, when he keeps on trying to use it and slipping. Is that a form of phantom limb syndrome?

In spite of everything, he seems more at ease working. Some of it is the engineering bay. Sure, everything's terrible, but there's a part of him that can't help being delighted at getting transported into something very like Star Trek! The rest...well, at least this is something he can fix. For just an hour or two, he knows exactly what to do.

He doesn't turn around if another passenger wanders in, but one of the unoccupied tentacles sways about as if to look at them with its claw.]

I don't work here. You're looking for the dragon.

ii. midnight entertainment

[He hasn't really been in here during the day. The lights were too bright, everything was too loud...the Tunnel of Love was too present. Suffice to say, Otto is really not in the mood for a funfair.

But after rumors of the night circus reach him, he reluctantly goes down to investigate. It's a stupid idea. He knows, as he is doing it, that it's a stupid idea. But it's what Spider-Man would do, and that thought - that guilt - drives him along anyway.

Then, of course, he's attacked by evil clowns. Somehow this also seems like something that would happen to that kid.

The circus area is large, and the actuators can stretch high enough to keep Otto out of reach for most of the clowns and their knives. He moves with surprising precision, mostly using the arms and flats of the claws to bat the people - creatures? - away. He doesn't really want to cause any more deaths if he can possibly avoid it. But, then, that isn't always possible. From up here, it's easy to see that they're centered around the hall of mirrors. The ceiling in there is definitely too low to keep playing keep-away.

Fortunately or otherwise, there's other people out here. They should take priority anyway.]

They're all coming from there.

[He swats a clown away from whoever's nearest.]

iii-a. toucan play that game

[The aviary is much more pleasant. Otto finds himself spending a good deal of his free time - when not on foolish investigative pursuits - there, birdwatching or throwing handfuls of seed. He's never been much of a birder himself, but Rosie always loved them. They would go and feed pigeons in the park, or the ducks down by the river. So there's something bittersweet to it, even as he amuses himself by seeing how many birds he can coax or trick into perching on an actuator at once.

After a while, they get to be downright friendly. And the variety is very interesting. Otto lifts a claw, moving very slowly so as not to unbalance the creature perched there, and squints at it through his sunglasses.]

I think this is an archaeopteryx!

[It is definitely some kind of little feathery dinosaur guy!]

iii-b. toucanNOT play that game

[But just like the carnival, this place isn't exactly all fun and games. They're just a little more subtle about it on this floor.

Passing through on one of these ventures, Otto stops dead at a voice whispering from somewhere in the trees. A woman's voice: "I'm so proud of you."]

...Rosie?

[His voice is hushed. He already doesn't really believe it. He knows, after all, that - but isn't he supposed to be dead too? If magic and black holes or god knows what else can go on reaching into his world and ripping him out of his own self-destruction, over and over again, then why couldn't the same happen to her? It should happen to her! If there were any sort of justice -

The voice again.]

Rosie.

[He's still not quite calling out, but he does turn to look around. The actuators are coiled close to his back, one clicking his claw like it's trying to get his attention. It's being ignored, though.]

ii. midnight entertainment

[keepitgoing]

[It's like Beetlejuice, that really old movie? If you think 'Spider-Man' three times, he will apparently just show up! Like a blue and red spandexed haunting. Well, maybe you've only gotta mention him once — once is all you need for fate to play a joke on you. Otto's in the middle of batting away a clown to keep a fellow passenger safe when a telltale thwip noise sounds off to his left. A round mess of webbing hits a particularly stabby clown, pinning it to the mirror behind them.]

Why is it clowns — who decided evil clowns were a thing...?!

[Sorry, he'd gotten a little distracted there by the concept. Now that he's said his piece, he turns toward the familiar metal legs with some hopeful anticipation in his voice and a bounce in his step.] Dr. Octavius...! I was wondering if I really saw you. This place really plays tricks on your senses.

[He is really betting on Otto having the same set of memories as his own, and hoping that he isn't either from an earlier point in Peter's timeline... or from another dimension altogether than the Otto Peter had gotten to know. That'd make this real awkward.

... Clowns are still attacking them, aren't they?

Yeah, they sure are.]

kipperlilly copperkettle | fantasy high: junior year

[madstermind]

o1. Punctuality is key (arrival)

[ It's almost overwhelming, isn't it? Arriving someplace strange, being whisked away from the world you'd known and finding oneself kidnapped, nay, chosen by some greater force to arrive in a new place? Incredible. This... Alex proposes only to research, and read up on the station, and while there is one instinct in Kipperlilly that says: follow orders, there's a... (somewhat) new part of her that says she should do what she wants.

Explore? No, too pedestrian with little payoff. Her fingers move against the device, different than a Crystal, but easy enough to figure out as little polished shoes move silently across the floor of the station.

No, she decided to follow Alex, sticking to the shadows, tailing him quietly behind. She is difficult to see, even in the school uniform that she is NOT required to wear, her high ponytail swishing silently as she moved behind him, trying to get a sense for what is going on. After all, Alex could be lying, but more importantly: what if there was a reason he didn't want them interfering? Or even more importantly: what if there was something she could do? What if she could make a difference?

Her heart beat quicker in her chest, and the most perceptive of individuals may catch the softest of swishes as she moved, tailing. ]

o2. Attack of the Killer Klowns from Outer Space (cw: eye stuff)

[ It takes a few resets before Kipperlilly, frustrated that she is getting nowhere from tailing Alex, reluctantly gives up her prey, and moves to other options. She still moves, stealthy and silent, sticking to the shadows and dark corners, roguelike (hah) in her movements as she makes it to the Carnival. It's... pedestrian, but as night falls, it becomes less so, and Kipperlilly tracks them to their origin, watching as some attack anyone that gets close, or even any that are in sight.

Darts disappear from a dart game, a skeeball, a knife from a stall serving bloomin' onions, it's all pocketed and stashed on her person, along with the knives she arrived with, as she made her way toward the mirrors, where they were...

Guarding? Who knew, it didn't matter. Where there were guards, there was something valuable, and maybe that would give her the edge she needed to get on top here.

One of the darts flew from the shadows, and impaled a clown in the throat. Then another in its eye.

It collapsed, and two seemed to emerge from... beyond? Looking for the interloper, and the girl almost seemed to melt in the shadows, keeping just under sixty feet away as she crept along, still looking for a crack in the proverbial armor. Several more fell with an array of stashed carnival weapons, though finding her is as hard as finding a properly stealthed rogue. ]

o3. Mirror Mirror... (fh:jy spoilers)

[ The whole... carnival was so. Ugh! Boring, boring, boring. If she wanted something so pedestrian, she would have stuck in Elmville. After all, They had all of that and more. The rest of the halls weren't any more exciting, and at least when night fell, there were the clowns, which was something. At least there was a mystery to be found, right? But that meant waiting around for night, and while that gave her plenty of opportunity to show off her skills at the carnival games, the accuracy with a dart or a rifle, but the prizes were nothing. Maybe if Mary Ann was here, she would consider trying to get her to warm up with one of the stuffed animals, but...

Well. No matter. She wasn't, and Kipperlilly was chosen to be here, right? There was no way this was a mishap, after all.

Whimsy, though, gave way to trying to figure out the mystery of the clowns. During the day, the mirrored hall was open, but stepping in was... odd. She expected distorted mirrors, not...

Not herself — burns and ash rippling her face to the point that she was nearly unrecognizable, looking back, the anger and rage on her face slipped the mask as her reflection screamed at her, for her failures, for her inability to cinch the deal, for the incompetence of the Rat Grinders. For everything.

Her polished shoe tripped, and she turned, seeing another version of herself in dark, boiled leather armor, confidence on her face. Perhaps a touch older? It was difficult to tell, but she certainly didn't look like she was trying to hold back and suppress the rage that Kipperlilly herself felt.

Her fist clenched, and she turned, torn between moving deeper, and —

Running. ]

wildcard!
[ if none of these work, just throw me anything! I'm flexible! ]

01.

[furiousfists]

[ Aurora had said to help; a mission between missions. (Adaine can't help but wonder how many missions she's going to have to suffer through before she's proved Spyre worthy of saving.) In any event, here she is, having come to Titan Eight to try to decipher what's keeping them trapped here, and what can be done to fix it. She'd had very little luck on either end, sadly, as the problem seems to be nonmagical in nature, and she, being a wizard, is a bit of a one-trick pony in that regard.

She's not giving up, though, and decides to instead stand stubbornly as close as she can get to any kind of control bay or engine room, and cast Identify. She's so wrapped up listening to her spell talk to her in its posh, explain-y voice, that she doesn't notice Alex walk by— nor anyone following him from the shadows. ]

jyn erso | star wars

[vallt]

arrival

[the first thing that occurs to jyn is that she's cold. in her last, when she'd closed her eyes, it'd been warm; there'd been the open air on scarif, the heat of the oncoming blast, arms around her and the warmth of someone else in hers. when she'd been so sure, for so long, that she'd be dead within five years of a twenty-year sentence, cold and alone like she's been for most of her life, there'd been peace in that, in knowing she'd done what she could. there could be reassurance in that being the last thing she'd ever feel.

but she —

wakes with a start, and when she does, her heart unmistakably beating and her breath unmistakably coming in gasps, she's cold, and she's alone; she's surrounded by walls, closing in on her like the cave that's always in her mind.

there's so much she doesn't understand, but there's one thing she does: something, everything, has been taken from her.

anger swiftly fills in the cracks created by uncertainty; it's always come to her easily. it has both of her hands clenching into fists, has her standing, has her walking toward the door to the room she's found herself in. it has her teeth grinding together as the man nervously explains something she's half-listening to before he tries to skitter away.

and that's what has her acting. no; she's not going to let him get away, not when she still has questions.

she steps out into the corridor with single-minded purpose, and heads for the direction that the man had disappeared in. anyone that happens to be in her way, or anywhere in her vicinity, gets unceremoniously shoved.

she's not sorry about it.]


midnight entertainment

[when the clock shifts, jyn isn't sleeping. it hasn't come easily for her in a long time, regardless of where she is, but being inside the walls of this station, where she's trapped, makes the situation that much worse. so she wanders, past the living quarters, through the corridors.

and has the unfortunate timing of entering the first quadrant, passing the hall of mirrors, when the clowns have emerged.

in barely a blink, they attack. even if she'd had a blaster on her, she'd have no time to reach for it; it's punching, kicking, and dodging that will have to do.

none of the blows, though, seem to have much impact, as they keep coming, keep laughing — so her only real option is to find one that can do enough damage for her to get away.

as she tries to search for that opportunity, breath heavy, she hears footsteps coming up from behind her. she snarls,]

Get behind me!

[that's all she spares to whoever she hears approaching; she can't spare so much as a glance over her shoulder, and she certainly can't spare the chance for some fucking idiot to start arguing with her. because the clown is close, and the only thing she can afford to focus on —

is hitting that thing as hard as she can, with the metal rod that'd just rolled near her that she could pick up from the floor.]


toucan play that game

[after that first night cycle, jyn learns to stay away from the carnival, but that doesn't keep her from continuing to wander the station at all hours. there isn't much to do here, otherwise, and she'll lose her mind if she stays still for too long.

eventually, she finds the aviary. lingers there, since it feels at least a little more open than the rest of the station. she can't say it's peace, but it's something.

and maybe that had been a mistake on her part; maybe she'd been stupid enough to let her guard down. because when the voice of the three-eyed bird starts to speak to her —

i have so much to tell you, in her father's voice, straining and weak before he'd died in the rain on eadu, before she'd really had the time to know how she'd felt about hearing it after she hadn't for more than fifteen years —

she has no defense against it.

the voice speaks to her, over and over again, and she stands motionless. frozen.]


wildcard

[have another scenario in mind? throw it at me! i'm also available over pm or at lensflares if you'd like to discuss anything 💕]

arrival

[keepgodwaiting]

Hey--!

[ The woman that Jyn has just shoved is no taller than her, dark-haired, and looks as out of place as any tourist in a big city. Moreover, she seems like she's coping with things in much the same way Jyn is. Feeling uncertain? Nah, fuck that. Get mad instead. ]

Are you blind, or did you dress like that on purpose?

[ It's a stupid barroom kind of jab, that has nothing to do with whatever Jyn is actually wearing and everything to do with old habits and using whatever's handy: the verbal equivalent of whipping a coaster at someone getting on your nerves at the pub. ]

Kurohara Tokio | Choujin X

[supervulture]

arrival
[Tokio isn't particularly tall for a 16 year old, but he stands like he is, like he's trying to take up less space with hunched shoulders and a gaze that settles somewhere closer to peoples knees than to their faces.

He's also very very lost. Not when it comes to his location on the station itself (wandering down a corridor in section 3), but more just in general. He's got the wide-eyed, slightly stunned look of someone who's just been kidnapped to a space station orbiting a black hole, and who really needs someone to tell him what to do next.]

Excuse me. [He says, walking up to someone who looks less out of place than he feels.] Do you... know what's going on?

parroting
Hey, Tokio... are you really okay? [The toothed bird says, in a boy's voice that's quiet with exhaustion and worry. Tokio looks a little tense, sitting on a bench and watching the bird, who repeats the question with a cocked head as it sits on the branch and considers Tokio. A pause, and then...]

Do you want a fry? [He asks the bird, and holds a french fry out towards it. Wiggles the french fry a little bit.] They're pretty good.

shopping(?)
Um, sorry, have you seen a pet store? [Tokio asks a relatively friendly-looking stranger. Section 2 is a lot, honestly. The shopping district of a fancy resort space station is about as far from the run down convenience stores and struggling malls he's used to as the rest of the space station is from the crumbling infrastructure of his home city.]

I need to get some food for some of the birds.

midnight
[Tokio moves carefully through the carnival, sticking close to walls and trying not to make any noise. After midnight, the shift from "night time fun" to "haunted" is clear in Section 1, and pretty unsettling. But he's not here to try and pick a fight with any of the murder clowns. He's just here to watch.]

wildcard
[[ooc: Tokio's going to be mostly just wandering around, hanging out in the aviary a lot, and just kind of generally watching things. Wildcard or hit me up at hydok if you have any thoughts!]]

arrival

[keepitgoing]

[Peter likes to be a little unassuming, too. He'd always been that way before the spider bite, and after? It just pays to try to stay out of the limelight when you're the 'normal' nerdy Peter Parker. Makes it less obvious that you've got a whole other life people don't know exists. But here? He's at least in an absolutely ridiculous situation with other people; it's easy to offer a friendly, albeit apologetic smile, just before he replies:]

... I've got a good idea of what's going on, yeah. It's gonna sound a little crazy, but I guess that depends on how much crazy you already deal with where you're from.

John Allerdyce 🔥 XMCU

[pyromaniacs]

🔥 whirlwind whimsy

[ He's been to carnivals, yes, but goddamn what the fuck is up with this Hall of Mirrors. First, that stupid worker told him "oh, you'll be able to see other versions of yourself." like it's some exciting thing. Does he even believe any of what that idiot said? Of course not. This is free. That worker doesn't need to sell this as much. He's bored out of his fucking mind, he'll enter this ride without so much as a sales pitch.

Wandering along with his lighter on hand, flicking it out of boredom, John glances at a figure not far from where he is. A figure in the mirror who looks like this. What the fuck? Is that him but older? Gross. Does this mean that idiot wasn't lying? John shakes his head in amusement. Probably just a trick.

Then he wanders through another corner and sees two figures and his eyes widen in surprise. No fucking way. Are those him and Bobby? John clenches his teeth, not amused by what he just saw and leaves the Hall with an urge to almost burn the whole thing down. ]

Stupid attraction. What the fuck does it even know? [ Murmurs to himself. He'll just have to busy himself with the other attractions so one's character will be able to see him wandering with either a snack on hand, some stuffed toys he won from the carnival games, or sneakily trying to set the popcorn stand ablaze. ]


🔥 midnight entertainment

[ Opening his lighter, fire blazes out as John manipulates it towards one of the clowns. ]

Why the heck are there so many of you? [ Sets fire to another clown near the Hall of Mirrors. ] Can't believe this shit. [ He dashes near the Hall and there are more of them. Drawing more fire from his lighter, he hurls it towards another clown who's coming to attack, effectively killing it. He smirks because of course he does. ]

Messed with the wrong mutant.

OOC

[ i can match both brackets and prose 😊 feel free to hit me up at justinify or justinifying for any prompts you'd like or just to chat! ]

midnight entertainment

[thefirething]

[ Charlie can't even say at this point that the whole clown thing has gotten stupid. It's gone beyond stupid to just outright obnoxious. The crying, the screaming. All of it was just getting...old. This wasn't the worst thing she's ever dealt with. Close, but no cigar.

It was just the most irritating. Her ability to sense danger was screaming. Every part of her felt like it was on fire with the desire to

run

run now

RUN NOW WHY AREN'T YOU RUNNING but she couldn't really tell which way to go because the danger was everywhere. Doing her best to avoid it, she ended up nearing the space where Pyro was setting clowns on fire and for just a moment, just a couple of seconds, it was enough to get her to stop moving.

But then her ability to sense a threat really went off and she turned quickly. Her right hand stretched out and there was an odd sort of soft thrumming in the air. The clown that had been racing at her suddenly stopped, frozen in motion. Still laughing which was really goddamn creepy and Charlie wasn't for it.

The thrumming was soon joined by a sudden uptick in heat, the air around the clown shimmering before it just started burning. Soon enough, it's dead and Charlie's watching it with a fairly cold look on her face before she sighs in irritation and speaks, mostly to herself. ]

I hate clowns.

Clarice Fong (Blink) | The Gifted

[portalism]

🟣 whirlwind whimsy

[ Not exactly a fan of multiple halls, Clarice's initial reaction to the attraction was that of should I even go? but once the worker told her she'll be able to see other versions of herself, her interest was piqued. To be fair, she still thinks this is all bogus and maybe this is one of those tricks she saw in other carnivals when she was trying to do dirty work for the Brotherhood. But whatever, okay, she's here now and she's bored out of her mind.

When suddenly she sees a figure in the mirror next to her who looks like this. Raising a brow, she gives a disgusted look. ] Who the hell is this chick? [ She squints, looking at it closely. She has her hair and her eyes and one of her facial marks, but. She's different.

Snorting, she stifles a chuckle. Okay, nice trick. Well done. But then, she sees another figure and this time, she looks like this. This one looks very much like her that she approaches it and she hears someone say, "Don't join the Morlocks." ] Who in the-- Who said that?

[ Creeped out, she exits the attraction and can be seen wandering around the carnival games. ]


🟣 midnight entertainment

[ Portalling out of a sticky clown situation, Clarice ends up in another sticky clown situation. ]

You have got to be kidding me. [ Trying once more to portal in another place, a clown suddenly tries to suddenly attack. Help her? ]

OOC

[ only voicetesting but we'll never know! 😉 feel free to hit me up at justinify or justinifying for any prompts you'd like or just to chat! ]

midnight entertainment

[utinam]

[There will be one other person patrolling the clown infested area. Nuvia was currently searching for more clues. She will stop walking upon noticing one other person nearby. What were they doing? Unfortunately, there was no time to ask.

Nuvia will glare at the clown as she runs towards the other girl, close enough to create a bubble barrier around them stopping the clown in their tracks.]

Are you okay? [There will be a slight pause before adding.] Um...I hope I'm not getting in your way or ruined your plans.

Johanna Constantine | The Sandman (Netflix) + The City CRAU | OTA

[keepgodwaiting]

  arrival/network  

"What?"

Johanna stares after Alex for a moment as he hurries off. Her brain feels like it's whirring, like the hum around her is coming from inside her skull as she tries to figure out how to ask -- what? Where would she even start? Is this another experiment? What happened to the hotel, and City Hall, and the college? Where's my stuff? Where's--

No. No, she'll just have to figure it out, won't she. She's done it before.

Shaking her head hard, she manages to gather herself enough to go pick up one of the communication devices. After a bit of poking around, she figures out how to access the network and start with what she considers the most relevant problems.

un: Constantine | text
First question. Anyone know what iteration this is?

Next question. Where can a girl get holy water around here?

  midnight entertainment  

   CW: clowns, if we get that far?

So here she is. Still not in London.

Her first night there, Johanna is too exhausted by the turmoil of arrival to do anything but go back to her quarters and collapse into bed. Despite her exhaustion, she sleeps poorly. The hum of the station and the occasional noises of people passing by keep jerking her awake.

She never thought she was going to get used to the eerie, empty quiet of the City. That used to wake her up. Now here she is, plucked from one wrong place to another, and the normal soundscape of a population feels alien. London would be a nightmare of sirens, drunken passersby, birds and dogs, wouldn't it?

(Will she ever get back to London?)

With as off-balance as she feels, then, it's almost a relief to learn on her second day that there's a House of Mirrors filled with monstrous clowns. A haunting feels like something she can get her arms around.

Her fourth day here. It's getting late, almost 2200. Johanna is loitering near the House of Mirrors as vendors and employees pack up their things and prepare to vacate the quadrant for the night. When people warn her that she ought to leave, she smiles politely and nods.

"Yeah, thanks, mate. Heard about the horrors. Sort of curious to see them myself, actually. What's the worst that could happen?"

  toucan play that game  

   CW: grief, death, spoilers for The Sandman 1.03 in link.

"Would you fuck off!"

The shout rings through the aviary, sending birds clattering into the air. Some birds, anyway. The bird with the teeth shifts on its branch, cocking its head and turning one of its three eyes onto Johanna. Johanna, standing there with everything clenched tight: jaw working, fist s white-knuckled at her sides, eyes bright with wet fury.

The bird opens its beak.

"Don't you fucking dare, you piece of--"

"You came back, though. Didn't you?"

Johanna snarls and lunges, making the bird finally take off from its perch. It lands nearby. "You came back, though."

  wildcard  

[ Want to play carnival games? Have a dance in the ballroom? Something else? Or want to figure out how to fight clowns? Feel free to hit me up at AdivaCalandia or via PM and work something out!

Will match brackets or prose! ]

2!

[stresstokens]

[ As night falls - or as the clocks tell them that night has fallen; on this strange spaceship, they can't exactly rely on environmental cues - Riz Gukgak continues to prowl around the place, searching. Searching for what, he cannot say. Clues, is the obvious answer, but something, anything else to explain the odd position he's found himself in, paranoid and ill at ease and puzzled by what Aurora is having them do. He's explored every inch of this place to the best of his ability, rudely diving behind the games stands and knocking up against the stations to see if there are any hidden doors or rooms at their disposal, but there's one place he's been avoiding most of all.

You can't really blame a guy for not liking mirrors after being ingloriously dragged into one, he reasons. Unfortunately, he'd also make for a piss poor investigator if he avoided such an obviously nefarious place just because he's scared, and as the very core of his self-esteem is entirely reliant on his ability to pick up clues, that's exactly where he's found himself, a frown tugging at the corner of his mouth as he checks over his equipment, deft claws clicking against his belt as he counts his bullets.

When he sees someone joining him, his head jerks up to look at her, fingers not stalling in their work, lips still silently mouthing each number as it passes. When he's through, he gives her a hapless sort of shrug. ]

I mean, the place is like, definitely haunted, right? Nothing good ever happens in haunted carnivals, and the mirror maze is specifically geared towards Creeps R Us.

hanako 'rosalina' nurumi | original | new player/ota

[hasitsthorns]

❥ arrival.

While not the person she expected to wake up to, Alex is preferable. He's cute and she may flirt a little during introductions. Nothing serious, of course, but anyone is free to have seen and taken note. Once given her communication device and things explained, Rosie sets out to explore on her own.

How long had she looked up to the stars and dreamed of visiting distant planets? Nowhere in the Makai nor among people felt right.... When at her lowest, she imagined being able to rocket off somewhere else entirely and find a place amongst the cosmos. The woman hums a tune as she wanders through the initial hallways and passes by very non-human folks. In comparison, she must look pretty average albeit unfamiliar.

"Just my luck," she says, to no one in particular as she stops and stares out at the void sucking up time and space, "I'd make it to space only to be in the path of a black hole."

❥ whirlwind whimsy.

Eating cotton candy and with a silly balloon hat, Rosie looks the picture of a pleased carnival goer. She does eye the Tunnel of Love and is happy to grab someone else that might be hesitant to ride or seemingly on their own. Why not? "It's a free ride with me if nothing else," she'll say with a wink. "Most people don't usually turn that down."

So, she's a little forward. If her partner seems uncomfortable about it though, she'll laugh it off and instead enjoy the peculiar sights of the boat ride. That is until she sees a dizzying 'dive' off a Tokyo skyrise and realizes it's her own final moments she's witnessing. She's thankful for the dim lights of the tunnel they're cruising through as she pales and turns her face away to hide the frown settled there now. And while chatty before, she goes near silent for the rest of the ride.

After, she's happy to distract herself with the dazzling lights and sounds of the carnival games. While she's not going to play any herself, she is going to find the nearest person to bat her eyelashes at and give puppy dog eyes to. "Can you pllllease try and win me that prize? I'm no good at these games but, like, you seem like you can get it! We can even make a deal for it." Do not underestimate this woman's desire for a doofy plush puppy.

❥ toucan play that game.

At first, she's charmed by all the gorgeous feathered friends. She sings to them in kind with short notes or whistles and giggles as they perch on her or peer curiously at her. One might mistake her for a Disney princess of some kind as she frolics through the aviary and seemingly makes friends everywhere she turns in the birds.

Eventually though, she ventures far enough to come across that three-eyed blackbird with its intimidating maw. It doesn't seem hostile but she isn't going to take the chance so she walks by it quickly. But then, it speaks: "I'm sorry, songbird," in a low masculine pitch, mournful and hoarse, as if the person saying it is on the verge of tears. It stops her in her tracks, expression unreadable as she stares ahead.

Then, it says it again and she winces. Again. Again. Her own voice cracks in a small whimper as her breath hitches and she runs away from the bird mimicking Charlie's last words. She's so disoriented and her vision is blurred, so- It's only inevitable, really, that she ends up ramming right into someone as she makes her escape. The blond squeaks and stumbles back.

"Sorry!" she exclaims, whether caught or not. "Sorry, uhm. I just. Got a little freaked out." That's an understatement.

❥ wildcard/plot with me.

(( hi hi, it's chai! trying the tdm here again, with feeling, since I totally lost my tags from the other one to the void. I'M SORRY.

anyway- this is my OC lady, rosie, who is a hot mess and a half. a nightmare dressed as a daydream. etc. as noted, she can be forward and flirtatious but will stop soon as anyone shows any discomfort! if you wanna' plot something out or have a different idea, hmu by PMing this journal or you can find me on plurk/discord @ tentamenace! look forward to playing with you all! ))

whirlwind whimsy

[utinam]

The invitation to ride the Tunnel of Love will be met with a growing smile. Nuvia didn't believe anyone else would invite her especially someone who looks human. She had tried to find someone else to ride with only to be met with many rejections. Which she didn't mind, even if it did slightly hurt. Nuvia will nod her head, replying, "Amazing! You must be really popular!" She was definitely impressed by this person's ability to get many to agree on her offers. Which wasn't surprising! She looked very nice.

Joining the other person onto the ride, it'll begin to move through the tunnel such as the name implied. Nuvia will look at everything and anything, filled with the brim excited. When the first images began to appear, Nuvia will begin to grow excited when images of an underwater city, suburban area, and city full of trees will appear before them. "This is amazing! Look at the many places," began to say Nuvia as her eyes began to sparkle at the many possibilities of other worlds. She could somewhat understand the reason the alien species, known as the Nevu, became obsessed with the idea of going to, observing, and collecting other species. If this is what they'd see in their travels, then...

Her expression will begin to change to a more bewildered one with images of her own world appear except...it looks very different. Nuvia will notice the world looked...friendlier, more accepting as images of cities filled with people and the genetic altered humans are living side-by-side in harmony. There were even images of her face scattered across the city promoting all types of different products along with other celebrities. It almost looked as though she was famous but in a more positive than negative manner. She wasn't sure what to think other than...maybe that's what she secretly wished for or...?

Her sky-blue eyes will notice another peculiar detail about the ride -- it got quiet all of a sudden. Huh? Nuvia will turn to her companion to find them silent and looking away. Alarms will begin to sound in the back of her mind. Was she mad? Did she get offended? Is she okay? Nuvia will begin to slightly deflate and look almost apprehensive. "Hey? Are you okay, miss?" asked Nuvia in the smallest of voices as she brings her hands over to her lower abdomen, almost in a protective manner.

siffrin ☆ in stars and time

[siffriend]

arrival

[ (...

AH--

Stars, no, no, no, no, no--

You clutch your chest and try to catch your breath and






you are not in a meadow. you aren't in a meadow and you can't forget but you have to forget but you're not in the meadow you're in some kind of room and there's someone talking and you think they're probably saying something important and maybe their name or what's going on and why you aren't in the meadow you have to go back you have to go back you need to make sure that they're--)

Siffrin treads quietly as they walk through the spaceship's hallways, listening to the various complaints. It's easy. They're stuck in a loop. From the sounds of it, it loops at at midnight -- but everyone seems to remember the day, and it doesn't repeat, so it's a weird kind of loop but he's familiar with loops, he's been living one for some time now (You don't want to think about how long that is.) and this is definitely, definitely, definitely some kind of loop.

...

So what's triggering it? If they can figure out when, then... maybe... he can go back, like he's supposed to, and...

...

They're all aware something is up... that something is strange... and... the only people who he doesn't want aware of things back home are... So it's fine here, isn't it? ]

Hi. Do you know anything about time loops?

[ It's fine. Please tell the 5'1" munchkin with heels hat and bags dark as the tips of his hair beneath his eyes all your experience or lack there of with time loops. ]

whirlwind whimsy

[ Siffrin looks at the Tunnel of Love.

They look like they want to go in, maybe. Or they're simply contemplative about something. There's a quiet kind of pensiveness as he stares, stares, stares at the sign, then down at the doorways.

(Places you don't recognize. Places that look fun. You wonder if they would show you it. The place you don't...

...

You see the large, transformed House of Change in Dormont, four figures walking up and turn away.)

But he lingers. He lingers, because he wants to know if they can make it without him, if they need him like he needs them, if-- ]

[ Siffrin looks at the House of Mirrors. They've heard the rumors. The yous you could be, might be, were once, wish you were now. How they tell you what to avoid for good outcomes. How to achieve others. He can imagine Loop calling him a cheater for it, and it stays his feet.

(But it would be useful, wouldn't it? Knowing? How to avoid the loop again? How to break the cycle? How to make sure they're all safe?

It'd be easy, wouldn't it? Easier than trying to figure it out yourself? You'll remember, after all. Even if you go back. Won't you? You will. You always do.

What's the harm?)

He lingers. He lingers, because he does want to know, he does want to be told, and yet...

...

Yet, they don't move either. Something is keeping him stuck. He knows what it is. But they don't want to hear it, not from themselves. ]

toucan play this game

[ The night...

... Had felt disorientating, familiar. Siffrin knows that shift. It's different, though. Than the pull in their stomach. It's more like when the world rewrites itself. He's used to it. Puts it from mind.

The bird...

... They hate the bird. It speaks in a voice they don't remember, a language they don't remember, but words they recognize. No one else does. Not even with the translator's help. Because the language is forgotten, because it doesn't exist anymore.

But Siffrin remains, listening to that shifting voice he can't place, words he can't remember but know like they know their heart, and presses a hand to his head. It hurts. Their heart hurts. Their face, impossibly wide with a pained smile, hurts. Their stomach hurts.

(Long, long ago, you... had someone who spoke like this. Who said... Who would talk to you...

...

You don't remember. )]

wildcard

[ Siffrin!!! Can also be!!! Found wandering the ship at night!!! Not too far into the carnival area, but around the sleeping quarters. They're from the start of Act 4, but I won't be dropping heavy spoilers since the game hasn't even hit a year old yet. Mostly just a voice test!

... also sorry he. isn't someone who talks a lot, but he'll answer if spoken to. There's just a lot on their mind right now. ]

House of Mirrors

[shoplifter]

Sometimes it's better not to go inside.

[Laura tells the person who is waiting, hesitant, outside of the house of mirrors. She hadn't decided to make the trip inside, herself. Not yet. She's not really sure if she's prepared to face whatever she may or may not become, especially when her father's final request still weighs so heavy around her shoulders.

She's not sure if this stranger with the funny hat feels similarly, but.

It would be good to let them know they have the choice to just say no.]

Barnabas Tharmr | Final Fantasy XVI

[odinpusrex]

I. Arrival

[It isn't that Barnabas didn't get the general rundown of the situation upon arriving as all the other newly arrived people have, he certainly did. However, how much he overtly shows that he cares or is disturbed by the matter is, well, another issue entirely. His concern falls more with the fact he is here at all and not back whence he came from, not the particular predicament this station faces. The timing is most...inopportune, to say the least of it. Everything about this is odd, there isn't any doubt about that, and the technology and structure of the station is reminiscent of the Fallen, and that in itself leaves a sour taste in his mouth.

Yet, he does not act on this distaste, instead choosing to learn the lay of the station himself, of the situation they are in. Though not through interaction, rather observation. Acting out before he knows the whole of the situation would be unwise, particularly before he knows the purpose of his presence here, and how this might play into the Almighty's plans.

He does look rather odd, though. Mostly on account of the fact he is dressed in armor. Unfortunately it is what he arrived in, his usual attire decidedly left behind. Which means that as he wanders through the station, silent and stand offish, to the casual observer he looks lost and as if he's somehow ended up in the entirely wrong genre. Not to mention time period. Both things are technically true enough. As he strides through the general areas of the station, he favors anywhere with a greater lack of people if he can help it. Yet, for all he seems out of place, or unwilling to be social, there isn't any measure of nervousness or unease about him. Honestly, he seems confident, almost unnervingly so.

Though, what might add to the unnerving vibe of this man is that at some points he can be heard speaking to himself. Though the words are decidedly calm, his voice rich with a Scandinavian accent, he is absolutely not speaking to anyone else, choosing to do it when there are seemingly no one about, the blessed few times he finds an unpopulated area to muse over his perdicament. Of course one could give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's using the network or something.

Which he isn't.

What might be gleamed should one hear him in passing is something along the lines of:]

Upon the precipice of my purpose, here I would find myself...

It's almost like he's narrating. Care to approach this strange man?]

II. Whirlwind Whimsy

[At least at the carnival he almost looks a little more appropriate. A little. Maybe if this was some Renaissance faire that would prove more true, but still! All the colors and attractions at least make him less obviously out of place, though doubtless he is. Not that he seems perturbed by this fact, but it really does not seem he is bothered by much of anything if one were to pay attention. His steely and intense stare seems more judgmental than anything else, really.

Once more he regulates himself to observation, and so he can be found standing near the different attractions, while never going in or interacting with them himself. Of course this just gives a bit of a foreboding energy to anyone looking to take part in them, but perhaps especially when it comes to the Tunnel of Love.

A strange man with black, unkempt hair, standing still in armor as he intensely stares, unblinking at those who climb into the boat to enjoy the ride? Certainly isn't something most people will find comforting nor inviting. There's many conclusions one could come to as to why he's staring: does he want to take the ride himself but he is without a partner? Does he have something against happy couples? Did the Tunnel of Love wrong him in some way? Does he simply hate love?

Who's to say, really!

He can be found elsewhere, too. Whether he is haunting carnival games, or even the House of Mirrors, he does not seem keen on indulging in the frivolity that everyone else is. However, as the carnival worker tells him about the other versions of himself he might spy within the House of Mirrors, there does seem to be the slightest bit of intrigue at the claim, maybe he just needs some encouragement...]

III. Midnight Entertainment; cw: clown violence

[Now, this is far more interesting.

As the carnival shifts and everything becomes eerie and threatening, Barnabas is unbothered. The warnings are unheeded, and he watches with a muted curiosity as the clown come out. He has certainly seen plenty of horrific sights in his day, and these barely scratch the surface, yet they are rather unique he must confess. He does not seek to engage them outright, nor even when they might go to attack others. Their survival hardly his concern.

Yet, when he is finally spotted by these clowns bent on carnage, he remains still as he watches them with that dead gaze of his. Their screams and laughs doing nothing to disturb him, and even as they rush him in their clownish ways (there's one doing cartwheels), he doesn't shift. Not until right before they are upon him, with a crackle of dark energy he summons his sword Zantetsuken. An impossibly black blade, wreathed in potent magical energy, and with a single stroke, he lays waste to his assailants an arc of dark energy strikes them all. Their bodies littering the ground around him, blood spilling across the floor in their wake.]

Wretched creatures...

[He breathes the words out as he stares down at them with contempt.]

Weak, as I knew you would be.

[However, for each that fell, more emerge from the House of Mirrors, and his gaze flicks towards them with idle fascination.]

IV. Wildcard

[Got an idea or a prompt? Throw it at me! Happy to plot via PM or on plurk(ZornSable)!]

i

[tinflower]

[ Oh, look. It's an adult in armour.

For this particular individual, observing Barnabas piques their interest: they look like they know things, given the way they're holding themselves. It's a relief, a potential hope, and if Barnabas is one that is always aware of his surroundings, then he might not be too caught off-guard when, called out to-- ]

Uh, Hey!

[ --it's by a half-orc teen, 6'4" and green-skinned, clothes casual and smeared with the odd mark here and there (motor oil, grease, the smell of the tall youngster might give away once he's closer), and an axe visible on his back that hangs off the same holster that houses various tools to his chest. He walks over to Barnabas less confident as the man himself, but comfortable--amicable in presence as he asks: ]

You work around here?

[ Yes, armour man. Clearly, you might work here. ]

Muriel | Good Omens (tv) + The City CRAU | ota!

[cupperty]

Arrival

[ Muriel is going to be in so much trouble.

Waking up in The City without remembering how they'd been kidnapped had been bad enough, but being kidnapped again, and waking up in outer space no less, with one of those great big black hole things right outside, is... it's colossally bad. There aren't enough words in any divine or human language to describe how bad the situation is, both for themself and the citizens of the space station, and Muriel can't get in touch with anyone Upstairs to ask for help. Even if they could contact Heaven, Muriel isn't sure what kind of response they'd get apart from a scathing reprimand; after all, being mysteriously kidnapped twice while on Assignment is just irresponsible.

In the meantime, to distract themself from their anxious thoughts, Muriel is practically plastered against one of the windows. They make an odd figure, dressed entirely in white and cream and radiating anxiety like a nervous chihuahua, but their expression as they stare out at the stars is one of rapt amazement. ]

Oh, they're beautiful from up here...!


Whirlwind Whimsy

[ Surprisingly, this is the second time Muriel has been to a carnival. This one is no less enthralling and overwhelming, but given their previous experiences with being interdimensionally kidnapped and how those experiences tended to go sour in extremely unsettling ways, Muriel is a bit cautious.

You might notice a small figure in white and cream approaching you, holding a spiral-bound notepad in one hand, and a stick of cotton candy in the other. ]

Excuse me! How has your experience at the carnival been so far? Has anything... odd happened? Have any of the rides grown teeth and tried to eat people? I was told that's something to watch out for, with carnivals.

[ They can also be found staring at the House of Mirrors in open apprehension, and at one point, riding the carousel with a look of unbridled glee on their face. It's hard not to be drawn in by the horses! ]


Midnight Entertainment

[ Nevermind, Muriel was right to be cautious after all, everything is terrible and they are running away from anything remotely clown-shaped as fast as they can! ]

I thought clowns were meant to be humourous!

[ this is said with a tone of deeply hurt betrayal! ]


Wildcard!

[ Anything goes! PM me or hit me at sonopants if you have questions or want to plot! ]

Whirlwind Whimsy

[shoplifter]

[Laura slurps the last of her soda noisily before lifting up her shades and looking at the person in front of her. They're a little strange in presentation, but then again... so is she. The stranger the better, is starting to become the thesis.

But also, very important to address this:]

Rides try to eat people?

Why?

[DO WE NEED TO DESTROY THEM.]

eddie munson ★ stranger things

[notscary]

arrival ★

[ eddie munson doesn't have it in him to process the vast majority of what oh-so-helpful alex has to say. there's no time for a blipping across space and time as if he's stuck in some warped sci-fi story, black hole looming outside. kind of a spot on metaphor for how his life at home is going, huh? he really must be fucking tripping. losing it. completely disconnected from reality. that's a coping mechanism, right?

it's why he can be found sitting on the floor near the room he woke up in, hellfire shirt on, ripped jeans, big brown eyes glazed over and that little communication device clutched in a vice grip in one hand. curses leave his lips in muttered whispers. fuck me. what the hell?. fuck. jesus christ. and whichever one you hear, he's staring off at nothing in front of him. very mentally well indeed. ]

whirlwind whimsy ★ house of mirrors

[ a guy can't sit around and break completely apart all day, can he? the carnival attractions feel like another sick joke, and eddie's lack of being impressed is written all over his expression. corners of his lips stay tugged down, eyes wide, forehead eternally creased.

the mirrors do catch his sights and seem to drag him in, though, and he slips inside. sees an image of a slightly older version of himself, beloved guitar in hand as he's shredding, metal rock god he's always dreamt of being.

eddie walks backwards, hands going up, eyes taking on a new look of bewildered puzzlement and fright. ]

Nope, nope, nope.

[ perhaps he bumps into someone on the way back out, or is simply overheard. either way, someone who's really there to speak to might be better than stepping further into a far too realistic set of magic mirrors, right? ]

toucan play at that game ★ mickery

[ jesus h christ, this place twists up its fantasy and science fiction tropes, turning the whole vibe up to eleven.

the aviary should've been nicer. more relaxing. peaceful or at least slightly so, but there's no tranquility once he spots the strange three eyed bird and, then it happens. it starts out as gareth's voice, simple and gaining a twist of eddie's head to the side. something about dice rolls and calls, and the voice bounces between dustin's. mike's. that kid sister. lady applejack. they sound muddled to eddie, a reminder of a past that's too recent to be distant, but with seeing a girl die in front of him, being hunted down in a witch hunt? his head isn't exactly clear.

the voice switches quickly to chrissy's. squawks for help in that feminine tone of hers. says his name. says it like she's there and having an innocent conversation with him. ]

Shut the fuck up.

[ don't mind him as he punches a fist out toward the bird, realizing that, well, it's coming from it. someone stop this young man before he gets in over his head... ]

[ ooc: eddie's canonpoint will be sometime whilst he's at reefer rick's cabin. please feel free to hit me up by pm or at illusen with any questions! ]

whirlwind whimsy

[maximumlegend]

[ Honestly, Fabian isn't really sure how to solve the entire problem of their mission here in the first place, so he's just aimlessly wandering around in the hopes that he can spot something that might solve the problem going on with this place.

.. It's likely not in the house of mirrors, sure, but it's also not impossible for it to be there, right? But just as he moves to head in there, someone seemingly attempting to leave the mirror-filled place instead bumps straight into Fabian. ]

Dude!

[ If Eddie turns to look at Fabian, the sight of the other might not make things feel any more normal. After all, between his eye patch covering one eye, golden neck tattoo reading 'Maximum Legend' and the pointy ears sticking out of his hair, Fabian definitely does not look like your average guy.

.. then again, it looks like Eddie isn't in your average mood. Fabian seems to realise as much too, his initial offense turning into something a little more concerned when he takes in Eddie's facial expression, asking: ] .. Are you okay?

logan | xmcu

[bubbing]

❎ ARRIVAL

[ it happens too often, waking up somewhere without a clear memory of how he'd ended up there, where somewhere along the way, a missing memory leaving him unsettled despite the awareness that whatever he doesn't remember is probably worse than being without it. the max, alex, attempts to fill him in, though all it really results in is a furrowed brow and a look of discomfort as the concept of space and black holes become the subject of the issue. how the hell did he end up in this mess? ]

Hey! [ comes logan's shout after alex when he steps out of the room, but the man seems to already be gone before any more questions can be asked. staring down at the communication device — or what looks like something of an old-fashioned phone — logan presses a few buttons before frowning, never much of a tech man and decides to seek out more direct answers.

standing, he holds out his arm, staring pensively at the back of his hand as he concentrates. three blades shoot out from between his knuckles, glinting a sharp silver. adamantium again. at least that narrows down part of the timeline. he retracts the claws back beneath his skin without even a wince, even as the familiar pain shudders through him.

working his way into the hall, he hails the nearest person on the path. ]

Hey — you got any idea what's really going on around here? Aside from the whole welcome wagon spiel from Mr. Meet-and-Greeter over there.

❎ WHIRLWIND WHIMSY

[ when he looks at the mirrors, he just sees himself as he's always been, which is quite impressive for a man that's lived for as long as he has without quite aging as much as he should. "other versions of yourself", the carnival worker had said, which seems to have turned out to be a bunch of bull. just a bunch of mirrors, leaving him to see nothing he hasn't seen plenty of times already before.

but then as he turns, one of the reflections shift — it's still himself, but now he seems to be wearing some kind of ... yellow costume, more ridiculously bright than anything he'd ever put on. he sees another altered reflection, the costume now coming with a pointed black mask. another has him in a white tuxedo and an eye patch. and more and more varied versions, expressions varying from the one he wears now, costumes altering, until finally he comes across one that has him halting — he's older, much older, aged in a way he wondered if he ever could, hairs grayed out with time. his skin is worn, eyes are tired.

he looks like he's dying.

logan feels something catch in his throat and he swallows, straightening himself as he wills away the confused concern. ] I look like shit.

❎ MIDNIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

[ he's had his share of fights, more than a century's worth, but this might actually be the first time he has to deal with fucking clowns. as they charge at him, logan prepares himself as easily as he would in any battle. it's all natural instinct as he holds both of his arms around, a triple set of sharp silver claws extending from either hand, swinging them with ease. they slash at bodies, stabbing in from one side and breaking through to the other. one by one, they go down. as he pants heavily, catching his breath, the fight should be done.

except it isn't. through the mirrors, he can see their twisted, warped expressions taking shape as they close in on the mirror's surface, slipping out of the glass with ease, with double the numbers they seemed to start with. ]

What the fuck? [ he mutters to himself, suddenly realizing he may actually be in over his head here. ]

❎ WILD CARD

( open to trying out different prompts than what's here or discuss alternate scenarios. pm if you have any questions! tentative canon point is the end of days of future past just before logan wakes up in the new altered timeline. )

ᴡʜɪʀʟᴡɪɴᴅ ᴡʜɪᴍꜱʏ

[heartofthedream]

[ Maybe she's been trying to decide how exactly to approach this—him; Logan; and not; again—for far more minutes than anyone here, aside from Ororo, would understand. In the end, it's nothing more than she'd considered in the first place: Jean walks up from somewhere behind him. There are too many mirrors for him not to be able to see her coming.

She could amend that truth, but she wouldn't. Not to him.
There are too many reasons why she couldn't—wouldn't—now.

It does not stop the rush of her heart to look at any of the mirror reflections rather than the man she stops a safe distance behind, whether in front of him or through the eyes of what he's seeing. It hasn't yet started playing with her demons yet, but she has assumptions already of what they might be should she step up to see them. ]


There've definitely been better looks than that one.

kimiko miyashiro | the boys

[manikyua]

I 🛸 arrival

[ she should be a lot more scared than she is, especially since she hasn't had a good history when it comes to kidnapping. but this doesn't exactly feel like the norm, not with the freedom that she has to move about the station nor the circumstances that she and everyone else on board happen to be caught in. but while many seem to be laden with concern, kimiko's own eyes seem to go bright as she rushes up to one of the thick windows that offer a view of the outside, a faint view of stars in the distance, the otherwise darkness of space all around it.

with a turn, she taps on a nearby shoulder, excitement only pausing briefly as she considers how to communicate this. that man alex had mentioned something about a translator, though she can't be sure how much use it'd be for her since she doesn't actually speak. considering only one person actually understands her unique form of sign language, would it actually work on it? it's with a sense of hope that she tries anyway. ]

Is what they said true? Are we really in space?

II 🎶 whirlwind whimsy

[ kimiko is certainly making the most of her predicament, because it isn't often that she actually gets to enjoy the offerings of a carnival, not when her ordinary life tends to be filled with the not so ordinary. it's with a childlike wonder that she boards the carousel joyfully, her smile wide with an enchanted delight as she then goes to watch the performers do their show.

eventually, she'll find her way into the house of mirrors, blinking with unsteady concern as she sees her own face reflecting back at her from dozens of directions. but she pauses as one seems to move independently from her, looking exactly like her with all equal proportions otherwise — except with this one opens her mouth, sound comes out of it. against all odds, this other kimiko begins to sing.

Stars shining bright about you. Night breezes seem to whisper, "I love you".
Birds singing in the sycamore tree. Dream a little dream of me.

the forcibly silent kimiko steps towards the singing reflection, a solemn look of longing sadness within her eyes as she raises her fingers, gently touching the tips upon the glass, as if she could possibly reach through. ]

III 🤡 midnight entertainment ( cw: gore, violence )

[ all the joy that the girl had been able to display seems to transform the moment the clowns put up a fight. at a glance, it might seem that someone of kimiko's size might find herself defenseless. but as the laughing make-up covered creature comes lunging at her, she snags at his arm, ripping it easily from his body as if made from paper. others go down just as violently, with kimiko seemingly unbothered while blood sprays all over her body, her expression stern and familiar with the fight. limbs continue to be removed, some even used as weapons themselves, a full arm hurled into a clown's mouth to plunge a hole in through the other side. though it doesn't take long for her to catch on that for all her very offensive defense, there doesn't seem to be an end of the creatures at all. ]

IV 💥 wild card

( willing to chat up other options and just try anything! shoot me a pm if you'd like to discuss anything! please be aware that kimiko has psychogenic mutism, so she is unable to speak and uses a self-created form of sign language to communicate, which should be translatable with the translators/earpieces, but feel free to play around with not being able to understand it if you wish. )

arrival

[keepitgoing]

[When Spider-Man isn't keeping weird mirror clowns at bay, Peter Parker is trying his best to keep the new faces informed. He's not exactly great at being a glorified tourist guide of sorts, but he's gonna make a darn good effort. That's a Parker Promise (tm). When the finger taps his shoulder and she begins to gesture, there's a moment of panic — I sooo don't know how to talk in sign language — but it fortunately fades when the translator on his device immediately repeats her gestures back to him in spoken word.]

Ah... yeah! We are, actually.

It's pretty crazy, huh? And there's a ton of cool star patterns to learn out here, too.

[c: hello you have your first new buddy here!]

gorgug thistlespring, d20: fantasy high (new player, ota)

[tinflower]

01; arrival

[ Has anyone looked so defeated as this half-orc does upon Alex's running off? A look that continues as the individual--6'4", dressed in hoodie and jeans both decorated by mechanical work that leaves the smell of oil around him--looks at the communication device in his hand. He doesn't even chase after Alex.

He sighs instead, tilts his head up as he closes his eyes. There's plenty to be worried about being here beyond the one that's hitting him right now, one that he groans to himself. ]

My teachers are gonna fail me.

[ Devastating. This is more worrisome than the giant black hole outside the window. ]

02; maintenance, toucan+mirrors

[ Gorgug talks to a few people, but the idea of information gathering by chit-chatting isn't where he thinks to start: He's not Fig, not Fabian, and even being Riz would be really fucking helpful right about now; except he's Gorgug, so he starts in the direction that makes sense for Gorgug Thistlespring: the engine room.

Fortunately, while the lead engineer speaks gruffly, he gives Gorgug a chance: helpful, even when Gorgug isn't one for fluffing himself up. This leads to a 6'4" green-skinned half-orc on trial and doing maintenance around different parts of the ship. Really, what probably stands out is this guy not dressed as a worker on the ship opening up panels in the walls and checking on the wiring hidden behind them, going around the aviary's main attraction to controls and slipping through into back rooms. Sometimes with a pair of cordless headphones on, kneeling awkwardly by a rather low flooring panel in the central hub tucked away; a map of schematics up on a device beside him, tools out to make sure he gets the correct responses.

( a. ) The first time he moves through the aviary display leads to his biggest challenge, however. Who knew birds could share your most embarrassing details? Or so it is for Gorgug, who upon hearing a familiar voice speak from a bird stops from the route he's been taking, head whizzing to blink with surprise up at the air. There the toothy bird stares back at him, opening its beak to a gnomish, high-pitched voice...

"Listen, bud, you don't have to go in the nudity tent. It's non-sexual, it's just about a place to be free--"

Gorgug's expression drops into a despair, even before he confirms by looking around and seeing he's not alone--your character is there. And to them, in a defeated voice passing on the bad news, ]

We're already dead.

[ Nope. This is another form of hell. This is his hell, and you're all in it. ]

( b. ) [ He also stops by the hall of mirrors. Or, outside it. He's contemplating in a way that might be noticeable to passerbys, making taking a moment to talk to the clown operators (clowners?) briefly, but also...is definitely thinking. He can be bothered while he's standing there--an overly tall green teen just loitering with a furrowed brow that's thinking too hard, or maybe if your character happens to be coming out from the attraction, he'll stop them, try to get their attention. ]

Oh, hey, you-- did you see anything weird in there?

[ He's got this. He's doing an Investigation!!! ]

3; network (un: gorgug, text)

Hey. What do we know about what's going on ?
what we can do to fix it

[ Edited in after 5 minutes: ] If we're stuck in a time loop does that mean it's still the same day where came from ? most of the time [ Edit: ] If you know time loops

[ Another edit: ] Thanks.

[ Edit: ] I'm from Aguefort Academy [ edit. ] If you know it

04; wildcard

[ Gorgug is available for bumping into around! He'll be easy to spot watching making fixes/check-ups around the ship on his first couple of days here if your character would be interested in that, and then more in the engine room after that point! PM me if you'd like to talk about anything! ]

2a;

[maximumlegend]

[ ... ah.

Fabian isn't entirely sure what he was expecting to find here. All he heard was that this part of this place usually isn't open to just anyone, and that definitely sounded like some core of the mystery was surely something they could find out here. Places you're not supposed to go are always the ones that hold a clue, after all.

He just didn't expect it to be bird-shaped. Or to be talking with a voice that clearly belongs to Gorgug's parents about-- nudity tent, is that about Frostyfaire?

.. no, it doesn't matter. Who cares about parental embarrassment when Fabian did not expect this other person to be present here either? His eye goes wide the moment it falls on Gorgug, the other's desolate facial expression not even registering with him right now. ]

Gorgug!

[ Fabian immediately runs up to him. No hug this time, but some of the same energy is present - he looks like he's about to start bouncing on his feet with excited energy, all reflected in the surprised, yet very genuine big smile on his face. ]

You were here? All along? Why didn't you tell us?! [ Yeah, Gorgug. Why did you not tell the people you clearly did not even know were here. ]

Aelwyn Abernant | Fantasy High + Apocalypse How CRAU | Existing Player, New Character

[dangerousmind]

I. THIS PLANET IN MY HANDS [ ARRIVAL ]

[ A girl stares out the window into space. A rage bubbles within her as deep as her despair, deeper even than the hollow where her heart used to be.

Space. A space station of some kind, out of some science fiction story like Star Wars or the nerdier one that she had absolutely no interest in getting into. All that work and effort and here she is. Stranded once again without her partner. Empty. Alone. Any reason to hold herself back falls to the way side. After all, by simply being here she's condemned these people to the end. Maybe this whole universe.

She flexes one hand - pale, soft, like a doll - and lets it erupt into a magic flame. It's no doubt threatening - not to mention dangerous in an enclosed space ship. But if anyone sees her, she doesn't turn to them, she simply speaks. ]

I'm looking for a girl. Brown hair, brown eyes. Funny way of talking.

[ Her voice in comparison is cool and even, with none of her usual half ironic scorn. She's lost something. Something that was hers. ]

II. SAVE IT IF I CAN [ CARNIVAL ]

[ Of course it had to be a fucking carnival. She can't even be angry about it. About the way that the multiverse has clearly conspired to fuck with her. And when she says the multiverse she means The Web, obviously.

She stands, staring at the tunnel of love with a perfectly flat look. She should go in, experience whatever torment awaits within. The thought of going in by herself is tremendously sad. The thought of taking someone else just makes her think about Mercy, and that makes her want to kill everyone on this station and then maybe herself if she's feeling spicy.

Fine. These things are better done in pairs anyway, she's learned that by now. Whoever catches her eye as someone not native to this fucking clownshow gets a pointed look. ]

Planning on looking inside?

[Or maybe you catch her in the maze of mirrors, wandering past futures that have shut off for her. She walks past it all with a detached sort of boredom - rage crystals in her hand allowing her to ascend to something greater, a devoted servant of nightmares, an avatar of the Eye, The Lonely, The Web.

Futures where she's with Mercy, staying at the Flophouse with Hobb and Rue, Tim and Jeff. It's supposed to make her feel something no doubt. Guilt? Regret? Fuck that.
Or the futures with Adaine. And they're happy. There's one reflection of her sitting on a couch, a cat in her lap and a series of other incredibly ragged looking cats. Adaine's sat beside her. It causes her to stop, staring at it as it whispers.

Will you be my big sister? I'd really like you to be my big sister.

Her scowl deepens. She turns away from it, and to whoever has intruded, inclining her head as if it's a form of challenge.]

III. LET'S TRY THAT AGAIN [ CLOWNS ]
cw: torturing clowns

[ She has no interest in leaving the area or fighting. Things like sleep, food, water, they no longer hold any interest to her. But she remains what she became, an entity of fear.

These creatures seem barely sentient enough to eat, but Aelwyn's not picky. The horde isn't stopping, so she'll have to settle for a whole group of them. Killing them just makes them reproduce on mass, so with a swirl of black light and a chant of words incomprehensible to just about anyone, she creates a field of black inky tendrils that grab them and pull them to the ground. Tightening around bones and limbs as they go. If you hear a few particularly painful snaps on the way, well... ]

You know, somehow I don't think this is a fight we can actually win. [ She'll comment to anyone nearby. Despite it not fitting with the spell at all, the tendrils begin to move and shift. One cluster that binds a particularly beaten up clown moves towards her, dragging a broken body that is caught between childish laughter and wails. ] I vote we try to take one, see what we can find, and get the fuck out of here.

[And let her feed in peace. ]

IV. LET'S FIND OUT WHO I AM [ WILDCARD ]

[ Beyond that, Aelwyn can be found moping around the ship. She doesn't seem particularly fussed about the central riddle or the whole timeloop situation. When she's in a less shitty mood, she can be found in the hot tub, examining the aviary (keeping the hell away from the talking one), or day drinking around the pool area. If you have something more specific in mind, hit me up either in PMs or at ectoplasmfear or just surprise me! ]

hall of mirrors

[furiousfists]

[ Straight from one mission to another, without any pittance of rest in between. Adaine is beginning to think that being on Etraya will run her as ragged as chasing after the Night Yorb did. But, she's not about to say no, and doom Spyre to destruction. So, away she goes to Titan Eight. There's a mystery to solve, and people to help, and she's going to do what she can.

After surviving the time loop for the first time, Adaine realizes that there's got to be something within the hall of mirrors that holds some clue as to what's going on. So, the next day when time resets, she ventures inside, resolute in her intentions. She walks parallel to visions of possible alternate futures, paths her life could take— working in a mall, ladling frosting onto endless strudel... Fallinel burning, vengeance carried out by a version of Adaine filled with rage...

She doesn't stop to look at any of them. It's not until she sees a more humble future vision, of two sisters sat on a ratty couch in a cheap apartment, surrounded by cats, that Adaine's assured step falters for even a second.

And, so it is, that when Aelwyn turns away from the reflection of her little sister, she'll see the real thing standing in front of her instead, face frozen in a mixture of shock, hope, and relief. ]

...Aelwyn? Are you really here?

marcille donato | delicious in dungeon | new player

[topgradesandbraids]

Arrival

[It was a lot of information to take in at once-- space, black holes, ships that sailed through the stars as easily as she had seen others sail the seas on the edge of disaster. Marcille, still shaken after the disastrous reunion with Shuro's party and the horrors that followed, felt numb as she fiddled with the device in her hands and the information guides that Alex had quickly instructed her how to use.

Nothing fully sank in. She still saw Falin-- bloodied, battle maddened, monstrous-- whenever she closed her eyes.

It was hard to focus, and she walked the halls for a while exploring and trying to get her bearings. She eventually stopped someone who passed near, green eyes shadowed with her wariness and uncertainty.]

I'm sorry, I think I'm lost. And this device...

Can you help?

Whirlwind Whimsy

[After the recent disasters in the Dungeon, the carnival games were an amazing form of distraction. With the glitter and artificial neon lights of the carnival, complete with the unnaturally amplified, jaunty music, Marcille could almost pretend that there were no problems in her life at all. Her hair was braided in a festive but efficient crown around her head, blonde dresses neatly framing her face, and fake flowers interwoven through it to keep it out of the way while she tackled the carnival games.

Her skills in offensive magic were particularly helpful-- and she quickly learned that she was an ace at the target games.]

So you're just supposed to aim and squeeze the trigger... Right?

[She finally asked the poor Carnie, who looked wearied after the last ten minutes of her asking ever question imaginable about rifles and guns in general. Marcille held the device in both of her hands, eyes bright with awe.]

I can't believe something so dangerous is so easy to use. Somebody could lose an eye, you know!


Wildcard

[ooc: don't see a prompt you like? Make one up! HMU on Plurk @ woodrift]

whirlwind whimsy

[equivo]

[ Elf number three. Krouse doesn't think that means anything relevant to him, but it's something he notes. This one looks a lot more like what he would have imagined before he met Fabian and Adaine, which also doesn't mean much of anything. ]

They could.

[ He interjects, quietly, with a slight smile. ]

That's why you don't point the end at anything you're not okay with shooting.

kaworu nagisa | neon genesis evangelion

[peripheries]

i. arrival

[Kaworu awakens with a jolt to find himself in a body that should no longer exist. He remembers pain but... it was brief. But that means whatever is happening now makes no sense at all. Someone is yammering in his ear... One apocalypse for another apparently. But at least the black hole is a force of nature.

He gets up and exits the room. His legs are weak like a newborn fawn and he leans against the wall before sliding down into a sitting position. The black hole is visible outside the window.]

So what will kill us first? Indecision or the fight to survive?

ii. whirlwind whimsy

[Are you a teenage boy between the ages of 14 and 17? Who just happens to be in the tunnel of love all by yourself?

Well. Here comes the answer to your... problem?

Kaworu jumps into the boat, landing surprisingly light, next to the unsuspecting victim>passenger and sits down next to them with a smile like he was invited there.]

So are you ready for the "Tunnel of Love"? I have no idea what is supposed to happen.

[WHY DID YOU JUMP IN THEN...???]

iii. toucan play

[Birds are weird. He saw a few of them mingling in the wreckages of Tokyo-III but otherwise he's had very limited exposure. Especially to ones that can imitate sounds and voices.

He crosses his arms.]

Do we have to deal with them? I don't like them. They don't seem trustworthy.

iv. wildcard
[Feel free to hit me up with anything! I'm worldtype at discord and plurk!]

iii

[equivo]

[ A nearby lanky boy in a red hoodie laughs once, an abbreviated huff of noise, as he glances over at the silver-haired avian objector. ]

I don't think it's mandatory, no.

[ Nothing here seems mandatory, which adds to the surreal atmosphere. They're poised on the verge of plummeting into oblivion that never comes, but they're still throwing dances. ]

Why do you think they're not trustworthy?

[ It's kind of a weird opinion to have about birds. ]