songerein | Player Event: "Imbalance" [OPEN]

Entry tags:

Player Event: "Imbalance" [OPEN]

Who: Everyone! Even the newcomers! What a time to jump in, huh?
Which: OPEN Dreamscape
What: On the night of the 10th a strange dreamscape appears, dividing some dreamers into two, each bearing just half of themselves... how will they pull themselves together?
Warnings: Probably a lot. I trust you fine people to please mark your content appropriately should your threads make mention of anything triggering. I'm watching you.

Quiet nights never seem to stay quiet. It began with the slightest flicker within the crystal lanterns, a ripple, perhaps the sound of coins clinking together.

Then, with a distant scream, there was a torrent of blue and orange flame. It's hot but it doesn't burn, swirling and dancing with the frenzy of a desperate dancer. It blinds to familiar surroundings, twin colors that seemingly never end...

Until one's feet touches sand-dusted stone and marble. The air is hot and arid, ripe with burning kindling in myriad torches that line walkways. The flames rhythmically sway, catching the glimmer of golden archways and decor that embed the city... palace...? That lay before you.

Something is wrong. Really wrong. Something in you feels... different. Blank. But before you can comprehend it much further, something is running down the pathway in the distance to enter the palace like the devil was on its heels. That something looks just like you...

You pursue this weird other you... or, you don't. Perhaps you were drawn to the palace's splendor and decided to explore, maybe find some sweet treasure while you're here. Whatever the case, nothing about this place smells dusty or aged. It feels brand new... lined with statues and tapestries of what appeared to be great warriors, all humanoid and bearing twisted horns atop their heads and long, craggy tails covered in scales. But some of them have been altered in some way... some are missing their heads, and one or two "lucky" ones have simply had large claw marks ripped across their face. What would put claw marks in stone was anyone's guess.

Those who tire of the architecture may find some doors are unlocked. Yes, such a lavish place seems all too eager to lay itself bare for you, perhaps bearing a sparkly trinket or two to your liking. (Note: Unfortunately, any treasures obtained in the palace will only come back with you in the form of candies shaped as said jewels, crowns made of shortbread, tapestries spun from candy floss, etc. It's all food. Enjoy!)

Deeper and deeper you delve, either arms full of treasure or having bumped into friends who don't exactly act like your friends normally would, you find more motifs of the warriors, more intact the further you head through this weird city-palace. Near the center are statues depicting two... figures... each holding a pair of scales.

Yet no matter how much you wait and watch them, the scales continue to sway from one side to the other. There's nothing on their respective plates, however... what could be throwing them off?

If you place anything on the plates and mend the swaying scales, you are given a single shard of a strange crystal rife with dreamotion energy with a sense of wholeness and connection. It shifts colors as you turn it this way and that in your hand. Maybe that'll help put some of these people back together if fighting or talking to them won't do it...

[ooc: Information and Plotting post is here for easy review. The shards are meant to simplify putting people back together if needed, but are the only thing that can be taken into the semi-waking world as a pretty bauble. Also, a reminder that this is optional. Enjoy!]

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Hythlodaeus curled a finger, bringing a knuckle to his lips in thought. "Really? I can't imagine what I might have done to earn them." There was no playfulness to the comment, no sly smile to indicate a secret joke. The man, in fact, seemed wholly taken aback and even slightly uncomfortable.

Until, that is, a thought came to him, and he suddenly perked up. "Oh! Would you happen to be a friend of G'raha Tia's? He mentioned something about a friend that I'd supposedly met recently. Alas, I've barely any of the event left to my memory, so I can't say whether or not I did for certain."

The smell of food hits her nose faster than she can react. Even more so, she almost stumbles backwards from the suddenly overly bubbly Au'ra coming up to her. She briefly remembers their first encounter, and there's something vastly different about her. She was one of G'raha's friends that had added salt to her wounds back on the beach with the water balloons.

There's not time to open her mouth to decline the meal. She's sitting down and there's a plate of very peculiar smelling food in front of her. Is this even edible? What in the Hydaelyn's name did Madhuri make?

Alisaie's usually brave, but not this brave. The smell is beyond what she can comprehend (it's downright awful) and she's going to ease herself out of that chair as swiftly as she can, while Madhuri's unblinking eyes are still fixed on her.

"I will not! What is this?!"

She at least stops herself from slamming her hands on the table, lest that gelatin wanted to be in between her fingers.

[ A Dragon in the Palace ]

[ Yuma finds himself in the dreamscape once again. He's still getting used to his new life in this strange new world he's found himself in, but this aspect of it is still something that throws him off. Maybe this time he'll get lucky and he won't be a dra-

He looks down. Claws, scales... Yep, he's taken the form of the Shining Dragon again. Sigh. Luckily he's a bit smaller than normal - roughly the size of a horse, rather than how big the shining dragon normally is - but he still stands out a bit regardless.

He's unsure of the specifics of how the dreamscape works, so there's no telling how dangerous he is in this form. At the very least, he's learned that just remaining in the form doesn't cause him to lose control, so there's no harm in simply being here. He'll just have to be careful. On top of all of that, some part of him felt...empty. Missing. But what? By now he knew the Dragon's voice had gone silent, but now something else was gone. It was making him worry...

Before long, Yuma finds himself drawn by the palace nearby, and can't help but feel an urge to explore it. There's not really anything else nearby, so he might as well take a look. He might not be alone here, either; so he might as well try and see if there's anyone who might need help. If not that, then maybe he'd find some answers to what was happening to him.

He wanders around the palace, investigating the damage caused to the statues. The missing heads, the unmistakeable gashes... There's also the fact that the statues themselves seem to depict an interesting race of people. Who are they? They're not humans, they're not elves. He wanders close to one of the statues, peering closely at the claw marks. ]

"What happened here...?"

[ So, uh. If you happen to be wandering around the palace, don't mind the dragon peering at the local decor. He's friendly, honest. Though if he notices you, he might turn to stare warily. You do come in peace, right? ]

[ The Scales ]

[ It was hard to resist picking up anything, but so far Yuma has managed...until he saw the scales. There was nothing on them, and yet...something about them seemed wrong. What was happening here?

An idea strikes him, and he leaves, quickly returning with a small goblet he found in one of the many piles of treasure. It's not even the fanciest goblet among them, yet he carefully caries it in his mouth and gently places it on the scales regardless.

Moments later he finds himself staring at the shard of crystal at his feet. He tilts his head, lowering it down to investigate it. What is this? Is he supposed to put it on the scales, as well? Or was it a reward? And something about it felt...different. ]

"What's this crystal for...?"

[ Wildcard ]

[ \o/ ]

Edited 2022-09-13 20:23 (UTC)

[ And who does she run into but a giant figure made entirely of iron, but one who breaks her fall by placing a massive, steadying metal-clad hand atop of her shoulder.

It is easy to see that she is distressed. As for himself, his helm betrays no expression, his movements akin to a statue's, or perhaps an automaton's, creaking with the sound of metal sliding upon metal as he shifts. ]

Steady. [ His voice is deep but hollow, as if no actual physical person resides within, but the word resounds within the hallway as its own unmoving presence. ]

Does something chase you?

The bloodied and bruised man watches Madhuri stroll right in, with all the confidence and strength of a queen and he can't help but put a wide grin on his face. He takes a moment to flip his hair and give a non-committal shrug.

"Bet you might've heard of me. The name's Dante. Legendary Dark Knight, demon slayer, professional ass kicker. I'd remember if I met a perfect ten like you before, but now I definitely will."

[OOC: In the sections with Kaiba A, or just Kaiba, there's a potential for violence, references to mental/physical abuse, murder, or suicide are possible so let's give it a general PG-13 warning. Kaiba B, Ie. Seto gets a G rating if he's by himself.

For further deets check out the plotting post: HERE.]

I. Zero Tolerance - Kaiba A/Kaiba

[A peel of maniacal laughter echoed throughout the palatial temple with all it's opulent trappings. The source was a tall brunette, dressed all in white save for a red cloak with furred trim, and a wild look in his eyes to match. A mad king in his newly acquired domain. Standing well above the ground floor on a balcony, framed by intricate support structures he surveyed anyone foolish enough to cross that threshold challengingly.

He felt different somehow, freer, as if he'd cast out the last vestiges of weakness from his psyche. There was literally nothing that could hold either him nor his ambitions back now.]

Boy, did you pick the wrong mansion to break into.

[Yes, he said mansion. A delusion to slot in with the many he was currently experiencing.

Fueled by his untempered rage for all the negative experiences in his life he was going to enjoy every moment of inflicting suffering on someone else, devoid of guilt.]

I could just have you arrested, but that would be dull. Why don't we make this a game?

[The scenery contorted, and the exits wavered out of existence, blocking off any hope of an immediate escape.]

I'll be waiting for you in the south tower, if you can make it past all my challenges, you'll be rewarded.

II. Eyes of a Child - Kaiba B/Seto

What is this place?

[A small child questions just outside the palace walls, peering up in awe.]

It sure isn't the orphanage.

[He continued to speak aloud, unaware that he was not entirely alone. It was often that he and his brother would use fantasy and make believe to escape the reality of their situation but this was too vivid, it felt too real to be just the makings of his own mind.]

Mokuba should see this.

[Turning to retrace his steps, Seto suddenly stopped when he noticed someone else standing there. Usually, he felt a little leery of anyone he perceived as an adult or significantly older than him but all of that unease was gone. The weight that troubled his heart was lifted leaving only youthful innocence behind. So he beamed up at the stranger and gave a little wave.]

Oh, hey there. I didn't realize anyone else was here.

III. Come out, Come out, Wherever you are - Both Kaiba A & B

[By now, Kaiba had realized that there was another version of himself running around the vicinity and he was far from pleased. It didn't take a genius, which he was, to figure out what was going on here. Although he hadn't quite determined how it was possible, he knew that the "weakness" he was missing was all encapsulated in that child version of himself. The only way to ensure that he was never saddled with it again would be to remove the boy permanently.

The only problem was, he had tipped his hand too early and now the little brat was hiding in any nook or cranny he could find. What Kaiba needed was some help in tracking his other self down.

Although it pained him to do so, he tried to turn on the charm to convince anyone he could find into tracking his other self down. When he smiled it felt unnatural, but if he could just maintain it, he could manipulate anyone into bending to his will.. or so he assumed.]

Excuse me, please pardon the intrusion but I was wondering.. have you see a small child nearby? It's imperative that I find him...

.. he's my little brother, you see.

[OOC: For convenience sake, older unhinged version will henceforth be called Kaiba, and the younger sweeter version will be Seto. Also, feel feel to run into either Kaiba in this section. If you get weird vibes from Kaiba A, then you can totally team up with Kaiba B.. etc! Skies the limit!]

Edited 2022-09-15 00:30 (UTC)

Like A Bad Dream;

[The flickering of the lanterns were one thing, but once the scream pierced the silence and the scenary changed, he was immediately on guard.

Once the city came into view and the sky changed, he knew immediately what this was. Or at least, he had a suspicion of what caused it. His primary concern right now was to find Madhuri. But upon to occasion that someone came his way, he'll stop them for a moment of their time.]

Excuse me, have you seen a woman with purple hair, dark skin, dark horns and tail...? She's hard to miss. I need to do d her, so any assistance would be much appreciated.

On A Grand Adventure;

[Sometime later on after his encounter with Madhuri, G'raha's doppelgangers can be found lurking around.

Busy searching for treasure, people may see a familiar figure dressed differently than normal with a bowl and arrows on his back. Caught up by the splendor of the city, he's busy finding what he could come across.

For anyone who knows him, his cat ears and tail are likely not the only striking thing about his appearance. His bright red eyes are quite noticable. Except this particular version seems to have two different eye colors. At first he doesn't seem to notice others nearby, but when he does...]

Oh!

[Ears perked up realizing someone else was there.]

Are you searching for treasure too? How about we have a competition to see who can find the most?

On The Brink; SHADOWBRINGERS SPOILERS IN THIS PROMPT

[On the flip side, some may even find his other half roaming around. Though, unless you look carefully enough, it'll be hard to tell that it's G'raha. Wearing a cowl to cover his features, his tail and ears were sufficiently hidden. His arm and part of his neck and face looked to have crystal growing on them.

Unlike his other self, he doesn't seem to be eagerly searching around. In fact, he seemed to be moving around quiet hesitantly, as if ready for anything to jump out at any time. At the sudden movement -- mayhap your character ran into something and it fell -- followed with a loud enough sound of whatever item it was, he turned around quickly in reaction, Staff firmly in hand. It didn't take long for him to notice with his sharp hearing.]

Who goes there?!

Wildcard;

[Feel free to make your own prompts. You can reach me on plurk at byefelia. As always, feel free to use my opt-out post if you don't want to be spoiled. I will mark my threads accordingly, but this will help me know where you are in the story so that I can avoid spoiling anything.]

[G'raha can't say he's entirely taken aback by this. Not when there had been another time where she had been influenced. He had been looking for her, though he wasn't expecting a statue head to come flying through a doorway with a very selectively dressed Madhuri.

The plus side is that he finally found her. However her not recognizing him worried him. How would he get through to her? Ignoring the lack of decency for the moment...]

I should hope so. After all, we're living together.

[He was aware that alone probably won't mean much to her in this state, but it had to be a start at least.]

LoonA

It was easy to miss Loona at first walk past. Not only was she in her less recognisable hellhound form, but in addition she was almost entirely motionless and silent. In fact, if not for the steady clicking and tak-ing of her fingers on her phone there were no other signs of life or recognition from the girl.

Her eyelids hung heavier than normal, fixed on the screen of her phone without following anything, simply staring at the middle of the screen. She almost fit in perfectly with the statues on either side of her as she kept her own vigil of sorts of the device in hand.

Even right down to the fashion choices things were unusual- seemingly in keeping with her chosen perch she had taken - gone were her normal blacks and fishnets, instead swapped for what seemed like a ragged dinner table cover as some kind of smock, with a set of shoddily made cardboard wings behind her back and a halo that looked as if it had been made of coat hanger wire and a loop of tinsel.

Perhaps the only thing that broke the illusion of a christmas tree decoration made in a kindergarten group was the addition of her own black and white converse shoes sticking out of the bottom of the robe.

Nothing else followed, only the same noise of her fingers on the phone as she would remain there seemingly lost in the act of whatever she was doing on the phone... was there even a signal in these caverns?

...or even in this dream world at all?

Regardless, the girl who was Loona was absolutely transfixed, with no sign of her getting back up on her feet any time soon.

LoonB

It was easy to miss Loona at first walk past. Quiet, still. Low to the ground and moving with a practised pace that rewarded stealth and let her dark pelt melt into the shadows, leaving only two strange glimmers of red.

It was harder still to even recognise Loona perhaps, on all fours, with not a scrap of her normal fishnets or piercings, instead the only coat Loona needed was her fur, unkempt and wild and free as she was meant to be.

On all fours she moved, with limbs twisted and turned and to all outward appearances? No-one would have distinguished her much from a - slightly larger than normal - wolf without much more careful taxonomical attention.

Not a word came from her either, just a slow, rising rumble in Loona's throat as she prowled further through the shadows, nose hard at work.

There were others in this strange labyrinth.

And all the wolf who was Loona knew was the urge to find who those scents belonged to, and let loose the silent rage that bristling in every part of her fur.

[G'raha had been searching for a way to help Madhuri when he came across the throne room. Taking notice of a significantly younger -- but no mistaking who it is -- Emet, he paused for a moment. Emperor Solus, he assumes. And as Emet noticed him show up as well, all he could do was curse under his breath upon seeing the revolver pulled out once more.

Well, this was not a fun flashback, thank you. Instinctively pulling out his paladin job stone, he had shield ready just in case.]

Is this really necessary?

Edited 2022-09-14 23:29 (UTC)

She laughed. Didn't wanting to break a few things come with the territory of being an ever-warring race of scaly barbarians? Surely some would clue in if they spent even an hour in the steppe.

But the question was met with a lingering gaze, the laughter dying. The useless stone forgotten, she made quick strides to meet the man face to... chest why in FUCK must everyone be so gods-damned tall-

She propped her chin in a hand and smirked.

"Ha...! Easy. Ser Thancred."

Her eyes darkened, the smile widening.

"I recall a thought I'd had once... 'tis the man who went from 'Daddy' to 'Father'. Most impressive, I'll say."

"Oh, no! They're from all over. I mixed a little of the Near East with something a little Thanalanian, and put in just a daring pinch of Coerthan! You'll travel the world in just this dish alone." She canted her head.

"It's what I do for my companions. All adventurers travel on their stomachs, and I aim to hit every palate in one fell swoop!" She sighed in bliss, and reached to grasp the platter's edge.

"Surely you'll like something in there, even if it's just a bite." She pushed it closer.

"I worked on this all day for you!"

"...A little payback."

The response was calm, rather unlike the hissing reprimand to the stone. But the serene smile across her face was a stark contrast to the way the limbal rings in her eyes had begun to burn in that violet.

"The man from the beach... yes... it's all coming back to me now. Well. This me." She approached him, her expression that of impish joy.

"Awww... You have the look of a hunter, wear the tools of a hunter, but you avert your eyes like prey..." She stopped before him and toyed with some convenient inch of his lapel.

"Are you afraid you'll be eaten?"

"It's... it's something I made for you, dear." Those eyes deepened in slowly growing sorrow.

"You're skin and bones- the both of you always seemed so skinny to me- and you're growing quite fast! You must eat something if you intend to catch up to those impressive heights the folk of your kind reach!"

She laughed, but it was a very... hollow sound.

"And you're always on adventures with the others, are you not? It's my job to get you guys up to speed! It's... it's a very important job!"

She had not heard of the Legendary Dark Knight, Demon-Slaying, Ass-Kicking Dante... but the way her hand propped her chin and her now-gleaming eyes took it all in, she seemed rather sore she hadn't before.

A smooth talker, huh? Right for the goofy one-liners. So cute. So... stupid.

She liked that in a man.

"Ooh- Very good. I am Madhuri, Khatun of this demesne! You seem to have enjoyed a battle rather recently. A pity I wasn't there to see it..."

[She laughed and needed to bring a claw to mask it. Her laughter continued as she gave a single, savage kick to the statue's head and sent it hurtling far away before she her way over.]

Hopeful man! Beautiful man...!

[She was all contact once she was within reach, running her fingers through his hair and coming nose-to-nose with him. Her tail drew long lines up one of his legs.]

Polite man. We do so much more than live together...

[Well, she at least recognized him. It was better than the alternative. Normally, he would be more than okay with this close contact, but something was off. That was obvious enough. He felt a slight shiver as he felt her tail. Focus.]

Ay, That we do. So, do you want to explain to me what has happened?

[Whether or not he gets an actual answer from her like this was up in the air. He had to try to zone out that feeling he gets whenever she gets like this. In its place, it started to feel a little toasty. There was so much going on in his mind right now. He was so worried for her, but at the same time very angry that she had actually pushed on with this idea. Even though he told her how he felt on the matter.

Anything but this. This seemed dangerous to pursue, and now something was going wrong. As angry as he was about that, he was more concerned about her safety. How could he possibly help her? What could he do to fix all of this? Caressing her cheek lightly, he let out a worried sigh.]

Are you okay? What can I do to help?

[She snickered and shook her head, for he'd said the silliest thing just then.]

"Okay"? I feel incredible...! Wild and pure, and forever free, as the saying goes!

[She drew back only to shed the cloak. Heavy godsdamned thing, she had no further need of it, not now.]

But it worked, Raha, it fucking worked! With this, I can spank that world-eating bastard!

[That just made him sigh even more. This was a headache. Of course... What other thing would she say?]

And for what purpose were you hoping to achieve such a dangerous thing? If you simply want revenge on a person, there are other ways to do it.

[Why did she not see the danger this possessed?]

There are two moons! Two! I can achieve anything, perhaps even save this little dream land and get us all home... don't you see!?

With Nald'thal's influence, I will be greater than the Eater, and Etheirys will not become a snack!

[She tutted.]

Or what did you mean, the statues? Of that pitiful Little Sun? That's for funsies. They seemed to pop up here anyway for some... reas-

[She waved a hand dismissively.]

Either way, I'm glad you found THIS me and not that fucking bore in the hideous dress.

Nald'thal's influence is far too dangerous to try to control. Why can't you see that? This is why I was against this in the first place. What if something worse happens?

[Was she listening to him at all? ]

We need to fix this somehow.

[There was something familiar about this scene. It reminded him. A little about when he encountered Futaba's shadow. He couldn't begin to understand how she felt personally, but he did know the feeling of changing over time. To see who he was previously and who he had become. He wasn't certain that was enough to really be helpful in this situation, but he had to try nonetheless.]

Change is scary, isn't it? Sometimes it seems better to just accept things as they are and cling onto what we know. But the funny thing about growing up is that even if you don't intentionally try to deviate from your path, at some point you'll look back and realize just how much has changed after all.

[He would be lying if he said he completely understood her situation or even what was going on, but maybe this would be enough to at least catch the other Sumire's attention?]

Can you honestly say that you would change certain parts of your life now?

I always wanted to become like a hero of eld who got to have some grand adventure. And then life got in the way of that, but looking back at it now, I don't think I'd change that now.

What I'm trying to say is that everything works out in the end, even if it's not easy to see that right away.

Hythlodaeus's eyes go wide behind his mask, and he holds his hands up. "You needn't have gone so far!" he insists. "I'm hardly that important, and no 'adventurer' besides." Honestly, he wasn't even sure what an adventurer even was.

"That's not to say I'm not grateful for the effort. But surely it should go to someone more deserving."

Amber-gold eyes fairly burned behind the mask, as the Shadow stared down the pair approaching. "Joker. It's good to see you. That's not even me being sarcastic; I can't imagine anyone I'd rather be here for this."

The boy beside Ren faltered, almost stumbling as he came to a stop. "And what is 'this', exactly? You're walking around pretending to be a Shadow, but that's impossible. Persona wielders can't have Shadows."

The Shadow's knife's edge smile widened, a gauntleted finger testing the tip of his sword. "They aren't supposed to have Palaces, either. Or awaken to multiple Personas at once- and yet, you've seen both of those things happen, haven't you? It's clear the 'rules' don't always apply... but if you're skeptical of my credentials, I could just... prove it."

Akechi narrowed his eyes. "Prove it how?"

"Everything you are. Everything you hide, even from yourself- especially from yourself. All these things and more- for I am a Shadow! The true self! And you?! You're just what's left."

"Everyone knows who Seto Kaiba is."

A decidedly smug voice replied.

"You, on the other hand.. I can't seem to recall."

A tall male in his late teens, surveyed the destruction before him that was meted out by this peculiar new addition to his new palace. He was adorned in a red cape lined by white fur himself, but with a full white suit to go with. He could only imagine how chilly she must get in the practically nothing that she was wearing.

"I was going to redecorate anyway. If you want to take out the rest of those statues, you'd be doing me a favor."

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Page 2 of 17

Player Event: "Imbalance" [OPEN]

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A. I scream at Madhuri. XD

Yuma Ilvern | Shining Resonance Refrain | OTA

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B

Seto Kaiba | Yu-gi-oh! | OTA

G'raha Tia | Final Fantasy XIV | Ota (SHADOWBRINGERS SPOILERS INSIDE)

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Loona | Helluva Boss | horrendous hellhound language ahead... or not?

Guess I'll die ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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[B. Madhuri Qalli, Khatun of the Azim Steppe] - Replying with the Negative side of Kaiba!