redactable | WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE

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mingle

WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE

WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE
(21 remain)

Rise and shine, gremlins. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's the start of a new week. To the participants, yesterday's events may seem distant now—albeit not as distant as their life before this. Whether or not they notice, they will have lost a memory upon waking up.

As usual, the participants will find that their lodgings have changed, and should anyone check their PHS, Chiron, Ochako, Soo-won, and Dorothy's profiles have been removed. They may also find that they have difficulty recalling complete details of the past weeks.

Furthermore, it looks as though the rules have updated.

Not everything is the same as the previous pattern, though. The barrier to the north is back up, and once more, what lies beyond is an empty field. In contrast, however, participants may notice that they can finally access a place they haven't been able to before...

Additionally, it looks like the Leaders aren't around. No matter where the participants look, they're nowhere to be found. Should anyone try calling for them in the Planetarium, there will be no response—not even a message telling the participant that they're busy.

Finally, everything around the participants begins to... glitch? Buildings may suddenly blink out of existence and then back in, random items like chairs or cups may suddenly distort even while they're being used, and looking at any particular thing for too long may give someone a headache. It's worse than it was that one week, though: participants will find that it's happening to themselves as well. Body parts might suddenly glitch out of existence then back in, and there will be a shot of pain when it occurs. It'll happen randomly, but it also seems to occur more often if they're touching something or another person.

NAVIGATION

locations ₓ˚. statuses *+:｡ ic profiles :ₓo ic rules ･ﾟﾟ･｡ audience requests
murder proposals ｡✧o private conversations ･ﾟo｡ curfew ･ﾟ✧ memories

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ snortlaugh. ]

Yeah, Wolf definitely needs one. Or two. Or three. [ lup, be nice. ] That's what I came in here to do, so - yeah. Still want to go.

Mind if I take a flower? [ she's got gil, they can trade. ]

[since he's the only one with manners:]

It's nice to meet you, Aerith. I'm Sora. This is Taako, Ruby and Clementine. If you could take us to Cloud...we're willing to take the risk. But how do we use the materia, exactly?

[sora is getting the impression wolf has seen a lot of death.] I don't think any of us are afraid of a little danger at this point.

[ you people and your fantasy items. whatever. ]

We came this far. Not like we'd turn around now.

Hmmm... What if I want to be the dumbshit adventurer? [ she says it breezily, but there's a grin on her face before she hands Lup a new flower. ] He forgot to tell you! It's said these are a symbol of lovers reuniting.

[ she wiggles her eyebrows and starts walking out of the church ]

It's magic, so if you concentrate on casting the spell, it'll happen. You'll probably need them where we're going. But don't look back, okay? You're almost there. You've lost a lot, but you're gaining something, too. You'll be alright.

[ she could stand to be less mysterious, but when they walk out she's suddenly balancing on a beam high up. Near them, there's the sight of the area they were in before-- where the sky should have been, the ceiling is collapsing on top of it. They can't quite hear the destruction from this high up, but it's... happening. ]

Be careful where you step! And don't touch them.

[ since one wrong move and they will also go splat. and just to be helpful, there are cloaked figures floating alongside the beam they're walking on? they look like very shitty ghosts. this is terrible. ]

Wow, gross.

[at the flower facts. he doesn’t know why the concept of flowers and lovers being connected is gross, just something deep inside of him knows that it is.]

Are those guys here as punishment for shooting that dude in the mansion unprompted? Maybe you guys should just shoot them too.

[unprompted.]

[ aerith said shit! lup loves her. and also, she takes that flower, and then - the tips of her ears go pink? wow.

anyway, she just... tucks the flower behind her ear, and follows after. delicately. watch one of us glitch out and fall to our deaths. ]

I am definitely not shooting anything while I'm standing on this beam that I will fall off of. [ she huffs. ] Is there a fire magic orb? Can I please have a fire orb.

[he follows, though there's something oddly familiar about the flower facts? hm. wonder what that's all about...he doesn't quite remember everything, but it feels...right, somehow.

nevertheless he's up on the beams and he's keeping his balance as they walk.]

We have a bunch of different colors, right? Clementine and I have three of them I think. [which he is actually going back to pull them out of his pockets to check the colors. sora's potion quest orb was not specified, clementine's filter orb is green, hound quest was a purple orb, taako has a blue one from cat quest and rat quest was another purple orb. yes i went back to look to help us and also our mod.]

...what are they anyway? [the ghosts, he means.]

[ she's just following along. lovers reuniting, huh... cute...

but hard to linger on much when they are once again surrounded by destruction. wow, seems like wolf's life sucks. ]

If they are a punishment for shooting, shouldn't we not shoot them...?

[ not that she is opposed to shooting them ]

They're not here because of that. Well, they're not here for anything, really, since they're not real, but then again, neither am I! [ she says this. so casually? aerith, no. ] Normally, they exist to enforce the course of destiny, so I'm not sure what'll happen if you guys touch them.

[ the good news is the beam isn't that long, so even if she's being ominous in her exposition, they do make it across. there are ... stairs, now, leading up above the ceiling plate. Hm. Potion quest is red because that's the one color I didn't use, and one of the purples is turning magically into yellow because I mixed it up. there's five colors now do not @ me ]

Let's see... That green is fire, so you've lucked out! Blue can be used to ward against poison and things like that, purple will auto-heal you if you've been badly injured, yellow will let you use an enemy's skill against them, and red will summon some help when you need it. [ AGAIN said very casually as she starts leading them up some crumbling stairs. ] You should pick the one you want the most. The others you'll need for that cool belt he's wearing.

[ gestures at taako? the ghost things are coming closer now that they're on the ground but not touching them just yet ]

Still don’t know how the cool belt works exactly, but I assume it’s plot important. Um, should we just book it? The ghost things are getting what I’d call close for comfort on this one.

[Guess just. Going up the stairs!]

[ aerith, you're so casual about this... this group just really doesn't care about the fourth wall in general huh

also, she immediately grabs for whoever has the green orb. give. ]

I want the fire one the most! I gave my spell slot to my brother, let me have the cool magic this time? [ huff. also, fuck off, ghosts. she shifts her shotgun to aim at them as she follows taako up the stairs. ]

We should... probably move though, yeah.

[clementine has the green orb which is in sora's hand and suddenly it is not because lup has it.]

Okay, yeah, fine, but wouldn't a summon be more useful? [he's not going to really argue because he is objectively the best fighter of the four of them, but he's heading up the stairs, too.]

But that's always what it is, isn't it? The course of destiny. [just. thinking about what fake-xehanort said a while ago. no big deal. he's keeping his pace slow enough that clementine can follow though since she's last.] Watch your step.

[but, to aerith:] Do all of the others have to go into the belt? That means only Taako could use it, right? [he's just trying to think strategically here. it's hard for someone who usually just leaps into battle.]

Fire seems good to me.

[ because it's the most clear-cut of them all.

she is just following and being uninteresting because i am half asleep still okay. also she never understands any of the bullshit you people are talking about. ]

If it's destiny, why would it need enforcing?

[ They're going to be going up some stairs for a little bit. There's a lot of stairs. Like sixty floors worth of stairs. This isn't a reference or anything, maybe. ]

Mmm... Well, materia is made from the Planet's memories, sort of. Since we're not actually on the Planet, these are Cloud's! Sort of. So whichever ones you put in the belt will open the path for you, so you won't be able to use them. [ she turns a bit from where she's jogging up, now, because well the ghosts are chasing them up the stairs. the ghosts sure are terrible. ] It's very metaphorical. As for destiny...

[ she seems pleased with Clem's question? ]

Maybe destiny isn't what it's cracked up to be. To go in a path that's unknown and completely free... it's scary. But it's the choice we made. Maybe it's the wrong choice. Maybe things will be even worse, from now on. Or maybe... we won't be able to change anything at all.

[ they're about halfway through, and some dark feathers start to fall from up above? she hums as she looks at them. ]

The price of freedom is steep. [ there's something off in her tone and she shakes it off ] Okay! You guys should run. I won't be able to bring you any higher than this.

Yeah, don’t think I’m really using them as much as carrying them like a packmule to their intended plot-assigned destination, while also looking incredibly fly. So, uh, I’m mad cool with giving Ruby the fire one. Unless we have to pick the one that didn’t give us a memory? I don’t know how that works.

[But, there we go. End of the line. Stopping for a second, brushing some feathers off of his hat. He thinks he’s kind of heard a destiny speech like that before, but can’t quite remember where.

Hm.]

Well, uh, I dunno. Rather make my own choices and fuck up than be predestined to fuck up, you know?

[ not the STAIRS. ]

Destiny can only do so much. [ lup says, holding the green orb to her chest. she actually doesn't mind if they pick a different one, she just, y'know. is attached to fire. she ignores the feathers and the ghosts for a minute. ]

I've been saying it from the start. There's always a third option. I refuse to think that destiny is the boss of me. [ ... ] We decide how things go. So let's - go.

Don't let the ghosts keep you down. [ she says to aerith. and then she'll start making her way up the stairs. as fast as she can - she's still at a firm like, ten hit points after everything that's happened in the realm. ]

[...well. he doesn't quite say anything about it because to him, destiny and fate have always had some kind of hand in his life and the lives of others. how they got there was up to them, along with the choices they made. but destiny is still its own concept and to try and control it...it can be bad.

on the other hand, nothing says they can't decide how to get to the final destination.

he just won't say anything about it, but instead he notices the feathers and frowns deeply. hm. the ghosts are chasing, aerith has to leave, and everything kind of sucks. but they have a clear goal.]

Then we'll take the fire and we'll go from there. [which is to say he's nodding and immediately bolting up the stairs.] Be careful!

[this is to all of them, really.]

... Huh.

[ is all she has to say about everyone's destiny related thoughts. some things are an eventual inevitability, but she doesn't really think of that as destiny.

clementine puts out a hand to try and catch one of these feathers as they head onward. are they physical, even. ]

[ Aerith yells out a good luck from the middle of the stairs, and up they go-- Clem reaches out to catch a feather, and they are very real!

With that they'll all hear a voice, that doesn't sound like any of the others they've heard before--

I'm waiting.

Their vision turns white. ]

[ There's no time for sorrow right now, because today, you see, is the best day ever.

Like a lot of mornings (or, some mornings, anyway, you're rarely the one actually awake first), you’re shaking the shoulder of someone awake. She’s familiar, looking almost exactly like you - but her hair is shorter, her body more feminine, and also currently asleep.

“Is today the day?”

You grin back at her. You’ve brought the dankest breakfast imaginable - all the proper food groups: waffles AND pancakes, double carbs, eggs scrambled exactly the way they should be, bacon, french toast, a mimosa. You’ve outdone yourself, which is saying something considering you have a very long history of outdoing yourself constantly, every day.

“It’s today.”

The rest of the day is kind of a blur - it’s strangely empty on this planet, there’s no other souls here but the ones you know, but you don’t register that as strange at this point - you’re taking some truly dope naps, you’re pranking another of the crew, you’re blasting apart the DMV with some sickness fireballs — mostly, what you remember, is the laughter, the ease of it.

The next part comes more clearly into focus, because the smell of the special birthday turkey your aunt had taught you how to make sharpens it to a point. You’re sitting across the table from her - your reflection - and she’s smiling in a way that’s unlike her. It’s soft and gentle, instead of all fiery delight.

“You did good, Taako. I… here in a couple days, Barry and I are going to do something, and, I want you to be there for it. We’re— don’t freak out, promise me.”

You think you respond, but you don’t remember what you said. You just grip the (red) robe you’re wearing in your hands, twisting them tightly.

“We’re gonna become liches, Taako. And that sounds— that sounds way scarier than it actually is, but… we’re- we’re going to take our living essence, our… souls… and combine it with our magical essence and… we’re gonna become something… new. Something… something powerful. And… we’ll still be Barry and Lup, I’ll still inhabit my body— unless I’m killed— and then things are going to get a little spooky, and, it should stick. If we do this, the next cycle, we’re still liches. The— the risk is— it’s hard to combine your soul with raw power and keep your mind right. You need something keeping your feet on the ground. An… emotional anchor. And when I go all ghosty, I need to have things to remember to hold on to who I am. Today is… it’s gonna be one of those memories.”

You think you’re panicking now.

“Barry already gave me a day. And… I love him, Taako, with all of my heart, but you… I needed a day from you, because you are my heart. You know that, right?”

And it’s that. That’s the part that that seems the most in focus here. It rings in your head, and you grin and smile and joke-

“Well, lemme just say, bearing all that, I’m really happy I saved one last surprise: …this very large bottle of Grey Goose. I— now don’t— I know— it wasn’t too much, I conjured it, again, but it should still get the job done.”

But under the table, your legs are shaking so badly you’re scared you’re going to give yourself away, and your heart is pounding so loud you think she might be able to actually hear it, and you can't actually breathe, and that you might just die and not in a cool lich way—

And then it’s over.

At least they're off the stairs when their vision returns, although... how they ended up on what looks like an unfinished road is a bit of a mystery. There's a weird lion dog sitting down next to the end of the road, waiting for them. ]

[oh uh honestly

After pinching the bridge of his nose for a second - really? That memory? Right now? - he’s looking over at lup mostly because that probably didn’t go super great for her! That probably didn’t go over great. You alive?]

Could kinda use the Grey Goose bottle right now! To be honest!

[ hahah, nope!

that one pretty much kicks her ass. they're on a road, but she doesn't seem to notice because she's going to stumble and nearly fall over. wow, her head hurts real bad. more than half of that was - static-y, like watching through a bad reception, and she isn't quite sure why she's got tears rolling down her cheeks, but they are!

a shivery exhale. ]

... Th -- there's a dog. [ she says uselessly. ]

[oh...bad. this is new to him and there's so much he wants to say to both of them. he pauses in his steps then, trying to sort out what he just saw before he nods slowly, reaching for one of Lup's hands if she wants it and also to make sure she doesn't suddenly bite it.]

It's almost over. [a reminder to both of them. all of them. their memories will come back soon and things will be fixed and they'll save cloud. but he begins to walk a little faster down the road to a good boy.]

Think he knows Wolf?

[ WHY IS IT CONSTANTLY DOGS

clementine is freezing up again, like she can't decide if she wants to look at the twins with Concern or keep her eyes on this dog that will probably try to murder her AS DOGS TEND TO DO. she is taking a very slow, cautious step back... ]

Again...?

[ is that about the memory or that there's a dog? IT'S BOTH ]

[ The dog(?) stands up, walking closer slowly as he squints at them with his one eye ]

I believe the proper term is "lab-rat dog". [ It's said in a deadpan that implies it's a joke, though not one any of them will recognize. also, why is this dog so proper. hilarious. ] This is the end of the road. [ the dog looks back, because the joke here is "literally", but; ] You would do well to prepare yourselves. He's coming.

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1/2 because i love alli and

rewriting was too long

i love zia and also i cannot be brief those are my two flaws

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