Event #18: Dive Into the Dark

[seasonsmods]

Dive Into the Dark
LOGS | NETWORK | OOC | MEMES | NAVIGATION

Rising Again

✦ | ✦ skip to part 2 | ✦ skip to part 3

SUMMARY

  • The Mecha Suit Hangar is once again ready to start testing their Flow Experiment Mechas for entry in to the Darkness.
  • Testing must be done in pairs - dancing, sparring, or puzzle rooms.
  • While controlling the mechs and syncing with their partner 'Flow' state must be achieved, giving access to the partner's memories - try not to get lost!

Part 1

The Mecha Suit Hangar is once again ready to start testing their Flow Experiment Mechas. This time all systems have been checked multiple times for malfunctions and the possibility of sabotage is zero. They are proud to invite all otherworlders interested in the the experiment to run tests that will this time take them past the barriers and into the Darkness.

No one will be physically entering the Darkness, as the mecha suits will be remote controlled from the hangar through pods that are connected to them with strong signals boosted with magic. They warn that while they can afford to be reckless while fighting, they might still feel some of the damage the mecha suits suffer due to the close link. It's also why no one will operate the suits alone.

The mecha suit tests will be done in pairs, so first people need to find suitable pairs for themselves. The Research Center has provided a set of tests to help with this task.

The tests will comprise of any two (or all) of the following procedures, depending on what is required of each pair and a successful Rise rating. A "Rise" is the "right" connection between pair (or if you're feeling particularly in harmony, up to four people, but at the moment it's only two). This will be determined through the following methods:

Melodious Harmony: The pair will be asked to dance together and fall into rhythm. While this is obviously not going to go right immediately, the pair is expected to fall into step, predict the other’s movements, and match them and the dance beats. Three different kinds of melodies will be used (probably beats and melodies familiar to either partner) and the pair is expected to complete three successful dances together to achieve a perfect Rise. The pair can choose to sing as well, or do both together!

Feel the Fall: The pair is asked to spar with one another, and to find a rhythm in combat. They shall be required to make three hits on each other, and rather than bring their opponent down, they are required to continue the spar until all three hits are made by both sides— which require a touch on their bodies. The sparring will be done either barehanded or with practice weapons. A successful Rise will be determined by how well each fighter completes the spar.

With One Another: The pair will be asked to solve an escape room puzzle together, and be given thirty minutes to complete it. This will require cooperation between the pair and a successful Rise will be determined by how well the pair completes the escape room. It shall be unsuccessful if only one partner carries the entire session.

Once the desired Rise rating has been achieved, the researchers will guide the pairs to the next area.

Part 2

It's time to start the experiments. Characters are directed to the mecha suit hangar and given suits to wear that would help them control the mecha suits. No one enters the mecha suits - at least not these types. They are instead controlled from the outside by groups with high Rise rating. This would ensure a safe exploration of the Darkness.

There are options to be in separate pods from one another, connected by a link cable, or in the same larger control pod where they both have enough room to move around. The first option is good for those who need absolute concentration on what they are doing; the flow state will help them move in sync even without being in the same space.

FLOW

With a harmonious Rise rating established, the pair will be able to achieve a "Flow"— a process to evenly bear the mental strain of the piloting such large machines.

A successful Flow can be between four people with a harmonious Rise, but is strongest between two because of the even load between them.

During the state of Flow, the pilots are required to allow themselves to enter each other’s minds, acting as parts of the active brain.

They must avoid getting entangled in each other’s memories and "flow" their thoughts into place to function as one unit.

Once a successful Flow is achieved, pilots will be able to act physically as one entity, commanding either side of the unit and being able to make joint decisions on controlling the units easily without disruption to each other!

BREAKING FLOW

Some new pilots may end up chasing memories anyway (In a process called "Breaking the Flow"), and enter a memory as an unseen entity viewing it. This can happen either by the one providing the source memory "the dreamer" or the person witnessing the memory "the watcher" as a result of it.

Some have reported becoming an active part of the memory, usually those with a very high Rise rating, and the one whose memory has been entered has to realize that they're not in a real space to avoid causing damage to themselves and their partner.

The more the "dreamer" believes this is real, the more the "watcher" will be able to feel what's happening, which can cause disorientation for the pilots and malfunctions in the units.

The external failsafe in this situation if none of the pilots can break out of the memory is to force unconsciousness but this will render the pilots Rise rating to go down to zero and they will be unable to pilot for three days as their minds adjust to being their own memories again.

FLOW: RESONANCE

A Flow Resonance is the remaining resonance of being in another person’s memories, regardless of whether they are in the state of Flow or not. It's a harmless state, but it can lead to moments of finishing each other’s sentences or sensing what the other is feeling/thinking without them needing to voice it.

Most resonance fades within 24 hours, but the more Flow is achieved, the longer resonance can remain until it's just a natural part of the other. If this becomes a bother to the partners, there are Suppressants that help them disconnect, but this will also lower their Rise rating and require them to test for them again.



Once the pair is settled and comfortable, it's time to launch the mecha suit and head to the area of their research... at least that's how it's supposed to be going.

On the Paths of Time

✦ | ✦ skip to part 1 | ✦ skip to part 3

SUMMARY

  • A mistake by a technician causes mix-ups between mecha pairings, sending people into The Paths - a 'place out of time' (even people not involved in the testing).
  • Anyone can potentially stumble into anyone else's memories while in this space, either passively or actively.
  • Dark energy begins seeping in to The Paths, twisting memories and thoughts of those who touch it.
  • This segment lasts for approximately one hour real-time, but longer within the experience itself.

Part 1

Unfortunately for everyone, a certain technician was assigned to help with the most simple of tasks: connecting the separated pods into right pairs. Barnabus (the brother of a certain chaos making mage) is mostly successful in all of this, but sometimes he mixes wrong pairs with each other. Someone didn't read the labels and just went with his gut.

Normally this would be an easy fix. The pairings would definitely be able to sense the difference in the rising once the experiment begins and can cancel it. However one of the pairs happens to be a certain Eldian duo, of which one of them previously started a small event. Their connection combined with the Flow Experiment sends almost everyone into the blue desert once more - even those not participating in the experiment. Thanks Barnabus.

Anyone can find themselves in The Paths, a place out of time covered in white sand. Somewhere in the distance is what looks like a tree of light. No matter how much you walk, you won't reach it, it's always just in the distance/stretching into the sky.

Here memories work just like they would during the breaking flow, but they're not limited to the partners. Anyone can stumble into another persons memories even without intending to, as long as they're close enough to each other or walk through the paths to find them. These memories can be either watched or experienced as a part of the memory.

The memories can also be from the character's future or they can be something they might have completely forgotten about. In a way this is a way to get a soft canon update! Yay...?

Maybe this is a harmless thing and Barnabus isn't going to suffer too greatly after...

Part 2

During the start of the experiment, a third Eldian - related closely with one of the previously mentioned one - wandered close to the barrier near the Darkness. Why? We just don't know. What we do know is that this creates yet another problem for those mixed up with the Paths.

Due to his close proximity to the barrier, dark energy from the Darkness starts seeping into the Paths. This time the usual affect on body is least of anyone's concerns, as the effects of this are completely on the mental side. Anyone who touches the dark energy directly will find their thoughts directly twisted into something unimaginable and are filled with dark desires. Some may even turn to their partner or the closest person to them with murder in mind.

Even the memories are affected by the dark energy and are twisted into nightmare version. They can still remain very realistic or everything can be turned into unnatural and twisted things.

Part 3

Fortunately, this time the Paths only lasts for around an hour in real life - just enough time for the NPCs to manage to cancel the connection between the two wrong pods. This means nothing for how long it actually feels like since Paths operate outside time. One hour could very well feel like a week.

A break is called to let anyone affected take a breather and decide if they want to continue. Smaller dragons are also called in to help those who got their mind corrupted by the dark energy.

Barnabus, meanwhile, is hauled into detention. His fate is to be decided later.

Hello Darkness My Old Enemy

✦ | ✦ skip to part 1 | ✦ skip to part 2

SUMMARY

  • Mecha control pairs will be asked to enter their pods for remote mecha control into the Spring and Summer segments.
  • Other people will be asked to set up camps close to the barrier edge to watch for any monster incursions from the Darkness.
  • While in the Darkness the mecha pairs will need to collect samples and remain vigilant against corrupted monsters.
  • On January 20th mecha pairs who have ventured deeper into the Darkness will encounter a strange woman who will summon several highly dangerous creatures to attack. If a mecha is damaged the controlling pair (one or both) will be affected by the creatures abilities.

Part 1

The experiment can begin. Pairs are asked to enter their control pods so the launches can begin. The place chosen for the experiment is on the border of the Spring and Summer Segments. The barrier there has been slightly weakened to let the mecha suits pass through it with ease. Thanks to being able to fly at extreme speeds the journey from the city to the barrier edge doesn't take more than a few hours, during which everyone can practice controlling the mecha suits in the air.

The mecha suits themselves are giant humanoid robots. They are protected against corruption from dark energy - a technique that is still unsafe for people. Along with flight-capable wings they have energy cannons on the arms and laser blades on both legs and arms that can be both used as is or held in hands for fighting. Everyone is able to see everything like they'd be in the mecha suits themselves, making the experience feel very real.

While the experiment is going on anyone not participating in controlling the mecha suits is encouraged to camp close to the barrier to make sure stronger monsters stay out of the Segments. The barrier will still keep most of the creatures out, but there's always the risk of bigger breaches happening.

The camps are protected by barrier stones and have several Luxury Tents set up. They are set up between the Airship Station and The Temple of Death, but adventurers are welcome to camp elsewhere as well if they have the courage to do so.

Part 2

As the mecha suits arrive in the Darkness they're greeted with a landscape that lacks color. Everything is black, gray or (very rarely) white. There are several ruins they can see right away in both of the Segments. Within those ruins there are monsters of different variety.

Negative Monsters - Monsters that usually appear as small goblin-like creatures who feast on positive energies after a failed item enhancement. These, however, are giant and buff and do actual damage, along with draining the mecha suit energy. It's also possible for them to drain positive energy from the pilots through the mecha suit connection.

Chimera Salad - What happens when various vegetable - and fruit monsters fuse together? You get monstrous Chimera Salads. These monstrous salads have various different kind of acid juices and sticky essences that either damage the mecha suit or make it more difficult to move. Submerging the mecha suit into one of the bodies of water will make the fluids wash off.

Monster Waterlilies - In the waters of the Darkness there are giant quite normal looking waterlilies. Stepping on one is like stepping onto a bear trap, as it snaps around the mecha suits leg and tries to drag it under the water to try and tear it apart with its jaws.

Sentient Monster Ruins - Investigating the ruins may awaken a monster that is the whole ruins. The Sentient Monster Ruins are the 'upgraded' versions of the previous monster houses and use every structure in their ruins to fight against the mecha suits. Any parts that fall to it will be used like a part of the ruins. Their aim is to add to their size by absorbing other things.

The mecha suits are slower in the Darkness due to the corruption defense system taking more of the power, but it's still surprisingly nimble and easy to operate with the right rising rating. The monsters can be damaged well with the blades and cannons of the suit, even if it might take a while to properly kill them.

One of the goals is to collect different kinds of samples from the Darkness. This includes any plants, rocks and even building parts. Since they're coated in dark energy they can be put into special capsules made for this specific purpose. They can be taken from the robots shoulder blades and work very similarly to Poke balls in that they can hold any size of an item and shrink to be easily portable.

Occasionally, characters will have to return the mecha suits to the Mecha Hangar to get the energies refilled and take a break themselves, but they can go on for several hours. This gives everyone an opportunity to switch partners if they so wish.

Part 3

Those who dare to move further into the Darkness to investigate on a later date (20th) will encounter a black dome that's hard to see from far away. Above this very dome stands a middle-aged woman with long hair and some manner of technological mask over her eyes. She doesn't seem to be wearing any other kind of protective gear on her, but she seems to be doing just fine, somehow.

The woman is smiling as she spreads her arms, summoning a small group of Oblivisci. It's hard to hear her voice due to the distance, but anyone who knows how to read lips can understand what she's saying ("Go on my Oblivisci. Punish these ignorant fools") before she disappears into the dark dome that then vanishes. The Oblivisci start their journey towards the weakened barrier.

Oblivisci are a formerly discarded creation of the Scientist, later retrieved and replicated when she found it to be of use. Twisted by the Darkness for so long it is impossible to tell what it originally looked like - a strangely proportioned beast, elongated and stretched in ways that defy logic and give a sense of the uncanny, looking at it directly makes examining it a difficult task. Each one is different yet with the same unsettling presence, making it difficult to focus on for too long.

The Oblivisci are vicious and voracious, intent upon consuming anything not already tainted by the Darkness. Its unique 'ability' is to cause living things that it consumes to be utterly forgotten by anyone that knew of them. However, this ability is not flawless, and is particularly prone to being seen through when people are involved. In these cases the memories and connections are not gone, merely lost, and can be recalled through application of touch magic and the emotions associated with Seasonal abilities.

Samples needed to wait for a while. Now the main priority is to stop the Oblivisci from entering the Segments by destroying them. If the Oblivisci are able to successfully damage a mecha there is a high chance that their ability will be transmitted over the remote connection, affecting the pairs (one or both) and causing loss of stability, or complete ejection from the controls.

Part 4

By the end of the month all of the experiments have been concluded and the necessary samples have been collected. Next time the mecha suits are used it will a mission longer and even more meaningful, with the information they have now gathered.

Just like after many other successful missions, parties with all kinds of music (with cautious singing after the new years event) and free food is being held for all otherworlders. They're also given a pay of 100,000 Moon Coins for participating in the experiment or in defending the Segments, as well as gift cards for spas and luxury airship rides. The overall mood in Nightwake is extremely positive.

OOC TIPS

• Ask event related questions here!

• The event will run from January 16th to January 31st, with the Paths part only happening on January 16th, date of the initial launch. The strange masked woman is met during the mission on January 20th.

• The parties will be held from February 1st to February 8th.

• While the mecha suits are remote controlled, there's still a possibility to get injured. Getting the mecha suits whole arm ripped off - for example - will surely hurt whoever is controlling that arm - it's even possible to have a completely numb arm for a while or even dislocated until healed.

• The mecha suits are controlled with the person's whole body and a simple controller that the suit they wear provides.

• Herakles will confirm later on that the woman people saw in the Darkness is called The Scientist, whose primary ability is to create monster fusions.

• Barnabus will be demoted to someone who cleans the toilets and is not allowed to touch any technology until he's tested he's ready for it again.

• Smut is not allowed on the event post, so if your thread is heading that way, please move it to a separate entry (like to your musebox or characters' journal).

• Remember to content and spoiler warn as necessary!

• Any similarities to certain blockbuster movies and series starting with P and ending in Rim are very intentional.

code bases by tricklet

Comments

Aimoto Rinku | D4DJ (Dig Delight Direct Drive DJ) | Summer

[roundandaround]

[1) Rising Again - 1... sort of]

[Rinku came to the Research Centre, eyes lit up, but now she's sitting on her hospital-loaned walker in a corner and looking disappointed.]

They said I'm in no condition to pilot. [pout] I get it, but I was doing better... I even don't have to use the wheelchair most of the time!

[She looks up at anyone who approaches and waves.]

What about you? Did they let you do the tests? How'd they go?

[2) On the Paths of Time - 1]

[Rinku recognizes the Paths, and she starts out... but soon gets stuck in the sand, trying to plow her walker through. Still, if anyone gets close to her, they may see one of these memories (or something else, on request!).]

Memory A -- The Mad Doggo

You and the rest of Happy Around! have just finished your set in a DJ battle in a small, hole-in-the-wall club. Your opponents stand on the stage, a banner proclaiming them as "A Bad Cynic Doggo," and the crowd whispers and gossips while their vocalist aimlessly rants into the microphone instead of singing.

"I always thought I couldn't win anyway... But still hoped that maybe somehow I'd win. Like what makes me different from them, I spit out... But saying it, I realize it's completely different. So bright I have to turn away, but even my eyelids are useless."

Are those lyrics? A speech? She keeps on talking about her frustration with the creative process, saying she's not like other girls, something about how her life always goes like this. There's no rhythm. The audience whispers to each other, confused, exasperated, annoyed. But something clicks in her all of a sudden as she's talking about wanting to be the protagonist, like you're in an anime or something. The DJ calls out to the VJ, and they whisper to each other behind the vocalist's back. Lights and sound start up.

Your own bandmates gasp. The people around you watch in growing awe. Your eyes are glued to the stage. And the vocalist?

"It's really hopeless, totally hopeless!
But you know, that's who I am! That's who we are!
You don't know how we feel! So don't act like you understand!"

The crowd murmurs. They start to open up slowly, wince when Eimi yells at them, goes on about her stage fright, about how tickets to their shows don't sell, about how no one remembers A Bad Cynic Doggo. And then about something you don't understand, something no one else in the crowd seems to understand either, where it feels like she's looking directly at you.

"That's how it is! This world doesn't care about us!
Only the shining stars get the spotlight!
But we can't accept that, it's just wrong!
I'm talking about you.
I'm telling you, you right there in front of me.
I can't be an idol. Not even a streetlight will shine on me.
I can't even face a real challenge.
But I want to be the main character!
I want to be someone!
I'm sick of being an NPC!
I won't accept ending up as just another face.
Don't tell me you don't understand that!
Just for now, let us -- let me be the protagonist!"

She calls out to the crowd to howl with the unit. They're silent, stunned, and she looks heartbroken...

You howl.

"That's right! Everyone's the main character!"

Watching you, some of the people in the crowd start to cheer. You hear them say things like, "if Rinku-chan's doing it, I can support her." You feel like you're glowing.

Eimi looks stunned. She shakes her head.

"Ha... She doesn't get it. Really, Aimoto is..."

Memory B -- Tea Kettle, cw: light sex jokes

It's the grand opening of the Haven Hotel. Lucifer's had everyone draw a card on entry; you scanned it for a curse and found one, but it looked harmless, so you took it anyway. You've got a 1, and Evangeline holds up a 6.

"What do you think the numbers mean? It's definitely not the number of people you've slept with."

That's Evangeline, all right. You hum and look her card over.

"Oh, yeah, I guess it wouldn't be if yours is 6, huh?"

You don't realize what you've let slip, and for a bit, neither does she. You both start theorizing over whether it's about alcohol tolerance levels, since the people with nines and tens all seem to be supernatural. Or maybe it's just a conversation starter where you have to try and theorize! But then you muse...

"It sounds fun! But I dunno. What would I have one of but you'd only have six of...?"

The gears turn in Evangeline's head... and she lights up and shouts her next sentence entirely too loud for a crowded hotel lobby.

"--Wait, hold on, you got laid? When was this, do I know them, congrats!"

Your face grows deep red, you can't make a sound other than squeaking, and it feels like everyone is staring at you. Finally, you manage to choke out a "Neechan!"

She doesn't look the least bit sorry.

Memory C -- On Evolution

You're floating in a sea of data, bits suspended in the black void like stars. You, your unitmates, all your friends – 32 of you in total, searching for the AI who fled after trying to steal Lumina's soul. Her prototype, the first sentient AI from the D4 Project. She wouldn't listen to your appeals, attacked with some kind of wave that made everyone but you and Lumina scream and double over. But now they've noticed you're the only human left standing.

"N-no way..." Proto-Lumina stops cackling and stares. "Could it be that she's a new evolutionary stage of human? But I thought humans had stopped evolving..."

You just offer a nervous smile. "You know, I don't really understand all your talk about evolution, but maybe we don't need to force ourselves to move forward, you know?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Hmm, let's see... You know, ever since Maho-chan taught me how to DJ, I've been spinning every day. Like this: 「Happy Around!」" You spin in a circle as you usually do.

The AI stares and repeats hollowly. "「Happy Around...」"

"Yeah! When it gets fun, I just keep spinning~"

You explain simply from the heart. You used to be all alone, but now you all spin together. You, your unitmates, all your friends. All 32 of you here, and all the people waiting out in the real world. Your world's expanded in a big circle like a donut.

"And then I realized, as I kept spinning with everyone in this big circle, maybe I've also grown and not even noticed it. So I think that even if we don't move forward the way you want, as long as we keep spinning, we can grow even more than we are now."

Proto-Lumina has her hands to her head. "I don't understand... What are you saying..."

"Rinku-chan is right."

You look. It's Kyouko. Forcing herself to her feet and shaking off the mind attack. And it's not just her -- everyone else around you is standing up, facing the AI, saying that her plan to wipe out the current humanity and force an evolution won't work. You'll create your own future in your own way. Dig Delight Direct Drive. That's the real meaning of D4, to you. You're going to stop the D4 Project and you're going to lead everyone to a new world -- a world where everyone can be happy!

[Or if none of those work for you, let me know and I'll give you something else!]

[3) Hello Darkness My Old Enemy - 4]

[Rinku had spent the mission at home, much of it pouting that she still wasn't cleared for combat... and taking care of a bunch of children who were worrying about her returning to combat at all. But seeing the party makes her smile. The singing and dancing... She looks up at the stage. In the past, she'd get up on it no problem, and everyone would be cheering. But are people okay with that now?

She turns to the nearest person and bites her lip.]

How's the party going?

a bad cynic doggo

[abnormalizes]

I don't think she likes you very much.

[Mildly. Of all the memories she could've gotten - or given - this one seems pretty harmless.]

On Evolution

[permboy]

[ After seeing the first memories drift by, Gintoki is frankly rather terrified of what this place is. So the moment he spots someone else, he starts heading towards them before even realising it's someone he knows. Only for his approach to get temporarily halted by the memory he's pulled into.

For a brief, frankly blissful moment, he's someone entirely different from himself. So much so he doesn't even realise until he's stumbling forward and he's back on the white sand, blinking owlishly at Rinku.

After a moment of sort of lagging, he shakes his head. ]

Ah-- Hey, are you okay?

Amy Rose | Archie Sonic | Spring

[freedomfighterhammer]

A) Rising Again - 1

[Amy was certain she missed out on the last time this happened, but this seemed simple enough, right? Find a partner and choose a way to get a Flow going. Honestly, she was game for any of these, but this meant finding a partner and what they wanted to do. Noticing one person, Amy got their attention]

Hey, wanna partner up with me? Miiiight have to get a bit physical if we have to fight, but I don't hurt that much!

B) On The Paths of Time - 1 CW: War, Destruction, Other Things

[Amy blinked as she found herself within the Paths, looking around the sandy area in confusion.]

What in the world? Where am I? What is this place?

[As she walks around, there are strange memories that appear and form in front of her and those around her:

1) The first is of a large, destitute mechanical city. There were certainly signs of life and repair, but all of that is being undone. As other animal-like people running around in panic, they are chased by both human-sized and much larger robots, all colored black and if they aren't capturing people, they are blasting things with their wrist-mounted weapons.

"It's... it's Robo-Robotnik's invasion of Mobotropolis! He attacked everyone while Sonic and the other Freedom Fighters were dealing with him! We gotta go! Hurry!"

2) The next memory is of a small storeroom where a small pink hedgehog is holding a large ring. She closes her eyes as energy bathes her, transforming her, revealing the Amy we all know and love.

"...that how I ended up like I am. I was so tired of not going on adventures, I made myself older..."

3) The next memory is… chaos. The underground base of the Freedom Fighters been razed and leaving it will show… destruction. A massive forest nothing more than burnt embers, complete wrecks of the kingdom’s various buildings, a castle nothing more than rubble. In the background, a familiar blue hedgehog battles a massive machine… and loses.

“One of our worst losses. Robo-Robotnik… Eggman… attacked our kingdom, kidnapped everyone and beat Sonic senseless. He left me, Tails, Knuckles and Sonic alone, but we ended up taking his victory away… and we broke him.”]

C) On the Paths of Time - 2 CW: Death, other things

[Of course, even the Darkness can have its way with such memories. That Comics Code isn’t saving you from the supposed truth - maybe that invasion is a lot more brutal or that Eggman’s rampage was actually a deadly eradication filled with bodies. That transformation might be more grotesque or more sensual.

Amy herself? Perhaps she’s affected a lot more. She wants to act on those urges. To hurt someone or to claim them. Perhaps you can get through to her!]

D) Hello Darkness My Old Enemy

[Giant robots are one thing, but Amy is completely fed up and she wants to smash things right up close! She’ll take herself down to the portal to fight anything that comes close, setting up a luxury tent and barrier stones to make her own home base.]

Alright, you creeps! Mess with my mind, I’m gonna mess YOU up!

Wildcard

(OoC: Got an idea you wanna do? Hit me up here or contact me at AshBlaze!)

B2

[abnormalizes]

Please tell me you're not actually technically a kid please please please.

[Alarm!!!]

phainon | honkai star rail | summer

[aedeselysiae]

A; RISING AGAIN

Phainon listens to the explanation of how they have to sync up to work together in the mech. It isn't what he's expecting, that's for sure. Really, he's a little wary of this whole thing, but if this is what it takes to fight the darkness that threatens Ellipsa, so be it.

He turns to his partner (volunteered? Assigned? Doesn't matter!) and smiles. He's gregarious and convincing, even if his eyes are a little distant.

"Well, partner, I have to admit I'm not much of a dancer. The other two options sound great, though! What are you leaning towards?"

Or skipping all that and going straight to Flow:

Phainon's memories are a lot for anyone to hold. There are millions and millions of lifetimes' worth of them. They may also feel like a computer glitching out if you stay too long, fuzzy bits of code dangling in the broken sky. If you get lost, Phainon will do his best to pull you back. (If you pick the getting lost option, I can write a more custom starter.)

Once they get through that mess, then there might be some messy Resonance things. Phainon's thoughts are usually so guarded, so he won't be a huge fan of this! Hard to lie to people if they can actually feel what he's thinking.

B; ON THE PATHS OF TIME

Before Phainon can even properly figure out what this place is, memories threaten to consume him. He's done that dance before, though, and he'll be fine. For someone else experiencing his memories, though…well, who knows.

[ Memory options are as follows, tell me the number you're picking and we'll do it. ]

Major spoilers for ALL of Amphoreus

Again, all of Phainon's memories can be filled with static confusion, like a computer glitching out, or corrupted data.

1. Mydei vs Flame Reaver. Phainon is there for this as Phainon, but Phainon is also the Flame Reaver so this could be experienced from either angle.

2. Speaking of Mydei, how about some conflict? Phainon vs Mydei from the past. MYSTERIOUSLY the line about Mydei's fatal weakness is missing from this memory.

3. Also speaking of Mydei, Phainon and Mydei having a contest over who can handle the hottest bath temperature.

4. Phainon meets Stelle and Dan Heng for the first time.

Nightmare option, also spoilers

5. Phainon has yet to live this himself, but in his close future — and in this twisted nightmare version of it — he becomes Irontomb, Lord Ravager of the Destruction. But since this is a nightmare, this happens without Stelle there, so…well, there goes the cosmos, probably! This memory isn't really interactive, but it is an awful thing to witness. Phainon will be very shaken after this.

Or bring your own memory!

C; WILDCARD

[ Want to fight the Oblivisci? Want to handwave some fighting and skip to the party afterward? Do a quest? A secret fourth thing? You know what to do. Plot comment is here or hmu @ boywonder ]

eren jaeger | attack on titan | summer

[dreamsofwings]

A; ON THE PATHS OF TIME

Eren knows what happens in the mechs so he isn't open to a lot of that but TOO BAD, because somehow he's somewhat responsible for half this event! If you were here in December 2023, please feel free to remember that Eren was the reason for the Paths nonsense last time (if your character didn't participate, that's fine, we can handwave that part). Pick a fight with him about it or ask him questions OR just jump right into some terrible memories!

1. The first time Eren became a titan (TW for gore, body horror, blood)

2. 15-year-old Eren chained in a cave where he has some awful despair and tells Historia to eat him :'))
(TW for violence, blood, talk of titans eating people)

3. The basement conversation that Eren had with Reiner. This ends in a lot of people dying. But before that, this whole conversation is probably REAL WEIRD to witness considering Eren and Reiner are basically married in Ellipsa. Ya boy got a ring on his hand and everything. (TW for violence, murder, gaslighting)

4. Eren announces the Rumbling. This is future memory, but one he is well aware of. Nothing graphic in the video, but the implication is that he's going to kill pretty much everyone in the world. He won't defend this choice but he also will not apologise for it.

Dealer's choice on how interactive the memories may be. His memories are bad enough, so no extra darkness here unless you bring your own! Speaking of which, feel free to bring your own memory anyway.

B; WILDCARD

[ Eren will be helping with the Darkness (eventually), so you can encounter him there, but not in a mech. Or you can find him at the party afterward, but he's sitting alone somewhere brooding. Any other ideas you have, let's do it! Plotting comment is here. Quest plotting here if you'd rather do one of those. boywonder as always. ]

my computer's running too slowly for youtube so her memory it is

[abnormalizes]

[Hey, it's Evangeline and Reiner! They're investigating some kind of invisible maze - it's Evangeline's memory and she has a ring that lets her see the outlines of invisible objects, so they're visible to Eren, too.

They discuss the fair, briefly get sidetracked by the mention of meeting Zeke, and then circle back around to the fair, winning plushies, and what Eren's favorite animal might be. They both agree that a wolf would suit him. Fierce, loud, bitey. Evangeline asks Reiner about what Eren was like when he was younger, and he sounds terribly fond recounting it.

The memory fades out after memory-Evangeline mentions she'd like to see him like that one day. Mostly so I don't have to ask permission for airing Reiner's Mom Baggage.]

-You know, I meant to ask you about your favorite animal and forgot.

Golden Cheese Cookie | Cookie Run Kingdom | Summer

[ainteasy_beingcheesy]

Rising Again

[ Mecha Suits? Sign her up! As someone who loves technology - she even managed to tweak her magical Soul Jam with it - she instantly heads on over to be suited up... except, well. The suits are really designed for.

Taller. People. Or at least, not the size of someone who fits in the palm of your hand. So you can catch her yelling at beleaguered assistants. ]

How dare you stand there and tell me you're ready! This is sheer insolence! This world has summoned me, and yet you dare not accommodate my golden self? You should on your knees in gratitude that I am merciful, because if I weren't, your backside would be full of my arrows!

[ Eventually, arrangements are made, scrambled as they are. So it's time to do some testing! She hovers in the air, summing up her partner, before making a decision. ]

I admit, I am curious about the way you sort of beings express yourself... very well! I have decided. We shall dance. You will start. Go ahead.

On The Paths Of Time

[ For those of you who want a Happy Memory...

Behold, the Golden Cheese Kingdom! A sprawling metropolis of technology! It sort of looks like Ancient Egypt mixed with neon lights and electric cars. Cookies and Cheesebirds alike are all over, happily chatting and showing off their latest purchases. Look at my dress! Oh yeah, well look at my ride! Two good friends seem to be arguing over who wants a pair of fancy sandals more... they agree to settle it in the coliseum, laughing loudly, egging each other on.

But, ho! Look, what's that in the sky? Every single person stops what they're doing, before suddenly bursting into ecstatic cheers! Everyone, give praise! Golden Cheese Cookie is here! Give thanks, give thanks! She slowly begins to hover to the ground, flagged by some exasperated attendants. As the cheers die down, she holds up a hand. ]

I bring you news, from the cheese mines! Our dedicated workers have uncovered a ripe new vein, filled to the brim with treasures! Make sure to stake your claim soon... but tonight, we celebrate! This will be a feast for the ages!

[ An explosion of applause and cheers! Oh, there's nothing our Golden Goddess can't do! Praise her glory, may she reign forevermore! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! ]

[ For those of you who want a Sad Memory...

Behold... what was once the Golden Cheese Kingdom. The buildings have been toppled and wrecked. Streets ripped up, destruction as far as the eye can see. There's a faint hum of electricity from ripped wires. Then there's the smell... like burnt cheese. Like burnt cookies.

Crumbs and jam lay splattered across the sands. Broken Cookie bodies no matter where you turn. Young, old, no one was spared. Only the little Cheesebirds have survived, as they were able to fly away from... whatever massacred these innocent lives. But there is one living Cookie there.

The Golden Goddess. ]

It can't be... the war is over. Dark Enchantress Cookie is no more... But so is my kingdom. My temples, my gold, my treasures... And my Cookies... All of them... I lost everything! All that was gleaming, all that was mine...!

My water carriers... My servants... My builders and architects... All of those little Cookies who played on my streets... Mozzarella Cookie, whose stories always made me laugh... Smoked Cheese Cookie... we had our differences, but none cared for the kingdom as much as he... Burnt Cheese Cookie, who crumbled, protecting my land...

[ She falls to her knees in the hot sand, trying to carry armfuls of ash that just slip out of her grip. Icing tears flow down her cheeks, and she lets out a pitiful sob, and a scream that reaches the skies itself...]

THEY ALL WERE MY TREASURES! MY FINEST, MOST PRECIOUS TREASURES!

Hello Darkness My Old Enemy

[ You know the best way to deal with reliving traumatizing events?

PRETENDING THEY DIDN'T HAPPEN. That's right, it's party time, and Golden Cheese Cookie is throwing herself in there! She'll gorge herself on as much food as possible, and dance even when others are exhausted! Even when it's getting late! Even when everyone else is getting worn out... ]

Come now, what's with that look? The celebration is just getting started! Where's the juice? And I do mean that literally and figuratively, hahaha~! Let me see your live spirit move about! Surely you're not tired yet!

Wildcard
[ Make your own prompt! Feel free to plot with me at melcat33 for plurk/discord ]

sad memory time

[abnormalizes]

Golden Cheese Cookie!

[Evangeline's heart breaks for her, and she hurries to her side, sitting beside her and squeezing her shoulder.]

I'm so, so sorry.

happy (around)

[roundandaround]

Wah, that's so cool!

[sparkle sparkle]

Is this your home? It kinda reminds me of Dayrise!

Sad memory

[permboy]

[ For a moment, Gintoki doesn't even realise he's wandered into a memory. The sands change in colour, but sand is sand, and it's only when he hears Golden Cheese Cookie that he actually lifts his head and--

Freezes in place, eyes wide as he takes in the destruction.

It's a weird sort of punch of different senses. The absurdity of the burnt cheese and cookie smell, the jam, and then the sole cookie and her Cheesebirds.

The Cheesebirds.

He thinks about the adorable thing that would sit on her shoulder and feels his chest twist.

He doesn't know destruction quite like this, but he thinks he knows a little something about what this might feel like for her. For a moment, he wonders if he should say something, but eventually decides not to. Instead, he opts to sit down in the sand next to her, where she should be able to see him. ]

Izuku 'Deku' Midoriya l My Hero Academia

[procedere]

Rising Again:

Ah, I'm not the best with dancing, but I can try? Unless you want to spar, but I wouldn't want to hurt you.

[Even accidentally. It's easier to now, with his Quirk. His strength that grants him. He tries to be mindful of that, but it's less of an issue when he's just training by himself or with his friends who are capable of keeping up with him even if he isn't going absolutely all out.]

On Paths of Time:

[Izuku is familiar enough with suits and the like from the support gear back home, but they can't do all this. Still, he has to try and help out if he can. And he figures this might be kind of neat to check out. Whether he ends up pairing up with someone he knows or not, as intended from the testing and sparring and the like or there is some sort of accident there.

The memories others might see from him are his saving Eri, a little girl who was abused because of her Quirk being able to rewind time and impact other's Quirks as a result.

Maybe they see how he gets really messed up fighting Muscular for the first time, trying to keep Koda safe.

They might see his attempt to flee from his classmates before they drag him back to the dorms.

Or perhaps earlier on when he first encounters All Might and gets reassured that he can be a hero, too.

There's also that one sparring session between him and Bakugo, if anyone wants to really see them go at it together.

Spoilers here:
Or when Bakugo realizes Izuku is Quirkless again, since we can pull from the future with the memories here.

But really, I'm game if people want something else other than the ones I've mentioned/linked here!]

Wildcard:

[ooc: I'm up for something at the party as well if people want. Izuku would be there. Maybe just initially more of a wallflower as he is still kinda getting used to bigger party scenes like this. That and he might be still quiet in comings to terms with things.]

time -> future

[roundandaround]

[Rinku grips the handles of her walker. Seeing Katsuki and Izuku in the hospital, just like she'd been earlier, how beaten up and worn down they are, it makes her tear up. She sniffles and shakes her head.]

Are you gonna be all right...?

future memory!!! big ol' mha spoilers in here!!

[boombam]

[It's very strange watching memories, especially your own. Seeing yourself move around and speak, as if watching a movie where you're the star. This has to be the tenth or so memory Katsuki's seen since the start of this stupid mission, yet he's still not used to it and when he sees another one crop up it causes him to flinch in surprise.

This one.. it has him on edge from the very start. It shows himself and Izuku in a hospital room, clearly suffering from injuries left over from the war. Katsuki hasn't seen the extent of Izuku's yet, but the wrap around his own chest, arm, and face alerts the blonde to the timing of this memory. Or, more like, premonition. A glimpse into the future he's been so curious about. How Izuku's fight ended up, and how his own condition was.

He watches silently, eyes glued as the memory plays on. Widening large as plates as words are exchanged, and the mention of Izuku becoming Quirkless again slips out into the air as if it wasn't that big of a deal. As the blonde in the memory's eyes water over, the blonde outside of the memory mirrors him. Tears he isn't aware of stinging the corners of his eyes as this news sinks in like a rock in his stomach. Izuku tells Katsuki it'll be alright, that he's used to being Quirkless anyway. And then All Might does his best to give the two kind words and praise. It helps the sting, a little, but the memory ends too quick for him to be able to settle into the comfort of their idol's praise. And the word "Quirkless" rings over in his head like a bell.

Quirkless... Quirkless.....

He turns his head slowly to the other Izuku, who had been there the whole time watching along. Only noticing him once the memory fades and leaves them alone in the sands. Staring at him with confusion and fear in his eyes, for a few quiet seconds, before he finally finds something to say.]

..that.. that can't be real.. there's no way that.. th-that your Quirk...

[Was going to fade away.]

Ekko | Arcane | Spring

[computasecvnda]

Rising Again: Part 1
Ekko pauses just inside the hangar doors, boots scraping softly against the polished floor as his eyes sweep upward.

Whoa.

The mecha suits loom like patient giants—sleek armor plates folded back, cables glowing with soft pulses of light, arcane sigils threading through the metal like veins. The air hums with layered energy: electricity, magic, something stranger beneath it all. Flow, they called it. Whatever it is, it makes the hairs on his arms stand up in that this could explode or change the world kind of way.

Ekko drifts closer under the pretense of curiosity, circling one of the inactive frames. His eyes aren’t just admiring the craftsmanship—they’re cataloging. Joint actuators. Signal amplifiers. That resonance coil in the shoulder looks modular. He tilts his head, mentally sketching how it might behave if rewired, how it could stabilize a supped-up hoverboard, how—

Focus, he tells himself. You’re here to test, not loot.

Still. If something happens to 'fall off' later…

A Research Center attendant clears their throat gently, pulling him back to the moment. Ekko straightens, hands slipping back into the straps of his harness.

"Right, So—pair testing, yeah?"

They explain the Rise process, the importance of harmony, shared instinct, and mutual problem-solving. Ekko listens more seriously than he lets on. He knows what it’s like to work alone. He also knows how much stronger things get when someone else is truly in sync with you—not just following, not just watching your back, but thinking alongside you.

"Not a fan of musicals, or getting my butt kicked, so escape room it is then."

On the Paths of Time:
White sand stretches forever beneath a blue, endless sky.

Ekko lands on his feet by instinct, knees bending as if he’s dropped from a height—but there’s no impact, no sound. Just silence, thick and humming, and the soft crunch of sand that shouldn’t exist.

“…Okay,” he mutters. “That’s not normal.”

In the distance, impossibly far no matter how long he stares, a massive tree of glowing light reaches into the sky, its branches splitting into infinity. He knows without knowing that walking toward it would be pointless.

The Paths.

He’s heard of places like this. Between moments. Between choices.

Before he can orient himself further, the air shifts.

The sand beneath his feet darkens, colors bleeding in like spilled ink. The blue sky warms. Music—soft, distorted, familiar—filters through the stillness.

Ekko freezes.

"No, Wait—"

megumi aikawa ⚡ heaven burns red ⚡ summer

[yersavior]

SOCIALIZATION I: RISING AGAIN

Honestly this should be an absolute breeze!

[ Megumi sounds extremely confident, already raring to go as she makes her iconic pose. While she hadn't been around when these sorts of big tests were taken place before, she does have some experience with some of the mechs, being a Research Center part timer that explicitly works on testing things. ]

Let's see... oi! [ And she glances at the nearest person - you: ] Ya wanna try partnerin' up? I dunno how many people might be able ta keep up with me in combat, but ya sure can try if ya want.

[ Of course the other options're open too... ]

SOCIALIZATION II: ON THE PATHS OF TIME

[ And of course Megumi's getting dragged into this.

Before any memory seems to play out, people might notice that the young seraph user seems to be making a weird, rather curious expression about the place, which is made evident with what she says aloud: ]

This place's pretty weird, ain't it...

[ As for the memories being shared on Megumi's part... it's a pick your own adventure surprise custom memory catered to player preference - varying from silly to more serious moments.

And as a reminder, some of the more serious moments will contain major spoilers for Heaven Burns Red chapters 3 onwards especially and also consist of content warnings such as war, death, existential crisis, real world illnesses, unreality and cults, so let me know what you'd prefer and I will accommodate! ]

SOCIALIZATION WILDCARD

[ Want to play anything else that isn't up here? Let me know! My plotting post can be found here, but you are free to also hit me up on plurk (tsundereban) or the unofficial discord. Memshare is honestly one of the best ways to find out some of Megumi's tucked away secrets/backstory, so if you're interested in that and are okay with spoilers, fun bonding experience 💪💪💪 ]

On the Paths of Time - either one! Hit me!

[freedomfighterhammer]

It’s filled with sand and… memories? I… would say it was!

[Amy could spot some of her own memories in the distance as well, but Megumi’s…?]

Rumi | KPop Demon Hunters | Summer

[denyingit]

1. 🎵 Melodious Harmony

[Dancing and falling into a rhythm? Yeah, this sounds way too easy for a pop superstar... But of course her mind could change depending on whoever happens to become her pair here because this is supposed to be teamwork.

Rumi looks around like she's not so sure what to do. How does this work again? What? Is she supposed to ask something...? Okay, right, she can totally do this with a cute, friendly smile / look on her face.]

Hey, would you like to try this dancing with me? Oh, and you don't mind if I sing along whenever I know the song, right?

2. 💫 Feel the Fall

[ Yeah, she may be one of those, who may be kinda overskilled for this... Especially because she's been trained to fight and spar in the rhythm of music and her training included trying different weapons too -- but she'll gladly do this with anyone. Maybe it's even more reasons to try this with anyone to get even better at this.

Aaaaaaanyway... Rumi looks curiously at anyone near her or whoever she paired up for this test, because it could be a random person or someone, who already agreed to that. At least she looks friendly. For now.]

So, do you want to do this with bare hands or with some practice weapons? I'm fine with either.

3.🧩 With One Another

[ Wow, something that she has less experience with because while she may have done some escape rooms, it's been a while... Aside from rooms / areas full of demons to slay being like their own escape rooms but those don't really count since they're an entirely different thing. Not that she thinks she couldn't do this too but at least she considers this test for a moment before just jumping in, kind of... If you can call it considering in her case, she could just go in there.]

How many escape rooms have you done? Here, back home, anywhere.

[Asking from anyone near her, yes, she may be talking to you.]

4. 🌠💜🖤 PATHS

[some of these include spoilers of the movie and about her if anyone still needs that warning.]


Wai-- What the---?

[Look, it's really pretty but suddenly finding herself in this place?? What the Hell is going on here? Where is this? What is this place? She has so many questions and no answers. At least not for now.

And she'll walk around so she may also see anyone else's memories here but... Welcome to seeing any amount of her memories.

For HUNTR/X times, there are things like demons interrupting girls' snacking time, girls beating those demons while singing How It's Done, something that Rumi hasn't experienced back home yet aka their first live of GOLDEN (but pretend you only see what happens on the stage side of things aka things she'd see there) ooooor you might even see the girls taking her down (yes, again only from stage side of things aka without Mira and Zoey's pov there) or other more or less nice things with the girls. Or you could see HUNTR/X fighting and her chasing after Jinu in a bathhouse. Yes, her and Jinu's relationship is very different these days.

Either way, it sure is Rumi's first time seeing or experiencing that GOLDEN live performance and Takedown because both of those things are from her future.

And speaking of Jinu, this is totally how to BE COOL, LOOK NORMAL when you see the hottest boy ever for the first time. Ever wondered how she met Sussie and Derpy for the first time? Anyway... No one would probably ever believe how their first private meeting started but anyone's welcome to see the whole thing too instead of it ending somewhere like after "Choo Choo!" from the most adorable dork ever.

She knows she'll sing the song with Jinu in their future since they accidentally already unlocked/sang it here but she can actually see the conversation and them singing Free here.

Also, the best guardian ever for Rumi award goes to Celine. This little girl sounds kind of haunting singing that song there and the conversation doesn't make it any better. Then there's Mira and Zoey asking Rumi to the bathhouse with them, Rumi refusing to go with a random excuse and other situations, where she has done the same or something similar and Rumi saying "Maybe they'll understand." to Celine and Celine always answering that with "No, Rumi. Nothing can change until your patterns are gone.". Rumi in her own changing rooms on any concert venue instead of sharing a big one with Mira and Zoey just so they won't accidentally see them...

You know how Rumi may often seem like the sweetest, friendly, sunshine and rainbows person, who is more or less full of hope? Welcome to meeting her mostly carefully hidden dark side by seeing welcome to seeing this with her. It's her first time seeing herself in that form, also her first time getting to know how that conversation goes and all that, even if she may have guessed a lot of it... But wow, time to have a very complicated emotional rollercoaster ride here. It's what she wanted to see and the memory, that she meant with that anon question about future memories from home but-- That's A LOT of things in a short moment.

CLICK to see CWs/TWs and spoilers of that last memory/video

(last video gets CWs/TWs for a lot of things, at least including asking her guardian to kill her (and by her I mean Rumi, not Celine), and her self-loathing issues and thinking she's been a mistake ever since she was born thanks to years of emotional abuse/manipulation and whatever else from the best. guardian. ever for her. We can also skip the sword part if that's too much because that would be completely understandable, of course!)

5. 💖 We'll go from party to party

[Whether or not she's in that overall extremely positive mood after all of that is -- a good question but at least she's in party mood eventually. So, she'll be at some parties. Are Otherworlders supposed to sing too? It's definitely NOT going to be cautios singing from her, no one could even tell whether it was musical week's influence or just her normal life with a lot of singing during that week earlier this month... She'll gladly sing anytime anywhere. She'll keep it to cute pop songs and other positive things or in some typical HUNTR/X style it's something about how badass she or they can be because all of the Huntrix girls are cute and savage.

Also there's all the things to eat and drink, and Rumi will be all over that -- eating many, many things and drinking many, many things.

And while she may look very busy between all the singing, dancing, eating, drinking on endless repeat -- she's never too busy to be social, you could even sing and/or dance with her. Sometimes she's just really not sure how to start a conversation or anything with anyone.]

✨ WILDCARD

[ Feel free to pick any amount of those memories for yours to see or other memories up to her or Jinu's canon point, I'm not letting her see even more of her future (at least not here in her own toplevel) because she'll get her canon update sooner or later anyway even tho What It Sounds Like is tempting... (Or who knows, maybe I'll change my mind and let her see some of it.) Her plotting comment is here and I'm up for other things and other memories too, so if you want to talk first, hit me up either there or at baranohanabira or at disco for custom starter ideas or other / wildcard ideas or whatever else plotting, chatting etc but she's gonna be Jinu's pair for the mecha thing! Though she'll gladly do the tests with anyone and we can make them either succeed or fail one way or another.]

5

[roundandaround]

You're amazing, Rumi-chan!

[Rinku cheers from where she's standing, supported by her walker.]

Even after what happened, you could make anyone smile!

Macaque | Lego Monkie Kid | Winter

[castaside]

The Paths of Time

Between one blink and the next, Macaque finds himself walking on white sand instead of the floor of his bedroom. What the...?

He sighs, glancing around. Noting the tree of light and sensing the futility in trying to reach it, since he knows by now how this shit works. You get dragged into some crazy shit, you do something invasive of embarrassing, they let you out. It's just business as usual, isn't it?

...Still, he starts walking in the direction of the tree, lacking other cues or ideas. Maybe this won't end in him wanting to crawl under a rock, who knows? Stranger things have happened.

The Paths of Time

[melodymania]

Out of one mental nightmare and into another it seems. Max was just going to make some coffee and suddenly the tile on the kitchen floor is replaced by sand. He sighs as he hangs his head and looks out at the tree in the distance. He knows he should head for it but the sound of shifting sands catches his attention instead. He turns around to spot Macaque not far from him. He waves and walks toward him.

"At least we're not in this place alone, right? This definitely isn't my doing, I can promise you that."

Sakata Gintoki // Gintama // Spring

[permboy]

A. On the Paths of Time

1. Memories

[ Although Gintoki doesn't know what The Paths is, the very visual of it gives him a bad feeling. He turns around a lap, trying to orient himself. ]

Zura?!

[ No answer. No one around, as far as he can see. And so, he starts walking. ]

War times - neutral memory, more interactive

It doesn't take long before he walks into a big room. Those who know Japanese architecture will probably recognise it from the paper walls and sliding doors. The tatami mats, however, are difficult to see, because they're covered in countless sleeping men. Some seem to be lying on bedrolls, others directly on the mats. Some have blankets, others only have their clothes. What they all have in common, though, is that they have a sword within reach.

Gintoki doesn't expect the obstacles and immediately trips as his foot catches on the stomach of a man curled up on his side.

"Ah, sorry," he says out of reflex, earning himself an annoyed grunt in response.

As he comes to a stop next to that man, what he's seeing dawns on him. This is one of countless abandoned compounds they used as shelter during the war. Who knows if it's one they truly stayed in or if his mind has conjured it. Not like it matters. From outside the room, he can hear quiet murmurs. Familiar voices, to him. Zura and Sakamoto, who's unusually quiet, whispering to each other. It sounds like an urgent conversation.

That's when Gintoki realises he isn't alone, and he turns to whoever has joined him, putting a finger to his lips as he starts stepping over the men towards the sliding door.

The Yorozuya - happy memory, more interactive

[ OOC: I recommend reading the chapter because it's so cute. I'll only grab the start of this memory and then it'll continue in the thread if you tag it. ]

The memory this time starts with rain. Gintoki sort of stumbles to a stop, looking up at the sky with a questioning:

"Nn?"

He lifts a hand and actually feels the rain drops. Then, the surroundings change to a narrow street, and ahead, he sees a staircase with himself, Shinpachi and Kagura walking, carrying an umbrella each.

"Why should we take a walk in the middle of this rain?" he hears himself ask, and smiles as he keeps walking to keep pace with the group.

"If we stay at home, we'll only get on each other's nerves," says Shinpachi cheerfully. "It's at times like this a walk is needed. The children of Edo need to appreciate each season, right? For instance, girls walking around with their umbrella open. There's something to be said of that innocent image, right?"

Kagura walks ahead of the group, but stops as she sees the girls Shinpachi is probably referring to. Their umbrellas have a pretty flower patterned printed on them, in comparison to Kagura's plain purple. She watches them pass her.

"Girls with umbrellas you can see anytime," the Gintoki in the memory scoffs. "Girls in wet t-shirts would be way more interesting--"

Kagura closes her umbrella, which interrupts what could've potentially turned into a gross old man monologue.

Shouyou's execution - cw: decapitation. DEPRESSION, major spoiler, spectating

Any memory that flitted by him up until now was fine. Seeing Kagura and Shinpachi always leaves an emptiness in his chest for a short time, but nothing he can't deal with.

Until he hears a line that makes his step stutter, and squeezes the very breath out of his chest.

"Will your students choose the path of dying like a dog with you?"

The white sand at his feet turns into rock, shapes into a cliff. At the edge of the cliff is Yoshida Shouyou, tied up with a rope, and two armed men stand over him. Another two young men are also tied up; Katsura, who you may know, and Takasugi Shinsuke. They're surrounded by more armed men, two of which bring forth a younger Gintoki, clad in all white aside from a metal chest plate, and a white band tied around his head.

The adult Gintoki stares with wide eyes, clearly stricken, for a second.

"Or ..." the same voice as before continues. "Will they choose the path of survival even if it means killing their master with their own hands?"

Gintoki turns around abruptly, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his ears as he drops to his knees in the sand. It could almost look comical.

"No," he says, shaking his head. "No, no. Why do you keep doing this?"

Katsura and Takasugi watch the younger Gintoki with wide eyes as the memory carries on despite the protests.

"A fitting method of execution for one who fancies himself a teacher, don't you think? Your master or your comrades. Choose whichever you like."

"Gintoki," Takasugi says, desperately, pleading, as Gintoki approaches their teacher, sword in hand. "S-stop. Please."

Shouyou turns his head to look at Gintoki, and he's smiling.

"Thank you," he says, as Gintoki raises his sword.

"STOOOOOOP!" Takasugi screams, a sound that cuts through the hands adult Gintoki's still holding to his ears, and he visibly flinches.

With one mercifully swift strike, the Gintoki in the memory cuts off Shouyou's head. As it flies off, a few strands of hair that got cut along with it drift to the ground.

The memory drifts away with the sands, but Gintoki doesn't move. He's breathing heavily, trembling where he's sitting.

[ OOC: The memories are written in prose because that felt better, but feel free to respond with brackets! ]

2. Break

[ When the break is called, Gintoki immediately hurries away, finding himself a mostly quiet and empty corner of the hangar where he can slide down the wall and sit. He leans his head back against the wall, and closes his eyes, at first. But memories flash in front of his eyelids, so he opens them again the next second, and instead finds some spot on the ceiling to stare at as he focuses on breathing. ]

B. Hello Darkness My Old Enemy

[ While Gintoki battled through the results of The Paths as best he could, he's completely exhausted once it's all over. Not because of was physically taxing but because he more or less spent the whole two weeks thinking about everything he'd rather forget. A big part of him doesn't want to go to the party, but another wants even less to be in the quiet of his house.

So he's here, with bags under his eyes and, frankly, looking worse than anyone has ever seen him (yes, even those who found him in a pile of trash a few months back) as he sits down with a plate of pizza.

Despite that, though, he manages a smile if someone looks at him or approaches him. It's nice to see everyone happy. It makes him feel better, if only barely. ]

C. Wildcard

[ OOC: My plotting post is here and you can find me at Tossino, on Discord in the game server or @ Tossino, or you can PM me! Gintoki will look pretty bad during any break time in the hangar itself throughout the whole event if your character would bother him there. Do please come and try to cheer him up! He'll appreciate it. ]

MK | Lego Monkie Kid | Autumn | Lego Monkie Kid Spoilers Inside

[noodleboi]

Rising Again

I. Testing

MK is excited for this test. He loves mechs and has one of his own, of course. Working with the Research Center and the Hanger Bay to test this new system so they can explore the Darkness? That sounds amazing. He is here for the initial pairing testing. He will turn to his potential partner with a smile after they are briefed on the different tests they can undergo to make sure they'll be a good fit for the piloting.

"So do you wanna dance or spar? I'm really not gonna do well in a puzzle room. That is not a thing I am very good at, not gonna lie. Unless you really wanna do it. I'll give it a try but I might overthink everything. Fair warning."

II. Flow (Breaking and Resonance)

After a successful test for a partner, they get to try the Flow system. MK is good with separate pods or the same one. He prefers the same one though. Being able to see his partner will help him keep them in his mind while reminding himself they aren't him. This sounds like things could get confusing. Which he doesn't want to add to with them being in separate pods. Ready to go, MK is in his suit and gives a thumbs up to his fellow pilot. Time to give it a test. MK opens his mind to his partner and gets ready for their first Flow test.

Time to see just what the other is going to see and feel from the other.

For MK, it can definitely be a lot.

On The Paths Of Time

On January 16th, when the Paths of Time open up, there are a number of memories people can experience of MK's. One such memory is his face-to-face confrontation with one of his greatest enemies.

Another being An amalgamation of two memories.They flow into each other as they tie closely together and to MK's destiny.

Another being the time MK fought Porty back at home. Seemed unruly clones were always a thing with this guy.

One last memory being the time MK showed two know it all students of Shifu Subohdi what was what. It was gratifying.

Hello Darkness My Old Friend

Part II

The camp is set up and MK is with the others at the hanger bay. It's time to explore the Darkness for real. He steps into the pod and readies himself to enter the Flow with his partner. Heading inside, the mech enters a world of no color. It's like the Fairy Kingdom all over again. Blacks, greys, and nearly whites. Ruins can be seen as far as their eyes can take things in. Which, granted, doesn't feel very far part of the time.

Still, they have a mission to do and it's time to do it.

"Alright. We get in, get samples, kick monster butt, and get out. Part one. Since we'll be doing this more than once, obviously. You ready to go?"

Part III.

The woman is a surprise MK didn't expect. Maybe he should have, but he didn't. He can't hear her words and he is terrible at reading lips. He readies his arm cannon though when these strange monsters emerge as she disappears. Long claws, distorted proportions, and MK cannot tell at all what they are or were. Whatever it is, they are scary and obviously not a good thing.

"They're headed for the barrier! We need to stop them. Come on!" MK calls to his co-pilot and any other mechs in the area to move on the defensive. They can't let those things get through the barrier.

Wildcard

((OOC: Hit me up with an other scenario you would like. Discords: tseutsumi or tseutsumi if you wanna plot something out.))

I. Testing

[luckynumber13]

"Uh.. spar I guess? I don't really know how to dance." Dick scratched at one cheek as he considered his options. He'd thought trying this out with MK would be a good way to dip his toe into fighting more anyway. But the more they talk about the sharing minds thing the less it sounded like telepathy and more like something deeper. Telepathy with MK he could handle, as long as it was MK but something more that?

His feet were starting to get more than a little cold.

"It's a shame we can't just preform together instead, we could just do your sinmass song again."

K-11/Kallan | Chronicles of Darkness OC | Winter

[ka11an]

On the Paths of Time

1. - Trapped

CW/TW: Abandonment, being trapped, repeated death, dehydration and starvation.

The memory starts in a room. A simple room. A perfect square with white walls, a single bed, a small bookshelf, puzzle piece foam floor mats, all connected together, and a small collection of toys. The books that once sat upon the shelf have long since fallen apart and disintegrated. The toys are rusted, broken, and the plastic ones have begun to melt into a liquid form. The puzzle mat is torn with holes in the foam from fingers picking at the material and more than a few bite marks where teeth have removed entire chunks. There are faded crayon drawings on the walls. The wax has long since began to fade and evaporate. They look like ghosts upon the walls now, barely clinging to the material plane and fading more each day.

The only part of the room seemingly untouched by time is the boy who sits on the bed, his full jumpsuit, and the blue blanket wrapped around his shoulders. His eyes stare at the door across from the bed. He watches the door. It has no knob, no electronic panel, and barely a seem between it and the wall. That door does not open from this side of the room. It doesn't open at all. Sunken eyes stare at the door and don't look away.

The boy wobbles as the confusion and headache grow to be too much. His eyes are heavy. They always get heavy at this part. He has enough energy to lean to his right. He falls down upon the bed. He should sleep but he isn't tired. Sleep usually feels not so bad. Sleep is what he wishes would take him. His eyes start to become unfocused as he stares at the door still. His dry tongue tries to lick cracked lips but it gives no relief.

All he can do is breath rapidly, trying to suck down any and all oxygen he can. Until his breathing slows down. His eyes grow unfocused. He goes still. He died.

Again.

His body starts to heal. Dark circles around his eyes start to clear. His lips heal as flesh stitches itself together. His eyes become brighter. All those signs of his dehydration vanish. Then he gasps. He comes back, looking healthy again. He sits up and sighs. He wraps his blanket around himself tighter and pulls it up over his head, like a little hood. He sniffles before his hands reach up to grab messy blond hair and pull out of stress.

"Don't cry...don't cry...don't waste the water. Don't cry...don't cry...." His voice cracks. He pulls harder on his hair and rocks back and forth on his bed.

2. - Freed

CW/TW: Violence

K-11 is in an elevator with a group of others. One is Cole. There are three others, one young man with brown hair, an older man with salt and pepper hair, an eye patch, and neck tattoos, and the last is draped in shadow and hard to see in the memory. The elevator slows to a stop and opens with a ding. As the four step out, they find themselves in what is clearly a business lobby of some kind. Well, it was.

Now it looks like it's a hideout for people wearing scraps of metal tied to their clothes and sharp weapons. They people jump up with shouts of surprise and anger. A fight quickly breaks out. K-11 grabs a large stick with a sharped blade at the end. He swings it at one of the ones attacking him and the others from the elevator. Blood is spilled. Most of the people run away, though one is dead. The blade attached to K-11's stick in his stomach.

K-11 pays the dead man, the one he killed, any mind. He runs outside and looks up. The outside world is dark outside. There are lights in the distance. Around them are buildings that have long been abandoned. Windows broken, cars stripped for parts in the streets, and the moon hangs high in the sky. It glows with a faint green glow. The sky looks as though claws have scored the heavens themselves. The red angry scars glow, painting the night in red and green hues. K-11 smiles wide and spins around, and he is happy as can be.

"Outside!" He cries out into the night sky. "OUTSIDE! I'm finally outside!"

3. - Test Subject

CW/TW: Human experimentation, allusions of torture and dehumanization

K-11 sits in a start white laboratory upon a table. The table is cold under his skin. He lays there as a woman stands over him. Beside her is a man. The man's face is fuzzy to his memory. The woman he remembers. Her hair is long and black. It is pushed back and neatly braided. Her round glasses sometimes catch the light and hide her dark eyes. She smiles as she inserts the needle into his arm and draws out his blood. K-11 winces but he knows better than to make a fuss.

Especially when she is here.

Another woman stands in the room, her arms folded nearly in her lap. She wears a beautiful blue dress with white lace trip and small black accent in the buttons and seams. Her steely blue eyes watch him intently. It's like she can see inside him and K-11 feels exposed. More so than his lack of any real clothes, save the gown on him. When she looks at him, it feels like she peels off his clothes, his skin, and stares into this very core. It is unsettling. She unsettles him. Always has.

"I expect answers, Dr. Winn," the fancy dressed woman says without taking her eyes off K-11.

"Of course, your majesty. I believe I am on the right track. I simply need a little more time-" the woman with the glasses, Dr. Winn, starts to answer.

"Time? You expect time is something I can provide you, Dr. Winn? I have provided you with this runoff," she motions to K-11, "this lap, the reactor that powers this installation, I provided you with lab assistants, the best equipment left on this miserable wreck of a world, and you still ask for more?" The woman stands, her heelless heels touching the cold tiled floor. She walks toward the woman and the man.

"I only meant-" The doctor starts again, only to be cut off once more.

"You only meant you aren't going fast enough. I want my answers. I demand you do that which I hired you for. If you cannot do as I ask, inform me. So I may find a competent mind who can complete the tasks I have given you. I need to know what this thing is. How it works. If I can use it to rectify the utter disappointing mistake that was Manifestation Day." The woman in the fancy dress, the Queen, stands before Dr. Winn now. Dr. Winn is taller but the Queen simply floats into the air to tower over her.

"Do I make myself clear?" The Queen asks.

"Yes, your majesty. Transparently," Dr. Winn says.

"Good. Now I must go. The fires approach. I feel them. When I return, I expect answers. Discover the truth about what this," The Queen reaches out, grabbing a fistful of blond hair on K-11's head. He yelps in pain, the first sound he's made besides breathing since the talking started. "trash is and how I can use it! It had better be useful. It has to be. Else it's all of your heads if I spend all of these resources for nothing." The Queen's eyes shift to K-11. The blond boy squirms in her grasp, whimpering in pain, unable to try and pull away without pulling his hair.

"You had better live up to my expectations. Otherwise, I will enjoy tearing you apart. Molecule by molecule." The Queen releases K-11's hair and walks away. "Get back to work. I will return in a fortnight," the Queen barks and leaves the room. Dr. Winn is still until she is out of sight.

"Doctor? Why didn't you tell her about-" the male assistant starts but Dr. Winn raises her hand to silence him.

"Until we know more about the phenomenon, we cannot tell her. We must have the answers as to how it works. Now, get the samples in the equipment for analysis through this next test." She hands over the blood. He nods and walks away.

"A-Are...the tests over?" K-11 asks quietly, almost a whisper.

"Not yet, my test subject," Dr. Winn says with a smile. She touches a button on the table. Cuffs lock around his wrists and ankles. He tries to pull but he can't move. That's when she turns and grabs an electronic bone saw off the table behind her.

"Now. Try not to be too loud this time. We've run out of ear plugs and I've misplaced my pair of ear muffs. If you need to bite something, chew your tongue."

The whirl of the blade ends the memory.

4. - Á̸͇͔̩̮͖͇ṡ̵̬̳͔̮̩̳̭͓̹́ ̸͙̯̙͙͔͕̪̺̇͑̌̚A̶̲͇̝͔̙̰͚͓͖̱̝̠̻͊͋͒̔̾̚͝b̸̡͕͔͍͇̫͎͎̬̙̺̄̏̽͗̏̈́͒̀̃̂̑̀̈́͘͝o̷̹̻̎̏͊̓̈́͜͝ͅv̵̘̾̎e̷͓̚ ̶̨̦̻͚̞͓̫̟̝̝̻͖̖̒͆̽͐̊͒̉́S̷͓̺̖̘͇̈́̏͊̍̀̊͐̍́ͅo̸͚͊͊͗͗͂̇̌ ̵̳̣͇͈̬̣̖̙̥̘̻͕̟͎́ͅB̴̨͍͎̝̖̙̜̂́͗è̷̢̙̹̐͗̂͑̈́̓̓̔͋̓͝͝ĺ̷̡̛͇̣̻̜̱̱̀͗͜ó̵̦̜͓̭̮̘̘͎́ͅw̴̭͚̖̋̐̈́͒̀̓̕

CW/TW: Existentialism

It's dark. It is always dark. You cannot feel your body. You cannot feel anything. There is a numbness to it all. An endless expanse of nothing and numb. Then a light flickers on in the darkness. A single square light. Then another. And another. The hum of vacuum tubes starts to fill the space. The hum increases in volume with each light that turns on around you. Screen. They're TV screens. Little electronic windows that hum and show the vastness of the multiverse. Worlds upon worlds, infinities upon infinities.

Your eye. It sees all. The creatures of these worlds. The ones whom the Consensus of Reality agrees exist and belong, and those whom the Consensus says are fictional, only befitting the dark imaginings of children and adults alike. Yet they exist. They exist, they move, they thrive, they eat, they reproduce, and they die. Some more slowly than others, some more quickly, some made of dead things brought to life once more, others corpses locked in statis, others shifting creatures pulled between two worlds, and some awakened beings who understand the Consensus yet are blind to the Grand Picture.

Not you. You understand. You see. The connections begin. The insertion of wires, power, cogs, welding of beams, the spinning of pistons, the whirling of engines, the transfer of data along lines of code and metal, and the growing blossom of technology. Some worlds hold more, others hold so very little, others advance in the manipulation of the basic structures of reality and mold the Consensus to their designs. Others have no clue about the truth of them and simplify the truths of existence to folklore, to beings of power, to forces unseen, and to the whims of elements and seasons.

You know better. Of course you do. You see. You were always meant to see. You turn from the screens, or the screens slide away into the void and away from you. A crystalline sphere rolls into view. It shapes according to your thoughts. It extends, shrinks, twists, and is built into something. Built for a purpose. It will complete its purpose and then cease to exist. As all things do. As is part of the design. Your design. You feel something access a memory.

Suddenly you are separate from the thing this memory put you inside. You are forced out. You float in the endless void. Then the light beams down at you. A massive beam of light coming from the gaze of a massive eye above you. The iris shrinks and widens with metal slats that form the aperture. The light grows hotter until suddenly the memory ends and you're forced back into the sands of the Paths. Ejected from the memory.

5. - The Here and Now
Sitting in the sands of the Paths is Kallan. He tries to build something out of the sand with his hands. He scoops it up and pulls it into a mound. He tries to form it with his hands but it keeps slipping through his fingers. Still, he smiles with his tongue sticking out in focus. He has no idea where he is but seems to not care that much that he's here. He will look over when approached with a smile.

"Hi. Do you know how to build a sand castle? I'm trying but it won't stay up."

6. - Wildcard

((Hit me up with a thread idea, either in the Paths or outside them when they end. tseutsumi or Discord: tseutsumi to chat with me if you wanna.))

5

[roundandaround]

[Rinku parks her walker. She takes a deep breath and forces herself to walk, step by small and shaky step, and kneels by Kallan.]

I think you need liquid. It won't stick together otherwise.

Dick Fords | Original Character |Summer

[luckynumber13]

Path’s of time

Dick felt kind of rotten that he’d bailed on the mech training. He had been thinking he should start doing more combat quests, start really fighting for this world he had been summoned too instead of freeloading… but the thought of sharing a mind with someone, even MK was too much. He had seen more than enough of people’s minds, that’s why he got the cuff on his wrist; and he sure as hell didn’t want to subject anyone else to his mind. It sucked in there!

But dwelling on that wasn’t helping so he had set about on cleaning his room… and then the whole apartment, except for Paulo’s room of course. He was just walking back to the closet to put the vacuum away when it vanished. The whole apartment vanished also as he found himself looking around a white sandy landscape.

“Okay… where the fuck am I?”




Memories to wander into

1 – Training
Dick was young in this memory, matching the room he was in, it looked like a classroom right out of elementary school with brightly coloured posters on the wall displaying maths and English. But also, strangely, signs of human body language a smile being happy a frown being angry.

Dick is sat on one of the tables his foot resting on the one next to it as he watched the only other cat in the room reading a book. The other cat like Dick is only wearing a harness with IN TRAINING stitched on the back

Dick is tossing a bright yellow ball from hand to hand. As he glanced around the room at everything and nothing.

Suddenly he threw the ball down at the ground hard and the other cat, a white and orange shorthair all but dove out of his seat to pounce on it, missing as it bounced back up into the air.

"...Damn it," the other cat, well kitten really, swore as he just lay there face down on the tiled floor, he didn’t even react as the ball fell back to the ground and handed on the back of his head, Dick caught it before it could fall on him a second time.

"Kevin I don’t think this is working…." Dick hopped off the desk and sat on the floor next to Kevin.

"Aww come on Richard, third time’s the charm right?” Kevin rolled over and grinned.

"Okay but if you break something diving for it again I’m telling Mrs Jones this was your idea."



2 – We are [Not] Siblings (TW- character being accused of paedophilia)

A fully grown Dick was sat at a kitchen table, dressed in dark blue pyjamas glaring at the man and woman standing opposite them. His ears trembling with the effort it took to stop them pinning back in anger. The woman is holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket, and behind her is a young white rabbit girl with black ears, her ears were pinned back and she was wringing her hands nervously.

"Sam, you can not seriously think I… I’m fourteen and she’s only two!"

"She was in your bed,"the man, Sam, pointed out.

"I...I h-had-" the woman hushed the stuttering rabbit harshly.

"Listen to her! She had a nightmare and didn’t want to sleep alone." Dick gestured to the rabbit girl who flinched. Dick winced at her reaction. Sam I would never…."

"Richard, we’ve been thinking about this, you know Karen is allergic to you," The woman hadn’t sneezed or rubbed at her eyes once the entire time they’ve been in the kitchen,"and we don’t know if the baby will be too, and now this we-"

"Nothing happened!"

"Richard!"

"I don’t even like girls!"

Sam’s face hardened and now Dick’s ears did pin back, in fear. He’d always been told to never, ever, let Sam know he was gay.

"We’ve already decided, go pack your bags."

"You can’t...Dad would never-"

"HE WASN’T YOUR DAD." Sam roared, causing the rabbit girl to flinch and start shaking. The baby started crying and Karen started bouncing him to get him to settle again. "He was father you were just a cat he bought to push him around in his wheelchair."

Dick was holding the edge of the table so tight his claws were digging into the wood, when he finally stood and walked away from the table with was with enough force that the chair fell over, the bang causing the baby to start crying again.



3 – Cage Fight

There warehouse that had been abandoned at some point but was certainly being used now, there’s a DJ booth at the back pumping out rave music loud enough it could be felt through the ground. A rabbit with a seal point markings was bouncing around the booth trying to hype up the crowd while a blue haired girl focused on the music.

The DJ booth was not the main attraction however.

At the other end of the warehouse floor was a section that had been sectioned off with construction security fencing, with a large crowd gathered around it.

Dick was inside no leather coat, no shoes, just tracksuit bottoms, a vest and wraps on his hands. His torn ears were pinned half way back but his shoulders seemed loose, his kinked tail still. Those who have ever seen Dick wound up before would recognise the false front.

He was facing down a dog two foot taller than him. The dog a scruffy black furred thing with lanky limbs did not have any kind of false calmness at all. He was snarling with teeth bared and eyes wide.

The crowd was roaring for the fight to start but Dick didn’t seem to be in any hurry to move.

Dick tilted his head eyebrow raised. Only for him to startle and look away from the dog when one of the humans outside the cage started yelling.

"If you two don’t stop showing us your useless yellow bellies I’m gonna get the fucking cattle prods!"

The combination of the threat and Dick’s distraction was enough for the dog to charge in and attack, Dick tried to block but just got his arm bitten for his efforts.

Dick yowled but it was quickly followed but a the dog’s yelp as he pulled back clutching his own unharmed arm.

"Wh-what?"

Dick starts laughing darkly looking at the bleeding bite wound in his arm as he starts advancing on the dog. Who whimpered and started clutching his head as Dick’s nose started to bleed.

"My owner had something far worse than Cattleprods" Dick growls as he finally starts throwing punches. The dog tries to attack Dick again kneeing Dick in the stomach only for both of them to fall to the ground as if they had both been struck, and the dog not knowing why he was feeling Dick’s pain was slower to recover as Dick when on the offensive again and didn’t stop until the dog was cowering in the corner of the cage.

katsuki bakugo // my hero academia // winter // HUGE mha spoilers in here and cw: lots of blood

[boombam]

i. escape time

[Of course Katsuki was interested the moment he heard something about piloting mechs. He eagerly lined up to join the experiment, and when given the choices he decides to skip the sparring he'd normally choose and go for the escape rooms instead. That sounded more fun, and he's not sure his pride would allow himself to be touched even once by his partner during combat even though they were supposed to hit each other three times. And no one wants him to end up taking it too seriously and potentially getting injured or injuring someone in the process...

At least with these escape rooms, Katsuki has confidence that he can solve them. He's good with puzzles and can even hack into security systems from tinkering around with tech over the years, so he knows he'll be good at these. The real question he had was if his partner was going to be just as good or not... even if it's someone he knows, he isn't sure of everyone's puzzle capabilities and so before they start he decides to double check.]

So, are you the brains or brawns of this operation?

ii. memories

[One way or another, Katsuki finds himself in the Paths. He's not been here before, and so he finds himself annoyed as he trudges through the sands. Looking for someone, or something, to crop up. He ends up here quite a few times, and each time brings out a memory for him and another to watch. There's five in total of his that play, over and over, so there's plenty of chances for anyone to see any of them. Poor boy.]

ONE: AN EMOTIONAL FIGHT

[In this memory, Katsuki and Izuku fight it out as Katsuki blames himself for his idol needing to retire, and it ends in this outburst from the blonde boy. All Might saved him from being kidnapped by Villains, but in turn he fought so hard to protect him that he almost completely used up the rest of his power. And the guilt that Katsuki felt from that situation built up inside of him until it hindered his performance during an important exam and he couldn't hold it in anymore. He baits Izuku into fighting with him to get some steam out, and in the middle of their battle he ends up crying and expressing everything that's been on his mind.

While watching, Katsuki looks a little restless.]

TWO: PERFORMING IN A BAND

[In this memory, Katsuki performs as the drummer of a new band formed in his class. Villains had been targeting his class, and school in general, a lot lately and to try and cheer the students up the faculty of U.A decide to throw a culture festival. Students are told to make some kind of event for the others to enjoy, and the class of 1-A settle on a live band performance. Katsuki, having had taken drumming lessons as a kid, is recruited as their drummer and after overhearing other students talking badly about his class he decides to join in willingly and help make the best performance that they could.

This is a happy memory, albeit a bit cheesy and the blonde has a small smile while he watches his classmates and him have so much fun.]

THREE: NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE CW: FOR BLOOD AND BODY HORROR AND "CHARACTER DEATH"

[In this memory, Katsuki nearly loses his life after fighting past his limits. Anyone paying any attention to the blonde outside of the memory will notice that he can't watch this one for even a second. The memory is still too raw for him, and he can't bear to see all the mistakes he made leading up to this moment. He does recover from this enough to continue fighting later on, and even winning his battle, after climbing out of Death's grasp and bringing himself back from the other side. So this near-death experience has a happy ending. But... still.

It's hard for anyone to watch, most likely.]

FOUR: A VAMPIRE'S KISS CW: FOR BLOOD AND CHARACTER DEATH... SORT OF

[In this memory, Katsuki is turned into a vampire and saved by his "foster" dad, Mike. It's another he has a hard time watching because of how stupid he feels for letting this happen. It was right after he had his right arm removed, back in May of last year, and he made a lot of dumb decisions that cost him his humanity.

In retrospect, though, he's pretty thankful in the end for his new powers and longer life-span. So at least there's that silver lining.]

FIVE: IS BEING GAY OKAY?

[In this memory, Katsuki finds out he's gay by talking with Mike about relationships and his worries of his parents reactions if he came out. This memory has Katsuki screaming in the background or kicking the sand from embarrassment.. he's very dramatic when he's embarrassed, okay? But this was a PRIVATE conversation that was supposed to STAY private, and now it's out for anyone to see!!]

iii. wildcard

[ooc: full disclosure that i'm not the best at writing threads involving the actual robot controlling part which is why i havent written a prompt for it... but, if you'd still like to play out that part hit me up!!! or if none of these memories work, let me know and i can pick a new one!! you can always dm this journal to get a hold of me!

i also apologize for how cut up the third youtube link is.. it happened over a couple episodes so this was kind of the best clip of his near-death i could find!!!]

closed to mike!!!

[boombam]

[Somehow, someway, Mike and Katsuki end up in the Paths together sharing memories. Before Katsuki can greet Mike, one of his own memories play. Showing his foster dad the dynamic of his home-life, and how it can be hectic one second and sweet the next. He watches with his arms crossed, an annoyed expression on his face as he remembers how his mom's words stuck to him at the time. That it was his fault for getting caught, and how he had just caused everyone trouble. At the same time, though, seeing her wanting them to look after him like that makes him miss her at the same time.. his father, too.

He wonders what they'd think of him, now.]

...well. Now you've seen my parents beyond a couple photos in an album.

[He grumbles that once the memory is over, his left hand reaching to mess with his hair a little as an uncomfortable feeling clings to the air.]