apocalypsehowmods: (Default)
Apocalypse How Mods ([personal profile] apocalypsehowmods) wrote in [community profile] apocalypsehowcomm2023-12-23 04:54 pm

Event - Apocalypse How


Apocalypse How

A grand, circulate ballroom done in gold and blue.
(cw: spiders, manipulation, brief physical control/restraint)

All at once, it's over. The last room–you know it is the last–and whatever lies beyond it. You and your companions or you, by yourself, open the door and find yourself faced with a grand, circular ballroom. There are too many doors leading off from it–around the walls, in the floor, in the ceiling–and they all seem to open simultaneously to reveal the other off-worlders who entered this house. The ones who are still alive, anyway.

The space you look upon must once have been host to extravagant balls and feasts… if it ever actually existed. Now, its gold and blue gleam are smothered beneath thick, ropey webbing. At the center of the room is an archway of webs along with two familiar faces: Reyes Amador and Bonnie Gale, the latter with a half-healed cut over one eye. The pair are hugging one another, but pull apart as they find their solitude broken.

Reyes flexes their fingers and for just a moment, your body is not your own. You can see faint strands connecting to each and every person to their fingertips. The spider silk simply holds people in place, rather than forcing them to do anything.

"My friends," Reyes says. "We have found it. We have done it. We have created a way to get out of this place. To get home. Thank you for coming when we called. When my Bonnie and the house called." Bonnie raises her hand awkwardly before wrapping it around Reyes' arm. "Witness now. We are ready to make this happen. I learned from someone who came to this world the same way we'll exit. I know what we must do."

They take a breath, then turn to the archway. Reyes raises the arm Bonnie isn't holding and speaks, their voice reverberating unnaturally in the space as the webs vibrate and hum and seem to draw something from everyone.

"Upon a wide and open plain, there sits a house that once was famed for fifteen windows tall and thin, designed to let intruders in. Twisting round this white-washed frame are vines and thorns and metal chain… and links that rust in dusty brown and burn and bite into the ground. Come to this house and see inside, all ups and downs and side-to-sides. And feel the things we fear the most in broken self and time and ghosts. Come here upon this hallowed ground and hear my voice, my call, my sound. Hear me now, oh, dreadful things, the blood that sings inside my veins:

"Hear me now, you things that bite,
And rot and dig and flee and fight.
And burn and hide and change and know
And bleed and fade and spin and show
A side that is not truly there
And stretch the endless, cosmic tears.
Hear me now, you things that weave
Who pull the strings to let us leave!

"Hear me–hear us. And exit!"

A deafening sound rips through the room at the same time everything is overtaken by a blindingly white light. The power holding people in place is gone, severed with the burst. When sight and hearing return, the ballroom is shaking, the webs straining and snapping in places, but at the center, in the archway, is a bright, sickly glow of deep purple energy. Bonnie is holding Reyes where they seem to have partially collapsed on her shoulder.

Reyes lifts their head. "My friends… go! We must go while we can."


➥ Mod Notes
  • GENERAL - Players may speak with Reyes, Bonnie, and/or each other here. Ultimately, they are going to have an ICly limited amount of time to make a decision about what to do. You may tag in for NPC threads until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on 8 January. Players are welcome to tag in for threads with each other beyond that!

    The choice is to stay or to leave. For those who wish to leave, they will be able to do so before anyone can stop them. If your character would choose to stay ICly, but you OOCly want them to leave, easy enough to say a friend pulled them or the power of the portal dragged them in because they were too close.

    For those who wish to stay, effort will need to be made to get out of the house before it collapses or you may find yourself dead. If your character would choose to leave ICly, but you OOCly want them to stay, easy enough to say the portal destabilized before they could get through for one reason or another. There's no fear gauntlet to face on the way out of the house. All of the Entities are pressing at the barrier to the places beyond this world that have opened up. However, it is still dangerous as the house falls down around your ears.

    A final post will be made after the results of the poll that will provide an overview of the world anyone who stays will be stepping into. For those who leave, your ending is your own to choose, whether that's another DWRP game, going back to your own reality, or going to a different reality. Regardless, if you leave, you are marked and you carry some piece of the Dread Powers with you to infect the next world you arrive in. Perhaps they get there before you or perhaps it's after, but they will be present in this new reality now, whether or not your character lives to see their rise and potential fall.

    Please be sure to vote in the OOC POLL so that we know where characters will be going to decide the endgame state. The date to respond to this poll is the same as the NPC tag-in cut off: 11:59 PM Pacific on 8 January.

dangerousmind: (355)

Reyes (Bonnie is welcome to interject though)

[personal profile] dangerousmind 2023-12-24 12:11 am (UTC)(link)
[Aelwyn's angry - sure. But there's a curl of a smile on her face, and none of the fear that you might expect.

It's not the worst plan, if she's understanding it right. And even if she isn't, maybe on some level it's just too much effort to continue to pretend to care about this stain of a planet.

People are dead. People she thought of as... maybe not friends, but something close to it right? And yet... she feels nothing.

So she laughs.]


So. How long have you been planning this?
apocalypsehownpcs: (Reyes Amador | ADI PR)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2023-12-24 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
[Reyes uses Bonnie's help to stand a little straighter as they meet Aelwyn's gaze.]

Since we arrived. But talking with Jon Sims... this gave me the idea. He did something like this in his world. He was drawn to this one in the same way. So, if it works in coming, then it should be in going.
dangerousmind: (380)

[personal profile] dangerousmind 2023-12-24 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Aelwyn's lips thin, a thread of visible irritation and anger on her face.

Fucking Jon. Even when she borderlined blackmailed him about it, he didn't share his whole story, but he shared it with Reyes? Someone who Aelwyn pinpointed as suspicious long before he even disappeared?

That cagey motherfucker.

Still, the irritation vanishes as soon as it appeared, replaced only with a smooth indifference.]


You wouldn't be able to control where you go.

Is it your hope that the Spider will guide you back home, rather than plunge you deeper into another world about four times as nightmarish as this one so you can pull this exact scheme again?
apocalypsehownpcs: (Reyes Amador | ADI PR)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2023-12-24 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
Jealousy is unbecoming.

[Their tone is dry with that, and there's a darkness and intensity to their gaze that Aelwyn may be able to pick up is them reading something off of her.]

But I hold more strands than you imagine. We all do. These things wish to enter the worlds we came from. So, they will send us back there and ride our bodies with them. The Web does not speak to me, but I feel I know this. It is a small price to pay to reach home, bringing them.

And if they do put me somewhere else, then I will do this again. And again. And again. As many times as I need to, to keep my Bonnie safe and get her home. This was not a world for her--for us. Perhaps the next one will be.
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Neutral - Could be)

Sheppard | OTA

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2023-12-24 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
[So that just happened. Sheppard's still in huntbeast form as a giant, seven-foot lynx-like creature, either unable or unwilling to turn back, and the moment he's freed from the power in the webs he snarls and starts pacing. If someone has never seen him in this form, it's definitely Sheppard's voice that comes out of the monster.

He turns to whoever's around, near him, or maybe he crosses the room to address you personally.

They don't have much time.]


I don't trust this! Do you?
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Angry - I can tell you how it ends)

Reyes (and Bonnie too if she wants!)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2023-12-24 07:04 am (UTC)(link)
[The giant, seven-foot lynx-like huntbeast that Sheppard now is prowls up to Reyes.]

What did you just do to us!?

[He has an idea of what they just did, but he wants to hear it. Because he has a sinking suspicion this isn't going to be as easy as stepping through a Gate.]
Edited 2023-12-24 08:26 (UTC)
ruevealing: (from the pot here to the kettle)

Bonnie

[personal profile] ruevealing 2023-12-24 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
[It is the half-healed cut above her eye that Rue notices.

A month ago, Rue might not have cared, but they still have Nia's blood dried into their feathers, into the fabric of their ruined dress.]


You were the one who called us here, disguised as Nia, were you not?
rainestorms: (Raine_glassesoff)

[personal profile] rainestorms 2023-12-24 08:48 am (UTC)(link)
[Raine looks worse for wear. Between the blood on their person and the various mystery bites, bruises, gashes, torn clothes, remnants of their room's corruption, and other miscellaneous things... They've had more than enough. They're ready to end this, so they don't do much in sense of a reaction to Sheppard.]

I certainly don't trust it anymore than I trust anything else about this terrible place. Every set of stairs or hole or doorway that the entities have given us haven't led to anything good.

[They hesitate, but at this point they don't really care.]


I do want to ask our friends-

[There's a poison to friends, namely, they don't see either as a friend]

-what they think this is, but I'm not sure they'd even tell us the full truth. Not when they had to control us to get us here...
Edited 2023-12-24 19:45 (UTC)
dangerousmind: (393)

[personal profile] dangerousmind 2023-12-24 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[At this, Aelwyn merely laughs. The sound is light and pretty in comparison to the ugliness within her.]

I'm not jealous of you, Reyes, I'm annoyed at Jon.

[There's a significant difference.

Her plan wandering in here was to hijack the ritual somehow, to take control of it all like Jon did, oh so long ago. That plan is beginning to look a bit unrealistic.

Still, maybe she can burn this wretched little park to the ground on the way out. Maybe she can kill Reyes and their beloved and drink their despair before riding off with Mercy into a new world to ruin and rule.

Or she could not. She could just leave. She could find a cure, be herself again, make things right with her sister if she wanted. She could go home arm in arm with Mercy, introduce her to her parents before they slaughtered them like animals. And burn Fallinel to the ground.

All tempting options.]


Full transparency? If I'd known you were planning this, I would have been on board from the start. [And not, you know, snitched on Reyes and gotten her demoted.] Honestly, I would do the very same for my own beloved Mercy. I couldn't care less about this world or any other in comparison.

Some of the others will probably want your head, though. Just as a headsup. [Aelwyn hasn't fully decided if she does. But it's not born of anger or betrayal. More like she's having trouble deciding if she wants to have dessert or not.]
dangerousmind: (385)

[personal profile] dangerousmind 2023-12-24 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Well. No. For obvious reasons.

[Aelwyn is slumped up against the wall, as casual as can be (realistically she has surpassed the 'can be' threshold) even in these rather dire circumstances.]

I think our dear "friends" are being honest though, for once.
bossyboiler: ((white) 8)

Either

[personal profile] bossyboiler 2023-12-25 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH? Who we've lost?

[ She is screaming at them. Kate is beyond angry, beyond hurt, beyond grief-stricken. ]

You expect us to trust you now? How do we know that portal won't lead us to someplace worse?
bossyboiler: ((white) 28)

[personal profile] bossyboiler 2023-12-25 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
Obviously not. Are you stupid? [ She lets out a sob. ]

[ Sorry Sheppard. It's not personal but Kate is grieving and striking out, looking to make someone feel like she feels. She doesn't even care that Sheppard is a werecat. ]
apocalypsehownpcs: (Reyes Amador | ADI PR)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2023-12-25 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
[They just hum at her retort. But the rest they listen to, gaze focused on her in spite of the chaos swirling around them.]

I did not know this was my specific plan until half a year ago. This is when Jon told me what happened to his world, how he came here. But I thank you for what you did. Pursuing matters was far more difficult as Nia's right hand. I could not have done the exploration I needed if I'd spent my time under her eyes.

I know not everyone will appreciate this. But I give them the choice, anyway. [A gesture to the portal.] We all have our choices to make. Some our loved ones will love us all the more for making them.
apocalypsehownpcs: (Reyes Amador | ADI PR)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2023-12-25 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
My friend, I apologize.

[Reyes raises a hand briefly.]

I could not be sure none of you would rush at me before we could open the portal. We needed all of our strength, our marks, to make it. You are free to make your choices from here. I have no hold on you.
apocalypsehownpcs: (Reyes Amador | ADI PR)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2023-12-25 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
Too many.

[Reyes' gaze turns to her.]

We have lost too many who have died to these Entities, to each other, to the forces in this world that try to control us. This is our choice, though. One of the first choices we have truly had, Kate.

You need not trust me. You need not step through. I will be with Bonnie. I believe this portal will lead us home. I cannot guarantee it... but it is the option that makes the most sense. These things in us, the Fears that ride us, they want more. What better way than to take them to our own realities?
ferriswheelsandfootball: (pic#16327664)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2023-12-25 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
But we weren't free to make this choice.

[He snarls, dropping down to all fours and pacing back and forth in front of Reyes.]

Tell me exactly what is going to happen if we step through that portal.
apocalypsehownpcs: (Reyes Amador | ADI PR)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2023-12-25 01:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[Reyes is watching the beast that stalks carefully.]

I would be lying to you if I were to give you exacts. Or at least... I would be assuming a great deal. I can guess. This will take us to our homes. These things that mark us, ride us, they will come with us. Some piece of them, at least. This is what happened to another who did something like this. He and his brought these beings here. But they seem to have arrived before him. They grew and grew in power and then he came here with us. Time is not a linear progression across universes.

So, when we step through, we may arrive after the Entities or before them. I offer no guarantees on this. I can see the threads of possibilities, but they are only threads. Splitting, shifting. Every choice and change alters them.
apocalypsehownpcs: (Bonnie Gale | she of the Flophouse)

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2023-12-25 01:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[Bonnie can't seem to suppress a giddy smile as she looks around at all of them, even as she also looks ready to burst into tears. That expression shifts to concern as she takes in all the blood.]

Are you--

[She bites off the obvious question with an obvious answer as her face tightens and shifts, Nia's face staring back at Rue for just the blink of an eye before Bonnie shakes it off and it's her again, rocking back on her heels as if surprised by her own shift.]

Sorry. I--yes. That was...I'm sorry we had to do that. Reyes needed my power.
apocalypsehownpcs: (Bonnie Gale | she of the Flophouse)

Bonnie's going to bop in and out of this thread; don't wait on her!

[personal profile] apocalypsehownpcs 2023-12-25 01:53 pm (UTC)(link)
It's still your choice.

[Bonnie's gaze is upon the beast as well, but it's pity in her eyes rather than fear.]

None of you chose to come here--to this universe, to this house. We just wanted to give you the choice now, whether you stay here or go. It--it won't last long, though. And I don't know if you'll ever get another chance if you don't go now.
Edited 2023-12-25 13:54 (UTC)
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Angry - kills me for the money)

👍

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2023-12-25 03:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, really? Thanks for that! There's always strings attached, always a price!

[The pacing gets a little more furious, a little more agitated, and he snarls again.]

So we make the choice to go and we bring these damn Entities along with us?

[It's a horrible decision to make in moments and there are too many possibilities for both good and ill that could potentially doom their universe. At least when he woke the Wraith and doomed the galaxy he didn't do it on purpose...unless the Hunt was already in him when he did so...

...crap.]


Do you realize what you've just done? What you've unleashed?
ferriswheelsandfootball: (pic#16327609)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2023-12-25 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
It's never this easy. Nothing is ever this easy in this place.

[He agrees, especially after what he's seen in this house.]

I'll ask and see what they say. We might get something out of them, but being able to believe them, that's another story.

[He drops to all fours and paces, tail lashing.]

There's not enough time to make a good decision about this...
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Neutral - Problem)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2023-12-25 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
You think they're telling the truth?

[The beast paces back and forth, a growl under his breath.]

I think that they may have messed with things they don't understand and can't control. Story of this place, anyway.
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Angry - Full of cages)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2023-12-25 03:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Sometimes, yeah!

[That's certainly a reaction. It stops him in his agitated pacing long enough to realize that there's something else going on.]

Kate? What happened?

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