Lunar Interlude 4 — corporate retreat

[balancemod]

I have a feeling that you'll find the next few weeks a little... in-tents. NAVIGATION 1. NEW RECLAIMERS A. WELCOME WAGON For those of you who will be arriving today, the story is the same: though you may not remember it, there was a moment where you were living out your life, at home or wherever you were ... and then there was the moment the Hunger came. And amid the television static that is your memory of that moment, a hand reached out to you, beckoning your escape as the tendrils of darkness destroyed everything that ever existed about your world. "Would you hurry this up, please? Your world no longer stands a chance. Come with me, we are the last bastions of hope for all universes everywhere. And we're going to need you." And then, unceremoniously, you are dragged through the universal wringer and plopped down on the soft, though not quite cushioned, grass of the Moon Base Quad. You're not alone, either. Along with the newest members of the Bureau, in a fashion probably not unlike this, there are people waiting here for you. People who wanted to see the heroes the Director has managed to bring in this time. People who are excited to see what you're capable of. You have a few minutes to talk with each other — or maybe lob a few questions at the impromptu welcoming committee, or any of the older Reclaimers who may happen to be nearby. But before long, you're whisked away to a different area of the Moon Base. B. THE VOIDFISH You are quickly divided into four groups, and brought to the easternmost geodesic dome, to an elevator in a well maintained, but sparsely landscaped field. There's nothing particularly ominous feeling about the space — in fact, the two guards who greet you at the elevator entrance seem pleased with your arrival. You are, after all, one of the few chosen by the Director, the few who will reclaim what the Hunger has destroyed. And in a few moments, you're about to find that out for yourself. After a tightly packed elevator ride, your group is ushered out to a rather grand looking hall, banners of the Bureau of Balance adorn both sides of smooth metal walls. And inside the Voidfish's chamber stands a tank — impossibly tall, and soaked in a black ink that obscures whatever the tank may be holding. You may notice a melody, someone playing the violin. It's a bard, on his fourth round of introducing Reclaimers to the Voidfish. When he's finished, he pulls out a few pieces of paper — sheet music — opens a drawer at the bottom of the tank, drops the papers in, and shuts it. And swiftly, you feel as if there's something you can't just shake off about the melody you just heard. If you seem alarmed, the bard takes notice of it. "Yeah, man, like... don't think too hard about it, it's like that every time. I'm guessing you're here to be inoculated? Just a heads up, you might want to, like, seriously, hold your nose while you drink it down. It tastes wicked gross, man." You sort of get the sense that he's said this speech once or twice in the past. It's well rehearsed, much like the stories you'd expect a bard to be able to recite. "Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you that you have a choice. If you drink the black stuff, you'll be able to hear through the, uh... Huh, how do I describe it? Through the [TSHCSCHTSHCHSC] sound. You guys like, hear that? Anyway, it's all about knowledge or something. I don't know, I'm just here to, like, feed the thing. We call it the [TSCHHSCHSCH], by the way. So, like. You get a choice. You can drink it and understand stuff, or not drink it and then hear that crackling noise all day every day. If I were you, I'd drink it. But, hey man, I'm not like, your dad or anything." The bard takes five cups and draws liquid from a spigot connected directly to the basin of the large tank. Stormy, muddy looking ichor is drawn into them, one by one. He offers each of you a sip. Drink it (he wasn't kidding about what it tasted like), and you're inoculated to the wisdom of the Voidfish. You try to remember the song this bard played a few moments ago and the melody, the meter, every octave, all come back to you. And if you think back to your arrival, some of the things you may have heard other people in the Quad say, that simply sounded like static, are suddenly clear. Bureau of Balance. Grand Relic. Reclaimers. Yet you still can't remember the Hunger or what it had done to your world. And as you look back to the tank in front of you, the water has become clear. There's a jellyfish, as tall as a building, floating within. You look into the body of the creature and you can almost make out a beautiful, tiny universe floating within it. 2. TEST OF INITIATION You're given approximately 48 hours to sign up for the test of initiation. Outside the Arena is a command console where you can push your biometric signature up against the device, pick a time, and get prepare to take your entrance exam. This one is a little different than the ones before it; the Director has posed a group challenge among her hopeful Reclaimers. One slot contains blank names for four people altogether. Two of them are backlit in a blue background, two in red. It looks like you're going to be competing against other Reclaimers. At the appointed time, you'll enter the arena's chambers and fill out into one of two rooms. You and your teammate will be allowed to dress and prepare accordingly. From the window, you can see a single, solitary mountain that rises so high you can barely make odds or ends of the peak. An array of items stands before you, four in total. You can only choose two, as the second both of you claim one item, the other two become translucent and untouchable. Placing either of your items back on their pedestals makes them corporeal again. All in all, you have: ○ Booster boots - aids you in climbing and scaling the mountain, quadrupling your jump speed ○ Spiked boots - when landing on a surface of the mountain, it magically locks into place and prevents you from falling or being otherwise deterred in moving upward ○ An enchanted cloth - you're not sure what this is capable of, but if you try it out a little bit, you'll realize it resists the push of air. Essentially, a portable hang glider ○ Grappling hook - standard issue, its reach is about 50 feet. When it locks onto a surface, it's impossible to remove unless a button is pressed on the device to loosen it Both of your teams must make it to the top. What awaits you there is a wand, standing on an intricately carved, raised dais. The base is made out of stone, but written in very clear, etched letters around the bottom are the words: THE GRAND RELIC, WAND OF PLANAR DISPLACEMENT. Does it sound too good to be true? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. You need to get that relic back down to the entrance room. The caveat here is if you happen to be tempted, and let's face it, the easy way out is always rather appealing, you can try to use it. It'll take you back down, easily enough, but the wand will not come with you. Looks like you're going to have to trek your way back up there. Either way, the first team to make it down wins the contest. What's the prize, you ask? Gloating rights, mostly. 3. THE REAL CAMPY FUN BEGINS As The Director mentioned, you will be spending this month on a corporate retreat! And she wasn't kidding when she said she said this retreat will be an exercise in working together. Shortly after the newest Reclaimers are all good and initiated, and shortly after the rest of you have packed what you can, you're all whisked away to Gwynneth — a beautifully lush forest on the Moonshae Isles. Blanketed in a canopy of lush greens and soft, comfortable grass that seems to grow even in the farthest corners where the light can't reach, the forest looks and feels like something out of a storybook. A peculiar, but not unpleasant, scent that is a blend of sweet olives and cherry blossoms wafts throughout the forest no matter where you turn. That is to say, for those of you who have been in the Bureau for the while, and are used to roughing it with your BIAS: Welcome! This should be roughly old hat for some of you. Not far from the clearing where you all land are two perfectly lined rows of cabins that are in particularly bad shape. On the door frame of each will contain some information... and you might have guessed it. "BARBARIANS," "FIGHTERS," "PALADINS," "DANCERS," "MONKS," "RANGERS & ROGUES," "BARDS," "SORCERERS," "WARLOCKS," "DRUIDS," "CLERICS," and "SMART PEOPLE." - you get the idea. Each cabin will have just the essentials (creaky bunk beds, chests at the foot of each, and a few spare desks per room). Rest assured, the Director's enchanted the cabins to reject entry to anyone who doesn't fit the proper description that's labeled above each door. You will... most likely have to clean the place up prior to habitation. Showering, toilets, and mirrors are communal, but divided into stalls in the administrative cabin, adjunct to the Bureau's cabin. And for those of you who don't fit into any of the above (hi Lucas), uh, well. There's an old shack close to where you were dropped off, but you probably don't want to stay inside for too long. It smells like something died in there — and maybe something did. And boy, does this whole trip have "campy corporate retreat" written all over it. When you arrive, you're informed that your "mission" here, so to speak, is to safely make it through the month's activities, including the penultimate task: Braving what staff is only referring to as the Tomb of Horrors. But we'll get to that later. Right now, you've got some camping activities to do. C. GET IN LOSERS WE'RE GOING CAMPING If there's a camp activity that you can think of, we guarantee that there is space set aside for it, and that a Bureau member The Director brought along to assist the Reclaimers is helping to run it. Here are a few of the more prominent activities to get you started, however: ○ Fight Club/Struggle Tourney/Whatever you want to call it: For those of you who are in clear need of more training, or simply like getting yourself into a good strife, a small arena has been squared and roped off for your said strifing convenience. You can sign up in pairs or go mano a mano against one opponent, but there's a catch. This activity is about improvising, and learning your fellow Reclaimers' fighting styles — an absolute must for when you're out on the field in the thick of a battle. You will only be allowed to use fighting ring issued weapons. A magical barrier will knock your regular weapon right out of your hands if you try to enter the ring with it! And, I mean. Who wouldn't want to fight with these Fantasy Costco exclusives? (Note: If you want to join an actual Fight Club, the magic barrier is down for two hours starting at midnight. Use that information how you will.) ○ Arts and Crafts: Another camping given. Stretched out between two large evergreens is an equally large canvas, though short enough that every Reclaimer should be able to reach. You'll be given a paintbrush — magic, of course, according to the Bureau member helping out with this activity. It magically fills itself with paint, allowing you to add color to the canvas without the need for a palette. Because curiously, it seems you're capable of painting in only one color. And more curiously, it's a color that's very unique to you: no other Reclaimer is going to have the same hex value as what's flowing out of your paintbrush. If you ask her, the Bureau member will smile somewhat pensively, and explain: That paintbrush allows you to paint in the color of whatever energy you're giving off right now. Take this with a grain of salt, of course, but the basic hues can be interpreted as follows: Red can mean that you have a problem that you need to solve. Yellow means there's a secret that you're keeping from someone important to you. Green elicits a feeling of calmness, but there's something else that you're not allowing yourself to address. Blue means there's something you need to confess, whether it's the fact that you have a crush on someone, or the fact that you stole something or told a lie. White means, simply, an energy at peace. Of course, you may find yourself painting in any color out there — and they may represent something else, depending on you specifically. Use this prompt however you'd like! And, that's not to say that these are all things that we need to sit down around the campfire and hash out — though that's an activity later on if you want it! These energies aren't necessarily a bad thing either. It wouldn't be much of a painting, you wouldn't be the person you've grown into right now, if you're always painting in white. ○ Ghost stories: Speaking of campfires, every night, you'll be invited to have a seat at a large campfire and to try to tell your best ghost story. Not too far away from the campfire are four busts of wizardly looking men and women on pedestals. Yes, they are haunted by the very same wizardly looking men and women. And yes, they will be offering frank commentary on whatever story you decide to tell. I'm just gonna leave this here. ○ Field Day: What's a camping trip without the likes of potato sack races, music, tye-dye booths like you'd find at the typical spring fair, and friendly games of capture the flag? If you find this whole field day thing a little bit childish, then, well ... yeah, you're probably right! But even stuffy old people like Lucretia know that the people even stuffier than she is need a chance to cut loose once in a while. So go right ahead and get yourself a fried charisma oreo. There's a dunking booth, by the way. Yes, you can dunk the Director if you want. You might bump into Lucas while you're here. He is having pretty much the worst month right now: sunburned, blown up on histamines and more than ready to go back to the Moon Base where there's air conditioning and technology. ○ Man eff that: If the campy camp activities are a bit too campy for you, then The Director certainly isn't going to twist your arm into participating. Well, actually, she might. A little? In any case, if you're hellbent on boycotting, you might join Lucas in the aforementioned Smelly Shack, as he tinkers with the tech he managed to bring with him and is generally a pain in the ass about having to be out in the forest. Saru and his band of kitsune, if you remember them from Vista Virs, now full-fledged members of the Bureau, will take you on hunting trips if you're interested. If you need to actually learn how to hunt, then Carey and Killian are here to help. If you're still gonna be a stick in the corporate retreat mud, then the Director might ask you to clear as big of a path to the Tomb of Horrors as possible (Note: You will not be able to go inside, or find a way inside the Tomb of Horrors, no matter how hard you try. This isn't Breath of the Wild, sadly, you can't defeat Ganon right after falling off the Great Plateau). It's about five miles directly to the east, and behind the thickest and densest part of the forest. Who knows what else you'll find out there? Have fun! D. AN OVERNIGHT SENSATION One more thing. Something strange is happening overnight, while everyone is asleep, whether it's in their bedrolls, or holed up in the Smelly Shack. Something — or someone seems to be draping a blanket of magic over the entire camp, leaving those who were asleep rather susceptible to it. You may find yourself afflicted with any number of inconvenient status effects for the day, whether it's a burn on your arm you can't seem to heal, more, uh. Well. More sleep. You blink, and suddenly, 24 hours have passed. Maybe you enter a 2v2 in the fighting ring and suddenly realize you can't tell friend from foe — even though you'd agreed on the teams before entering. Maybe all the food suddenly loses its flavor, leaving you to marvel at how intense textures suddenly are. If you happened to be painting in blue, maybe you're suddenly compelled to blurt it out to the next unfortunate soul who passes. It's a smorgasbord of minor inconveniences. Almost like something's spotted the corporate retreat, and has decided to use its participants as their plaything. But what? blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

RNG

[balancemod]

Please note that we won't be fielding any Bender rolls this interlude — but rest assured, he's tearing up the café back on the Moon Base as he always is.

[grakraka]

requesting rng for exploring the forest!! just looking for cool things since this is a new area and he likes to walk around to clear his head anyway. any dc is fine!

[ribticklers]

[Sans is wearing an inviting pair of khakis and a light blue button down, white handkerchief tied around his neck. Yeah, that's right: he's dressed exactly like Lucretia.

Anyway, Sans isn't doing a lot of this. He's never sparred anyone here, and he's not about to start now. And as far as feelings paints go, well--he turns right around when he hears about that. He never sets foot into the cabins, when he sees how they're sorted.

But there are other things to do.]

A
[Sans has set up Sans's Snacks with all the other booths, as if he was meant to be there. Actually, he may have just taken over a booth previously dedicated to something else.

If you would like spice root, cinnamon rolls, punchline porridge, s'mores ingredients, or monster hamburgers (they instantly digest!), Sans will be happy to provide! For a price.]

B
[Sans does make time to tye-die a shirt. This shirt is obviously way too big for him, but he does seem to be putting some effort into it, coloring it in oranges and reds. After it dries, he pokes around the area a bit.]

Got any fabric pens?

C
[Of course, Sans is still dressed as Lucretia. He is making good use of this by trying to be in her general area and occasionally ordering people to do things. "Hey, you should go paint things", or "go pick up all the sticks in the forest, it's good for you", or "the fighting ring is definitely a good idea".

Please play along, that would make this funnier.]

D
[Sure, he's stuck without a bed, but he does have a hammock, and he sets it up right away. While people are doing arts and crafts or play fighting or who knows what else, Sans is napping. In fact, it doesn't seem like he's moved for hours. He's there at night, too, sleeping there instead of inside anywhere.

At least he's easy to find.]

D

[despairing_hope]

[He can't help but have noticed Sans' antics, and really can't understand it. It was like he was purposefully going against the point of the entire thing.]

Do you just not like group activities?

[mylawn]

i. paladin haus

[The good news about being Old and Tired is that 76 can usually say he’s had worse. He’s definitely had worse than this, and is generally used to roughing it. Hell, a cabin in a camping situation is almost a luxury, so he’s not going to complain.

Separating them by class is not something he really expected, but again, he’s managed worse. Upon seeing the state of the cabin, 76 is quick to get down to business. Being used to sharing quarters in the military certain helps, and slipping back into those old habits is nearly automatic.

He’s handing you, fellow paladin, a broom.]

Get going.

[For those of the non-paladin persuasion, 76 can be found outside, doing his civic duty to check on the structural integrity of the cabin itself, and clear the surrounding area of branches and other debris. He sure can carry a lot of stuff! ]

Are you gonna stand there, or are you gonna help?

[It’s TEAMWORK.]

ii. struggle tourney

[Despite his general aversion to team-building activities, 76 isn’t going to pass up an opportunity to train. Sure, the weapons are very silly, but any time is a good time to brush up on hand to hand, and he’s looking at this as more of an opportunity to learn about the skills of his fellow reclaimers and impart some Punch Knowledge in return.

Congratulations! This is your opponent. He’s very tall, and a little bit built like a truck, even though he’s kind of old.]

I want you to hit me as hard as you can.

[He sounds fairly confident about all this.]

iii. carts & rafts

[If you guessed that 76 is not really into this part of the retreat, you would be correct! Most of his creative energy involves punching things and shooting guns, so he’s currently staring at the large canvas in front of him like it’s going to turn into some kind of arts and crafts monster and rampage through the camp.

Please help.]

iv. miscellaneous camping adventures

[76 isn’t boycotting, per se—he’ll help Saru and his band on their various hunts and is more than content to clean up the place, but he isn’t big on the group activities and most certainly prefers to spend his downtime exploring the woods around them. That Tomb of Horrors doesn’t sound entirely friendly, which means he’s insanely curious about it. Sometimes he sleeps outside, as one does. Many of his excursions take a detour to the general area, and he seems fairly aware of any fellow Reclaimers heading out on excursions of their own.

He’s a big dude with a sword and he’s tagging along. You’re welcome!]

Safety in numbers.

[You weren’t thinking about heading into the woods by yourself, were you? Always use the buddy system.]

v. wildcard

[ANYTHING YOU WANT. Hit me up on plurk at whitticus.]

[polearmed]

[ Kel takes the broom, standing beside the bunk bed in the corner that she's claimed for herself and her small stockpile of medieval weapons.

For a second, she does nothing, just glaring at him. She feels an odd surge of resentment, being given what amounts to an order by this man. He's not her superior. She doesn't even know his name.

But after a few silent seconds she turns and starts in the corner of the room, sweeping outward toward the center.

She even manages to work in silence for like, half a minute. Less like an introduction and more like a challenge: ]

My name is Keladry.

[noblegarnet]

[A is for AAAAAAAAARGH]

[Ferran likes travelling. Camping is bearable in the short term, and can even be enjoyable depending on what there is nearby.

Camping for two months in a row is too much. He got tired of nature three weeks ago, and this is just another issue on top of a whole pile of them, some petty and some serious. Right now he's deciding to let himself focus on the petty ones, because focusing on the serious ones in any manner except for working himself to exhaustion isn't his deal.

There are cabins, at least. Cabins are mildly acceptable, he guesses, but they're not air-conditioned, for one, not to mention no electric lights. It's barely a step up, and the only good thing about it is the bed and the closed space. He'll be spending a fair amount of time with his personal tome or his notebook in the "SMART PEOPLE" cabin after doing a little work to clean it (he's grumpy about it, but not lazy), should either of his cabinmates want to bother him. ... it's weird to share a space with two adults that are practically strangers. At least it's not crowded.]

[B is for Good Boy Butter]

[Obviously as soon as he's relatively certain of learning a new spell, he has to try it out.

He spent the required hour of meditation in the dojo before the trip so as to not be disturbed, and thankfully he comes out of it with a new aeon familiar—and for now, it takes the form of a toy-sized fluffy white dog who seems pretty happy to exist.

This is about the only comfort Ferran is going to get this month, so he's going to take advantage of it. That doesn't mean he's not going to let other people also take advantage of that, especially if they seem as miserable about camping as he is.

Whether the wizard is studying, sitting as far away from any campfires as possible, or taking a pencil to a notebook, the little dog is guaranteed to be nearby, either shuffling around in Ferran's robes or coat, chasing a small animal, or just. Getting attention from Ferran. He's guaranteed to be clean and shiny, because of course he brought along a brush and nail scissors for his familiar. What do you take him for, some kind of irresponsible pet owner???

And however it comes about, you're certain this good boy's name is Butter. Someone else probably said it first while you were in earshot, but that's definitely what his name is. Don't pay any attention to the way Ferran looks like he's dying inside a little bit when the name is said, he's clearly just tired.

He's more likely to seem interested in playing with Butter than... any actual people. Bonding with your familiar counts, right?]

[C for ... look i wanted to make a bob ross joke but b's already taken]

[Ferran paints in red, like he didn't know he had problems.

The problems aren't going away any time soon, but he doesn't let that stop him from participating in one of the few activites here he'd consider a hobby. He hasn't done a lot of painting before, but he's not devoid of artistic ability, at least.

Eventually the brush decides to let him add some green, and by the time he's done there's a decent rendition of an elegant brick building with a set of white pillars created by the negative space, and cultivated greenery around it. People familiar with modern schools could probably pick up on the look of it, although he'll have to be prodded into explaining.]

[D for wilDcarD]

[He's not only going to be doing sedentary things, though; despite not yet having the experience of an actual Job, he is nonetheless a workaholic and will be practicing with his magic and whatever physical training he may be able to get out of people on an individual basis. He doesn't plan on participating in any camp-organized fighting, although he may observe from time to time.

No hunting, though. He still has no interest in that whatsoever.]

A

[aviphile]

You're awfully diligent for a kid.

[It's da Vinci, who's coming in after a long day of cleaning up and lounging about. There's a canvas beneath her arm: the painting looks to be a garden on a rainy day, with a single man in a kimono far off on a path. She lowers her glasses at Ferran and crooks an eyebrow.]

Did you go out and have any fun at all?

[despairing_hope]

[Getting Started]

[The first thing Komaeda had to do upon entering the Cleric Cabin was clean it. It was terrible. If he was going to be expected to sleep there it had to be fixed!

Dawning an apron and a scarf around his head he went straight to it, dusting the window sills and ceiling, wiping the windows down, sweeping and mopping the floors, he spends most of the first day doing this and no one was going to stop him. In fact no one was allowed in the cabin until he was done.]

If they're going to bring us here, they should have made sure the accommodation were respectable first.

[Painting]

[He wanted to participate in activities, but didn't really feel he was good enough for them. Also he was sure everyone would have a bad time with him around. But still, arts and crafts sort of sounded a little fun, even if childish. And, no one would probably get hurt, but... being limited to one colour was a bit annoying.]

I don't even like the colour yellow.

[And yet more often than not it was the colour coming out. How annoying.]

[Ghost Stories: DRAE Ultra Despair Girls mild implied spoilers.]

...and then, when they had lost, and were about to be faced with the weight of their circumstances hundreds of hands reached out from the darkness crabbing them all over. They pulled the child's hair and arms, fingers digging into their skin, each hand pulled this way and that. And as they were dragged into the darkness, their cries could be heard echoing all around.

Deep in the depths of the earth, they were ripped apart, broken, and destroyed. They as they were then became no more.

[Wildcard]

[He can really be found just about anywhere and always willing to help out, though anything potentially dangerous he's avoiding like he has a phobia.]

deep cleaning cleric cabin

[notthatbutler]

[Excuse, you're not doing this alone, don't tell Dwyer he can't help. Let him c l e a n

Even if you put him outside he'll still find a way to clean]

...While you're absolutely right, you also know...some of us are willing to pitch in.

[He's got cleaning rags. From where? It's a butler trade secret.]

Keladry of Mindelan || Mostly OTA

[polearmed]

A. Welcome Wagon

[ When Kel hits the ground in the Quad, she's almost immediately on her feet again, glaive clutched in both hands and her war hammer and sword on her belt. She sweeps the blade of the weapon right, left, keeping anyone in her immediate vicinity at a distance as she tries to get her bearings.

This is definitely not the woods south of Scanra. This is definitely not a battlefield at all, but that doesn't mean she's letting go of her weapons. Any of them. ]


Test of Initiation - Closed to Tony Stark

[ Kel spends the time before the test steeling herself to climb a mountain. She can do this. A mountain has to be easier than Balor's Needle or even a straight up and down tree. There will be paths, outcrops of stone. A mountain is nice and solid. It'll be fine.

She still brings her war hammer, strapped to her belt, because having something to hook into the cracks in any flat spaces is bound to come in handy.

When she walks in to the room, already occupied by her trial partner, she doesn't notice him. She doesn't notice the rack of items they have to choose from. All she can look at is that mountain, its head in the clouds, and all she can think of is how many sheer drops there must be on the way up.

They haven't even gone anywhere and she's already starting to sweat. ]


Pre-Camp Wildcards

The Dojo

[ When she was told there was a dojo here, she didn't expect it to look familiar. She really didn't expect it to look identical to something of Yamani construction. She didn't expect the familiar koi, the meditative comfort of the place.

She almost cries. It takes a long pause in the middle of the bridge, closed eyes, forced stillness, to keep herself from breaking down.

Kel came here because she was told about the simulations. She came to practice, not to cry.

It takes a little doing to figure out how the computer works, but it's worth it. She starts on one of the lower modes, armed with her glaive, but quickly escalates when 'medium' doesn't satisfy her. She doesn't shift to hard. She dials it up to nightmare and lets loose, making it thirty seconds the first time before she's on the ground.

Forty-five seconds.

Twenty-three seconds.

Fifty-nine, forty-three, thirty, twenty, twelve.

Each time she drags herself upright and goes at it again, knowing she won't win.

She knows exactly what she's doing. It's one part trying to forget everything to nine parts punishment. It's just like after Vinson's confession, when she went out in the snow and worked with her bow until her fingers went numb. It's just like that sleepless night when she was a ten-year-old probationer, debating between fear and justice.

This time Kel goes down hard five seconds in, hard enough that she almost loses her grip on her glaive. She forces herself up on one knee, braces the weapon against the ground like a staff, and starts to lift herself up—but another barrage, from two different robots, knocks her down and keeps her there. ]


Fantasy Costco

[ This place is. Sure exists. Kel has one of those carts from near the front doors and now she's just kind of… wandering around, aware of what she needs and trying desperately to find it in quantities smaller than ten thousand. She doesn't want a jumbo carton of sealed beef jerky packages. She just wants enough for a few days in the woods?????

Also what is packaging. She can't inspect what she's buying. This place is the stupidest. ]


C. Kel is a loser

[ Kel Avoids Everything.

The prospect of fighting with those giant inflating things just makes her angry. She's not a painter. The gatherings at the camp fire remind her too much of Third Company and her friends, people she's not sure she'll ever see again. The Field Day games just seem too petty, too small after everything she's been told and been through.

She ends up out in the woods hunting most of the time, bagging game both familiar and strange. She also volunteers to clear the path, preferring the mind-numbing work to stupid games.

That doesn't mean she can't be dragged to one event or another, given the right argument.

And it doesn't mean she can avoid anyone else in the Paladin Cabin. Most of her time in there is spent cleaning her weapons. ]


D. How's the Weather Up There

[ The morning after the spells settle over the camp, Kel wakes up on the Paladin cabin roof. It's disorienting, and for a moment she thinks she's still dreaming, but no, she sure is on top of the cabin roof in her bedroll.

She eases out of it and cautiously climbs down to the edge of the roof before dropping to the ground, her bedroll over one shoulder. Investigating the cabin shows literally nothing that could have landed her up there. She has no way to tell if someone cast a spell on her, and no way to guess why if someone did. Or how they would know to do something like that.

See, Kel might maybe be a little bit unnerved by heights. Not terrified of them, not like she used to be, but she doesn't like them.

But the roof is only the start. Every half hour or so, Kel finds herself popped to a new high point around the camp. Trees. Rooftops. That big pile of rocks.

The longer it goes on, the more nerves give way to annoyance, so there's that, at least? ]


Wildcard??

[ If you have something else in mind, feel free to hit me up at researchboner!! ]

d

[splinten]

[Huh. A person is on a roof with him. That's definitely a thing.

He raises a hand.]

Hey.

[The expressiveness here is off the charts.]

[vandymion]

1A; is it over?

[ Farnese has no time to waste. There's something even more important than, well, whatever the FUCK that just was. She needs to find her. She needs to find Casca.

She flits to and fro between the others that have been brought there, trying (and failing) not to panic. ]

H-Have you seen her? She's -- she's got dark skin, and black hair, she -- she couldn't have gone far, and I --

[ And I'm supposed to be protecting her.

... She had to be here. Right? ]

2; initiate (closed to shinjiro)

[ She feels like she's in a daze. So much has happened in the last ... how long has it been, anyways? All she knows is that it's wrong, it's weird, it's not Elfhelm and worst of all: she's alone.

The urge to crawl into bed and hide under the covers until everything went back to normal was almost too much to bear. What could she possibly do now to fix things? To find the others? To not be a colossal fuck up? She felt like she had barely begun to grasp being sort of good at things at home, and now ...

The never-ending spiral of self-loathing and overwhelming confusion leaves her staring at the floor, not registering that she should probably be doing something right about now to get started. ]

3C; roommates

[ So, Druid cabin, what's up?

Your new roommate for this camping endeavor looks pretty bummed out. In fact, she doesn't really seem like she wants to get up, period. She goes through the motions of getting dressed and all that, but she has a blank stare on her face the whole time which betrays the fact that she's totally stuck in her own thoughts. She nods politely to anyone who addresses her with a basic greeting, but otherwise, she seems kind of zoned out.

Maybe ... she needs more of a nudge? ]

3C; not too impressed

[ Sitting around a campfire has something of a note of nostalgia to it. It does kind of make her feel calmer, like something is normal about all of this.

... The ghost stories, however, are another thing altogether. In fact, she seems a little confused by some of the stories, if not outright just Not Scared At All. There might be one point during a story you're telling where, under her breath, she mutters: ]

But ... that is not ...

[ ooc: if you've got something else you'd like to do, hit me up here, dusking#1264 on discord or crepusculae! ]

1A.

[aeons]

I don't think they're here.

[ yuna's eyes careen into sympathy, a tiny smile creeping up her face. she understands how farnese feels, relates to it entirely — it was a way of saying 'let's calm down' without mitigating her feelings.

it was an odd sight, a woman panicking amidst a group of strangers clapping, welcoming. it didn't take yuna long to figure they would be here for a while — she wanted her stay, and her companions' stay, to be good. the least she could do was assist with the transition. ]

I think they're taking us somewhere else soon. I'll help you find someone we can ask, to see if your friend is here. Would you be okay with that?

[fleurdelyser]

A. Barbarian Cabin

[Wellll, all of that welcome wagon business over and done with, it doesn't take Haru long before she's looking for the cabin she's supposed to stay in. And goodness, none of them really look that nice even from the outside, do they?

And once inside the Barbarian cabin...

She winces. This is a first for her.]

Oh, this is going to be a lot of work...

[How do you clean a cabin--]


B. Ghosts ghosts ghosts ghosts

[Ghosts stories though? Now, this is much more fun! And with an actual campfire, too!

Haru listens attentively to every story, eyes bright, and politely waits until the most recent one is done before speaking.]

That was such an exciting story! [She grins and claps her hands together once.] Do you know any others like it?


C. Field Day!

[It's the dunking booth that captures Haru's attention, though she doesn't go too close to it just yet, just stops to watch when she realizes just who is getting dunked.]

I didn't think she'd join in as well. She's a good sport, isn't she?


D. WILDCARD but not that kind

[Feel free to hit this up with any other ideas you may have! She'll be wandering around the whole area. Or hit me up at freege for any plotting!]

Test of Initiation - Closed to Hibiki

[fleurdelyser]

[Haru can't seem to decide whether to stop and stare out the window or at the items on their pedestals.

She compromises by looking back and forth between the two, jaw slack. That whole mountain? Really?!]

This is... [She shakes her head roughly, then turns to look at her teammate.] Um. I'll do the very best I can!

[witchwiles]

A. WELCOME WAGON

[It happens so quickly, Sonya can hardly keep up with it.

One moment she's staring down the god Duma himself (and more importantly Jedah, the rat), and the next... nothing. Just an outstretched hand, a voice echoing around her ears, and the soft grass of this unfamiliar area.

And for a minute there, Sonya does... nothing. Crumpled on the ground, her hair drawing a dark curtain around her face, her elegant fingers clenching so hard at the grass that the blades are pulled up from the dirt, Sonya remains motionless.

What is she doing here when she was so close to finally avenging her sisters?

So close. So close. So close so close so close.

No. There are people here. She has to get it together. No vulnerability.

Hair still hiding her face from any prying eyes, Sonya takes a deep breath and forces out a steady voice.]

Well, thanks for getting little old me out of whatever mess that was, but I have to wonder about the criteria. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but wouldn't someone have wanted the little princess instead?

[Or all those nobles? Or that little boy prince Celica was so fond of? There were plenty of high-standing individuals in that ragtag army, so going for the magical mercenary seems just a bit odd to her.]

B. TEST OF INITIATION - closed to rancori

[It's been long enough for Sonya to come to terms with her situation now. She's here now, after all, and it wasn't the first time she's had to box up her emotions about the situation in order to focus on adaptation and survival.

In fact, that's all her life ever was.

But as far as situations go, this was definitely more comfortable than what she was used to. Odd, sure. But comfortable.

So she's thoroughly put out when her test of initiation is such a mundane, sweaty job.

Climbing mountains. Sure, she's made worse treks than this. But it doesn't mean she enjoys doing it.

Sonya wrinkles her nose at the items before her before looking over to her partner.]

What do you think, Miss Veteran? Speed or safety?

[She'd rather get it over with, personally.]

C. DANCER CABIN

[Camping. Camping.

They take her out of an apocalypse scenario, toss her up a mountain, and then make her go camping.

Or so she thought, anyway. Those cabins? Nearly as comfortable as your average villager home back in Valentia. And those beds? Definitely more comfortable.

All in all, maybe not ideal, but a far cry from the camping she was expecting. She's been stationed in way shoddier places than this.

Sonya's languidly relaxed on one of the beds by the time someone else comes in, and the only think she does is look over to the door with a raised eyebrow.]

Guessing you're one of my fellow performers?

[The Bureau needs to give Sonya her spells back, the monsters.]

D. GENTLE PUNCHING CLUB

[Welp. Sonya lost all her spells except for some meager fire magic, and she's not pleased with it. Much to her chagrin, she knows she's going to have to start training like she was built for muscles and not magic.

Ugh.

She doesn't look enthused as she eyeballs the arena, and she looks even less enthused when she holds up what they expect her to spar with.]

I'm not wearing these.

E. FIELD DAY

[Honestly, this is more her style. Maybe a little childish, sure, but no one said she had to take part in whatever didn't interest her.

So Sonya's having her own fun instead, testing out her Allure ability. A wink, a smile, a blown kiss, and all she'll ask for is some company to the next booth.

Do you go along?]

F. OVERNIGHT SENSATION

[Sonya's been painting in green since the the arts and crafts were introduced to them, really, but she pays it no mind. Aside from wishing she had a nicer color (gold, maybe. Or purple), Sonya has a good time painting the most frivolous things she can think of.

Green flowers. Green trees. Green suns. Nothing out of the ordinary.

It's... the next day, that's a problem, when all she can do is paint the sad, empty husks that she remembered of her sisters.

The first painting was torn from the easel, crumpled and thrown in the corner before she had time to think about it. And the second.

But it's by the third that she seems to have given up, looking at the half-finished, green painting of two eerily beautiful women with an unreadable expression.]

yoooooooooooooo

[rancori]

[Uggghhhhhh. A mountain. A stupid goddamn mountain.

She'd rather have Minato's stupid endless tower back, actually. In fact, can the Director just send her back to her own Initiation instead because... This? Seriously?!]

I think it's gonna be a pain in the ass either way.

[Maria frowns at the pedestals, then groans.]

Speed, so we can get the hell outta here.

[rabbeats]

( A: Cabins )

[ Camping and a city boy combo perhaps isn't ideal, but Hibiki seems rather optimistic about the prospect of going on a trip with other Reclaimers. For one, it should be easier to find distractions while surrounded by other people. Besides, it's new and exciting!

He can be found either inside the Warlocks' cabin munching on something sweet because it's way past lunchtime; of course, he's willing to share whenever other Warlocks decide to come. It's introduction time! And maybe Warlock tips and tricks time, too. He's played many video games but actually becoming a Warlock is totally different.

The Smart People cabin which he passed on the way to the Warlocks' one seems interesting, but it makes him wonder if there are other cabins like this. ]

Hey, have you seen a cabin for funny people?

[ He's all about the most important questions. ]

( A: Big Paint Energy )

[ The Bureau's bonding exercises are quite fun, but Hibiki decides to come up with one of his own—it's called Project RAINBOW, no less. It doesn't necessarily have to match the colors of the rainbow, though. The main objective is to have fun painting and getting to know each other. After claiming some space on the canvas, Hibiki drags the brush to paint the first arch with gusto; his own colour appears to be purple which is supposed to be uplifting. With all your worries going away, you can dedicate yourself to painting and having fun. Whenever Hibiki's gaze meets someone else's, he's going to offer them a smile and wave at them, encouraging the person to come closer. ]

Do you know what you can find at the end of the rainbow?

[ He's peeking at the other person not even trying to hide how curious he is about the answer. ]

( C: Field Day )

[ There's so much to do and so much to see even though they're just in the middle of a forest. It's been a while since his first camping trip (yes, this is his second and it looks like he's taking it much better than poor Lucas), so he wants to make the most out of it.

With a fried charisma oreo eaten, he might have racked up enough points to make even the grumpiest grump join him a potato sack race together. At the same time, it takes literally zero effort to talk him into joining any other activity if anyone needs a partner. Even in a tye-dye booth.

What makes his eyes sparkle, however, is paintball with magical paint. There are a few paintball guns lying around, so he grabs one of them to examine it. If someone happens to be doing the same thing or seem at least a bit curious about the game, Hibiki is going to encourage them to pick up the gun and have some fun. ]

Let's do this.

[ Someone will get splatted today. ]

( D: Minor Inconveniences )

[ While someone else might consider this a minor inconvenience, Hibiki's actually enjoying himself. Why is that, you may ask? Well, his status effect has a lot to do with puns. Or, more accurately, saying at least one pun per minute. ]

I guess camping can get really...in tents.

[ He really doesn't see anything wrong or groan-worthy in it. ]

( wildcard )

[ If you'd rather do something else, just leave a starter here or hit me up at koohii for plotting! ]

C

[hijumpkick]

[Today is pretty sweet, if Hayner has to admit. Potato sack races, s'mores, casual sparring... But then his eyes settle on the paintball matches, and his expression lights up. Oh yeah. He's trying that out.]

[He grins, picking up one of the guns and looking it over, before looking at the person next to him. He grins widely.]

Yeah! This looks awesome!

[notthatbutler]

[Camping clothes? Uh. Roughing it on a march or in barrack bunks was kind of Dwyer's only life staying with his parents and brother, so he's probably impractically dressed from your perspective, but his? A cream shirt with somewhat billowed sleeves (with cuffs on the end, we're classy here) that he can roll up, a plum handkerchief with a light blue brooch pinned in the knot, and sturdy riding boots? All par for the course for him. The only thing that isn't is the khaki pants.

What, they made an impression. But anyway. Please laugh at this nerd basically looking like he's going to fantasy horse riding camp instead of a company retreat, but he wasn't raised a fool.]

1: Chateau d'Cleric

[...]

Alright, all hands on deck.

[He says it as soon as the Clerics walk in the door to this...this den of mess that they are expected to spend a month in, sweet Dusk Dragon and Bahamut protect him. Dwyer is quick to put his pack off to the side and roll up his sleeves, throwing open any windows to let the sweet fresh air in as he...uh. Goes the fuck to town and cleans.

If you even linger in his peripheral vision, he's going to put a damp rag in your hands and tell you to get to work, and it's the most movement anyone has likely ever seen of Dwyer in one place at one time. He'd clean up normally, of course, but this is him taking to task with a more dogged determination than usual. The Director's speech upon their arrival back at the Moonbase still rattles in his head, over and over again, sticking on parts that continue to chafe at his personal pains.

But there's no way he's going to actually admit to any emotions about his home or his usefulness. No, he's working right now, so he can rest later. So everyone can rest later.]

B: Mister Art Man, Paint Me an Art~

[Arts and crafts? What is this, an activity for children?

Yes. Yes it is. And Dwyer doesn't mind that at all. Painting, sure, alright, sounds fun. After deep-cleaning the cabin, he needs more things to keep his hands busy and his mind tired. It's really no surprise that, though he'd really like a nice and rich purple to paint in, the only color that comes out of his brush is a deep, pine-esque green.]

...Energy, huh...

[Joke's on you, he never has any energy. Totally. Nothing's bothering him, what are you going on about. But he'll paint whatever needs green with exacting diligence, his mouth drawn in a tight line.]

C: TYE DYE

[A field day is...weird. A day where they want you to run around and do silly challenges and dunk the Director in a vat of water? How odd. But this...these colors and shirts...oh, this is cute. Dwyer likes this.

He holds the t-shirt he was instructed to tie off in places with a bit of pensive energy, though - what colors is he supposed to pick? Can he pick lots of colors or would maybe one or two be serviceable? Help him pick, please...]

D: Eff this shit I'm out

[Sometimes, there just isn't enough to do at camp to keep a restless butler busy to the point of exhaustion. It's because of this that, sometimes, he'll go out with anyone who's clearing a path to this hyped up Tomb of Horrors and, well, clear a path. There's a method to his madness; if any of the sticks or wood they find looks good to burn, he'll bring it back for the campfire. If there's any cool little nature things like rocks or whatever, he'll give them to someone else. If he sees a game animal? Someone bring a weapon and hunt that shit, maybe they can make it into dinner - and anything foraged that's edible is fair game, too. Basically he's doing resource gathering, if it comes across his path, but if not, he'll just be clearing the way. Clearing it, and not thinking about home or portals or personal hang ups, nope. Not at all.]

C

[ryuji]

[Ryuji's really no help. He has about 5 bottles of dye in his hand, and caught like a deer in the headlights at determining which one he wants to oversaturate to create the true Tye Dye experience.

He also kind of wants to tye dye his undies.

That's such an important statement to make that as Dwyer looks for some reasonable sort of suggestion, he just. Well. He Ryujis it.]

You think I could dye my boxers?

[seasaltkeys]

[ A - Fighter House; A Place Where You and I can Stay]

[ If Roxas is being honest, which he usually is, he's actually kind of excited for the corporate retreat. He's never been on one before and, well, camping for fun sounds fun. It's not like the Organization was about bonding after all. And as fond as he is of the Moonbase, he's eager to see more of Faerun.

He's eager to explore the camp but figures he should drop off his bag first. Though he approaches the cabin with more and more trepidation as he gets closer. Is this all part of the camping experience?]

It, uh...looks a little rickety. Is it safe?

[He'll be giving one of the beds a tentative push as if testing it.]

[ B - Struggle; And Fights and Ghosts ]

[ Roxas's weapon of choice for this match is pretty much a foam sword. Struggle means Struggle right, and it's nice to have something familiar, even if it amounts to a spar. Besides, he does have a title to defend if a tournament kicks up.

Or he's got the boppers on and looks a little ridiculous with them. He's been practicing his close combat, but this just seems awkward.

Regardless, he's ready.]

Okay! Bring it on!

[ C - Paint; And Paints and Snakes ]

[As much as Roxas is trying with the painting activity, he is struggling. He doesn't have a lot of artistic ability to begin with, resulting in most of his attempts coming out as crudely drawn stick people or something just as indistinguishable.

He's been trying to paint a sunset for a while now. He knows sunsets, has an idea of what they should look like, and it's mostly just colour so it's easy, right? Unfortunately most of the paint from his brush is coming out in different shades of yellow. He's managed to get some reds and oranges in there, but yellow still seems to dominate.]

[ D - We'll Swim in lakes and climb up trees]

[The arrival of Hayner has brought a lot of questions up for Roxas. While he's glad to see his friend again, it's still a wonder that Hayner knows him. And knows Axel to for that matter. It's a lot to take in and he's still not sure what any of means. He's scared to ask, if he's being honest.

He compensates for that by going for walks in the woods. It's nice and quiet and gives him enough room to think. Even if he's not doing it alone, having been joined by a chubby pony that Roxas saved from an unfortunate pinecone incident. He tends to follow Roxas everywhere now so Fighter House might have a new pet.

His wanderings bright him a secondary reward in the form of a cenote. It's quiet, peaceful and rather rejuvenating, even if all Roxas does is float along the edges, not trusting his swimming ability. He probably doesn't tell anyone at first, but you might notice him slipping off at the end of the day. But eventually, he'll probably come clean with the information.

He just needed a place to himself for a bit.]



[ E - Campe Diem; Camp Gwynneth is a Place for You and Me]

[ Wildcard option! Roxas can be found exploring all aspects of the camp whether it's hiking or eating s'mores by the campfire or learning about hunting from Carrey and Killian. He's just being a kid enjoying his life for once and it kind of shows.]

D

[hijumpkick]

[Though he's bummed that Pence, Olette, and the others aren't here, the retreat is still a great way to relax and keep his mind off of things. Besides, coming here isn't all bad; Roxas was here too, after all!]

[Though, he's noticed that Roxas doesn't seem to stick around very often, and after a couple of days, he really notices Roxas not hanging around. He frowns at this; their talk during his Trial of Initiation had ended on an awkward note, but wouldn't Roxas be stoked to have his friend here? He just doesn't get it.]

[One day, Hayner decides to go explore the woods for himself, take a look around the campgrounds on his own. Out on one of these explorations, he hears some rustling in the foliage, and when he goes to investigate, he's surprised to find a familiar face.]

Roxas?

[And he's not alone, if that chubby pony is any indication.]

jesse mccree

[mccreehaw]

the infirmary
{ ain't no grave can hold my body down }
He'd always assumed that when his day came and he died that it would hurt. Getting shot, stabbed, blown up; something like that. He didn't expect to black out from the fall off a crumbling, falling island. So it hadn't hurt. Coming back to life, though? Now that hurt. Pain radiated throughout his body, but he had no breath to scream out. And just as air returned to his lungs and life flowed through him again, a searing pain cut through his left eye and he woke up to clutch at his face.

He stays in bed for half a day as his body fully recovers, but no matter how much time passes, the sight doesn't return to his eye. He keeps closing it and reopening it, thinking maybe it's a fluke of the resurrection process, but hours later he realizes that might not be the case. He's up for visitors during this time, since he's pretty sure a couple of people might care.

get in losers we're going camping
{ rangers & rogues cabin: no nerds allowed }
McCree's no stranger to sleeping out under the stars, and he came ready with containers of chili to help them set up camp out in the wilderness. But on arrival he finds that they're actually going to be sleeping in cabins instead. Well, he's not one to turn up his nose to a roof over his head. He's not the best cleaner in the world, but he gives it a go with a broom, head bent as he focuses on making a pile. However, when someone approaches him from his left side and speaks, he nearly jumps a foot in the air, looking spooked.

"Jesus Christ," he says, startled, before shaking his head and looking away, mouth working itself into a frown. "Sorry. Just... didn't see you there." On account of being blind in that eye now.

{ paint a happy little tree }
McCree figures if he sits and paints that it'll get him out of having to do a bunch of weird team building exercises, so here he is, painting a horse. A very green horse. He heard what the Bureau member said, but he doesn't know what energy green is supposed to be, unless it's green with envy. He tries not to think too hard on that as he attempts to paint the horse's legs. How do people make these things look 3D? It looks like four sticks coming out of a hot dog bun.

{ having a field day with food }
He's just here for the food. Any attempt to get him as a partner for a potato sack race or on a team for capture the flag are met with a chuckle and a shake of his head as he fills up on funnel cake, curly fries, and chili dogs. He can't remember the last time he's had these foods, so he's enjoying them while he can. He'll wander over to watch the races and games, and maybe even the dunk tank. But if people try to get him to throw a ball, he's going to decline. He's not confident in his aim since he lost his depth perception.

infirmary

[ribticklers]

[Sans has had enough time to prepare to act totally casual when McCree wakes up, though secretly he's relieved when McCree starts moving. Then he's grabbing at his face, and the concern creeps back in.]

Hey. You back with us?

[korekara]

1. House of Bard

[ It's been kind of a whirlwind for poor Honoka. She'd basically had about five minutes to breathe after staggering out of her Test of Initiation and the next thing she knows they're being yeeted out of their new Moon Base and being sent off on a camping trip. Not that she's complaing, Honoka likes the outdoors just as much as anyone else, it's just... not what she was expecting from her first month in the shiny high tech secret agency.

But! She's adaptable. She's never really been camping before, but Umi goes absolutely feral for hiking trips so she's absorbed some of her knowledge just through proximity and she's kind of sure she can wing it.

First things first, though, is getting herself settled. She's got her BIAS hitched up on her back and a smile hitched onto her face so it's time to make her way over to the little shack that says BARD and sweep the door open to announce herself. ]

Hiiii! Oh, wow, there's a few of us in here, huh?

[ She's beaming all over her face as she makes her way in. New friends, new friends!! ]

I'm Honoka Kousaka! I pretty much just got here... are you guys newbies too?

2. Field Day

[ GUESS WHAT! HONOKA'S SURE HAVING ONE OF THESE!!

She's definitely a little old for this sort of nonsense but she looks like she's having an absolute whale of a time, regardless. Catch her going absolutely ham during the sack race (and completely eating shit, but don't worry about that) and being a surprisingly effective speed demon during capture the flag. Basically, if it gives her an excuse to run around like a hyperactive puppy, then she's doing it.

Once she's worn herself out -- a process that takes until the evening, believe it or not -- Honoka wobbles her way over to the campfire and proceeds to flop right onto the ground by it, stretching hugely and dramatically. ]

Man, I'm beat! But this is so much fun!

3. Happy Little Trees

[ Having apparently worn herself out with all her manic fun having, Honoka's a little more chill now, opting for the slightly less hyper activity of painting. She's not much of an artist, but she gets the feeling that the idea here is just getting something that looks passably good on the canvas and leaving your mark rather than fretting about leaving a masterpiece. So, she'll give it a whirl!

She doesn't seem perturbed when she sees her colour -- a vibrant orange that almost matches her hair -- and in fact she just beams and gets to painting away. Her first subject is a cartoony but still recognizable rendition of Honoka herself. Her hands seem to get away from her and without thinking she's already started to paint in two figures, one on either side of the little cartoon Honoka. It's only when she realizes what she's doing that she stops and her brow is creased by a frown. She lifts the paintbrush away from the canvas for a moment, evidently thinking it over... but then she smiles to herself again and gets back to painting.

If you happen upon her after this, you'll see that she's happily painting the other residents of the Bard cabin -- Sayori, Kaede, Bakugo, Deku, Minato and Eleanor -- alongside the little cartoon Honoka. They're a bit cramped together, so as not to take up too much room, but they're all surprisingly recognizable for being painted in one colour and they're all smiling. Well, except Bakugo. But that's basically just normal for him.

She looks up once she realizes she has an audience and gives a sheepish, slightly paint-splotched grin. ]

Eheh, what do you think? I'm not great at art, so go easy on me...

4. WILDCARD, BITCHES

[ Basically just a free-for-all for HOUSE OF BARD interactions, or anything else you'd like to do! Feel free to hit me up on superorbital if you'd like to plot something else with me that I don't have up on this toplevel. ]

TEST OF INITIATION SUBHEADER

[korekara]

[ Okay. Initiation time. Honoka's perfectly fine with this. It's not like she's awful at tests or that her grades are kind of wretched or that she's all knock-kneed at the prospect of going up against someone who could knock her down to the bottom rung. Seriously, what's going to happen if she fails? Are they just going to dump her back into the void or something?!

Honoka forces herself to take a deep breath and... attempts to calm her rattling nerves. She can do this. She... doesn't really have any other choice, does she?

Once her legs feel a little less like jelly, she squints up at the two names illuminated in cool blue. There's her, and then... ]

Bakugo Katsuki...

[ Okay. That's her teammate. She sucks in another breath, and tells herself one more time, you can do this, and then makes her way into the testing chamber.

And then she starts when she realizes that oh, she's not the first one here. It's this boy in his... admittedly, pretty sick outfit. Her testing partner, maybe? ]

Um... Bakugo-kun?

[hijumpkick]

Welcome Wagon
[He’s seen strange, white squiggly monsters. He’s seen a tornado of shadowy blobs. He’s seen shadowy people and secret computer labs. Hayner likes to think he’s seen all sorts of strange things. But seeing the world-eating, shadowy darkness consume Twilight Town? That’s something he’s never seen before.]

[It all happens at a pace that’s almost too fast to keep track of. People panicking, all-consuming darkness… and then, a hand, and light. Really, he’s got no other choice but to grab it. When he does, he’s overcome with a sense of vertigo as he’s suddenly pulled through some sort of portal or something, and then he’s falling…]

[…right onto a patch of grass in an ungraceful heap. Soft grass, yes, but still an ungraceful heap.]

[It takes him a minute to get his bearings, but when he does, all he can do is stare in awe. He slowly gets to his feet, looking around at his new and unfamiliar surroundings.]

Woah… [He marvels for a minute, before tensing, remembering what happened. Then, he begins looking through the crowds.]

Pence? Olette! Hey, where is everyone?!

Test of Initiation – Closed to Roxas (KH3 Spoilers!)
W-Wait, you want us to do what??

[That’s Hayner’s first reaction when he’s told about his apparent test, which has him gaping. Climb a whole mountain?? That’s pretty intense, especially for a kid. But after his initial shock, he punches his fist into his open palm. He can totally do this. After all, it’s just a little mountain climbing, right? It doesn’t sound too hard, when he thinks about it. They mentioned there will be more instructions when he starts, but still, mountain climbing wasn’t too bad. Plus, he’ll apparently have help on this test.]

[He’s led to the room where he’s meant to wait for his test to start, still marveling at all of the crazy moon base architecture. But when he’s led into the waiting room, the door closing behind him, he’s quick to notice a telling, familiar mop of blonde spikes. Instantly, a smile spreads on his face as he beams.]

No way..! You’re kidding me!

Camping Prompts
Fighter House
[Camping seemed like a fun time, for sure, but when he gets to the camp house he’s designated to stay in, he makes a face. It’s… pretty disgusting, even by teenaged boy standards. For a few beats he just sort of stands in the entryway, a grossed-out expression on his face. Finally, he turns to the nearest fellow Fighter.]

Dibs out on cleaning up this place.

Fight Club/Field Day
[Aw man, Hayner hasn’t gone camping in ages. After the camp’s activities are listed and they’re free to do their own thing, it doesn’t take Hayner long to make his way to the sparring arena. Ever the eager fighter, he’s one of the first who arrives, and is often found here challenging opponents.]

[He’s more used to Struggle bats than foam boxing gloves, but he still bounces on his feet when his opponent enters the fray, a confident smirk on his face.]

C’mon, bring it on! Don’t even think about going easy on me!

[If he’s not at the sparring arena, Hayner can also be found taking part in other camp activities, like the potato-sack race, capture the flag game, eating s’mores, hiking, and taking his shot at the dunk tank. It might be childish, sure, but he’s a 16-year-old kid at summer camp. Why wouldn’t he have fun?]

Overnight Sensations
[After a relatively fun day (and some mild cleaning of his area of the cabins), it’s time to head to sleep. At least, that’s the plan, when Hayner settles into bed, drifting off to sleep…]

[…except, when he wakes up, he starts to feel the magical effects. It starts off as a mild, irritating itch on his arms, but then it quickly spreads to his chest, and increases in irritation. By midday he’s scratching at his back, arms, and wherever he can reach.]

Aagh! I think I stepped in poison ivy or something!

[seasaltkeys]

[Roxas hadn't really thought about doing a second Test of Initiation. He'd already done one after all, earning the silver bracer that he wears proudly on his wrist. But they had needed help with the new reclaimers so he figured he should pitch in. He's in the waiting room, wondering what they're going to face, and hoping it's not something to do with his memories. Roxas has had enough of those for a while.

He looks up when he hears the door open and freezes. He'd almost given up on seeing anyone from his world, and even then, he was expecting someone like Sora to show up. Not Hayner, of all people. He knows he should be worried, should be wary but he can't help the look of surprise on his face and the brief, shining moment of hope.]

H=Hayner?

[shootstyles]

Bard Shenanigans: Deku vs. Girls

[Sharing a room with girls is... Well, it's embarrassing! They're girls and he's a boy and he's never really talked to many girls... except his classmates but they're girls who happen to be his classmates and that's different! And also sometimes embarrassing!

But it's also somehow very easy to forget that there are girls around. Especially early in the morning when he stumbles back from brushing his teeth, still yawning and rubbing his eyes. He's the sort that doesn't really get it all together for at least a good hour after he wakes up.

He goes over to his bed, picks out a fresh shirt for the day, and is in the middle of pulling it off when he suddenly remembers... girls. THERE ARE SO MANY GIRLS HERE. He immediately yanks down his shirt and turns bright red.]

S-sorry! I'm just... I'm sorry!

He's Bard, Singing to you in his sleep

[This is just a prompt for other bards in his cabin because Deku is definitely a sleep talker so it's probably 5 AM and he's having an extended and yet nonsensical conversation with himself. You can hear things like "hero" and "All Might" and also random things like "Katsudon" "Nike" and "Mom".

Please don't smother him...]

Fight fight fight during field training!
[Okay. He doesn't really know if this is actually going to help with his fighting skills but... he can't really pass up an opportunity to keep up with his hero training.

So he puts the sock-em boppers on his hands and crouches into a fighting position, giving his opponent a serious look.]

I'm not gonna hold anything back!

[Except he will if you look a little nervous.]

Or I mean, we should just do our best, you know?

[An Overnight Sensation.]

[It's not uncommon to see Izuku wandering around with his notebook, talking to himself. It's just... one of those things that he does. It's weird but it's just harmless Izuku weirdness. If you're really charitable then maybe it's even endearing.

Currently, he's sitting on a stump, muttering to himself, and going over all of the activities they've done and clues about the Tomb of Horrors when he abruptly sneezes loudly.

He sniffles and rubs at his nose, which suddenly feels itchy. He resumes mumbling before another sneeze cuts him off and his eyes start to water and his nose runs.]

What? Is this allergies...? But the only allergies I have is when I have hayfever back home during the spring. But I'm allergic to the Sugi and Hinoki trees which are native to Japan there couldn't be... here?

[He sneezes again and wipes his running nose and eyes on his sleeve. This continues and eventually he's stumbling around camp with his eyes and nose are horribly red and just itching everywhere.

He's allergic to his own muttering. Someone save him please.]

[Wildcard!]

[Hit me up at mythal if you want anything else! I'm totally flexible on all the prompts!]

deku vs girls; i'm sorry but i'm not

[hxppythxughts]

Huh?

[Are they not supposed to get dressed in the cabin? Because that's what Sayori is doing. What else would they do, carry all their clothes to the bathroom??? That's just silly unless they're planning on taking a shower.

She's past the pantless stage but she is pulling on her own shirt as Deku speaks. Her expression is pure confusion.] Why're you apologizing?

[witchship]

A. welcome wagon.

i. happy house
[ The girl with golden eyes arrives wordlessly into the belly of the beast, she thinks, spat back out by fate itself into an existence that may as well mean nothing. The girl looks like she has no intention of interacting with any of the people here, but if you're the sort to pay attention, you might notice that her gaze carries a nervous quality to it, as if she's expecting people to turn on her at moment. In the end, perhapd radiating this aura of unapproachability is how she's keeping that from happening. Unapproachability is not a word, but you more than likely get the feeling that she makes the rules up, and wants you to follow, anyway.

Before everything moves away from the welcoming crew, eventually, she deigns herself to grace everyone with the sound of her voice. It's like sugar syrup; sweet, smooth, and mood changing. If you ignore what she actually says, you'd probably have no problem thinking this is just a sweet young girl, blessed with vocal chords made out of honey.

Unfortunately, she actually talks. ] Come now, come now. Such an operation must have been running for a long time, if it is so smooth already... And with such power, I see. Quite the government, I must say, but I don't feel an ounce of authority from those of you who choose to stare and not speak...

Well? Hehe... Cat got your tongue? Oh, if only that we me.

[ She may never have an answer to that last prayer, now. How cruel fate can be. ]

ii. tenant
[ It all feels like it goes against God, truthfully. Even so, Morgana cannot help but feel the pressure to partake of the ... drink. It goes down like liquid fat, vile and horrific in it's own right, and when Morgana's mind is clearer than it has been since she's come to in this strange place, she feels like she's betrayed a part of herself she will never get back. It's poetic, perhaps. She looks to the floor afterwards, avoids eye contact with everyone in the group. Yes, perhaps that prayer never will see an answer now. ]

...Have you been to church before, my dear?

[ It's an innocent question. ]

iii. trophy ( test of initiation, closed to yuna )
[ Morgana is overthinking this already. She can't help it. Staring down their choice of tools has her calculating all the ways they could botch this. She can't say she has much faith in this wisp of a woman, even if she has a determined glow to her mismatched cat eyes. ]

I suggest we each choose something to compliment the other's tool. ...I'll exercise some uncharacteristic kindness, my dear, and permit you the first choice.

[ Taking a step back, the girl waits patiently, fingers laced over her stomach. ]

B. get in losers, we're going camping

i. hybrid
[ Morgana is not joining fight club. She will never join fight club. She is literally only here to laugh at you. When she gets a moment to speak, it's always with a cheerful edge; her words are unkind, but maybe, in tone... You could dupe yourself into thinking it's her expressing concern for your body injuries or ego. Who knows. Maybe she is. ]

Tell me. Does it make you stronger when you land on your back or does it make you stronger when you feel the weight of your failure on your shoulders?

[ As sweet as her voice is, it's probably as welcome in this moment as a mosquito would be at, uh, any time at all. ]

ii. lunar camel
[ The girl with red braids as long as her hips takes to art well, it would seem. It's probably the fact it is so solitary. She doesn't need to speak or be spoken to. She merely paints, and the color her brush soaks up is exactly the one she would have chosen, anyway. There's no reason to hide it, after all; Morgana's paint is color of wheat fields and sunrises, new beginnings and the sensation of a new home.

Her canvas says "tower" at first, in loopy, ornate handwriting that looks like it was plucked out of ancient tomes, back when bookbinding wasn't an obscure hobby and more of a necessity in order to have books. She takes her time with it before wiping it out, perhaps a big too aggressively. ]

...My dear. You there, yes. Do you have red I could use?

[ She hasn't figured out that her paint will always be wheat colored help her ]

iii. christine
[ Halfway through your story (whatever it might have been), Morgana stands up. There is hellfire in her eyes, her expression as sour as six month old milk. Her braids are beginning to come undone from the long day, and perhaps from the fact she has been listening to ghost stories for who knows how long now. WHO KNOWS HOW LONG NOW.

She picks up a rock.

She aims it at the group of busts.

She is about to yeet the rock at the busts. What do you do? ]

wildcard

[ if you'd like to plot something else out, please hit me up through PM or on plurk @ weirdautumn! on the other hand, if you would like to write your own starter for me, please do! be as creative as you desire. i'm up for plotting or running into the sunset and seeing where it takes us! ]

2b

[oculusriffs]

Yeah, dude, just point where I'm supposed to paint.

[COLLABORATION! Dave's paintbrush is spitting out his usual cherry red; he doesn't even realize it's supposed to mean something. he does know, however, that it's the only color he can paint in, so here, he'll ruin your art for you, Morgana.]

[splinten]

ingest

[Dirk is... kind of mesmerized by the food options. They're weird. He doesn't understand them. Bender's a menace and he kind of wants to take the dude apart but that'd be rude, but also, this is a lot of food. And while he has researched most of this food, he doesn't actually know how good it is. Or how well he'd digest it? How well do you digest other foods after living your entire life on fish and Doritos? Is that coffee? He knows coffee won't actually stop him from dreaming but what if he has enough that he doesn't sleep at all and then passes out so hard he can't remember it? Would Blue Cow work better? Why is he even here?

So yeah he's been standing in front of Bender, trying to figure out what to eat, for a full five minutes. You're free to push him aside or tell him to make a choice.]

strife!

[He has settled in a bit more by the time they get to camp. Which is why, when he hears about the arena, he decides that'd be a good place to be. But then as he tries to walk in, his sword gets knocked out of his hand (still a ridiculous place to have a sword) and he is presented with a pair of.... stupid boxing gloves. What the fuck.]

Yeah, no. Sorry. I'm not equipped for fistkind. [He gives an apologetic(? he's not expressive) nod to the person across from him, then turns around to leave. Bye.]

a beautiful pony

[Camping? People? Socialization? Existence? Dirk has doubts about all of these things. But he read his brochure, and he checked what actions he had, and when he landed in the camp he made a decision to use one of them. One very specific one.

Find Steed.

And so there it is, before him: a beautiful pony*. It is a round pony, and Dirk is in legitimate awe standing before it. This may be hard to discern—Dirk is wearing his stupid shades, and he is monotone on the best of days—but it is the truth. Dirk loves this pony.

*It is a horse, not a pony, because Dirk is too big for a real pony. But spiritually? It is definitely a pony.

In this moment of pure magic, Dirk stands before this majestic hoofbeast. He offers it some foliage to eat from his hands. It accepts.

His voice is barely above a whisper.]

Holy shit.

[He is now hugging the pony's neck. The pony tolerates this because Find Steed is a powerful path action. And Dirk is just... so happy. This is the happiest he has been in a very long time.

Honestly, he might be tearing up a bit, but we don't talk about that.]

etc

[Dirk is living in the Fighter's cabin, but on account of having almost no social experience, he'll probably be mostly quiet around the other people. He does, however, want a top bunk, and also he wants to sleep with some weird plush toys.

Which, by the way, if you find him at the arts and crafts table, he will be ignoring the painting exercises (no orange) and instead crafting some very odd plushes. He's, uh, good at the craft, clearly, even if what he has chosen to do with his skills is... questionable.

He also will continue to be found with his beautiful pony. He likes to feed it and ride it and talk to it. The pony's name is now Muddyhoof.]

a beautiful pony

[despairing_hope]

You know... you won't get to keep it, right?

[Komaeda had just been trying to avoid bringing doom to everyone, but then he happened to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.]

[oculusriffs]

i. an unfortunate reprisal

[Dave's on the record as not really caring about fighting — well, not really liking it, anyway — while also knowing he has to, for at least one particular reason that's causing him to paint in red. so, reluctantly, when he's informed that there's a struggle ring, he goes to check it out. he's got an incredibly shitty sword on him, it's not like he's going to actually hurt anybody with it.]

[except for the part where nobody is ever truly able to accurately guess at just how shitty that sword actually is. not even two hours after their arrival, a message from turntechgodhead pops up on the network.]

hey
i need help
or a plumber or some other sort of contractor out there in the forest
any takers

[yeah, when the magic barrier knocked a shitty weapon out of his hands, the force of the knockback was equally shitty — and now the SORD..... is stuck in a tree. it's. it's making the entire tree freak out in glitches somehow.]

[how the hell is a plumber going to help, Dave?]

ii. the color coding is still accurate at least

[speaking of painting in red, Dave didn't listen to a single word the Bureau member was saying about the meanings of the paint color; considering how long he's been here, and considering how stupid his own universe is about magics and symbolism, it isn't that weird to him that he'd be handed a brush that magically paints in the color he would have chosen anyway.]

[maybe if he had actually paid attention, he would have known what it meant, specifically for him, immediately. he probably would have even stopped creating art of dubious quality or appeal and left to find something to do that wasn't standing there with a goddamn Paintbrush of Damocles hovering over his head. it's not like he wants to run away from it, it's more like ... having a problem that needs solving, and no longer being capable of doing it. at least, not in the capacity he's used to.]

[but all that vaguetweeting doesn't really matter, because he's literally painting a staircase across the entire canvas. anybody else who paints a figure on there may have their drawing look a bit like ... they're falling down them.]

[I WARNED YOU BRO. I TOLD YOU DAWG.]

iii. a less unfortunate reprisal

[okay, seriously, he still wants to try training at least a little bit? hangups and swords stuck in trees aside — and not with a goddamn pair of inflatable boxing gloves. a few days in, he's heard enough about the Fight Club to check it out. and as you — Dave's opponent this round — and he enter the ring, Dave holds up a hand.]

Hang on a sec.

[yeah, he's going to crack open a mildly cursed energy drink and drink it down. there's a very good reason why he chose the energy drink over the strength spaghetti, honest! and it's not cheating.]

[yeah, okay, it's cheating.]

iv. wildcard

[i'm always game for anything! Dave will be snooping around the forest, probably falling asleep in random places since that's kind of a thing both in canon and his personal post canon, and otherwise probably pretending to be too cool for the dunking booth while also immediately trying to dunk the Director.]

[oculusriffs]

initiation — closed to dirk

[the past two times new Reclaimers were brought in, Dave had more or less accidentally stumbled into helping one out with their Test of Initiation — so really, as he clocks in and wanders into the arena, he doesn't really seem all that distressed. casual as ever, hands jammed in his pockets, sword strapped to his back, and —]

[and ...]


[oh god.]

guido mista | ota

[protegge]

i. paladin haus

[This place is a hot fucking mess, which Mista announces, loudly, upon entry, hands on his hips as he scans the cabin. This is as far as he goes in terms of cleaning things up, though, at least until 76 someone bullies him into actually doing his part. Let it be known that despite overall trying to keep his mess together since coming to the Bureau, largely as a result of briefly sharing a space with Venus, he's still a messy bastard who doesn't really live for cleaning. Catch him whining over a broom if you like—]

The dust keeps, like, scooting away from the bristles. Who even invented brooms in the first place.

[When he's not being bullied into cleaning, though, he's a pretty cheerful roommate, if an intrusive one. Example: it is like 10 PM, you have probably been up since dawn, and Mista is throwing down a pack of cards on the table like a challenge.]

It's time. [For?? What??? Exactly??????]

ii. strife league

a ) Oh, Jesus, are you kidding?

[Mista looks genuinely depressed as he stares down at the Bureau-issued . . . Sock'em Boppers. This is just a travesty.]

This is an elaborate prank, right? You can't actually expect people to fight like this. I wanna punch myself in the face just for wearing these. [He literally might.]

b ) [That being said, he doesn't actually want to join a fight club? What's on his mind more than fighting people is making sure the weediest new Reclaimers don't pass the fuck out from exhaustion before even starting the next mission.]

[So he sends out a missive and cues up Eye of the Tiger, because it's time for some basic stamina training. If you are obviously not up to running several miles at a time, or if the word "push-up" makes you flinch, Mista has at least tried to bully you into joining. He's abandoned his shitty tiger pants for some fantasy sweat gear and spends the majority of his time actually being helpful.]

Listen, you just gotta do better than you did last time, that's what matters, okay. One more crunch. [Or lap around the cabins, or whatever. Alternately:] I see you not hydrating! Come on.

[It's worth noting, though, that regardless of how positive and helpful he is trying to be, it's kind of infuriating how he almost never gets out of breath. Bastard.]

iii. arts & crafts

[Mista is very cheerfully not an artist, at all. He can draw stick figures and that's about it. But there's something weirdly soothing about painting, which he'd forgotten until just now, because the last time he painted something was probably in first grade.]

[Which is why he is slowly, pensively, meditatively using an eye-searing neon red-orange to paint his best representation of a very beautiful woman. It is not a good representation, but there is a lot of heart in it. The color has nothing to do with the woman he's painting, for the record.]

[Interrupt him while he's quote-unquote working if you like, but eventually he will interrupt himself, scratching his cheek and accidentally getting paint on his face.]

How the hell do you make the eyes look the same on both sides?

iv. an overnight sensation

Bleh!

[Boy, I hope this is your first impression of Guido Mista. Here he is, standing in your path at the field day or sitting nearby in the mess, having just spat a big chunk of meat out on the floor. Or table, which is not much better at all!]

[Bewildered, he stares at it. There's obviously a part of him that wants to pick it up and try again, but he manages to resist the impulse. Instead, he cautiously puts another piece of meat in his mouth — and gags, spitting it out again.]

What the hell! [He genuinely looks like he's about to cry a little?] There's something wrong with this meat!

[There is nothing wrong with the meat. Inconveniently, his body is currently rejecting meat. He is an unwilling vegetarian until further notice.]

[He will be in his bunk depression napping. Please save him from himself and make him eat a vegetable.]

v. wildcard

[Mista will be doing literally everything he can get his hands on, especially eating everything at the fair and learning how to hunt, but really feel free to assume interactions anywhere! Hit me up at passiones or PM me to hash out a specific prompt.]

iv. hello i love u

[vandymion]

[ It sure is her first impression of Guido Mista. She stares with a slight mix of horror and disgust as he spits it out not once, but twice. ]

... Perhaps ... you ought to stop eating it, if it is spoiled ...

[gotyourbach]

A. A Brief Moon(base) Sonata

[After camping on Maru for several weeks, after all the pain and heartache suffered in the aftermath, Kaede is thrilled to be back home. Well, what passes for home these days. A familiar bed, a familiar piano. Really, that's all she can ask for right now.

Tomorrow, she'll head to Vista Virs with Ferran and a copy of the piano to gift to them. Today? She has a lot of emotions to work out, things she couldn't express with words nearly as eloquently as she could with her favorite instrument. Sadness and regret for everyone who'd been killed when Maru had crashed, but also hope, uplifting and airy.

She'll be there all day. Hope you, uh, weren't planning on using the music room for yourself without an encounter with her.]

B. It's Music All The Way Down

How's that?

[Kaede steps back, resting her hands on her hips and surveying her work. The fighting ring isn't really her style, but painting? She can get behind that, her brush rendering music notes all in yellows, greens, and blues. Unsurprisingly to anyone who's spoken to her for more than a hot minute, it looks like a stylized piece of sheet music.]

I was inspired by Vivaldi's Spring! [She hums the first few bars in an attempt to jog your memory.] It's a cheery, upbeat song that just fills you with energy for the day, don't you think?

C. Mischief...

Hehe...

[Kaede's taking a break from the field day activities, instead holding a compact in one hand. It almost looks like she's fixing her makeup, but there's not a brush in her hand. Between giggles, she's just humming softly to herself.

Then her blonde hair abruptly turns a brilliant, shocking pink, startling a gasp and another laugh. Once she realizes she has an audience, she closes the mirror and clasps her hands behind her back, offering a bright smile.]

Hey... do you mind helping me practice a new spell?

[It's Disguise Self.]

D. Wildcard!

[Did we discuss something else? WANT to do something else? use this slot!! feel free to hit me up @jaderhade for plotting.]

C

[rockymountaindie]

[ He is so not used to people just doing magic. Even if he can do magic now, apparently, it's still...surprising. Especially when this girl just changes the color of her hair, just like that.

And then...he's in the spotlight here. ]

Uhhhh.

[ Hm. ]

What kinda spell?

[unrecovered]

1. Home Again, Home Again

[Wash isn't terribly thrilled that they only have a few days at base before they head off to camp, but he absolutely plans on making the most of it. He can be found in his usual haunts: in the library seeing if he can build on his magic research; in the dojo, sparring with the training programs or giving combat training to the people who need it; or just in the cafeteria, with his armor spread out on one of the tables, doing repairs and drinking coffee.]

2. Fighters Only, No Items, Final Destination

[While this is not the nicest place Wash has ever stayed, it's nowhere near the worst. He shrugs, picks a bed at random, and dumps his pack on the lower bunk.]

Yeah, we should probably clean this place up. Anyone find a broom?

3. Despite the previous title, this is the actual Fighting Prompt

[Wash is perfectly happy to take people on in the ring during the day; he tends to suggest hand to hand combat, because everyone needs to start somewhere, but he'll roll with whatever weapons anyone wants to use. This is all in good fun, right?]

[It's not long, however, until he discovers the free-for-all mode between midnight and two. He doesn't sleep much anyway, so anyone taking a moonlight stroll can find him in the ring, grinning.]

You up for a round or two?

4. Campe Diem!

[There's something to be said for getting into the spirit of the thing, even if said thing is a vaguely childish field day. Wash can be found tie-dyeing a t-shirt (blue and yellow, because he isn't always creative); he can also be found sitting on the hot seat in the dunk tank, gleefully sassing everyone trying to dunk him. He's still dry - looks like nobody's managed it yet.]

5. Poker With Tarot Cards

[Wildcard! Make up something fun, and hit me up at kiaxet if you want to plot!]

1

[feytality]

[ she's on time! she's here!! she's a little impatient (why can't she train on missions, wow wash!) an amped up, but she keeps it together as she meets him in the dojo. ]

Good morning, Wash.

[ then she just kind of stands there.... should she bow? should she do something? is he gonna play claw of the tiger? (that's what the song is obviously called, eye of the tiger just sounds weird) ]

What should I do? Are we gonna fight?

[ someone's overeager and getting ahead of herself. ]

[hxppythxughts]

♥ 1 - a rough day! ♥ (OTA-ish but let me know if you want to tag this one)

[She went to visit Minato like she promised herself she would. There's a batch of new Reclaimers, and she knows she should really say hello. They're probably scared, and confused, and need friends.

But she's so tired. The couple nights since they brought Maru down have been plagued by bad dreams and insomnia in turn.

She spends a lot of one of their free days at the moon base sleeping, or just laying in bed, pretending--or hoping--to sleep. She's not sure how much time passes that way. (Is she getting a new roommate? She'll have to say she was just napping if they come in.) She thinks her bracer buzzed with some texts, but maybe not.

It's fine. It's probably not important. She'll just hope she feels better after one more nap.]


♥ 2 - bard house! ♥ (OT all bards/others with insomnia)

[This cabin is, frankly, pretty crummy, but at least there are beds! That's all Sayori needs after the camping helltrip that was Maru.

Of course, everyone in this cabin is immediately a Friend if they weren't already. When she's in the cabin, she's happy to chatter to anyone else who might also be hanging around for some downtime. She's usually sitting in her selected bed, writing in her journal.

And generally, she's pretty good about keeping her stuff in her own space! But...not always in the proper order. Her bed is often covered in the clothes she has in rotation. Occasionally, undergarments are visible among the pile. She may accidentally hang a shirt where it shouldn't hang in a half-asleep stupor, or leave her shoes somewhere inadvisable, or lose a sock. Just occasionally. Not all the time.

She's trying!

She did bring a whole plate of Bender's magically perfect chocolate chip cookies for the whole cabin, placed on one of the desks so that everyone can eat them. God, is she trying.

And, well... She does her best to hide her sleep-related struggles with nighttime activities. But sometimes, well past bedtime, she can be heard scrawling in her journal, or tiptoeing out of the cabin to sit out front and look at the stars.]


♥ 3 - art therapy! ♥ (OTA)

[Thankfully, Sayori has a lot of practise at pretending to be normal. And some of the camp activities look genuinely fun!

Like the paints! She's not exactly an artist, but she does like doodling. However, when the person in charge of the station explains how the paints work, there's a moment of obvious hesitation.

But if she walked away, wouldn't that be more obvious?

So she's all smiles as she takes the brush and begins to paint.

A - Most days of the retreat, she paints in a bright yellow. She likes to use this to paint suns and outdoor scenes! In the childish way an inexperienced artist would, of course. She paints a few lines of an old poem where she thinks they might look nice over her field of little cartoonish flowers.

B - Some days, she paints in a deep blue. The natural thing to do with blue is to paint a rainy day, of course! Rain, and clouds, and badly-drawn trees swaying in high winds. But she can also use it to draw a starry nighttime sky. She does it all with a smile.

C (closed to first 2 responders) - And then, rarely, there's pink, just a shade rosier than Sayori's hair. Hidden feelings. She doesn't know what this color means, but if you happen to say something to her as she's painting with it--well, it won't seem so different, at first. But she'll be compelled to respond to anything you say with her honest feelings for up to an hour. How strange!]


♥ 4 - field day! ♥ (OTA)

[Now this is all Sayori's speed. Just pick your poison.]

A - [Are you interested in playing a game? Are you not interested in playing a game? It does not matter, because if you're standing near Sayori at all, she taps you on the shoulder and greets you with a bright grin.] Hi! Do you want to play this one together? [And it might be a race of the potato sack or three-legged variety, a tossing game like cornhole or horseshoes, something risky like water balloon toss, or a perhaps even tug-of-war. The possibilities are endless. Please play with Sayori.]

B - [Tie-dye! Shouldn't you wear gloves for this? Who cares? Sayori certainly doesn't.

If you take a tie-dye station next to her and look even vaguely familiar, she will beam at you.] Hi! Are you going to make a shirt? [And then, a gasp, like something amazing has just occurred to her.] Do you want to make matching shirts?

C - [Fried charisma oreos. Sayori doesn't realize they're the same oreos that gave her a boost on the Maru mission--she's just excited to try a bunch of flavours.

And she'll offer you one too, of course.] Here, try this one! It's red velvet!

[Her behaviour isn't so terribly different, but she is, somehow, just a little more captivating.

(It's the oreos.)]


♥ 5 - wildcard! ♥ (OTA)

[you know the drill, hmu at ceesawaseesaw or discord if you'd like to hash out something different! or just hit me with a prompt!]

reserved for further prompts!

[hxppythxughts]

[please do not reply!]

[grakraka]

[Ghost Stories]

[Since he actually does rather like this kind of thing, he decides to duck in for this. Though, he finds the literal talking heads rather irritating but he can tune them out easily enough. Ghost stories are worth ignoring them for.

And naturally, Akechi made sure to grab an extra bag just for snacks for himself in preparation for this: potato chips with no greasy residue, melon pan, always warm chocolate chip cookies, normal triple chocolate cookies, and mochi in various flavours. That said he will share. He isn't that mean.]

I've read some spooky stories on the internet from time to time. I don't know if they would scare anyone, though.

[Creepypasta. He means creepypasta and Japanese nosleep shit.]

[Arts & Confessions]

[Unfortunate that Akechi decided to paint now of all times. Unfortunate, too, that the mysterious magic is in effect at the time, too. It means that as he gives painting with this colour a whirl, he has some very bad luck and blurts out some confessions.

So just for sanity's sake, I broke it down into options. Pick no more than two specific ones you want and let me know your choices in the reply so that I can write the impulse confessions for you!

- Emotional issues like his suicidal feelings, general depression, general hateful feelings & anger/violent impulses
- Family stuff such as caring about Shido (deeply unfortunate), his mother and the guilt he feels for her death; also, though, you could get the bitterness side of why did she leave him alone! Mixed feelings, yay!
- Caring about Akira romantically
- Murders he has committed/his role as an assassin, blackmail/spying, manipulation/life ruining, things like that
- Any lie like he has told so many in general you can assume if he has been mostly smiley around your character it was partly a lie
- Personalize it to what you want him to confess to your character ♥]

[Break Time]

[Though, later in the evenings, you might find him in a clearing in the forest, a quiet and peaceful place. Here, he is either reading or playing card games by himself as he sits in the grass with some snacks. It seems like he probably came here to unwind. He'll glance up when you enter the area.]

Don't sit on the stump.

[Why though.]

[Wildcard]

[Akechi will be doing all of the tasks, up to and including helping to clear a path to the tomb of horrors whenever the team-bonding becomes too much for him. He will also definitely do midnight fight club so hit him up yo. Paladins also get to know he has ridiculous morning routines for his hair and make-up and definitely a nightly skin care one. Sorry guys he has to look nice. You can toss me a starter or grab me over at astronomia to ask for a specific starter!]

u know why i'm here

[gotyourbach]

Oh! What a pretty color!

[Kaede ducks in right next to him, leaning around his arm to try to catch a glimpse of what he's working on. Superheroes, maybe?

Everything she's done so far is in shades of yellow, green, and blue, splatters of it still covering her clothing that she hasn't yet bothered to Prestidigitation away yet. She's just going to get more paint on her clothes anyway? It's inevitable.]

Are you having fun, Goro-kun?

[alloys]

i. bottoms up.

...So, let's just set the record straight. We don't have to drink this, but we basically sort of do, if we want to know what's going on here. Yeah, um, anyone ever tell you your shit is rigged? Anyone? No? Bueller?

[ Figures. But it is rigged. Even so, he still takes ones of the cups, lifting it to his nose and wrinkling it as he sniffs. God, if it tastes even half as bad as it tastes, this is sure gonna suck.

He eyes his nearest fellow victim and tips his cup in their direction. ]

Normally, I'm not one to pass on such an honor, but — please, you first.

[ If they don't die, maybe he'll consider drinking it, but even then, he's dubious. ]

ii. cabin fever (as made famous by the muppets.)

[ ...None of this is right, but as rough as his first day or so here was, even Tony isn't so determined to be uncooperative to the point of doing jack shit. He doesn't trust this, any of this, for a hell of a lot of reasons, but he's going to learn more if he goes along with it for the time being. So, yeah. Reclaimers, whatever. And he's a sorcerer now? Yeah, that's a good one. If anything, this is probably some kind of karmic joke that Strange set him up for. Bet the wizard's having a laugh wherever he is right now.

Of course, Tony heads for the cabin labeled "Smart People", because, duh. However, in finding himself unable to enter thanks to the magical barrier. That's cute. Real cute.

So, naturally, what he's going to do next is grab one of those paintbrushes and affix the word "ass" after "smart" on the door frame. Here he is, one of Earth's mightiest heroes, committing an act of vandalism on his first day away from the moon base.

Catch him in this despicable act, or later, decidedly not hanging out inside the sorcerer's cabin, but instead circling the perimeter of the area, looking for...something. He stops every few paces, scribbles down something with good old-fashioned pen and paper, before muttering to himself: ]

Gotta hand it to them — Big Brother knows how to hide.

[ Because someone's watching them. They gotta be. He just has to find the bugs. ]

iii. game of flags. (light Endgame spoilers)

[ ...Morgan would have loved this.

She would have loved the potato sack races, the hula hoops, red rover, she would have loved this whole damn thing and that thought alone makes him so goddamn homesick that for awhile, he just...keeps his distance and doesn't participate. But even when he's heartbroken, he's still competitive as hell, and word of a capture the flag game catches his ear.

He winds up guarding the jail of captured players from the other team — because nothing gets past him, so clearly he's the best man for the job. And moreover, because he absolutely loves heckling people. So, if you're one of the unlucky souls from the other team who got caught and are now in jail... ]

So, were you trying to get caught? I mean, legitimately. Valid strategy. But you left yourself as open as a Walmart on Black Friday over there. — Oh, it's bad strategy, by the way, 'cause you're never getting out of here. For the record.

[ He could shittalk for days. ]

iv. wildcard.

[ Hit me deep with whatever you fancy! ]

cabin fever

[despairing_hope]

[Komaeda couldn't help but notice the entire thing, being denied entry and then deciding to deface it. Really? A grown adult?]

That's rather childish of you, I take it you're not an intelligence type?

[Really, it wasn't their fault the cabins were restricted by class.]