Tourn RP Archive

Instructions and example

This is how your characters are getting to the maze, please write out something along these lines! I'll post Madison's for reference as well

You feel something... It feels like an odd tingly sensation. It stars from your fingers and toes, and works its way through your body. Moments after tingling began, that part of your body goes numb, as if it were falling asleep. It takes about thirty seconds to work its way to your mind, where your thoughts begin to blur. It feels like lightning in your mind, and if you were to be on the phone with anyone....... Well, all they'd be able to hear when you try to speak is the sound of interference. If you're speaking to anyone in person, they'll be able to hear you but you can't hear them over the voices in your head, and your vison would begin to blur. You hear a voice in your mind, a chorus of voices you don't recognize are speaking to you. "Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin." Then, one voice speaks over the rest of them. "Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok. UNE!" At 'UNE' you disappear in a bright flash, leaving nothing behind... (edited)

Once you make this post, have your forms in, and post your character in at least #deleted-channel (or to #a-contestants #b-side-info ), we can start a little one on one scene with Rakin!

Madison

Three people stood in a living room- the scene was pretty odd.. One guy with greeen hair, one woman wearing a pretty gay looking outfit, and one... Snake child? Hypnobrai, specifically. "Yeah this- was unexpected. I'm going to send a drone out to the.. Island to scope it out as soon as I can." The girl- Madison- sighed. "But we will find Isabelle and Errol, no matter what it takes. They might even bring themselves back before I find them." The snake child sniffed and moved to hug Madison. "...I don't want Auntie Maddy to leave too..." The man with green hair went quiet for a moment at the mention of the island. He had never been there, but he had heard enough about it from his wife. "Hey now DJ, we don't know that Auntie Maddy will leave. She's still here, isn't she?" The man said, trying his best to reassure the snake child. "If I can help it, I'll stay right here." Madison nodded. She waved her hand, and a large drone appeared at her side. It flew out of the door. "It'll be over the island in about three hours, so I'll.. Let you know if I see anything." DJ blinked a bit and looked up at Madison. "...What island...? Are you.. looking for Dad...?" "Yeah, Vonte. And Juradins has the best surveillance tech in the business so- if he's on this planet still, I'll find him." Madison sat down on the floor next to him, still holding him in her arms. "You should.. probably know about how we all really met now. I'm guessing Errol was waiting until you were older to have the talk with you but.. You deserve to know when it's relevant to this, I think.." "Madison... he's only 6. Are we even sure it's the same thing?" The green haired man was very hesitant. But he had a feeling he couldn't stop Madison here. ".. I won't go into all the details, Souma. Just the basics." Madison assured him. DJ looked confused, "how you met....? But I thought..." the snake's expression turned sad. Had he been lied to? "What did he tell you?" Souma asked, although he knew the feeling all too well. "Yeah Vonte let's start with-" Madison began, but seemed to start spacing out. That tingling sensation was there, rising up her body. A small robotic cat stood up suddenly, moving over to her side. "Sh-shit- I hear it." Madison stood up, putting her hands over her ears. "Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin." "O-oh my god it's in my head I think I'm gonna disappear too- shit!" Madison shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. "Auntie Maddy-" DJ moved to hug her legs. In a panic, Souma instinctively reached out to grab some semblance of her as well, almost as if that would actually do anything... But it probably doesn't- "Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok." "I-I'll be fine, Devonte! I'll be back- and I'll bring your dad and Auntie Is back with me! I have my guns those work pretty wel-" "UNE!" And then in a flash, she was gone. Hopefully that drone was self piloting. (edited)

@everyone,d

Nora

Nora wandered around the house, busying herself with random chores, sporadically starting and stopping with no true rhyme or reason. Strange, malformed dolls wander around the house working on their own mindless tasks. She stopped her chores for a moment, sitting in a rickety chair with a small orange cat doll cradled in the nook of her arm. Staring into the nothing of the dusty room, she feels…. disoriented. It felt like… when Master Salvatore would use his powers on her… She clutched her head and her cat tighter as the voices grew louder and louder. As she opened her mouth to scream, she was gone. The toys within the house dropped, still and silent.

Lykos

There is a Wolf in the woods. Around its neck tied a white cloth dyed scarlet. It runs about the forest tasting the air, searching for its next meal. The hair on its neck raises… its eyes search the area, alert. A growl raising from their throat as the feel the noise of the forest mute. These voices, their source clearly unnatural, arcane. The Doctor can feel the power within the words they cannot understand. They are powerless to stop this, that they know. And with that final thought, the wolf disappears from the forest.

Taylor

Taylor was zoned put at his desk again. Poppy hanging off his shoulder as he held the most recent addition to his pile of work in his hands. Something about it was familiar. The texture of the fabric and the faintest scent of ginger coming from the stain he had been trying to gently work out. He barely noticed Poppy uselessly trying to tap him harder with her weighted paw as this feeling was... different. Much too different from his normal dissociation as it actually brought him back. Placing the doll down he couldn't help but rub his head. Then the voices began their chant. And before he could even utter a bewildered, "what?" He and Poppy were gone. The doll slowly slipping off the table clattering to the ground. It's tiny button eyes staring off to the ceiling where Taylor was staring off towards not too long ago. The shop left within nothing but its own silence.

Kevin

Kevin was happy for the days off that he did get from doing farm work. Yet even with his father back from the hospital and his mother taking the season off from the farmer's market, he couldn't help but feel anxious. His tail thumping against the sheets as he laid on his bed. His headphones tucked around his neck with his phone charging, held against his chest. He could faintly hear for a moment his ma call him as the tingling began. Nothing seemed out of the usual as he tried to fight against what he thought was him falling asleep. Yet the more he thought the more it blurred and pulled and beckoned. He couldn't hear his ma any longer. Not even her steady footsteps towards his room as the voices began their chant. He closed his eyes tightly, wondering if he was just dreaming already. "Kevin hon come on your Tio wants to talk to you! Why aren't you picking up your.." His mother halted as she opened the door. Besides the ruffled sheets and his backpack there seemed as if there was no sign of her son. "...hm. I wonder if he went to the barn again... I swear that boy needs to stop fretting so much." She mutters, closing the door as she goes to look for her son. Not yet realizing he had totally disappeared into thin air without even a sound uttered.

Miles

As soon as the clammy hand tightened around his arm, Miles had to fight the instinct of stretching out. Instinct wasn’t the right word- well, it was but it was more it just happened rather than him having the, well, instinct to stretch. “If I ever see your stupid grimy face around here again,” Mr Campbell lectured as he dragged him down to the back alley, and Miles was a little hurt since he’d just made use of the motel showers that day, “I will personally make sure you’re sleeping with the fishes!” Miles’ feet struggled to find purchase with the pebbly path behind the motel, so he kept his gaze down to the floor and hands on his bag strap. “I didn’t know you have fish!” Mr Campbell made some clicking noise with his tongue before tossing him into the alley, pressing his eyes shut and exhaling through his nose as he watched Miles fumble and fail to stay standing. “Miracle you’re alive, ain’t it? Stay here. I’ll get you some- I don’t know, some goddamn bread, then you better be out of here.” He snapped his fingers, catching Miles’ eye, then repeated himself as he pointed to Miles then at the ground. “Stay. Here.” Miles appreciated the clarification and nodded, waiting for Mr Campbell to leave before he grappled the dumpster and stood himself up. Pushing it open, he peered inside. The smell wasn’t bad once he’d gotten used to it - though he didn’t really remember getting used to it - and sometimes there were neat little things in there! As the tingling began in his fingers, he dropped the dumpster lid on them and that was much more pressing to Miles. He sucked his fingers to soothe the ache, peering down at himself as the tingling feeling filled him up and- yeah, fingers grew longer, so he spat them out. Force of habit. Then the voices. He whipped his head around and, as the counting began, called out, “Mr Campbell-??” Then he was gone. Five minutes, Mr Campbell returned with a stale baguette, only to find the alleyway empty. “...stupid fucking eejit.

Theora

12:47 AM

As always, Theora knew what to do; breathe, close her eyes, sort through the little snapshots of life in the darkness until she found the right one. Watch. Dozens of squares popped up in front of her - it was really ingenious of her to plant two on her eyelids so she could always see in front of her. Though the ones on the back of her head were slightly misplaced, they served the same purpose. Not the screens she had to focus on. It was second nature to her now, because she’d been hunting for so long. Breathe. Close her eyes. Sort through the little snapshots of life in the darkness until she found the perspective of the Eye on Miles’ bag. He always carried that thing with him, like he was supposed to. Her fingers tightened on her shotgun in an attempt to bite her own flesh. He’d pay. She kept walking - she’d inspected enough of the area to walk with her eyes closed, literally, and she could always glance to the Eyes’ looking out for her - as she watched from the Eye on MIles’ bag. Muffled yelling but she recognised the tone and manner of that voice. He was still at the same stupid motel, in the same stupid city? She was only two weeks’ walk away. Satisfaction rippled through her. She recognised the alleyway and the dumpster that his bag rested on the edge of - the idiot had rifled through it yesterday, how often did he think people threw out trash? Then she saw the dumpster fall shut on his fingers as he dropped it unprompted. Idiot. Then he glanced around, called out for that same motel manager, before- a bright light. And the scenery changed completely. Theora opened her eyes in confusion, maybe shock too if she didn’t shut that down, and then she heard it. She slammed her palm against her ear with an angry huff but it changed nothing. She held her gun up and scouted the area. Not that it was much use. The light engulfed her too. For better or for worse, she was closer to her mark than she had been before. Just about.

Errol

The sound of sizzling filled the room, as well as the smell of dinner- chicken and rice. Errol smiled as he stirred the pot. "Are you having fun with your new phone, DJ?" He called to the other room. DJ- Devonte JR- called from the other room with an excited "Yeah!" He laughed, "and it hasn't exploded!" Errol laughed at that. "We'll have to thank Auntie Madison later again, huh?" He smiled, "maybe we could even call Dad with it later, hm, Bud?" Errol's smile faded when he felt a small buzz through his body. The hell? He hadn't drank in.. well a bit. He frowned, moving a hand to his forehead as his stirring slowed to a stop. "Argh-... The fuck..." He mumbled. "...Dev? Bud? You alright?" He immediately called- but he couldn't hear if his son answered. His head began to almost huet from the collage of voices- and then he heard what sounded like counting- "DJ call Aunt Maddy-!" Errol managed to yell before... Vanishing.

Acxiom

The music was too loud, and there were too many people, just how Acxiom liked it. The lights were a bit bright, but they were having an off day, yknow? Its hard being a human lightshow sometimes. At least the pay wasn’t bad, for a job that involved free drinks and doing what they did best. Still, Acxiom wasn’t having too much trouble feeling the music and changing the rays of light extending from their eyes, or directing the other light sources in the room as they pleased. Either way, the partiers didn’t seem to care. They did care when those lights started flickering and dimming. Acxiom felt strange. Sometimes this happened when they got overwhelmed. No big deal. Will, the party host, tapped them on the shoulder. Acxiom could tell Will was speaking, but couldn’t actually make out much of the words. They heard something like ”Axe”, ”okay?” and ”water” before Acxiom just brushed him off and mumbled something about going to the bathroom. They thought leaving the room would make the overwhelming voices and sounds leave, but instead they just seemed to make it worse, even though Acxiom was farther from all the people. Some weird chant, did someone put on a different song? A different voice now. Sounded kinda like a countdown, but not in a language Axciom had ever heard. Acxiom didn’t have time to process much before their vision went white. When Will managed to unlock the bathroom door a half hour later, no one was inside.

Damien

The commute to and from Damien’s job was at least 45 minutes, and that 45 minutes had not been something Damien wanted to deal with tonight, at the lovely hour of 11pm. He’d been stressed, and when he was stressed, he just worked more to get his mind off it. Full-proof plan. Besides, nobody really noticed or cared how late he stayed. There was always something else to worry about that he really wanted no part of, he had enough of his own shit to take care of. The road started to look fuzzy in front of him. God, maybe he should’ve had that extra cup of coffee, or gotten another hour of sleep. He was just gonna push through the last 20 minutes of the drive, but then his hands started to feel numb and well, he didn’t want to crash the only mode of transportation he had, figured he could pull over to figure out what was up. He was probably just really tired. After he pulled over, the numbness started spreading. He thought maybe he was having a stroke or something. He clumsily picked up his phone, and somehow got the combo in. He called the first contact. ”Damien? Whats up?” ... ”You’re working late again, right?” ... ”Are you okay?? Your connection sounds awful, where are you?” ... ”Damien, are you okay? Please ta-” Damien dropped the phone, it landed on his lap but he didn’t feel it. He couldn’t even hear Jad over the voice booming in his head. He tried yelling, he couldn’t even hear that. The voice, no, a different voice, got louder. Damien panicked, tried to undo his seatbelt and get out, but he couldn’t fumble with it quite right. Seconds later, he vanished in a flash, and his still-running car was left on the side of the highway.

Chris

Chris reached out and shook the hand of the man in front of them, smiling. "I'm glad I could help, sir. You carry on with your day and your travels." The man offered Chris some produce as thanks before the two went their separate ways. "Would it not just be so much better to slice off that hand you were holding, take that man's produce for yourself, and move on?" a dark, demonic voice whispered in their head, a charismatic, almost old-timey tone to it. "No, I will not stoop so low-" Chris grumbled seemingly to themselves. "There's nothing wrong with doing a hero's job if it helps others." "My dear, how do I say this politely? You are going to make me vomit the contents of my stomach with talk like that- and we both know what that does to your body, so how about you cease that infernal-" the voice paused at the odd sensation and the sound of... chanting in Chris' head? "...Pardon? I did not ask for a third party in here- would you leave-" "It's counting-" Chris spoke, cutting off the voice. "Harry. Harry, it's counting *down-" And just like that, Chris was gone. The farmer Chris had helped gave the flash of light an odd look, but that was it. (edited)

Yeonaixho, Jymaiyri, Minerva

Yeonaixho patted down his pockets while he stood at the door. Keys, wallet, phone. Old receipt from the grocery store- he needed to start throwing away his old receipts, this was getting annoying. He had his bag, with all his documents, with all his patient’s information of the day, all typed up in perfect braille. It’d be a long day- Jess, a longtime patient of his, was finally getting her cane, it was a big day. His own white cane swung from a strap on his wrist, folded neatly until he needed to use it. A long day, yes, but a good day. God, he loved his job. The only things he probably loved more were here, in his apartment. “When are you going to be home today? Not gonna leave me up til ten again, I hope” Jymaiyri asked, lightheartedly, but not teasingly. She held in her arms their infant daughter- Minerva was getting so big, every day. “I’ll be home by seven. Unless the buses run late again.” Yeonaixho pressed a kiss to his wife’s forehead, caressing her chin. He did the same for his daughter. “I promise.” “Pick up some peaches on your way back. Good ones. I want you to make that good cobbler.” “Babe, it’s not even peach season.” “I don’t care! It’s a time for celebration. Minnie’s almost six months old!” Yeonaixho couldn’t help but smile as Minerva’s baby hand wrapped around his. “I can’t believe it. It seems just yesterday she was born…” To Minnie, he cooed, “You want some peach cobbler, don’t you? Peach cobbler for the most special little girl in the world?” Minerva cooed back, babbling her unintelligible baby-talk. She still hadn’t moved onto fully eating solids yet, but they were getting there. “You’re gonna be late for work,” Jymaiyri chastised, and put her hand on Yeonaixho’s shoulder. She kissed him gently, “Have a good day, babe. We’ll be waiting for you,” “I will-” Yeonaixho smiled, then abruptly cut himself off. He was hearing something. It wasn’t familiar, it wasn’t what his hallucinations typically were like- and he’d sworn he’d been taking his meds regularly. His limbs were going numb, too. He braced himself on the doorway. “Jyr- do you hear that?” “Hear what?” Jymaiyri replied, her brow furrowing in concern, though Yeonaixho couldn’t hear her above the droning. “The- the counting-” He exclaimed, but couldn’t elaborate before the light consumed him. Jymairyi screamed as her husband vanished- which set Minerva off crying. Jymaiyri pressed her baby to her chest, and stepped back, though she couldn’t take her eyes off the spot Yeonaixho had once been. Her heart raced, it pounded in her head. She couldn’t speak, the only thing running through her mind was fear. And then, she started to hear it, too. The room began to spin, she held Minerva tighter to her- she tried to focus on the faint sound of infant crying above the drone, but it didn’t work. Through her shut eyes, the light consumed her.

Kian

(Kian's thing ended up being over 1k words so here's just a google doc for who wants to read it lol) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q2prDGLA2kusBJXh9GJbMEum_lCLhzfGwt7dmn9GmLk/edit?usp=sharing

Kian Intro

x/xx/xxxx 2:23am - West River Tribe I’ve been camping out in Miss Makena’s home for the past few weeks. She has been kind enough to let me stay, as long as I continue to help with the chores and errands around the farm. It’s really hot here, even with the tribe located next to the river, I keep ...

innsjo transfer this onto the archive proper NOWWWW

Connie

A minute and a half faster than the last run! This route was deffffinitely working. The mailman leans against the mailbox- the very inconvenient and never-working mailbox at the edge of town -examining the (crude) map of Stariel she had drawn. Now, if she crossed the bridge at Mallory’s, she could get to the Hawthorns and the Longs in the same go. ...What was she thinking again? She squints, hastily erases the line she had just drawn, and begins gnawing on the edge of her pencil. No, no- the Longs lived on the other side of town, she recalls, as she grimaces past the chanting. The chanting? "Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin." Like a bullet, Connie darts away from the edge of the forest, quickly looking around the clearing. “H-hello?” she calls out, unable to hide the nervous leap in her voice. “It- it’s not even dusk yet, ha- are y-you guys, like- Cult of the...Sun...or something?" The chanting continues. They do not respond. Her fingers prickle like static on the screen. Connie grits her teeth and jams her notepad back into her overalls, striding forward. "Show yourself!" she exclaims as she raises her fists. Lightning crackles to life, jumping over her steadily numbing knuckles as she shakes them fiercely at the surrounding woods. "I'm not scared of you!" "Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok." “T-this isn’t funny, jerk!” Une! All is silent in the woods. The mailbox wavers, once, twice, and the carrier flag pops upright.

Sovran

(Kind of light hints of nsfw) When Sovran Zelkovas came to, he awoke in a bed that was far softer than he was used to. The sheets felt clean and fresh, with a hint of some citrus wash additive that tickled his nose. The sunlight trickled into the room through half-heartedly closed blinds. For a moment, he didn’t know where he was until memories of the previous night came to his mind. He glanced to the person laying beside him, and everything became clearer. Right. That’s how the night went. The grown man stealthily went and dressed himself, gathering his clothes and belongings from off of the floor. He pulled on his dark shirt and pants, as well as his green coat. He slipped on his dark sleeves, smiling as the metal rings glimmered in the sunlight. Lastly, came his necklaces, if you could even call those stringy excuses of material to be ‘necklaces.’ As Sovran took a step towards the door, a voice rang throughout his head. ”Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin.” The grown man stumbled over his own feet as the echo of voices chanted in unison. A hand clutched at his head, fingers tangling up in a mess curls. He nearly dropped his bag as he stumbled for the entrance now. ”Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok.” “What the fuck-“ Sovran’s voice got interrupted when the loudest voice came with a bright flash of light. “UNE!” WIth that, the man was gone, and the person shifted in the bed as they regained consciousness. Gone was the man who dipped out before giving a name or a number.

Moses

"Vik! Breakfast is ready!" Moses called towards the direction of the stairs. It was the beginning of summer and Moses was just getting food ready for him and his son. With his ex-wife away on a trip for a few months, it was Moses' sole duty to take care of Viktor. Speaking of Viktor, the young teen came running down the stairs as soon as he was called. Sporting light redish hair and the same aquamarine eyes as his father, Viktor smiled bright when he saw what Moses made. "Sweet! Breakfast sandwiches!" Viktor chuckled as he sat down and immediately started to wolf down his food. "Hey, hey, easy there. Don't want you choking on bacon again," Moses teased with a light laugh as he sat across from his son. "I'won'f choke twis timfe-" Viktor said between bites, coughing as something caught in his throat. Moses continued to laugh, picking up his own food before suddenly dropping it. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. The man's face twisted in pain and shock, and Moses tumbled onto the floor. "Dad! What's wrong? W-What's going on??" Viktor went over to his father and tried to help him up, but the voices just got louder. Moses could feel his breath fighting against him and the early urges of a panic attack arising. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ground himself. "V-Vik-" UNE! And Moses was gone. "DAD!"

Tsubari

“Good Morning Tsubari! How are you feeling today?” The kind-looking woman with green hair asked as she approached the containment chamber. She was holding a clipboard and pen, smiling at her creation. Well… what was left of it. “What do you think?” She sighs, her expression dropping. “Tsubi, we’ve been over this. We can’t let you out unless you make progress-” “Progress is what got us here in the first place-” The tired woman chimed in as she entered the room. Big hasn’t slept in weeks energy. “Rayne.” The woman snapped back. “Allowing her to access that type of aggression is how this started.” “I’d argue it starts long before that, Ji-Ji.” “Are you two done?” Tsubari retorted. “We do this bit every morning. I’ve told you already I don’t care, I just want to see A̴̎̑t̸͗̂ä̵́͘ń̴̺å̶̌s̵͋͂i-̸̐̉” Tsubari’s “body” began to pulse, as the containment chamber began to buzz and flash. “Tsu?” ‘Ji-ji’ was startled by the sudden interference?, unsure of what to do. “Rayne, what’s happening? Run the diagnostic-” Rayne quickly did so, running to the computer and checking the status. While everything seemed fine, static started to take over. She was puzzled, and even more, panicked. “You don’t think-” “No, that kid couldn’t break this thing if he hired that Jura girl to do it-” The chamber continued to pulse with light as the computer was completely overtaken by static. Tsubari felt sharp pain all over her body as the tech holding her in place was disrupted. At least, that’s what she believed to be the case.

12:19 AM

"Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin." “W̴̊͊h̷͗͑a̷̒̃ť̸̏,̷̛͠ ̶͌̓w̵̓haaaAtt̚ ̶̄͒i̶͐̚š̶̕ ̷thaaaẤ̸a̶͆͘a̵͐̎-” The trapped girl could do nothing as it felt like her nonexistent insides were being torn apart as she struggled to speak. Hr form seemed to glitch uncontrollably within the chamber. “Rayne… it’s not opening, WHY ISN’T IT OPENING?!?” Ji was pulling at any part of the device she could get her hands on but nothing would budge. “I-I don’t know! This damn thing isn’t letting me in anymore!” "Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok. UNE!" “W͒̿̈w̧͓͛Wͭͭ́w̾ͯ̍W̢̃̚H͑ͤ͌Hͭ͜hhAT'҉S̸̖s̉ͮ̒s̸̝̐S̈́͌ͧs̛͗ͫS̑ͭ͆ ̍̋͛HAPPENING ̒̃Ţ̥͑Ō̊́ ͆̂MmMmmMͦ̽M̢̱̚m̔̍̒ȩ͒EEeeE҉?1?!ͩͫ͊?̌̽͏!̸̦͐?̵ͥ̽!̍̑̌҉̼͇̳?ͧͩ!1”

12:19 AM

With one final flash, the room was bathed in white before returning to normal. When the two women were able to adjust their eyes once more, they looked towards the chamber, only to realize Tsubari was nowhere to be seen. Rayne ran to the computer in an instant, but it seemed that everything was running perfectly normally, except with one very obvious exception. Ji collapsed to the floor in front of the chamber, unsure of what she had just witnessed. The room was silent as two of the best minds in their country had lost their only child.

Isabelle

-spacer time- Isabelle was just chillin, havin a good time with her malewife chillin at home when her phone rang. Taking a look, the number was all too familiar but entirely unexpected. “Madison? That’s new, ” Isabelle answered the phone. “I don’t hear from you very often- What’s up?” She could hear crying on the other end. It’s a three-way call from the sounds of it. "D-Dad's g-gone…" Devonte Jr cried from the other end before a frantic voice took over. "Is- Is! Go to Errol's house. Errol disappeared. There might be an intruder. If there is KILL THEM. Okay nice talking to you I gotta get on my dragon now I won't be able to hear you. I'm ten minutes out. AND TURN OFF ANY APPLIANCES!" "Wh-what?? I'm on my way-" She wasn't sure what was going on, but she was on the move. She quickly began to gather her things, Souma looking a bit confused and asking what was wrong. “Everything’s fine, I just need to check on something-” She stopped once she was ready, and once she heard DJ sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm coming Devonte, don-" Isabelle fell quiet, her body going numb. Her grip on the phone loosened, with it eventually falling to the ground as she began to feel a strange sensation in place of her normal sensory experience. "Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin." A monotone chorus of voices hummed. It was clear as day in Isabelle's head. "Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok. UNE!" At 'UNE', Isabelle disappeared in a bright flash. Nothing was left of her where she stood before. "IS! Is! what is happening!" Madison yelled, her voice slightly audible through the wind. The phone was picked up soon after. "Madison... what is- MADISON??" Souma's voice went through the receiver.

Andre

The sun was high in the sky and the weather was warm. It was a perfect day on the town, wasn't it? Andre let out a small happy hum as he walked through the market, looking at some of the fresh foods for sale. "Now I don' know about you Miss Angie but I think this market is quite nice." Andre smiled as he pushed his hat up. "All the food here is fresh an locally grown." "Of course it is, you idiot." Angie sighed heavily. "We literally live by the farms. Why wouldn't it be fresh food?" "Now, now, no need to be so uptight." Andre laughed. "I just think its a nice thang." He shook his head. "Now I was thinkin' we can make a nice meal tonight. What about a good ol' Reuben Stromboli?" He asked. "...Maybe." Angie responded and walked on ahead. "Oi. Andre." She glanced over her shoulder, looking at the blonde before she rose a eyebrow at him. "..What are you doing?" "..Buyin' swiss cheese?" Andre tilted his head at her as he held up the block of cheese. "I just think it's neat." "..." "What? I thought ya liked-" Andre cut himself off with a small grunt of pain. "Ah..? Miss...Miss Angie..? Do ya- do ya here that..?" "Hear what?" "Tha...tha voices in my head...you know?" "The only voice you hear in your head is mine. What are you going on about?" Andre didn't respond as he pressed his palm to his head, clenching his jaw tightly. "Ah- Miss Angie-? I can't hear you no more- I- I don't know wha- whats going on-" Andre squeezed his eyes shut tightly and took a few steps back. "Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok. UNE!" "Oi- oi? Andre? What's going on- talk to me-" Angie frowned as she walked over to him, reaching her hand out. "Ah- Miss Angie- Miss Angie- I'm quite scared-" Andre managed to say before in a bright flash he was gone. ...Plop. Only a block of cheese remained of the floor.

Nathan

"You guys are working for the Oni?" A ceramic mask sits in his hands, the string snapped clean in half. The color red stains the once pristine white, fingers digging into the edge of the mask. There- his two best friends, his closest friends- hell, he's known them since they were kids -cornered in the abandoned 9 line. “Natto,” Emmie begins, slow. Hesitant. Her own mask is at her hip, her spear tight in gloved hands. “Nat- Nathan, please, we can explain.” "You- you really can't," he grits out. His head hurts. His throat hurts. "You guys- I-" Never in a million years did he expect them, of all people, to be the ones he's been chasing down for a neat three months. A duo who always went where the Oni went, digging for papers and rubble, vanishing under smoke once the day broke. "We went through hell and back together, a-and you’re here trying to bring back the Oni? The Oni! They hurt so many people! You were there! We were all there!” Smoke, cold as ice, clawing at his lungs as it pulls him under. Their terrified faces as all feeling fades from his fingers, their terrified cries as the world around him shudders to deep indigo. The world is shaking. A nearby train rumbles by, illuminating the trio for only a moment. Emmie looks devastated. Ace looks pale. Red stains his nose. The chanting in his ears gets louder. He doesn't care. Emmie tries to speak, but he is much faster. "Y’know, for someone who cares so much about this city, you have a pretty shit way of showing it!" "I- you asshole we're trying to keep this city from falling into danger again! We’re getting rid of all their papers!” “By sneaking around like a bunch of criminals? By disappearing in a cloud of DARK ONI SMOKE when the sun rises? Dude, that just SPELLS out ‘Sons of Garmadon’!” “Who the hell said anything about the Sons of Garmadon?!” The 9 line train bellows. Emmie grabs Ace, who's all but fallen unconscious, and hauls him off the tracks as the train roars past. Nathan stumbles back too, clutching his head with a cry of agony as the voices gather. "Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin." "S-stop using your powers, you fucking dick!" he shouts, but the thunder of the train is much louder. Yet rising above, stronger, much stronger- a chorus of Emmie’s powers- drilling into his skull, his ever-numbing hands pressed tight against his ears. Fear leaps into his throat, and through the spaces of the cabins, he can see her pale blue hair, her vibrant blue eyes. "Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok.” “Em, please!” ”UNE!" Emmie stands there, breathless, as the final cabin darts past, her spear limp in her hands. Nathan is nowhere to be seen- he must have left when the train was passing. “C’mon, Ace,” she murmurs, carefully slinging the man’s arm around her shoulders. “Let’s head back. We need to talk to Nathan.” As they depart from the abandoned 9 line, something rises to mind. What was that about her powers?

Maki

It was cold and windy out as Maki weaved their way through the city. It was nighttime and it was still as crowded as ever. Thankfully due to their mask, they were able to hide their distain but it was still rather annoying, wasn't it. Maki let out a small grunt as someone bumped into them and they turned to glare in that direction before they dropped it and moved on ahead. All the loud sounds and smells were truthfully getting to them and they were not enjoying it at all. Still, places to go, people to see. Finally, Maki stepped off to the side and let out a sigh of relief as they were no longer surrounded. They simply smoothed out their clothes and turned around before they walked towards a bench sitting down on it. They turned on their phone, staring down at it before they winced slightly and brought a hand to their head. Not another migraine. They squeezed their eyes shut, trying to focus on something else but this wasn't working. This was unlike any other migraine or headache they've experienced. "Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. That wasn't any language they recognized. Some kind of weird chant. "Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok. UNE!" A count down..? At least that's what they thought- Maki let out a small squeal of surprise, as they disappeared in a flash of light.

Aldreda

A skinny and frail man with messy orange hair was walking down a large white corridor. He was walking along the wall, halfway leaning against it. Every step seemed like a challenge, he'd step, stagger, take half a breath, and then continue on. A cold sweat was forming on his forehead. A bright light appeared next to him, a fiery portal that released a woman that was just as fiery. Flames danced on the end of her reddish-brown hair as she stepped up to the man, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and pulling him in tight to her. "Nettey!!!! How are ya? Ya look a little funny, not gonna lie." The woman asked in an upbeat manner. "H.... heart... attack..." The man muttered, his voice tight and hoarse. "Aw come on man, I know you don't like me, but you don't have to fake a medical emergency to get me to go." She chuckled and jostled him around. ".. n.. not... joking..." Arnette squeaked and leaned against her. An action she found extremely unlike him. "Uh.. Okay- shit- Net, you just-" She grabbed him around the waist and sat him down against the wall. He gripped at his chest and slouched over. "I'll be right back. I'll go get a medic." Aldreda began to form another fiery portal in front of her, but it flickered out of existence before it fully formed. Her hands were tingling from some unknown source. "What the fuck-" Aldreda huffed and tried again. Nothing happened this time at all. Her thoughts became blurry and hard to comprehend. She stumbled back a step, almost stepping on Arnette's leg. "Voices- what- who-" Aldreda cursed, glaring around. "I need to save my brother, whoever you are, fuck with me later!" Clearly the voice didn't care, as when the countdown ended, Aldreda disappeared in a flash. Arnette gasped and fell over to his side, still gripping at his chest.

Celena

It was just another day, the same as any other. The sun rose, nature came back to life, the town became busy, and Celena was stuck in her morning routine. She had a small home that she lived in, one that was cozy and small enough for a single person to live without being noticed much by the neighbors. Every day, it was the same routine: Make and eat breakfast (even if it was something she didn’t quite need to do anymore), sweep the floor, clean the kitchen, and read a book for perhaps the hundredth time. Maybe she’d go into town and see what was new in the bakery. Of course, nothing was truly new to Celena to her, not anymore. Everything was repetitive. It was exhausting. Despite how badly she wanted to stay indoors, she made an effort to get out of bed, get dressed, and make her way out of her bedroom. As soon as she took those first few steps out of her bedroom, a chorus of voices rang throughout her head. ”Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin.” Her light flared up at her hands. A powerful burst of the shining sun radiated at her hands as she looked around her surroundings wildly for a source. No, the source was from within her own mind. The voice was in Celena’s head. ”Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok.” “Stop! Who are you?!” Celena demanded loudly. Her question went unanswered as the final word was spoken. “UNE!” And just like that, Celena was gone with a brilliant flash of light.

Cane

This day was proving to be just like any other. Why would there be reason to think different? Swords needed to be sharpened, laundry needed to be cleaned and food needed to be cooked. Time stood still for nobody, especially not Cane. The masked figure glided across the floor, almost ghost-like, as he approached the cast iron pot. Several plants of varying shapes lay on a smooth slab just to the right accompanied by a small cleaver like object. Taking the knife in his hand, Cane only paused to study his reflection in the blade before moving to dice up the greens for his concoction. It was always weird to see a mirrored mask in a reflection; the illusion was oddly amusing. Alrai Pin. In the middle of his dicing, Cane set the knife down and looked over his shoulder. To his surprise, no one was there, even though he could have sworn that he heard someone calling out. It must have been the young ones playing outside, at least that is what he told himself. He turned his attention back to his task at hand and continued with the meal preparation. After the leaves had been reduced to miniscule strands, he emptied them into the pot. Next, the cloaked figure procured several baseball sized orbs of various colors and began to slice them into thin discs. Alrai Pin. Under the mask, Cane's brown furrowed slightly, but he continued with his work. One ball was added to the pot, that just left two more to go. By now, the aroma of whatever he was preparing was beginning to fill the room. Alrai Pin. That one was much louder. Someone had to be in the room with him. Again, Cane set down his tools and turned around only to be met with the emptiness of the kitchen. Was someone playing a prank on him? Alrai Pin.

1:59 PM

He winced, and his vision blurred as well. It was worse than Cane originally thought, he was having some sort of allergic reaction to one of the ingredients. Stumbling away from the pot, he grabbed his sword from a nearby table and made his way toward the door. His vision was starting to fade again, but if he could make it outside in time-- Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok. UNE! The tips of his fingers barely had time to graze the handle before his form was ripped from the planet altogether leaving nothing but fingerprints behind...

Sebbie

"Hey Campbell, where ya going?" "Outside for fresh air...stuffy in here." "Kay. We'll be inside when you're good to come back." Perched outside on the alleyway's stoop, Seb took a long drag of the skinny joint that rested between his fingers. Even outside, he could hear the bar's crowd hype up the band that followed the one he just finished playing with. At least he'd get paid his sum of money this way. Enough go fork over to his friend for sharing their small apartment with him this last month. Oh yeah, and the free beer. As smoke escaped past his lips in a sigh, that's when it registered. The tingly, pins-and-needles-numbness. "Hmm?" The man itched at his hands, thinking the tingliness was in due part of being exposed to the cool night's air for too long. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. With a cowardly squeak, Sebbie flinched at the voices and from between his fingers tumbled out the joint....straight into a puddle. He whipped his head around, thinking someone opened the door back into the bar just behind him. But nothing was there. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. "W-who's there?!" The man spun around in utter fear. The invisible assailants didn't respond back the way he wanted them to, just chanting the same foreign words over and over in the tone that reverberated through his head. Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok. Before whatever would snatch him up like a rodent in the talons of a bird, he let out one final panicked yell to no one in particular: "WHAT THE FUCK—" UNE. And just like that. He was gone without a trace. Well... Unless a damp joint on the ground counted.

Ko

Ko hummed as she straightened up the alter. Taking out the old incense that had burnt down and replacing it. Taking care to light each piece as she recited a prayer of respect to the spirits. Once she was finished she stood up, dusting herself off. She was in her casual clothes as it was supposed to be her day off yet she had spied the incense about to run out and couldn't just leave it. "Okay now I'm done," she spoke, turning to spy her fox friend waiting patiently by the door. Jumping onto her shoulder as soon as she was close enough. Ko unable to help the laugh she let out as she ran a hand through his fur. "Affectionate today I see," she cooed. Walking out of the temple doors with her friend she made it a few steps before feeling a weird sensation. Her body locking up as she glanced worriedly back the temple. "W-what's happening, Sune is this you?" Ko asked, only to see her fox friend looking at her in concern. It felt like when she turned her body into mist but a quick glance down revealed she was still whole even as she found herself unable to move. "Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin." she heard in her mind, squeezing her eyes shut at the onslaught even as she felt Sune try to get her attention. "What spirit are you?" she tried to ask, not knowing what else could be happening as the voices continued. "Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok. UNE!" she heard, losing all sensation in her limbs as she disappeared. (edited)

Calamity

In her very own special corner of Hell, Calamity sat on a couch in a well decorated room, flipping through channels on her hellevision. She appeared… bored. A demon could only get so much out of finding new and innovative ways to torture sinners for all eternity until eventually hitting a bout of creative block. And this one had lasted for a while. Even her tortured souls looked bored. Switching the channel from her favorite show to live broadcasts of those she oversaw in different methods of drawn out torture even depicted them as no longer being as engaged as they were when they first entered Hell. “Ugh, don’t look so excited,” Calamity hissed at a man being lowered into a pit of hot pink flames. He seemed to be staring right at the camera, looking the complete opposite of excited. He wasn’t even scared- he had been doing this same song and dance for years now- or… however long it had been. Time passed differently in Hell. Most of Calamity’s victims didn’t even scream anymore- what was the fun in watching that?! Whatever. Maybe the demon was due for a vacation. A chance to see the world, get inspired, and get her creativity back. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. That was not… the screams of the damned. Actually, that sounded like it was coming from the room she was in… Her body locked, as if forcing her to listen to the infernal chanting. Infernal chanting. …Oh! Now that’s a good idea! Calamity tried to force herself to pick up a notepad and write it down, but she was still prone, simply stuck listening to these new voices. Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok. UNE! Blastoff! Calamity was gone without a trace.

Riki

"Have fun at the camp, Song!" A crowd of small, anthropomorphic Pokémon were swarming around a large bus, saying goodbyes to their parents and climbing into the vehicle. A caramel-colored Vulpix-Eevee mix with light blue curls and dark blue eyes hugged her parents, two bushy tails swishing. "I will! Bye!" she waved, and scrambled into the bus, holding onto the straps of her blue backpack. Her parents, a tall ice Ninetales and a ground-type Eeveon waved back and watched her disappear momentarily, and then appear in the windows again. "Wave to your sibling, Hoshi", Seki said to the tiny shiny Eevee-Vulpix mix that they were holding against their chest, and pointed towards the window where the sibling was still watching them. The pup waved their paw towards the window and made a bright squall. On their way back to their car, Riki started feeling slightly off. He opened the car door for Seki to put Hoshi in the child seat, but was growing quickly uneasy. "Seki", he said in a tone that made his spouse immediately look up at him. "Call an ambulance, I think I'm having a stroke." Seki's eyes widened for a second, before they hastily snatched their phone and speed-dialed the emergency number. "What is it? How do you feel?" they asked. "I'm going numb, all my limbs, I-" he cut himself off, and stared at Seki with widened eyes. His spouse stared back, growing more alarmed. "What? What is it?" they asked urgently, but didn't get an answer. Riki's ears were flicking and turning around, and he glanced around like looking for something. His breathing was fast and heavy, and he was shaking. Seki watched him helplessly and in growing panic, reaching out a paw to hold their husband's shoulder as they answered the emergency call center. Riki blindly grabbed onto Seki's arm, and opened his mouth to say something, when a bright light flashed, and he was gone. "Ri- RIKI?!" Seki yelled in shock. "RIKI!"

Kiran

CW: dehumanization "Okay, Ran, so you are this big bad war machine attacking the city, and my ace pilot is going to shoot you down, okay? Ready? Attack!" Kiran sighed and rolled their eyes. They glanced at the little miniature city built from little toy bricks. "Rawr. Grr", they said listlessly and slapped one building lightly. It didn't even fall. "Aw, come on, you can do better than that! You're a big monster machine! Be scary! Come on!" the prince of the Avesauria demanded, bouncing impatiently on his seat, waving a toy fighter plane in his talons. Kiran huffed and groaned, but after a moment of agonizing, lifted their arms into a menacing monster pose and stomped their feet on the floor. "Rawrr!" They kicked a tall tower building and slapped another, making them collapse and shatter onto the floor. "Yeah! That's it!" the prince rejoiced, and started making plane whooshing sounds and swooped his toy fighter past Kiran. They had a little "battle", with varying levels of enthusiasm, until the toy fighter unloaded a ton of imaginary bullets into the big bad war machine. "Aaaarrggh!" Kiran fell dramatically onto the floor, going limp. The prince Avesaurus laughed in delight and played with his toys a moment after his glorious victory. Then, he sat up on his knees and reached to jostle the small animal on the floor. "Okay, Ran, you can get up now, I wanna keep playing." The Lerava remained motionless and didn't even appear to breathe. The prince frowned. "Raaaan, come on, get upp!" "I can't, I'm dead, you killed me", Kiran replied, remaining on the floor. The prince giggled, and picked his toy up, hugging them close. "Silly Ran! You didn't die for real!" "Agh-! Ner, you're hugging too tight, my arms are falling asleep-!" the Lerava protested. The prince glanced them curiously, loosening his grip a bit. "That can happen?"

11:58 AM

cw misgendering "Apparently, I-..." Kiran fell quiet, staring forward with a puzzled expression. Ner tilted his head. "What? What were you saying?" Kiran furrowed their brows. "I'm receiving a signal..." they explained, blinking and rubbing their eyes. "A signal...? Should I tell dad?" the prince asked, but the Lerava didn't seem to hear. "Pilarians? But-" There was a bright flash of light, and the weight of the animal disappeared from prince Ragner's arms. He flinched, and looked at his empty hands, blinking in astonishment. "Kiran?" he asked meekly, and looked around his room. "Kiran?" he called louder, moving aside cushions, toys and blankets, searching in growing anxiety. "Guards!" he called, and a couple of Avesaurus guards rushed in. "Help me look for Ran! I can't find him anywhere!" the prince wailed on the verge of tears. The guards stifled sighs, and began looking for the Lerava... (edited)

Aileen

"Damn it..." Aileen looked at yet another email with the same message. Thank you for applying to such and such company, we are sorry to say... "Well... now what?" She turned to look towards her friend/pet owl. "You know, after that whole stupid investigation, I can't get a job anywhere. I can't really go back to Avis, and we are just about out of food." "Hoo." It flew over to land on her shoulder and lightly rubbed against her cheek. "Thank you Diana... " She raised her opposite arm to stroke the owls feathers. "We really had it all set. Making discoveries that only happened in movies! We were Indiana Jones! Now we're Giorgio Tsoukalos, a laughing stock who's crazy finds are all pushed under the rug." "Hoo? Hoo." "Yeah your right, thats a bad example. But you understand my point. We were sombody. We had it figured out. And I was close to finding the proof that aliens were in fact here! I mean, Avis exists and there were all the reports of those kids with the powers, so why not Aliens! Why is that so hard to believe! If we were just given a bit more time... Then it was all shut down." A noise like a trill came from Diana, as she flapped over to the window. "Avis was... not for me. There was too much... structure. I want to make my own path, but there the paths were already paved. Mother never understood me, and after father... You knew when we left it was one way for us. Especially since we didn't tell anyone. I wouldn't be surprised if they arrested us soon as we flew in. We made our choice and-" It started to happen, and Aileen noticed immediately. Her mind was sharp. Her brain stayed focused. This was not her. Something was messing with her. Then Voices... Voices in her head, she couldn't even hear herself yell and then... a bright light... and an empty apartment.

Scott

"AHHHHHHHH" Scott yelled at himself in the mirror. "AHHHHHHHHHH! ... Whoo... Okay I got this, I got this...." Scott looked over to the suit. His first time wearing a real suit... well except for the fitting of course. And the one night he got a little too much to drink and put it on to dance in. But tomorrow it will be different. Tomorrow, he will be wed to Macy, and their future as husband and wife will start a new chapter in their lives. So he stood there screaming at himself in the mirror cause he was freaking out. He slapped himself on the cheek to make sure he was awake and this all wasn't some sort of sick dream. "I am gonna be married?!? IM GONNA BE MARRIED!" Two loud thuds could be heard on the wall. Macy wanted to sleep, and for him to be quiet. And the rest in the house were probably annoyed too. Most of them didn't understand why Macy even said yes to the proposal. Scott didn't know why she said yes, but it made him the happiest he had ever been. He opened a drawer and pulled out a box, inside was the deck of cards. Macy didn't like him using them too often but he often would pull out the box, and just hold it. "If it weren't for these cards who knows where my life would've taken me. I guess in a weird way, I owe it to these that I got to meet Macy. And then I got to save her... kinda of... " He walked over to his closet, and pulled out his old clothes. "Heh heh, yeah I guess this was a bit of a crazy outfit." He thought for a moment, then in a spur of a moment for nostalgia sake he put it on. Looking in the mirror He looked like he did back then. While gazing at his reflection holding the box he started to feel fuzzy in his head. "Hmm... I didn't drink anything... I guess I must be tired" He turned to start to head to bed but... "Hello?" Voices were all around him... or... inside of him? "Wait... no whats happening?! NO NO!" And then the flash of light. Two thuds on the wall, and someone muttered in the house. no more sounds came from Scott though.

Julien

Julien Glass stumbled down the rain streaked pavements of a city unknown to him. The 1AM streetlights beckoned him down twisting streets and past buildings he’d limp by and never see again. He was running out of time. One of his hands was pressed tightly to his side, red staining the fabric of a now trashed white button up. The pouring rain had washed away an address written on his other wrist, but at this point he’d committed it to memory. Or, at least the name of the establishment. He’d known one of the owners, once upon a time, perhaps she’d be able to fix him up. And like a beacon of hope, eventually the neon lights of the place he’d been looking for called for him to enter. With whatever remaining energy he had, he pushed open the doors to a place simply called the Bloody Mary Bar. There weren’t many people inside, and nobody paid the severely injured Julien any mind. However, one woman in particular looked up from the counter and met Julien’s eyes, an expression of disbelief etched on her porcelain face. “Julien…?” she blinked. He used to be a regular here. “Hey,” Julien croaked, his legs nearly buckling out from underneath him, though he still maintained a semblance of a smile. “I was in the area, thought I’d stop by-“ “You’re bleeding out!” the woman at the counter hissed, temporarily gaining the attention of a few patrons. “Oh, right- I was getting to that,” he chuckled. Fuck, his vision was getting blurry. How far had he walked to get here? “Do you think you could help me out?” “Of course, dear,” The woman nodded, long blonde hair swishing about as she turned her head towards a staircase, and yelled up it. The name was lost on Julien. However, a few moments later, a lanky pale man sauntered down them, a permanent frown adorning his face, and eyes that matched the blood oozing from Julien’s wound. He beckoned for Julien to follow him, not saying much, aside from what could be construed as annoyed muttering. (edited)

1:40 PM

In no time at all, Julien was taken up the stairs and nearly thrown on a bed that would serve an an operating table. His shirt was torn off to expose the wound, to which the other man made a few disappointed clicks of his tongue at. At first, the red eyed man placed his hands directly on the gash, frowning deeper as nothing happened, aside from Julien’s yelps of pain. “Ugh, that usually works.” the man said flatly, before sighing and walking out of the room. When he returned, it was clear that he was going to close the wound up himself, whether Julien liked it or not. “You’re not alive, are you.” the man commented as he began to clean the wound, to which Julien simply nodded. As he did so, the other man pinned him in place, as movement would only make the entire process so much worse. “I’d be able to heal you with magic if you were still living.” Julien had gone limp as the man began to stitch up his wound, focusing on the ceiling above him, and… the voices. "Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin. Alrai Pin." It was right when he began to hear them did his body go entirely numb, and he couldn’t tell if it was from the stitches going into his torso, or something else entirely. The man was only halfway done when the countdown began in Julien’s head. ”Civ. Fuuc. Tree. Trok. UNE!" And then, he was gone, leaving the other man very confused as he wondered where he’d went, and how he’d possibly be able to manage with only half the wound closed. Whatever. It wasn’t his problem. (edited)

Noir

Grayson Noir, private eye, was in his office… suffering. He’s been waiting for a new case for a few days already and he was bored. He prayed for something to happen, for a case to come running through his door. Knock Instead, his secretary knocked on his door. “Hey, Detective Noir. Is it ok if I go home a bit early? I’m getting a bit of a headache.” “Of course, Cordelia. Please take care of yourself.” “Thank you, Noir!! Don’t forget to lock the office when you’re done!” The detective waved her goodbye and rested his head on his desk. Noir needed something to happen. A murder? Burglary? A cheating partner? While he was busy imagining a case, that’s when everything went numb. It was like his entire body was going to sleep and that’s when he heard the voices. It was in a language he’s never heard of before. Then all of sudden, a bright light flashed in the office and the detective was missing.

Atanasio

3:10 PM

--- Atanasio spent his morning chasing an idiot who owed him money all over the city. He went through alleys and almost got hit by a few cars and a bus, but the guy managed to get away. Tired of everything, he headed to his uncle’s office. Maybe he could do something there. He knocked on the door and walked in. There was a man at the desk, writing something down. “Hey, Tio Carlos! Was wondering if you had a job for me or something?” He sat down on the chair in front of his uncle. Carlos smiled at him. “Sure. The twins need a babysitter tonight.” “You know that’s not what I mean. Come on, it’s been a few months. I can work again! I promise I won’t mess up like last time.” “Last time, you almost died so until I think you are ready, you’re grounded.” Carlos sighed and got up. “I’m doing this for your own good. I promise.” Atanasio made a face and sighed. “Fine.. whatever. What time do you want me-” Atanasio’s body went numb. “Atanasio?” The voices in his head drowned out his uncle’s voice. They were chanting something. He didn’t know what the hell they were saying. Then he heard a countdown, and with a bright flash, he disappeared. Carlos was left alone in his office, panicking about his nephew’s disappearance. (edited)

Kenji

A warm rush of air brushes Kenji’s face as he opens the door, the bitter chill of the winter city air fading once it closes behind him. He kicks his boots off in the hallway and tosses his keys into the small trinket dish on the top of the shelf. They rattle gently against the other pair of keys already there and soon enough, the noise is replaced by the pitter-patter of tiny feet running down the hallway. Kenji smiles as a poofy ball of orange fur barrels around the corner and weaves through his legs. “Hi Garf,” he says with a small chuckle, reaching down and scratching behind the cat’s ears. “Missed me, huh?” Garfield, midst purring loudly, promptly shuts up and scampers away as soon as the possibility of his affection being acknowledged is brought up. Kenji snorts. “S’about right.” He leaves his coat in the small closet, slipping his mask off and into one of the pockets before finally following the mouthwatering smell coming from the kitchen. Jax is standing in front of the stove, humming quietly to himself as he stirs the pot a few times before sliding in a cutting board full of vegetables. Nermal is lounging on the kitchen island, gray striped tail flicking back and forth lazily. Kenji reaches out and gives their second cat an ear scratch too before coming up from behind and wrapping his arms around Jax’s waist, the other letting out a small giggle and shaking his head. “You knew I was there, didn’t you,” Kenji mock pouts, perching his chin on Jax’s shoulder. Even from the awkward angle he can still see Jax’s fond eye roll. “Never gonna stop trying, huh?” Jax teases, wagging the spoon in the air before stirring again. “Nope,” Kenji hums, grinning to himself before straightening up a bit. “What’re you making?”

11:09 PM

Jax turns in his arms just enough to be able to see him, a small flash in his eyes as he answers with a matching grin, “Gamja-tang.” “You’re such a sap.” “You're worse.” “Touche.” Kenji lets go of him, instead hopping up onto the island counter and pulling Nermal into his lap. “How’s classes? You start with pastries this week right?” Jax nods. “Mhm! We’re finishing up the lectures first. Then practicals later!” He tastes the soup, tilts his head, then adds some extra ginger. “What about you? Any luck today?” Well… Kenji sighs at that, shrugging faintly. “Kind of. Nothing super permanent again but I mean. I guess beggars can’t be choosers when they don’t. Technically legally exist. Speaking of which,” he adds, somewhat reluctantly, “I tried the GED office again but they still won’t take my application.” “They will eventually,” Jax states, with enough conviction that Kenji almost develops faith in the government. They chat more about their days from there, everything and nothing all at once, until the soup is nearly finished. There’s a weird buzzing in Kenji’s legs as he slides off the island to go set the table, but he chalks it up to just sitting too long. He’s reaching into the cabinets for two of their nicer glasses when his hand suddenly numbs and it slips from his grasp. He just barely catches it before it can clatter off the counter and onto the floor. Jax turns in surprise, setting down the soup pot carefully. “Everything okay?” “Y-Yeah, sorry, just— just slipped—” It’s all starting to feel a bit echoey. Kenji braces himself on the counter as a splitting pain streaks through his head. “Fuck—“ Kenji’s no stranger to another voice in his head. Distantly he can hear Jax’s exclamation, pick out his hurried footsteps and grasping hands, but as his vision spins in place all he can really hear is a chanting that is definitely not Amara. In fact, though she’s been quiet most of the day, he can tell instantly she is not happy with the intrusion.

11:09 PM

Get. Out. She growls, a wave of nauseating force rippling through Kenji’s mind. He’s barely able to croak out a pained groan before his knees buckle—and then in an instant, he’s gone in a flash of light.

Ulysses

In a small apartment building, somewhere on the outskirts of a big city, a young athlete excitedly plugs their video game console into the wall. After fiddling with the wires for a moment, they manager to connect it to the living room TV before hurriedly scuttling back to the sofa as a blue light illuminates the room. Grabbing their controller, a grin spreads across the teenager's face as a golden circle traces itself before the letters NFA appear. Unable to contain their excitement, they begin rapidly button mashing their way through the load screens until the main menu apears. Flipping through all of the teams they make a mad dash for the roster lists. Fast, sporadic button presses turn into frustrated, slow, deliberate flicks of the analog stick as the screen bounces back and forth. "Where is it?" Again, the controller clicks as the teenager's brow furrows. In a fuss, they drop their controller into a nearby pillow and pull out their phone to check social media. After failing to find what they desired there as well, they rush to discord to contact their friends. Bruh I just got the game and the DLC isnt showing up Are they having server issues? WTF

Mallon

Mallon hadn’t planned on coming back here. They couldn’t say they’d ever planned on living in Iowa of all places either, but despite the lack of saltwater they didn’t regret staying with Hannah one bit. After all it isn’t every day you start a new small-town cryptid rumor just from adapting to hunting in seas of plants rather than water. But eventually, they had to go back. The island’s warmer than they remembered, the sun shining weakly against their face despite the chill of the wind. They follow the same path they had left on months ago, then returned on a few weeks after, then returning now, crumbling wood and stone crunching beneath their feet. It’s still surprising to them, how quickly this place turned to disrepair even without the ceaseless change of the oceans to fight against. Even now on this second visit though they didn’t try to explore. They had a feeling it isn’t theirs to disturb. Their feet carry them to the arena first, sand windblown into piles along the walls, then to the halls, to the doorway that last time they.. they hadn’t been able to cross. This time, they leave with a dusty viol case slung across their back and a dull ache in their chest. It’s a fair bit tedious getting the instrument back to the mainland without completely ruining it, but they’re pretty sure they do a decent enough job. They’re climbing up onto the main dock where Hannah’s waiting when they first start to hear it. Pausing halfway up the ladder their earfins swivel as broadly as they can, but the sound seems to be coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. They hurry up the last few rungs, reaching the top just as the tingling feeling buzzes through their limbs. By the time Hannah makes it over to them the only thing left on the docks is a worn viol case, encrusted in shells.