Phantasmal Rift Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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phantasmalrift2018-03-18 11:53 pm
phantasmods) wrote in phantasmalrift2018-03-18 11:53 pm
Entry tags:
IC INTRO - MARCH
Sometime after the showdown, those with communication devices from the station will all get a collective message -
Okay, everyone come back! We might need to do a final sweep or two of the beach, but it looks like most of the Fissure is stabilized! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
Everybody go ahead and come back up - and bring anyone else you found with you! I know I saw a couple new faces on the drone cameras. (*･▽･*)
Also, if you get a chance, check out the new door leading out of the residential area! It's a surprise for all your hard work. (´◕ ◡ ◕｀) There's also food in the kitchens if you're hungry and want something warm!
With that in mind, grab your new friends and go ahead and come on back.
STATION EXTERIOR
Upon returning to the station, the first thing most will probably see is Up, standing on the rooftop to congratulate everyone on a mission accomplished and also handle any questions the new arrivals might have that haven't gotten answered yet. They stand tall and graceful beside the ramp... Most of the time. Occasionally, one might catch them trying not to fidget with the belt that now hangs fashionably askew on their hips.
For those who want to seek out the surprise Charm promised, there's a second ramp leading down off the far side of the roof, as well as the door he mentioned on the network. Both lead to the shiny new viewing deck, with its mismatched furniture, half-roof, and view of the beach.
Charm himself is here, long android limbs spread across one of the lounge chairs as he fiddles with one of the wind element crystals in his lap. It occasionally reacts and blasts the tails of his red scarf in random directions, but he doesn't seem to mind.
STATION INTERIOR
Those adventuring to the kitchens will find that there are four large pots arranged in a line beneath a set of heat lamps on the stove. Three contain curry - labeled "mild," "spicy," and "the fire of a thousand suns" in neat handwriting - while the last contains plain rice. An assortment of mismatched bowls and utensils sit on the counter nearest the pots. (Welcome to Keystone Station, you'll have an easier time finding matching cutlery at your local Goodwill.)
In the common room, meanwhile, the boxes of clothes and trading post are set up again. Those who investigate something fluffy in a particular box on the end of the couch may discover a girl and friend taking a nap...
Okay, everyone come back! We might need to do a final sweep or two of the beach, but it looks like most of the Fissure is stabilized! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
Everybody go ahead and come back up - and bring anyone else you found with you! I know I saw a couple new faces on the drone cameras. (*･▽･*)
Also, if you get a chance, check out the new door leading out of the residential area! It's a surprise for all your hard work. (´◕ ◡ ◕｀) There's also food in the kitchens if you're hungry and want something warm!
With that in mind, grab your new friends and go ahead and come on back.
STATION EXTERIOR
Upon returning to the station, the first thing most will probably see is Up, standing on the rooftop to congratulate everyone on a mission accomplished and also handle any questions the new arrivals might have that haven't gotten answered yet. They stand tall and graceful beside the ramp... Most of the time. Occasionally, one might catch them trying not to fidget with the belt that now hangs fashionably askew on their hips.
For those who want to seek out the surprise Charm promised, there's a second ramp leading down off the far side of the roof, as well as the door he mentioned on the network. Both lead to the shiny new viewing deck, with its mismatched furniture, half-roof, and view of the beach.
Charm himself is here, long android limbs spread across one of the lounge chairs as he fiddles with one of the wind element crystals in his lap. It occasionally reacts and blasts the tails of his red scarf in random directions, but he doesn't seem to mind.
STATION INTERIOR
Those adventuring to the kitchens will find that there are four large pots arranged in a line beneath a set of heat lamps on the stove. Three contain curry - labeled "mild," "spicy," and "the fire of a thousand suns" in neat handwriting - while the last contains plain rice. An assortment of mismatched bowls and utensils sit on the counter nearest the pots. (Welcome to Keystone Station, you'll have an easier time finding matching cutlery at your local Goodwill.)
In the common room, meanwhile, the boxes of clothes and trading post are set up again. Those who investigate something fluffy in a particular box on the end of the couch may discover a girl and friend taking a nap...
no subject
[It takes a while for all that information to sink in and settle. Eventually, Prompto sighs and attempts to keep his voice light.]
Well, sounds like we could've used your help over in Eos before things got so bad, we had to fight everybody's outer daemons, haha.
[...It really isn't funny. He lowers his chin and sighs.]
Was it dangerous for you? Fighting everyone's twisted thoughts... It sounds like a lot.
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[ ... Yeah, that attempt is respected, but he can feel the perpetual shift in the air, the heavier this conversation gets. Something is really... getting to him; it's bugging the hell out of Akira. His gaze lowers for a moment at that question. ]
Yeah. [ it was just that: dangerous and... a lot ] But we had each other through it all.
[ There's a discreetly deep breath. He gives that can one more twist, clearly not even looking at it, more than he's looking through it. That is, until he looks back over to Prompto. ]
We saw a lot of things we never would have thought existed inside people's hearts. But, in the end, it taught us a lot. [ namely towards... the end of it all ] It's not always about where you come from or what you do in the world. Sometimes, it's about the lives of the people you touch, even if it's just for a short while.
[ His pointer finger lightly taps on the can for a couple of seconds. ]
What about you, though? You guys were fighting in the "real world," right? That sounds way more dangerous.
no subject
Prompto hesitates, then slowly looks down at the crumbs on his plate.]
It's... pretty dangerous, yeah. We've been trained by the best, and Noct has his magic, but...
[But without his camera, he'd have forgotten how daylight spreads over all the regions of Lucis. He'd forget what Gladio's warm, easy smile looks like. How to make Ignis laugh.
He'd forget a time when Noct was happy--if that time had even ever existed. If they hadn't all lived their days in fear, like Prompto had even before he knew what monsters waited in the dark places he couldn't see.
'Oh, how I love bringing families together!']
We've lost a lot. And we're still a long way off from winning.
[Prompto doesn't know if they can win. And if winning means losing Noct like Izunia said, then he doesn't think he wants to win, ever, at all. Even though he knows what that means. He chuckles weakly.]
I know we can't give up, but honestly, I wish we could stay here instead, you know? [He shrugs, trying to play if off, but his smile falls flat.] If we didn't still have friends back there, maybe I'd look for a way to stay. But I guess that's not up to me.
cw: suicide... /sweats
Conflict.
He shouldn't agree. He shouldn't. But some part of him likes being trapped here with Goro and Kurama. As long as they're trapped here, his boyfriends don't have to get on with their jobs as Composers. As long as they're trapped here, he doesn't have to think about the fact that he's decided to join them in Composer status. He doesn't have to think about voluntarily dying.
While he's here... he's a normal teenager, for as close to the definition he can get. Here, he's Akira Kurusu, the guy dating two other guys. Here, they're able to work on learning / remembering what true happiness feels like.. ]
I know I can't offer much, since I haven't walked in your shoes... [ but he can offer... friendship?? would that help? ] ... But you're not alone.
[ This is as close as he'll be getting to shoving his feelings out there, especially given how that uh... one slip-up went? ]
We're thinking time might be frozen, back home, while we're here. And, ever since Kurama mentioned that's a possibility, I've been even less eager to go back. [ glancing back to Prompto ] Don't get me wrong; while I'm here, I do miss my friends.
[ Reeeeluctantly: ]
It's just that having to explain why I'm so different from the guy they knew isn't exactly at the top of my eager-to-do list.
no subject
Still:]
You will, though, right? Talking to people... it's the hardest thing in the world sometimes, but if it's your friends...
[Prompto hadn't known how they'd react to what he had to tell them, but he knew he had to. And then, even though the codeprint on his wrist was still there, it was like he was finally, for the first time in his whole life, free.]
You'll feel better when you do. I guarantee it.
no subject
If Prompto looks closely, he might be able to see it: the shift of some facial muscles, the adjustment of his posture, the faltering of his breathing patterns. He's hitting on something that Akira struggles a lot with just the thought of.
Opening up a bit to someone who barely knows him - somehow that hadn't been quite so difficult. Perhaps it was the combination of Prompto reminding him of someone from home and Prompto not being someone he's super close to, and therefore doesn't have memories of past Akira to compare to current Akira.
But opening up to the people who saw him at his strongest, and knew him as someone who could never break, never give up, never back down? Knowing that he's going to give up his life for their world? Knowing that he did break, he did give up, he did back down for even just a moment...
That and... Well, just the idea of them looking at him with some kind of pity and worry and fear and--... ]
Guess there's only one way to know for sure... [ a heavy sigh; just so they're clear: ] Yeah... I plan to.
no subject
But this reluctance, this--this dread, it isn't something he has to interpret from the outside. This is his. For twenty years, Prompto lived in fear of discovery, that the people around him would find out he was something other than the facade he presented them. That the smiles they gave him would change to something else. That the truth of him would burden them. That he'd be unwanted once more.
Are you afraid of that? He wants to know; he wants Akira to understand that if someone like Prompto could expose that and come away with a world of acceptance and love, then Akira himself has nothing to fear, that his friends will tell him he doesn't have to be the person he's always been to still be one of them--to be theirs. But the way Akira's still flinching away from the conversation, it's like the conversation hurts him. Like pushing too close will push him away.
So, softly, Prompto asks:]
Are you afraid of what they'll say?
no subject
So, for a while, he stares downward, brow tense. Finally, he shakes his head. ]
Heh... I shouldn't be, should I? I trust them with my life, hands down. I'd trust them to go up against just about anyone or anything with me...
[ There's another pause. Really, the fact of the matter is, he'd take them calling him an idiot of some of what he did out there. He'd take them saying a lot of things... but... ]
Maybe it's not that I'm afraid of what they'll say, more than it is... what they won't say...
no subject
[It feels like a hard, oversized knot he has to tease apart. For now, Prompto's voice remains quiet and measured.]
no subject
...
[ For just the fraction of a second longer than necessary, he holds a blink. ]
I know they will.
[ His jawline tightens. ]
The Akira Kurusu before the games had gone back to being just a normal human who lived a normal life...
[ With his gaze averted, he releases an almost inaudible laugh - it's lacking in anything remotely humorous: ]
And, pretty soon, I won't even be human period.
no subject
There's context for this, he knows there is, it has nothing to do with daemonification and everything to do with what happened to Akira before. Still, it's enough to jolt his thoughts out of line, to scatter his sight for a second like noise on a television screen. It was so cold in Niflheim--so loud, in the heart of the facility. Loud enough still to drown out his mind when he's a literal world away.
No. Prompto shakes his head shortly and takes a breath.]
You're sure that'll matter to them? What you are, instead of who?
no subject
[ There's a small smile - it doesn't reach his eyes, but it's there for just a split second. He shakes his head. ]
... On the one hand, I'm mostly just worried that they'll try to follow in my footsteps.
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The last thing I want is for them to put their lives on some indefinite pause... Plus...
[ That discomfort returns and he presses a hand to the back of his neck. ]
I don't like the thought of having some kind of power over their very souls. [ twisting a strand of bangs ] Plus, after all we've been through, they deserve to be happy for as long as possible.
no subject
Sorry, I didn't... I don't get it. Why would that give you power over their souls?
no subject
There's an asshole going around, spreading monsters across multiple universes. He's a threat to countless lives...
[ For a moment, he looks a bit... tense. ]
Successfully taking him out can't be done by people who only exist in the world of the living. You have to gain new abilities after undergoing some difficult challenges... Those are done by participating in what's known as the Reaper's Game.
[ He's taking a deep breath. ]
I won the game - we all did... So now it's a matter of actually taking on the new roles, in some of our cases. To do that, in my case, I have to give up the ability to age.
[ Die.
He has to die. ]
no subject
[The implications as Akira means them go right over his head. Immortality's a real thing he's seen people pursue in his own world, after all. The thought makes Prompto's skin prickle, but at least it doesn't seem like something Akira will hurt people to achieve.
It doesn't seem quite as relevant to the question at hand, anyway.]
Well, so if your friends follow you, they'll have to play that game, too, huh? The Reaper's Game. And...
[If that's the thing that Akira's so broken up about, the thing in which people died and Akira didn't, and thinks he would have been more useful if he'd--Prompto inhales suddenly. That connection's one he can make.]
Oh. ...Oh. That'd... I-I see. I wouldn't want my friends involved in something like that, either.
[Is it that easy, though? Prompto's mouth stays open a second longer, like there's something else he wants to say but hasn't figured out what it is yet. Eventually, he chews his lip and pushes his hair back.]
...But...
no subject
[ And so would his friends... ]
But, that's way in the future... While I'm here, I'm going to focus on living my life as much as possible. We have Fissures to take care of... and I have friends. [ a bittersweet smile ] Even if death isn't the end, and I'll be able to continue existing as though I'm pretty much alive... I'm not looking forward to that moment.
no subject
Nobody wants to die, dude. Even if you've accepted it, or... think it's the right thing to do... that doesn't mean it's not, like. I mean, it's the end of your life. That's the biggest deal there is.
[Why is this affecting him so much? It's enormous, of course, and Akira's his friend and he doesn't want him to die, he's just a kid, but--
But Noct.
Noct, who'll be giving up his heartbeat, too. Who probably won't continue to exist as though he's pretty much alive, after whatever it is he's supposed to do to save the world.
He sniffs, suddenly, and swallows, rubbing under his nose as he looks away.]
But... but still, I... when you do go home, after you're here. Please tell your friends there, too. Even if you've already made your decision, and you don't want them to follow you, they still... they'll still want to know.
no subject
Well... it's the part where he's considering that there's a chance nobody he met here will remember him, once they're all back home. The chance that he won't remember the friends he's making - has made - is... fucking painful.
So, with all that considered, that means that there's a chance those words won't even be a memory once it's all said and done...
And it really does hurt, because he's starting to think that, if there's one thing worse than death, it's being forgotten. Death itself doesn't scare him - his friends moving on without him, and then eventually dying of old age while he continues to exist scares him... ]
I-... [ he... already knows what he will wind up doing, even if he... doesn't remember Prompto's words; it sucks, it's terrifying, but-- ] ...Yeah.
[ He gives a nod, the ghost of a smile on his lips, and with only a hint of sad resignation in his eyes. ]
No matter what, they'll know. We're a... team, after all. Even if this isn't something that has room for a unanimous decision between us, [ even though Prompto can't possibly know the significance of that wording ] I promise I'll tell them.