intro

[pinkprismstaff]

You don't remember getting knocked out.

That's the best descriptor for the feeling you experience before you wake up. There's a glittering absence of color to your field of vision, and a sensation that you aren't yourself, you aren't anything in particular. Abruptly, unpleasantly, you wake up in a strange, sunny location. Where that is might vary--laying in a sun chair on the pool deck, draped over the skee-ball machine in the arcade, face down in a cart in the laundry room....or just stretched out in the long, long expanse of sand surrounding the island.

There doesn't seem to be anyone else here, aside from the others who have woken up and have as little clue where they might be as you do. It's a silent, empty island filled with a lot of questions and few clear answers. What you can conclude are a few things: that you don't get hungry or tired, that any wounds you have don't seem to either heal or worsen, and leaving the island doesn't seem to be possible.

Maybe it would be good to meet with the others who have woken up?

Comments

[shoveltalks]

( kurumi remembers going to sleep. they'd gotten into randal corporation's main building finally- except... she had trouble climbing the ladder. they had to pull her up in a makeshift harness. she does not remember coming to a beach-side pool, however.

amongst the neon pool deck furniture, kurumi sits up slowly, shovel in hand- that's still there, at least- and looks around in a daze. the chlorine and blood both hit her nose strongly and she recoils a bit but... ultimately? this isn't new to her at all.

the silence, however, is.

well.

first thing's first. find the others. which is where you may catch kurumi running in stumbled steps across the island (WHEN did she get onto an island!!!!) calling out multiple names- )

Yuki! Miki! Rii-san! ... Asoi-san! Where is everyone!?

( the fact that there's more blood everywhere- toppled chairs and tables, food left out- it's all so familiar in the worst way, the way she's become acclimated to with a heavy pit in her stomach. but eventually she has to sit down at the restaurant, shovel at her side and head in her hands. did she push it too much?

thankfully, it looks like she's not entirely alone on murder island. she looks up and stares for a moment when she hears someone approach before she simply smiles cheerfully. )

Yo! Weird place, huh? I don't suppose you've seen any others yet...?

[compendiem]

...Yo.

[ Minato pulls himself away from the doorway after a moment, like he has to be snapped out of a daydream before he realizes he's being addressed, and approaches Kurumi. Just sort of standing there in front of her instead of taking a seat. ]

Not yet. [ ... ] Nice shovel.

[ It's nostalgic. Wandering halls covered in blood, holding a bus stop sign or a mop. Whatever works, really. ]

[reresurrected]

[The blood is very definitely concerning indeed, and the fact that Baldr has already been through this once before isn't doing much to assuage his fears about this. He knows what random blood all over the place means when you suddenly wake up in an unfamiliar place, okay.

The fact that at least one other person is alive here is a good sign, though, but this girl definitely looks like she's going through it as she stumbles around looking for what seem to be friends of hers.

First things first:]

Are you all right? You aren't injured, are you?

not far from the pool

[oceanicbutterfly]

The question is, where are we.

[Karen's tone doesn't actually make that sound like a question! She is All Business.]

restaurant

[howveryglib]

[god damn that sure is a lot of blood, huh. he does at least snap at attention at being addressed.]

I have seen others, though no one with whom I am familiar. I suppose that is to be expected given the circumstances.

[compendiem]

[ Minato opens his eyes to stare up at the brilliant blue sky, content, for the moment to just lie there and breathe.

The moment lasts all of two seconds before the tide comes and crashes against the side of his head, salty and bitter and dripping into his eyes as he sits up with a start and stares around at all the pink. Like he'd woken up in the wrong portable game.

Yes, okay. This is a familiar feeling. Body exhausted, head foggy, stumbling around like a zombie poking his nose at anything and everything:

You can find Minato riding the elevators up and down... and up and down... and up and down... He spends quite a lot of time in the arcade as well, helping himself to the tokens to try each game out two or ten times. However much he'd like nothing more than a comfy bed and a fourteen hour nap, he doesn't find himself a room to hole up in, but rather visits each room whose door is still unlocked, going through the suitcases and clothing like he's searching for something. Eventually he'll head back outside to walk the shoreline he'd woken up at, head bowed and staring at the sand, looking a little forlorn. There are no crabs ): ]

rooms!

[shoveltalks]

( kurumi is cautious as she goes about- even if there's no sound of them yet, that doesn't mean they couldn't be hiding somewhere. but every room is empty- none of the girls, no undead.

up until she finds a boy with blue hair and balks for a moment- it's so strange seeing living people, even after the college. )

Uh- hey. Whatcha doin...?

elevators

[kurohato]

[Akutagawa and Minato lock eyes at least once as he's going up and down. Finally, Akutagawa steps inside. He stares at Minato for a second longer before he asks,]

....Why?

[seriously, man. cut it out.]

Elevators

[reresurrected]

[On one such trip down to the lobby in the elevators, the doors will open to find... what looks to be a traditional samurai (complete with swords) waiting for the elevator with several of the pink flamingo plush from the gift nook in the lobby tucked under his arms, as you do.

He looks at Minato. He looks at the flamingos.

And then, with a smile, he asks:]

Would you like one?

elevators

[howveryglib]

[...so he wants to go check out the upper floor, and he gets into the elevator and there's someone in there.

...

...

...

he keeps thinking of his cringe era. but at the same time, he still kind of wants to start talking for several minutes of unskippable cutscene. so he kind of tries not to acknowledge this kid's existence and just looks very uncomfortable as he stands awkwardly in the corner.]

[photoning]

[For Prompt A, Mahiru finds herself leaning against the balcony of a third-story master bedroom. It's not that different from the edge of the ship, at first, she thinks; her hand shades her eyes from the sun that must have disoriented her. No... No, that's not quite right. There's something all too familiar and suspicious about waking up on an island like an eerie dream. If she really is in, ugh, let's say a special environment, she still has to interact with it like a normal person. She braces herself on the balcony, takes a deep breath, and calls out to whoever's - wherever. Other balcony? Most likely on the beach below.]

Hey! Excuse me! Did you bring me here? Can you tell me what's going on?

[For Prompt B, Mahiru is just walking around wherever on the first story and grounds. Down here, it's much easier to see that she has a camera on an orange strap around her neck, which she's using in a somber way. She tries to put on a smile once someone actually looks at her like they want to talk about what's going on.]

Oh, I'm getting a feel for the layout of this place, that's all. If we can talk with the concierge, I just might be able to get these photos developed!

[Bit of an eyetwitch there.]

a!

[shoveltalks]

( kurumi jolts before looking up slowly. she's never seen hair that red before- it's cute. but... )

No, I don't know. I'm sorry.

b

[compendiem]

[ Oh, that's smart; makes him wish he'd had a camera to take pictures of everything. ]

Can I see...?

[ If she got any good shots? please, he's nosy ]

A

[kurohato]

[Akutagawa looks up from the beach, and he coughs before replying, raising his voice a bit.]

I'm afraid I've about as much of an idea as you do. So as much as I'd like to say yes, I cannot.

B

[reresurrected]

Oh? Should I be posing for this?

[He can't help it; she set herself up for that one. Not that he'll object if she does want a photo, though!]

A

[howveryglib]

[Well, she certainly gets his attention, at least. Good thing he’s not particularly jumpy…]

I have nothing to do with your presence here, and I would imagine that I am as lost as you are.

[ghostinmichelle]

[ flump

That's the sound of Misaki dislodging an approximate metric ton of stuffed flamingos as she sits up, squinting into an overwhelming mass of pink. Okay. It's... some kind of tropical gift shop? Not the weirdest place she's woken up, honestly. ]

...The aquarium? No, this isn't - aah!

[ And that was the sound of Misaki putting a foot out and realizing her impromptu sleeping arrangement comes with a steep vertical drop. She yanks her leg back onto the shelf, sending a few flamingos raining down to the floor and narrowly avoiding joining them.

Okay. If she got up here, she can get down. Theoretically, she could just climb down the shelves below, avoiding their assortment of souvenir cups and stationery... if she can trust them to hold her weight. Which is why this plan isn't one she's super jazzed about. She casts a glance toward the doorway, hoping a plan B will walk by, and raises her voice: ]

...Uh. Help?

[ Later, assuming Misaki escapes that particular plight, she'll be found wandering the resort, her worry meter ticking up slowly but steadily at each sign of disarray, disorder, or general Not Right-ness. Upon nearly stepping in a particularly fresh bloodstain, she visibly pales. ]

You think we've been dragged into some kind of murder mystery? I mean, a fake murder mystery, obviously - a really, really fake one... right?

[ please be ketchup please be ketchup plEASE BE KETCHUP ]

[compendiem]

[ Oh, um. He'd open his arms out and offer to catch her, but looks like he'd probably snap his spine doing so. So the second best thing he can think of is to collect all the fallen stuffed flamingos and pile them underneath where Misaki is. ]

That... should be enough. [ looks up at her ] Right?

[birdysnatcher]

[When Shade wakes, it's not on the grey expanse of Gotham city, but somewhere quite opposite in tone - the sun beats down on her skin (humans get so hot, and their skin so sticky) and the sky is bluer than she's seen on the planet so far.

Prying herself from the sand - and oh, how annoying sand is - she gets to her feet. She still has the coat, she's still in her body, not her body. But not where she was.

Exit with intention. And then begin again.

Coloured specks leak and float from her coat as Shade wanders the beach, curiously approaching whoever else happens to be roaming there.]

What is this place?

[And, because it's worth asking:]

Earth?

[When Shade reaches the main resort, it only takes a couple of bloodstains and wrecked furniture before she decides Fuck this shit, I'm out. She finds herself somewhere seemingly quiet - though, this place is too quiet, not like the conspicuous buzz of Earth - and...well, to the untrained eye she just seems to pass out.

But in her mind, she taps into the madness, ready to escape, back to Meta, back to anything that's not this -

And goes nowhere.

Not this shit again.

Shade jolts awake, conscious, desperate on the floor.]

No! Why won't it work?

[compendiem]

[ Minato startles, a slight rocking back on his heels and the widening of the eyes, before he rocks back and leans over Shade, concerned. ]

What doesn't?

cw ronald reagan mention

[baskins]

[ Oh this is not the vibe... is what Robin would think, were she from a later decade. As it stands, she wakes on the floor of an empty arcade and. Looks around, still tired. Giant four-legged flesh monsters? Sure, that had at least been like. Led up to, on account of the Russians and their weird hell gate and the superpowered child?

... Hey, actually, where is that superpowered child? Or any of the other children she guesses she hangs out with now? Or... ]

... Steve? Hey, dingus, you around here?

[ No response. She thinks very hard. She's learned a lot of government secrets, but this place hardly seems Soviet, so... ]

Oh my god, the FBI sent me to a farm upstate.

[ And as soon as she can find a - yeah, a skee-ball in one of her work socks, that's a weapon - she's going to start exploring. ]

All right, President Reagan, come out and face me yourself, you old coward!

[kurohato]

...Who?

[Akutagawa questions, stepping into the room and arching a brow.]

Is that who we should be searching for? [He's not above blaming America. The Guild have done some dumb things before. His first impression was that this might've been due to someone's ability, anyway, so to get a name....]

[prime_spacetime]

[So someone DOES wake up in the laundry room, but not in the warm fluffy towels or the cart. No, there's a loud thumping coming from... a dryer??!]

H-hey! Little help!

[Once he's freed from his tiny prison, Sonic sets to work exploring. First himself- his shoes have, unsurprisingly, changed- now mostly black with a hot pink geometric design along the outer sides. Very retro. His gloves are also black with pink trimming to match. He bounces from foot to foot, occasionally slapping his hands together, as if he's expecting something to happen]

Come on, I know you do something. Work with me here!

[But that's a dead end, and before long he's running across the island- you might see him... or more likely NOT see him, just a blue blur with a pink figure 8 to indicate legs as he zooms past. Eventually, he gets to the woods and runs in... only to pop right back out an instant later.]

Wait, what?

[He turns and goes back in... only to POP again right after]

...okay, that's creepy.

woods

[shoveltalks]

( that





that is a blue hedgehog thing.


that is a blue, speed-of-sound fast hedgehog going into the woods and popping right back into place outside of it.

whaddahell... )

Uhhhhh... is. Is the forest spitting you back out...?

[kurohato]

[Akutagawa wakes up in the laundry room. He's upset. Naturally. His first instinct is to jolt up, Rashomon jolting out behind him, before he notes the lack of threat.

He pauses for a minute and then kicks the washing machine nearby in seeming frustration before storming out.

His next venture is exploring the island. He finds himself inside the arcade at some point and gives it one sparing glance before walking out. Too noisy. He then walks outside, sees all the water....

And walks right back into the arcade and hunkers down near the skee-ball machine. This place just gets worse and worse.]

laundry

[compendiem]

[ Actually, he wants to see Rashomon, let Minato see Rashomon. A great shadowy figure like that immediately catches his attention, so he's going to tag along several paces behind like a boy who's seen a really cool dog and follows behind the owner trying to pretend that's not what he's doing. ]

[pinkprismstaff]

[ So! Who's near the staff hallway inside the hotel? About two or three hours after everyone has woken up, roughly. ]

[kurohato]

[Akutagawa is! He looks disgruntled, as per usual.]

[chemicalromance]

[To be fair, there are times when Eleanor can't recall whether she's fallen asleep or if she's in some waking nightmare. But there was never a time when she felt the warmth of the sun on her face.

A young-ish woman, wiry and pale, sits upon the sand of the beach and watches the slowly shifting tide. Almost like a specter in her drab white dress and stringy hair. She looks like she's been through hell. Maybe she has.

Honestly, she could sit here forever... But it's wrong. Shakily, she rises to her feet and ventures off into the island proper. If this was real, then there would be nothing to stop her. If it wasn't... then mother would surely be furious whenever she caught up.

Of course, that just means she drifts into the front hall of the hotel, unsure of where to go from there.

...Hey! Knickknacks! Nothing Eleanor recognizes, but that just means she has to inspect those plush flamingos, y'know?]

beach

[compendiem]

[ Minato had also woken his eyes on the beach, wanting to lie there forever if not for the tide trying to drown him. He's wringing out the water from his shirt when he spots Eleanor, and then proceeds to follow after her. Not approaching her, exactly, but sort of walking towards her but still away from her in a "oh what a coincidence, we're heading the same direction" sort of way ]

[an0therbitesthedust]

[So this is what it's like to be erased.... that's what Motoi thinks as he experiences this sensation of a self-adjacent nothing existence.

And then he is on a beach chair, just chilling.]

Qué diablos?! [okay, not quite chilling. But he's lying there with his laptop on his stomach so it definitely looked like he was for a second.]

[kurohato]

[Akutagawa was just walking past and not paying much attention.

When.

That happens, and he jumps. Rashomon rises for a brief moment, and he gives the man who just shouted a stare.]

...D...Diablos?

[howveryglib]

[The sand isn't particularly out of place compared to where Gaius had been before... whatever knocked him out. There was a not insignificant number of things that theoretically could have accomplished that, even if it was highly unlikely he or one of his companions wouldn't have seen it coming, but something is still off as he pulls himself up and notices the smell of seawater.

It takes no time at all to recognize that this absolutely isn't the Burn, even if there are some resemblances. The sand, the silence... but most certainly not the beach resort. He kind of wonders if he's hallucinating, honestly, but...

Well. He's cautious as he approaches anyone else, though he's not suspicious enough to think anyone present is directly responsible. Even so, it's probably a little intimidating to have a 6'7'' guy come up to you and address you so severely when you're probably feeling kind of confused, even if he doesn't seem to mean you any harm...]

Were you transported here as well, then? What is it that you remember before your arrival?

[themaplesyrupjob]

[Breanna eyes the guy, who is taller than any given person has any right to be. And that's saying something, since Hardison is 6'1" and Breanna is used to tall people. Also he's dressed like a Ren Faire knight or something, which is weird given the island setting.

And it's not the weirdest place Breanna has woken up. She's been kidnapped a few times, both by family members picking her up for a job and people who thought it would be a good way to get back at Hardison, and this is pretty tame by those standards. They didn't even tie her up.]

Regular work stuff. First time being kidnapped?