daddyscythe: (Default)
Spirit Albarn ([personal profile] daddyscythe) wrote in [community profile] soul_logs2012-06-15 11:39 pm

[OPEN]

Characters: OPEN
Location: Outskirts of Nevada
Rating: PG
Time: All day, Feb 27
Description: Shibusen offers a field trip to acclimate the guests to the Madness wavelength.


It's a perfectly pleasant day for the most part, if one is to look at the sky and maybe the horizon. For the attendees of the fieldtrip, however, things are naturally a lot more grim, if also lot more colorful. There are understandably no civilians in the area -- or any other signs of life apart from the group.

As promised, the location is extensively arranged to cordon off various areas of the place where Madness spikes have been identified. They are all properly labeled, both with text and visuals, and discreet agents kept an eye on all corners of the large field. The mirror by which the guest will come in is set in a corner, with some food provided next to it.

People are free to come and go, though the other end leads to the clinic instead of the Death Room. The rules are simple: venture into a level you think you can handle, and if you can't, someone will help.

In the afternoon, a light rain will come to add some variety to the endless desert. Make sure to take shelter in the open tents provided to protect you from the elements!

[ooc: Just put in open tags in the comments, [Character Name | Open/Close | Area/sort of madness targeted/whatever marker you want].

Plotting and information post was here.]
topgun_textiles: ([Shades] Wary)

[ Kanji Tatsumi | Open | Any Madness Area ]

[personal profile] topgun_textiles 2012-06-15 05:10 pm (UTC)(link)
After Auron's lesson, Kanji knew what to expect when it came to standing out in the desert. Trading his usual sweatshirt for a sleeveless, jacket slung over a tattooed shoulder for now, he checked out the different sectioned-off areas indicating the level of Madness within, idly toying with the bullet charm around his neck.

All ready he felt the heavy presence of the wavelength pressing down on his shoulders, though he knew it'd only get worse once he stepped into any one of these sections.

It left him feeling a little... edgy, not wanting to stick too close to people for the moment, but he knew he had to beat this if he was going to beat everything else out there, even if at the edge of his hearing he could hear some whispers.


[ooc: Action? Prose? Your choice!]
Edited 2012-06-16 04:31 (UTC)
shiromadoushi: (Deja vu)

Open! Any format's good to follow up!

[personal profile] shiromadoushi 2012-06-15 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
There was already an uncomfortably familiar feeling in the back of Bakura's mind as he stepped into the Madness-filled area. The feeling of being watched, of a presence hovering in the back of his mind, growing stronger with ever step he took.

He was going to ignore it. He knew it wasn't real. Couldn't be real. After all, the Voice was in Death City now. There was no way that he could be in his head.

'Unless it was all you all along...'

Bakura startled, eyes going wide at the Voice, his hands moving to cover his ears. "Shut up, you aren't real!" he whispered intensely. Couldn't be real. It was just the Madness. Just...

'So convenient that no one's seen us both in the same place at the same time, isn't it, Yadonushi? You showing up just as your little *friend* had said I'd run away...'

The teen's hands tensed, fingers pressing tightly against his head. "I didn't lose any time then, it couldn't have been!"

'Hou? How long were you standing in the hallway, hrrrm? An awful long time, wasn't it? Just long enough for me to step in...'

"Shut up!" Bakura snapped, shoulders curling in. "Get out of my head!"
timelessummoner: (in a dark realm)

[Raidou | Open | Either a low-level madness area or a high-level one]

[personal profile] timelessummoner 2012-06-15 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Raidou was feeling reasonably confident when he first stepped out of the mirror. He had been on enough missions to know how to block out the quiet whispers in his ears and the movements at the edge of his sight. Granted, having no goal to focus on made it somewhat harder, but it was nothing he couldn't manage.

Which was why after a while, he decided to venture deeper into the Madness-ridden area.

He could ignore the blood staining the ground. It was just his mind playing tricks on him, and it was hardly the first time he had seen some. He could ignore the things digging their way out of the earth, knowing that Shibusen agents would step in if they were really there.

He couldn't ignore the eyes. They watched his every move, judging in silence. One moment of weakness, and they would notice it instantly, they would remember it...

Don't be a fool. They are not real. They are not here.

It didn't help. He feared making a wrong move. Just knowing there was sweat on his brow was enough to fill him with dread. Could they tell how fast his heart was beating? Did they notice how harshly his breath came? Did they know he had to clench his hands into fists to keep them from shaking?

Stop. He could do this. He kept his face carefully expressionless, resisted the urge to let his gaze dart around.

He had nothing to fear. Nothing whatsoever.


[ooc: Action and prose are both fine!]
coolest: (pic#3319550)

Date Masamune | Open | Mid-level madness

[personal profile] coolest 2012-06-15 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
He felt the darkness impinging some corner of his soul with cold, invasive tendrils looking for some crack to push through. But Masamune is nothing but resilient, he came out here to train so that he could be a better meister.

But something got to him, some little voice whispering about how useless he was. How he was fit for nothing. How he should just give up. How his ambitions were really a cover up for his own insecurities.

Masamune places a hand over his eyepatch protectively. Huh. They were serious about this place.

(( prose or action! i am fine with both! ))
scatterflower: (okay I really have no idea what you're t)

Re: Open! Any format's good to follow up!

[personal profile] scatterflower 2012-06-15 10:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Chika blinked, looking over as she heard Bakura screen, and before she knew it she was running over to him. Hearing the type of stuff he was screaming, that definitely wasn't good. "Bakura-san? What's wrong, are you okay?"

It was probably a stupid question, he sure as heck didn't sound okay, and she almost hated herself for asking it as soon as she did. Still, she really needed to find out what was wrong, so either way being here was fine.

Hopefully he'd be able to answer her.
shiromadoushi: (Oh that thing eheheh)

BTW, he wasn't screaming, sorry if it wasn't clear. Only the last line was loud at all.

[personal profile] shiromadoushi 2012-06-16 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
His head snapped up, looking over with wide eyes a moment before he managed to pull himself together and give her a slightly unsteady smile. "U-- un... just.. the Madness is just a little hard to deal with, that's all. I'll be fine."

As long as he could keep ignoring that cackling Voice in the back of his head.

[Sephiroth | Open | low-level of Madness.]

[personal profile] pure_lineage 2012-06-16 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
Sephiroth had slipped through the mirror as secretively as possible. He wasn't the first to go through for the day, but had disappeared out of Death City once the first batch had gone through and there appeared to be a lull. The ex-General was silent as he weaved his way through the crowd, and slipped by as unnoticed as he possibly could. It was just fortunate that most tended to leave him be.

He hated to admit to his weaknesses, but Sephiroth knew that the Madness Wavelength was a weakness he needed to start overcoming. Already he was posing too much of a risk to Cloud throughout their missions, and that was clearly unacceptable to the ex-General. His power was continuing to grow within this world, and with it the potential threat he continually offered Cloud with his mental instability.

There were far too many reasons as to why that was, but both he and Cloud had always been more than content to leave the undesirable topics alone. That was a large part of the reason, but also the fear of what may come should those topics ever be presented. There wasn't much time left though in that regard. Cloud had already expressed interest in broaching the topics of their past, but he didn't feel ready for such things yet.

Sephiroth inhaled a deep breath to push those thoughts away as he refocused his attention on the area around him. He was standing on the cusp of the first Wavelength area and already he could feel the subtle press on his mind. The lower levels wouldn't affect him too severely, but he knew that he needed them to better prepare his mind and soul to handling the more powerful areas.

[ooc: action or prose is fine :) ]
Edited 2012-06-16 01:30 (UTC)
itaidakimasu: (Tearing Up)

Yako | Open | Mid-level Madness

[personal profile] itaidakimasu 2012-06-16 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
Yako had honestly thought she could handle it. Or perhaps she had just wanted to believe that.

Either way, she was not taking to the situation well, or even slightly positively. There was a reason she tried to keep within arm's reach of a Meister any time she was outside of the protective borders of Shibusen, even if she only fully understood it at a primal level. That reason became more and more apparent with each passing moment. It was a pity that she wasn't quite lucid enough to take the lesson to heart.

It had started small, a soft voice, a horribly, terribly familiar soft voice, assuring her that it wasn't her fault. Well. Not really, at least, and if her own father didn't blame her all that much, then why should she?

The longer she was out, the more voices joined in, creating a horrible, patronizing chorus of insincere assurances. It wasn't her fault she was too late. It wasn't her fault she hadn't picked up certain key details. It wasn't her fault they were dead.

Well. Not really, at least.

It reached truly alarming depth, however, when her vision began to swim and distort, splashing into visions of horror that she usually only had to deal with in her nightmares. Soon after that, she began to shake, and by the time the soft voices turned accusing and eviscerated monsters started dancing across her eyes she dropped into a crouch, covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut in a futile effort to drown them out as she trembled.
itaidakimasu: (telling me I'm running out of time)

[personal profile] itaidakimasu 2012-06-16 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
Yako was of a like mind; she was far too wary of Madness after her run in with the diluted black blood to rush into the upper levels. But she could handle this much, she knew she could; she just had to focus. And that would be so, so much simpler if her own mind was not trying to destroy her from the get go. She swallowed thickly and took a deep breath.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," something almost like a voice that she really, truly did not want to recognize murmured quietly. "You really couldn't have known."

Shaking her head hard, as if to shake off the phantasmal sounds, she tried moving around and shifting her attention. It wouldn't pay to give her imagination any time to be stretched and warped by the oppressive wavelength. An almost relieved sigh flowed out of her as she recognized one of the people drifting along the edges.

"Hello, Sephiroth-san," she greeted softly, hoping the smile she mustered up didn't actually look as flimsy as it felt.
shiromadoushi: (Worried Distress)

Re: Yako | Open | Mid-level Madness

[personal profile] shiromadoushi 2012-06-16 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
"Yako-chan!" There was a sudden hand on her shoulder as Bakura couched down next to her. "Yako-chan, it's okay, whatever it is, it's not real!"

He could ignore the effects on himself as long as he had someone else. Someone else to focus on, someone to save....

Edited 2012-06-16 02:27 (UTC)
itaidakimasu: (bzuh?!)

[personal profile] itaidakimasu 2012-06-16 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
Yako flinched back away from the hand, shaking harder. She pressed her hands tighter against her ears, not wanting to know what this new accuser was saying. They could touch her, which was something none of the other unfortunate souls haunting her could claim.

the change scared her, and something like a whimper built up in her throat.
shiromadoushi: (Worried)

[personal profile] shiromadoushi 2012-06-16 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
Not good... with her this far gone...

"Yako-chan..."

He needed to get her out of there. If only he were stronger, he could just...

He put his hand over hers, trying to hold it. "Yako-chan, we need to get out of here.... It's too strong for you here, come with me, it'll be okay..."
scatterflower: (what?)

Oops. Just assume she was thinking about the last stuff?

[personal profile] scatterflower 2012-06-16 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
Chika let out a small sigh of relief as she heard him say that. "Okay, as long as you're okay," she said. "You want to get out of here for now? Maybe rest a bit?"
itaidakimasu: (Tearing Up)

[personal profile] itaidakimasu 2012-06-16 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
The whimper finished forming and bubbled up. When he kept touching her, she finally lifted her head. Her eyes were glossed over with unshed tears and she was worryingly pale, with a face that was a study in repentant agony.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, shrinking back even more. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry..."
shiromadoushi: (Serious - 01)

[personal profile] shiromadoushi 2012-06-16 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
"Yako-chan..."

Bakura bit his lip a moment before putting his arms around his friend, trying to calm her. "It's okay... It'll be all right, it's not real, whatever it is..."
itaidakimasu: (Tearing Up)

[personal profile] itaidakimasu 2012-06-16 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
"No, no no no, no...!" Her already pounding heart managed to pick up its erratic pace even more. She struggled weakly against him, shaking her head back and forth. Her voice thickened as the tears began building up.

"I'm sorry, I'm sor-sorry, I tried, I tried so hard, I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough, I-I'm sorry."
ninjainviolet: ([Shock])

[Sheena Fujibayashi | OPEN | Pretty High Level of Madness]

[personal profile] ninjainviolet 2012-06-16 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
Sheena wasn't sure what she had expected when she first walked into the mirror, so going by what Spirit had told her, she held her breath as though she was walking into water. Surprisingly, it was kind of cool and tingly--not at all unpleasant and something she could get used to thanks to the heat of Nevada. Stepping out into the desert, she promised herself to find either the closest pool or cold bath she could when she returned.

She took in the sight before her and took a deep, steadying breath. Maybe all of her years of hiding her emotions and pain from others would come in handy with this exercise. After all, experience was the best teacher. Taking another breath, Sheena began moving along, using those tricks she had been taught--and taught herself--to not let anything bother her or distract her.

At first, it worked as she made her way through the lower level area. All she could feel was a slight pressure in the back of her mind that she was able to ignore. As she progressed, however, it began to turn into the feeling that someone was watching her. Stopping, she turned slowly and looked around--

--only to see that, except for those who were supposed to, there was no one even glancing in her direction. Shaking her head, she resumed her walk, and slightly distracted by that experience, managed to stumble over a large rock. And right into one of the unmarked High-Level Madness areas.

"You should have died! It's your fault! You should be dead!" came the voices from the past, freezing her in place. Frantically, she shook her head and tried to retreat, only to stop cold as those invisible eyes from before suddenly appeared--full of hate and anger.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" she screamed.
grab_my_bells: (Determination)

[Hatake Kakashi | Open/will be slow | Mid to High]

[personal profile] grab_my_bells 2012-06-16 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
This was the closest Kakashi ever wanted to come to actual madness. While Death City's madness wasn't entirely the same as the madness of depression his father had once faced, a small part of Kakashi wondered morbidly if he could face it and still live to tell about it. But he needed to do this. It would be a strength--like building resistance to poisons or enhancing stamina--that their side needed. Especially their partnership. He and Gai made such a good team, but a little Madness could easily pull them apart. The Black Blood had hinted at that.

He carefully stepped into the area marked for Madness. The feeling was like a darkness, a cold-burning rage seeping into him. In the exact opposite of resonance--which left him feeling comforted, warm, and bonded to someone--he felt paranoia and a twinge of anger, almost suspicious, and uncomfortable in his own skin. Kakashi was edgy in a way that reminded him of his childhood, when it seemed like he was alone in the world and could trust only himself.

Closing his eyes, he tried to focus. It was just like genjutsu training--he had to work past what his mind and body wanted to believe. But...what if he wasn't strong enough to overcome this? What if, like his father, he would succumb to inner demons? If this was the push he needed to break?
spandexisyouth: (Bring it on)

[personal profile] spandexisyouth 2012-06-16 05:51 am (UTC)(link)
Gai was beside his Rival. There was no way he was abandoning Kakashi to this. They both needed to learn to work with it more, to fight through it, and so they were here. It wasn't going to be easy, likely. They'd fought when the Black Blood had been in the city and they rarely actually fought. There was a difference between teasing clashing and actual clashing.

Seeing no one looking at them at the moment, Gai reached down and took Kakashi's hand as they stepped in. "I am here for you, my Eternal Rival. Beside you. No matter what my feelings shift to say."

He could feel the desire to be apart begin, to push away, to isolate himself and avoid the contact of being with Kakashi, and Gai determinedly shut it down. It was there, poking at his mind, but he was determined to recognize it now and not let it win.
grab_my_bells: (Bitch Please)

[personal profile] grab_my_bells 2012-06-16 06:21 am (UTC)(link)
Kakashi pulled his hand away from Gai's and stepped further into the marked zone. Beside him? "Oh please. And how long will that last," he snapped, surprised by his own aggression. He trusted Gai...didn't he? Kakashi knew, deep down, that he did trust Gai, but the fears--those childhood fears fueled by Madness--were eating at that trust as they had once before. Maybe he didn't trust himself to be someone Gai would stay with. Gai already was out with other Meisters. Maybe the title of Eternal Rival had lost its shine on Kakashi.

Fear became anger in a way Kakashi didn't often give in to and Kakashi could feel how wrong it was. He took a deep breath, struggling to push the darker feelings aside and get a grasp on himself. It was harder than he had imagined. It was an inner war between two things he was so sure he felt; it was enough to make a man crazy.
spandexisyouth: (Distant)

[personal profile] spandexisyouth 2012-06-16 06:38 am (UTC)(link)
He had to focus. He was there to support Kakashi and he was there to support Neji. If he slipped, he couldn't help either. But it was hard. Especially when Kakashi pulled his hand away.

"Forever," Gai said quietly. He didn't feel it right then, but he knew it was true. Despite everything telling him to try to hurt Kakashi back, he knew he didn't want to. "I love you. I have loved you for so long. I am not going to leave you." He wanted to. He wanted to walk away right now, to tell Kakashi that he shouldn't be questioned like that, but he knew he couldn't, shouldn't.

"Please." He held out his hand to Kakashi, open, as he tried to not hope much at all.
grab_my_bells: (Come and Get It)

[personal profile] grab_my_bells 2012-06-16 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
"My father loved me too. And sensei. Apparently that's not enough anymore."

Kakashi looked at the hand and although almost every impulse was to brush it off, a tiny part of him wanted to accept that this man he had come to love care for really did want to stay with him. Not that Gai was any more able to than any of the others in Kakashi's past, but that Gai would try, that he wanted to. His hand raised and moved towards Gai's. But he stopped short of Gai's hand, again feeling the tug of Madness.

Letting himself care that much only opened him up to being hurt again. Kakashi thought maybe it was better to be alone.

"How many other Meisters?" he challenged as his hand hesitated.
spandexisyouth: (By force of will)

[personal profile] spandexisyouth 2012-06-16 07:11 am (UTC)(link)
"Kakashi..." There was no way to argue that, not when Kakashi's father had committed suicide. Gai would never understand how a loving parent could do that to their child, abandon them and leave them with so much pain and despair. For years he'd worked on healing that wound, and he knew he'd never fully fix it.

Gai blinked at the question. He hadn't expected that, but maybe he should have. It wasn't easy to answer. "Will you respond to missions? Go on more? Be more available so that we can help? If you push yourself, Kakashi, I will only partner with you. Aside from the one mission I have promised to Tenten. But I will not let people suffer and die when I can fix things and you aren't willing." His voice was a little more stern than normal, and he knew this might be a bad answer, but he had to be honest. If Kakashi didn't take missions with him, didn't go help out, then Gai had no real choice, in his mind.
grab_my_bells: (Oh.)

[personal profile] grab_my_bells 2012-06-16 07:39 am (UTC)(link)
"That didn't answer my question, Gai. How many?" Kakashi hated the accusations. Hated Gai for making them, hated that they were partly right. He didn't want people to die and he wasn't lazy, but missions here were different and maybe they would be easier to take if Gai wasn't his ...whatever the hell Gai was to him now. But his team trackrecord was poor and his trackrecord with lovers was just as bad, and as Eternal Rival and oldest friend and whatever else Gai was or had become, he was so much more than lover or teammate. If Kakashi failed him... A Meister without a Weapon was fairly useless. Kakashi didn't want to know what he was without Gai.

...And pushing himself. Their relationship had always been contingent on that. He was only Gai's rival because he was still able to keep up and sometimes surpass Gai. And when Kakashi was no longer good enough (in the battlefield, in the bedroom, in anything), then what? He would be tossed aside, like his father had been when Konoha decided he wasn't good enough? Kakashi wondered if being with others was ever really worth it. They always wanted something better. Maybe he was better alone.

"How many did you feel were better than me?"
spandexisyouth: (Bring it on)

[personal profile] spandexisyouth 2012-06-16 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
"...I misunderstood the question, I think. You are asking how many I have partnered with?" How many had he? Auron, Tassadar, Kakashi. Was that all? "I have worked with three, and will work with Tenten, so that will make four."

He straightened up, squaring his shoulders. "And not a single one has been better than you. You are my actual partner. The others have been temporary." Gai was getting angry, and he fought it back. "I. Love. You. I do not love the others. Resonance with someone I do not care so deeply for will always be weaker than working with someone I care a great deal for. Do not ask again. Do not treat me like I am fickle. I have been by your side for over two decades, Kakashi, and I do not back down and leave people behind."

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