[open] all the cool kids like existential confusion

[skelepun]

Who: Sans + anyone! Seriously, the first part of this is essentially a scenario meme. No CR or interest in Sans even required.
When: Accessible from the 10th-16th
Where: THE VOIIIID. Okay but no, seriously, it's a vast expanse of nothingness.
What: Curiosity kills the skeleton. Sans has gone to see what has become of his world, and it's not pretty. Come explore the void? Feel that existential sting? Log split into two parts -- exploring the void with a partner (either in search of Sans, curiosity, or whatever reason you like!) and trying to rescue Sans from the pull his world has on him! Unfortunately, Sans is a little... different. He won't be coming back without a fight.
Warnings: A few flashing images, serious existential despair, violence and nightmare magic, impalings?? idk, man, this is gonna be a bundle of fish.

(ooc: please forgive the formatting, which I have cribbed heavily from memes. I figure it is the best way to create a play space for people! Feel free to dip in and out regardless of your character's interest in Sans!)



enter the freakin' void, scrubs
it'll stare back at you or something, probably

Maybe you're just curious? Maybe you want to find a friend? Maybe you saw a certain network post and decided to see what the fuss was about? Or it could just be an accident. Whatever your reason for walking through this particular Ingress portal, you will find that the sensation of falling that accompanies your jump into a new world... doesn't appear to be stopping. A void of blackness streaks past you, intangible in all respects save the push of wind whipping your clothes as you fall.

Your fall will continue unabated until you, quite simply, decide to stop falling. Upon making this decision, the laws of physics will appear to jolt and shift, leaving you suddenly standing upright. Hopefully whoever you are travelling with makes the same decision as you, or else they might just tumble further down into the abyss.

Luckily, it appears physics don't have much say in this place. That's convenient.


PROMPTS:

Physics? Psh, What Physics?

The darkness seems to stretch out forever, physics bending to your whims. It might take time to learn to control, but soon your character will be able to jump, dodge, twirl, soar, and plummet to their hearts content. It might not even be so bad, as far as featureless wastelands go.

Just be careful not to stray too far from your partner in your excitement. Finding people in the void, well, it can be a little tricky.

Greetings, I am [NAME].

The only noise you hear as you traverse the blackness is a whistling of wind, eerie considering the stillness of the air around you. However, if you listen closer different voices come to the fore. They're faint -- and not meant for you -- but a child's voice can be heard asking to make a deal. The influence of your own world is making itself known, and the child's voice seems to know exactly what it is you want above all else. And what's more, they're willing to give it to you. They just need a little something in exchange.

Your soul. That's not so bad, is it? Whether you resist on your own or with the help of a partner, the voice will retreat back into silence. Every half hour or so, though, it will return, once again tempting you with what you desire.

If you accept, you and who you came with will be forcibly ejected from the void and back to Amissis-Re. You probably still have your Soul. Probably. Either way, whatever it is you wanted? Nah, son.

A Little Something From Home.

A void should be empty, but this one very suddenly isn't. Your own world's influence has infiltrated, presenting to you something you recognize. A house, a trinket, a car, a friend -- whatever it is, it's something or someone that matters to you for better or for worse, floating unattached along with you in the Void.

Only upon closer inspection, it's not what you remember at all. There's a hollowness there that defies immediate description. Buildings will be empty and lifeless, familiar items will appear lesser in an indistinguishable way, and living things will scatter into a cloud of dust upon contact. No matter what you do, you can't seem to get the dust to stop sticking to you.

Do you chase them? Do they chase you? That's up to you, but keep an eye on your partner. You wouldn't want to get separated, right?

(( As you can probably tell, exploring the Void and expecting to find anything is pretty tough. Sans is entering on the 10th, and will be found on the 16th. That's 5 days of Void jumping which your character can enter any time. If you'd like your character to spend all that time in the Void until Sans is found, that's fine! Or, if you'd like your character to get pulled out via Ingress tug and need to make the choice to return or not, that's equally chill. Have fun with it!

Feel free to mix and match these prompts however you like, or just use them for general guidelines. Have fun exploring the void, friends! ))

Comments

May 16th | OTA!

[skelepun]

After wandering for anywhere between a few hours or a few days, the featureless black landscape suddenly isn't quite so featureless. Deep in the darkness, is a small blotch of blue and white. It's distant, but its identity is immediately apparent to anyone who knows what to look for.


Sans doesn't look directly at whoever approaches, frozen in place and staring at nothing at all. If he were to turn, it wouldn't have made much difference. Face partially obscured by inscrutable blips of white, what little can be seen is a mask of indifference. Eyes sockets blackened, grin wide and unfeeling, it's an expression unlike most would have the occasion to see on the man.

More than that, he looks tired.


Whatever the consequence of wandering here in a deleted world, the toll seems to be rooted deep in Sans' soul. There's no recognition in his face when he looks at those who approach him, or if there is it's a look of deep distaste. Maybe even hatred. Gone is the indifference, replaced with the look of someone who is anything but detached from the situation.

Another step, and Sans laughs coldly. A row of bones burst up from the void in front of you, creating a barrier between Sans and whoever thought to advance. To touch one of these bones will sting. Not terribly, but enough to give plenty of indication that despite his rattling laughter this is no joke.


"Go away."

His voice is practically trembling with an emotion that's hard to place, caught between hatred and pleading. It's unlike anything Sans would ever say aloud, if he could help it. But whether or not this is Sans or some imposter, one thing is painfully clear.

He won't be going back without a fight.

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

[Papyrus and Mettaton had wandered through the bleak expanse of nothingness for an untold amount of time before spotting him. There was something about Sans, his expression, the glitches that flickered and fizzled and obscured most of his face. This was familiar, too familiar, calling back long-erased whispers of memories of a white light and a child, a human, who was so nice to Sans that he couldn't help wanting to be their friend too.

He's so pleased that he now understands what those lingering feelings mean. It's from another timeline, of course! One where the human not only spared them, but saved them!

There's no human here now, and Papyrus has no idea how they called him and his brother back from oblivion, but as Mettaton's alarmed warning echoes in his skull, he shouts back the only thing on his mind as he races toward the lone figure in blue.]

He's my brother, you see! I have to try!

[skelepun]

[Despite their skeletal appearance, neither Sans nor his brother looked like the portent of death they were so often compared to. There was an animation there, a warmth and friendliness that betrayed how much life they both had in them.

Now, though, with blackened sockets and a rictus grin stiffer than it's ever been when turned towards Papyrus... It's hard not to think of death, even when white threatens to overwhelm his expression completely.

It's not his brother approaching, not to Sans. An advancing target, nothing more. No knife, but still a force that wants to take his home away. He's lost it once. He can't lose it again.]

I said leave.

[There's a snarl there, left hand tensing at the air. From within Papyrus's soul, a metallic ping resonates through his ribs.

You're blue now.]

/my money is on him dying. Possibly more than once.

[dragonspride]

[Kain had followed Papyrus; he'd seen the message, and after seeing the remains of Papyrus's world and being around Papyrus some, he knows how important Sans is to Papyrus... and has firmly decided that the skeleton has been through enough.]

[Losing sight of anyone else wasn't his plan, but he at least knows what the mission is, enough to be winging through single-mindedly, ignoring any other distractions or diversions. He may not really know Sans, but damned if he's going to just let Papyrus lose his brother.]

[And that "go away"? Doesn't seem to have deterred him any, even if it is twigging some familiar nags.]

I'm not leaving you here.

THAT WON'T PROMPT BAGGAGE FOR HIM AT ALL

[skelepun]

[Turning towards the stranger, Sans doesn't recognize anything about the man. Not the uniform, not brief interactions while waiting for Toriel, not even the anecdotes shared with him through his brother. The cool fleet pilot is, to Sans, just another enemy forcing his hand.]

Don't you know how this works? [Sans instructs, holding up a hand. It pulses with an eerie energy, blue much like the pupil flashing in his left eye socket. Behind him, the large shape of a jagged, feral canine skull emerges from the blackness. Its jaw unhinges, massive energy gathering at the back of its disembodied throat.] This is the part where you give up.

[Hurling his hand forward, the beam fires, squared directly on Kain.]

[neveroutwrenched]

[It doesn’t actually take long for Ratchet and Alice to find Sans...how that is, Ratchet can only imagine is something to do with this place. Nothing in the void seems to make any sense; not gravity, not light, not-]

Sans?

[Ratchet's tone is filled with disbelief as he stares at the skeleton from across the barrier. This is utterly unlike the Sans he knows; the coldness in his voice, a strange rigidness to his features. He glances around, and over at Alice, like there might be some kind of explanation if only they looked.]

Is this where you’ve been this whole time? You’ve been driving Papyrus crazy trying to find you, you know.

[His tone is casual, his expression a touch angrier, fixing Sans with a glare.]

[skelepun]

[Ratchet's choice not to advance is enough that Sans keeps placid for now, hands tucked away in his pockets as he lets Ratchet's words filter in as if through cotton. Even his own name sparks no reaction, only a thousand yard stare directly past Ratchet and Alice both.]

What are you doing here?

[pleasereset]

The world Asriel arrives in was not the one he expected. It wasn't like the empty Underground, where all the monsters had up and left to a newer and better home. There was literally nothing here, just an endless stretch of darkness as far as he could see.

It wasn't anything like he expected, and for a long time he wonders if he stumbled into the wrong place. He didn't have any business being here anyway. He's sure if Sans didn't want to be found, then Asriel probably wasn't going to be able to find him. And it's not like he really wanted to go home in the first place.

But he was here and the twisted feeling of fear keeps growing the further he thinks he gets. The sight of a short figure in the distance doesn't feel right - but in the moment, relief swells up inside him.

As he walks closer, the feeling of wrong and familiar continues.

"...Sans?"

[skelepun]

Instinctively, Sans raises a wall of femurs -- each of them thick and jagged. They rise high enough to extend several fear above Asriel's head, shadowing the small monster with the faint glow all magic carried.

"You're not gonna get anything out of this, y'know."

[gainedlove]

Frisk had lost track of where they are ages ago. Miles had gone missing a while before then. They had never wandered in the dark like this for so long, and it's starting to get to them. They could swear they hear vines creaking, smell a faint hint of flowers--

No. Smells like bones.

At first Frisk runs toward the small blue figure, but as they approach the flickering squares of white become visible and their heart leaps into their throat. The wall of bones, that cold glare and the intoned threat...it's both familiar and not, and it throws the child off completely.



They should move, but they can't. Sans hasn't even turned them blue but Frisk feels like their feet are lead weights. Their instincts scream for them to reach out, to help him, but...what can they do?



Frisk has been helpless ever since they first arrived on the Moira. Chara and Sans, Ceta, Del Pascia...not once have they been able to stop the hurt and pain around them. Even when they threw themself in front of Rinzler, it had only been seconds before they were pushed neatly out of the way. Not even a hiccup in the plan.



Even their secrets have been falling apart. Sans, Toriel...even Papyrus knows, now. And Miles is catching on faster than Frisk can find ways to cover it all up. Sooner or later everything is going to crumble.

Even with Chara, they don't know where they stand anymore.



Frisk is a child. Useless. Sure they may have plenty of friends, but when it comes down to the important things Frisk can't even begin to make a difference. They've been accruing debts of love with no way to repay it, and they had been blind enough to not even realize it until now. So many problems, and not a single one they can solve.

...

But.



This isn't the Moira. This is Frisk's territory, their own world that listens to the pulsing beat of red deep within their chest. This is where they have fought their toughest battles, and every time they have come out alive on the other side. And the world is made better for it.

In their mind a twinkling star forms and they seize it with both hands, Determination burning in their veins and driving them to stand tall and step forward fearlessly.



SAVE POINT CREATED

"No! I won't leave you behind!"

This is why the world allowed Frisk to live after they fell, why they were given a second chance to make things better. They can do this, no matter how many times it takes. Everyone will be saved. Everyone.

i'm honestly dead from this. you killed me.

[skelepun]

"You should've given up a long time ago."

There's a coldness to Sans' voice; fresh resistance made all the icier in the wake of Frisk's determination. There's a stink to it almost, something that curdles in Sans' distracted skull with a blended mix of anger and fear.

Through the veil of white static, the glint of a magic eye announces its presence with a fresh wash of gravity. Enough to shower Frisk's soul in blue, ensnaring them in Sans' own personal brand of physics.

"There's nothing for you here anymore. Literally."

And up goes his hand in a violent jerk, sending Frisk rocketing up towards a vast expanse of nothing.

[seeingscarlet]

[Wanda spends hours combing the Moira to no avail. She tries again the next day, and the day after that, but still she senses nothing and Sans doesn't join Steve and Billy and Thor in the cryo tubes.

That leaves the planet, and still there is nothing. Eventually Wanda is able to convince the woman to send her through to the right world on her own...but for the first five minutes Wanda is sure something's gone wrong. Why is everything so dark? Where's the actual world? Panicking, she summons her powers to try to push back -- and everything just stops.

Sans will see her coming; the red glow keeping her afloat is hard to miss.]

Sans?

[It's definitely Sans, she can feel that much. But that stuff on his face is worrying and Wanda's going to have to dig a bit to see if she can find corresponding threads in his mind. Last time she needed to do something like that she was at least familiar with the energy responsible.]

What happened to you?

[skelepun]

[The red glow filters in through Sans' hazy vision, asserting itself alongside the twisted expression of a murderous child. The red of their soul, the weight of the sins they carried. It's almost enough to make him want to flee. Yet another rain check in a life of rain checks. Hasn't cashed one yet.

But he doesn't flee, instead holding his ground, hands trembling in anger by his sides. In her, he does not see the girl in the medbay who showed him her soul. He does not see the girl with the brother she wishes more than anything to protect. He sees only the determination pulsing within her, and all the danger that carries.

"Don't take another step. Intervening isn't gonna do you any good."

Who is he talking to? It's not immediately clear, but the wavering guilt and rage in his voice tell their own story.

[takeitslow]

He's not sure whether what they doing qualifies as fighting, but things between him and Sans have felt a particular kind of tense since Peter ran his mouth over the MIDs. Or maybe it was from the conversation they had after, but Peter's trying not to think to much about that. Or it could be that little voice that tells him that maybe he's the only one seeing the tension or that this is all his fault, or-

He's ignoring a lot nowadays.

But the fact is that Sans is missing. That Papyrus is making a fuss about it all over the network and the last time that happened Sans ended up dead. As mad as he is, as mad as he thinks Sans is, he doesn't want that to be true. So maybe he'd done a few run-throughs of the ship to be sure, maybe he was here in Sans's world for the same reason. Because the thought that Sans could be dead and they were still tense or fighting or whatever, maybe that hurt worse than the weight of Sans' disappointment.

It kind of surprised him, how much that was something he couldn't ignore.

"Dude, no." He's digging his heels in, letting stubbornness take the forefront instead of the sting Sans' words bring. "You have to give me more than that to make me leave. You have to tell me what's going on!"

wreck me

[skelepun]

"Heh." Sans mutters, not so much looking at Peter as through him. As if he was someone else completely. Another stranger, another human, there to take away everything, even though Sans had nothing left to give. Hand raised, a blue light crackled between his bones. "Lemme give you some free advice. Give up."

With a jerk, he extends his hand outward towards Peter. In an instant, the weight of gravity doubles. Then triples. Then quadruples. Sans' chest heaves from the effort of pinning him down, shoulders shaking with some unplacable emotion.

"Worked out great for me."

I HOPE YOURE READY FOR THIS

[forwardmomentum]

Floating in the void felt a little freefall at first, but there's none of the strange lightness in the belly, that twinge of nausea, and even freefall has rules. Standing on nothing, moving through the blackness of space without, somehow, being caught in the vacuum, this is all novel to Miles. Novel's a bit of a mild term for it, actually.

Time loses meaning in here, but Miles hazards it's been...hours, at least, since he was separated from Frisk. Maybe longer. But they seemed to know their way around...here, more than Miles, anyway. It's not as though he's not tempted to go back to the Moira -- there's a coldness to the void here that's nothing like the cold of space -- but he's convinced Sans is lost in here somewhere. He must be. And Miles is Determined to find him.

There's a sour note in the air the second he lays eyes on Sans, a wrong chord struck on cue, but it isn't till Sans turns around to face him that Miles's gut really starts to wrench itself into a knot. He's got that chip on his vagas nerve now, but hell if Sans isn't going to give him an ulcer one of these days anyway.

Miles jerks back when that wall of bones shoots up between them, flinching in alarm with his casted arm held to his chest -- hell, he's never seen Sans do that before. But he's never seen Sans anything like he is now.

"Sans?" Miles's eyes narrow, searching, his mouth half-open. "What the hell happened to you?"

[tearmeanewone]

Wherever this is, it is rough. Elizabeth feels like she's been walking for hours, but getting nowhere. Occasionally there's some piece of Columbia floating in space, water running off the edge or a person walking in circles on the road, and Booker--

Sometimes Booker is walking next to her. She knows better now than to touch him, but part of her wishes he had stayed a cloud of dust because it's potentially harder watching him follow her around dead-eyed and silent. Even her brain won't puppet him for her, get him to say something encouraging or at least blunt. So she just walks on.

Once she gets close enough, Sans' shape is unmistakeable. Is that who's created all of this, Columbia and all? Sans? God, she hopes this isn't his home, because it's, in her opinion, worse than Columbia. She hopes it's just a strange hole in this particular Ingress that Sans has fallen into.

But she doubts it.

"Sans?" Elizabeth calls. The response she gets isn't what she'd hoped, of course, but she's not going to leave Sans in this desolate place no matter how badly he wants to stay.

"Sans, this isn't a place for either of us. I'm taking you back to the Moira." Whether he wants to come or not-- none of this is real, he could get lost in here by himself, the woman warned them about going in alone.

[heart_breaking]

Promises. Gifts. Anything. Sometimes Chara used their own voice to speak, sometimes they didn't, and it was all arranged to their own treacherous whims. Would offering food to trade for souls improve their chances at all? Maybe, but Chara can't seem to make the void create instead of destroy, and their mind is shaking too much to hold the thought for long.

It hadn't been like this when they'd really been god. They're stretched as thin as air on the edge of space, now, and it seems unfair. Hadn't people said they deserved a second chance?

Maybe it was because they don't have any friends here. Or maybe they do; there's a soft light in the distance, and it's growing larger. Is it really growing, or are they moving towards it? They're moving, and they can feel their thoughts solidifying, each one filling their skull like rocks. Their throat is hoarse from what might have been hours (years) of promises. They want to be here, but they'd also rather take a break back on the Moira before getting down to permanent work. Maybe they could sit down for a while?

They can make out a form, now. They don't even need details to take a guess.

"Sans." His face is half covered, but what little they can see screams at Chara in ways that cut unexpectedly. Bleakness is spelled in the half-seen bone of his face. Shadows curl around him like a living thing. He's exhausted, sure, but--all of this? This intensity of it all isn't allowed.

Bones spring up out of the ground, and Sans' laughter makes them want to shriek at him with a knife or whimper miserably in turn.

Chara swallows.

"Greetings to you, too."

[closed to mettaton]

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

[Shortly after this scene, Papyrus leaves the ship with Mettaton to search for Sans on Amissis-Re.

He calls for him a few times along the way, still holding out hope that he just crashed near the lakes or something, but of course it's not that easy. The pair quickly reaches the platform leading to the portal, and Papyrus rallies his courage. He doesn't really want to go back to the sad Underground, the one he's a part of for some reason, but he must be thorough. If his brother is here, he's going to find him.]

Well, here we are! Are you ready?

[mttbrandlegs]

[Although he'd started in his box form, Mettaton can't resist switching to EX. He didn't expect this trip to be long enough to warrant any concern, and besides! Just in case they saw anything...untoward, it would be good to be on the offensive.

Mettaton didn't actually expect anything bad to happen, of course! They'd...they'd be fine!!

So it's with a small smile that he offers a nod, appearing confident. He doesn't doubt that Papyrus already is, but it couldn't hurt to have a little extra optimism!]

Certainly, darling! Let's find your sneaky brother, why don't we?

closed to Miles

[gainedlove]

Miles was the one that approached Frisk for help, and though they were hesitant Frisk agreed to help. As uncomfortable as bringing someone potentially Determined to their world is, especially with the knowledge Miles had so recently gained about them, Sans had been gone for far too long now. So with a message to Toriel letting her know where they would be, Frisk pulls on their old clothes and goes with Miles to Amiss-Re.

The jump this time feels more ominous, somehow.

The sudden wash of the void around them both makes Frisk cry out in alarm, and they twist to reach for and grab Miles' arm, make sure he stays close. "Wh-why is this--?!" Frisk expected to emerge in Snowdin, or maybe in the golden corridor, but this...! Why is Sans here in the void? How is he here at all, only Asriel had ever been able to pull them here!

Gritting their teeth, they turn to Miles and shake him to be sure they have his attention, and shout over the howling wind. "When I say three, think about the ground, okay? You gotta trust me!"

TAGS THSI S O LATE..... IM SO SORRY

[forwardmomentum]

It's almost like freefall. Almost, but there isn't that strange tugging in his stomach, and the wind seems like something impossible, disconcerting enough to shake him out of it. This isn't quite what he'd been expecting, and it wasn't what Frisk was either, judging by their reaction. He wants to know what that's all about, what they should be seeing, but there's a nameless tension in the air that draws him taut. He looks at Frisk and levels them a nod, the wind rushing in his ears, and he clasps his good hand over Frisk's arm.

"I trust you."

[OTA]

[heart_breaking]

Greetings, I am CHARA

There's no real light in the void, and even if there were, the voice has no form to see. Or--does it? Newcomers are going to have to count on their wits to let them know when something's out there. It's not just unnerving promises: sometimes a distant child form will go with that distant child's vocal chords. They're too far to see well. They're only just close enough to hear.

The beginning is like any other. An offer is made, with promises they shouldn't know enough to make. As usual, they go on:

...I can give you this.

We can be partners.

Getting closer to the child is disturbing to behold. With every detail revealed it becomes obvious that something is horribly wrong with their face: their eyes are nothing but voids with chapped sockets, and their smile is a bright, close-lipped curve. When they speak it becomes obvious why: the inside of their mouth is as dark as their eyes, with unseen teeth and lips that simply end.

This time they deviate from their script.

Will you do this?

Will you show the determination you need?

Psh, Physics?

Once again, it's the sounds that reach further than their lightless presence, and anyone concerned by a crying child is going to be drawn like a magnet. Chara materializes out of the darkness like a tree in the dark, rooted on the spot and bowed by the weight of burdens too great to bear.

They haven't noticed that they're not alone yet. The weeping is hopeless, and it sounds as though they've been at it for a while.

A Little Something...

(Wildcard! Have something appear and we can assume Chara will pop up soon after. Poke me on plurk at Zalein for more plotting!)

My "human soul". My "Determination". They were not mine...

[gainedlove]

The voice is a beacon in the darkness. At first Frisk can't even make out the words, only a familiar sound that calls out to them. To their soul.

They can't help but follow.

When the sounds form into words, something tight curls up in Frisk's chest. This...is this really Chara? Saying things like this? It...it can't be, can it?

Closer, closer...Frisk can see them clearly now, and suddenly thorns dig tightly into their neck, squeezing out anything other than the tiniest of breaths. The eyes, their mouth...it's not right. It's not right.

Frisk doesn't even realize their soul has drifted out of their body, gently tugging them along to a fate they aren't meant to suffer. All the child can manage is a soft whimper as they stumble forward step by step, eyes blurred with tears.

♡ TAKE    DO NOT

Phhhhysics

[neveroutwrenched]

The void is an oppressive place. It's funny how nothingness can feel so heavy. In some ways it was like space...but in others, it wasn't at all. Space didn't feel clausrophobic. Space had depth, even when it was dark. The void had nothing, but it didn't feel open. It felt like a trap, and one that if you weren't careful, you could get caught in for a long time.

Which is why it's so surprising when he hears the sound of someone crying; not just someone, but a child. Sound carries far in this place, makes it hard to pinpoint it source. But somehow, things seem to come together. When he sees them, it's half a surprise, but somehow also expected. The crying...less so.

He stands very still, voice heavy when he calls out.

"...Chara?"