☆TRACK II: DISCORD AND RHYME

[interdimanagers]

Who: Kidnapped Pride Members
What: Corporate hazing, in the style of themepark murder clowns.
When: October 18th-19th.
Where: A large, empty carnival, apparently.
Warnings: This is basically Saw games for babies.

“Burning the ground, I break from the crowd I'm on the hunt, I'm after you. I smell like I sound, I'm lost and I'm found And I'm hungry like the wolf.” ☆DISCORD AND RHYME It’s your first free night after a particularly feverish series of performances. It’s a comparatively lazy Sunday evening - one that all of you are obligated to spent in the HQ. Things are normal, at least as normal as they ever are, are you’re free to go to bed early and for once have the luxury in sleeping in tomorrow. At least theoretically. Whether you go to bed or not, you’ll find yourself drifting off - and then the sound eerie, peculiar music...like the sound of an old music box, with a soft feminine voice singing wordlessly along. You’ll fall asleep, hard, and when you wake up you are somewhere else. "【Sad and Scary Song】"Come Out And Play"Creepy Music Box】[HD]" (Watch on YouTube) ☆THE SACRIFICES At first, you wake up in what seems like some kind of boiler room. Some parts of the floor are slick with moisture, and your hands and feet are bound, with your wrists locked to the industrial piping behind you. Regaining consciousness is slow and difficult, as if it wasn't meant to come to you quite yet. You can hear water and steam flowing through some of the pipes, and the complex is obviously still active with...whatever it's supposed to be doing. But maybe you're just too busy freaking out at your evident kidnapping to think too hard about circumstantial evidence. You aren't the only one in here. Whether they are awake or unconscious, four other Pride members are bound nearby. Around the side of some of the machinery, you can see the glow of computers, though you can't quite see the screens - there are chairs, though, and a cup of Starbucks that is still steaming. Whoever brought you here is probably still around, and there's no telling how long you have before they return. (Click here for your top level!) ☆THE CHALLENGERS You wake up sitting in what appears to be a bumper car of all things - you know, one of those little vehicles you drive around at carnivals to crash into each other? You're sitting in one, and your hand are handcuffed around the bar behind you. Your neck is definitely sore, like you've been sitting like this for a while. It only takes a moment to realize two things: 1) you actually are in a theme park of some sort, and it's still night time, and 2) you're not alone. At least a dozen other Pride members are handcuffed to the bumper cars around you, all pointed in the direction of an empty stretch of wheel worn floor - like an audience, intended to view a speaker. Whoever brought you here doesn't give you much time to be confused. They stride into the center of the "stage" like they own the place. They are wearing a hooded coat of a decidedly gothic style, with a hood that shadows their face. When they speak, they sound feminine - almost like the voice you remember putting you to sleep earlier. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," they say, "to your trial by fire." (Click here for your top level!) “Strut on a line, it's discord and rhyme I'm on the hunt, I'm after you. Mouth is alive with juices like wine And I'm hungry like the wolf.”

Comments

☆SACRIFICE INTRO & MINGLE

[interdimanagers]

Your captors will return 15-20 minutes later, and once again you'll find yourself losing consciousness. The next time you awaken, you'll be set up as bait in one of the five trials, and your life will appear to be in some extremely imminent danger.

Until then, enjoy your one and only chance to ground yourself.

Re: ☆SACRIFICE INTRO & MINGLE

[mildwildchild]

It's taking a while for his brain to kick into gear enough to process any external stimuli, but eventually Jamie recognizes the smell of coffee. He spends what seems like an eternity trying to get his mouth to function enough to communicate his thoughts, a slurred jumble of syllables that sounds more or less like "Heeeeyyyyy somebodygetmesummathat."

It takes longer still for him to realize that a)no coffee is forthcoming and b)this isn't the penthouse. Slumped over where he's tied, he pries his eyes open and stares blankly at his lap and the hard concrete floor beyond it for a good minute or so before he can formulate another sentence, and this time it is:

"Wha'thehhhhell?"

[cleartranquil]

Yuffie is groggy when she wakes up and the first thing she does is try to yawn, arms stretching wide.

That, obviously, does not work. Mostly because her arms are trapped.

Yuffie's eyes snap open and she pulls at her wrists, and tries to pull her ankles apart. This also doesn't work. Yuffie then does what you would expect of a carnie in a situation like this. That is when Yuffie just starts yelling.

"Hey!" She starts, the long vowel ringing off the walls as she screeches. "What the hell's going on!"

"Xan? Alec? If you fuckers did this I'm gonna-" Yuffie cuts off with a long shriek, kicking at the floor and not paying a bit of attention of anyone else or how she's probably annoying or scaring anyone.

☆CHALLENGER INTRO & EXPLORATION

[interdimanagers]

When the hooded woman is done with you, she'll vanish into some nearby buildings. About thirty seconds later, your handcuffs will click open as if with some kind of remote device. From there, you're free to explore the theme park, and to hunt for your lost bandmates. From what your captor suggested, time may be of the essence.



This park is huge, and the entire thing is surrounded by a tall fence that you won't be able to get over despite your best efforts. There is not a single person to be seen, besides the other Pride members you woke up with - and eventually, a pair of costumed assailants that will start wordless chasing and/or mauling anyone who stays out in the open too long. There is a horse and frog. They both have taser stick which a pretty fucking painful to be stabbed with, and they are also both alarmingly strong.

It's not at all dilapidated, like the sort of theme park you might imagine something like this to take place in. There's no rust and, actually, very little wear. All the rides, though unmanned, seem to be in perfect working order, and the stands have food in their fridges if you manage to get inside. You're not sure if that makes you feel better or worse.

This whole thing is about 5 levels of ridiculous bullshit, but what choice do you have?

☆NPC ENCOUNTER

[interstellarnpcs]

Hello naughty children it's murder time.

Xanxus | Junkyard Carnival | OTA - tw: language, violence

[variaboss]

His head was killing him. It's like he'd just woken up with a hell of a hangover. At first, he wondered just where the fuck he was. He had been sitting on the couch. He shifts and the hell. Handcuffs? The shit? Either he had a really hot kinky night with someone or he had been arrested. One of the two.

Only it's not a cop car and he's not butt ass naked, so that means neither of these are true. He's not high either. He doesn't remember taking anything. That means one thing. Cue the very angry swearing. He's quite verbose in his usage of vulgarity, swearing right at the woman in the hood. Trial by Fire his ass. Been there, done that. He's been burned alive in a freak stage accident years ago.

He fights the handcuffs until his wrists bleed and when the finally come off, he is out of that stupid bumper car in record time. "This is bullshit. I'm out. Anyone wants to get the fuck outta here, you can tag the fuck along, but don't get in my damn way."

Then he's starting off. He doesn't yet know about the assholes in the mascot suits, but once he meets them, he won't be going down without a fight. Pride's very own Bad Boy has been in enough bar fights and back alley brawls to last a lifetime.

Terrance Ward || Cosmic Indulgence || LET'S FIGHT SOME MASCOTS and also help our friends probably

[traumatizing]

This is... It's fucking ridiculous. His head is cloudy and his arms hurt; Terry struggles ineffectually with the handcuffs the whole time he's there, barely even registering what the hooded figure is saying or noting who all else is here. He swears and pulls a little harder when he hears the phrase 'Trial by Fire,' but all that gets him is a shooting pain in his arm.

(That makes him swear again, a little louder for emphasis.)

He pauses to look around, mentally counting off anyone he knows. He doesn't exactly stop struggling, but it doesn't pick up in earnest again until he realises the whole band is here except Nariko. When the cuffs come off, he's up like a shot. Running in the direction he thought he saw the hooded figure go in, Terry stops when he realises he has no idea where they went.

"Hey!" He shouts ineffectually, if very angrily, "get back out here!"

► FUN HOUSE AFTER DARK

[interdimanagers]

Bait: Trucy Wright
Challengers: 1) Terrance Ward 2) Yosuke 3) Pinkie



What the challengers find is an extremely extensive house of mirrors, left under a blanket of darkness. Whatever lights are supposed to be on won’t activate with the switches, and what little light there is becomes a confusing nightmare when it’s reflected off the fake walls and mirror. It’s extremely difficult to move in here without accidentally smashing into glass. You do find a note, though, written on one of the first walls you encounter in glow in the dark ink:

“Find her before I find you. :)”

You can hear mechanical sounds in the darkness, and it won’t take long for you to discover one of the maze’s quirks...the walls of glass actually mechanically shift from time to time so they end up in totally different places than where you encountered them the first time, by spinning on an axis located on one edge.

You can hear someone in the darkness that isn’t you - and a short while into the maze you can hear the faint crackling of the speaker system, and then, eventually, a voice.

Trucy will wake up enclosed in a completely dark area, bound to a chair. It is completely dark besides the soft sounds of mechanical movements in the distance, and the faint crackling of a speaker - and the louder scurrying of the many creepy crawlies littering the floor, and crawling part way up her legs.

As soon as either the challengers or Trucy start making noises, their realize that the speaker system is connecting Trucy’s room to the rest of the maze, so that she can communicate back and forth with her would be rescuers. But can they make it to her in time?

THIS TRIAL WILL FAIL

Re: ► FUN HOUSE AFTER DARK

[magic_to_do]

[Ugh. This waking up tied to chairs thing is starting to get annoying. Don't these people know any other tricks? The irritation actually helps dampen the fear slightly.

Until some gross bug crawls up her leg. Then she shrieks.]

EEEEK!!

[And she can hear more of them. She starts struggling in earnest.]

Ew ew ew ew ew!

[If Trucy had known that people could hear her, she miight have tried to handle this with more decorum.

Maybe.]

► ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

[interdimanagers]

Bait: Jamie Hemeros
Challengers: 1) a solitary B



Jamie will wake up bound to the front seat of the pictured roller coaster cart, only a few sections away from where the rails abruptly disappear for a dangerously long section, like they’ve been entirely removed. The further into the trial it gets, the closer the cart will lurch towards the end of rails - unless someone gets to him in time to stop it, of course.

The challengers will find a note at the bottom that only says the following:

“Can you get to him in time?”

There’s nothing between B and Jamie but a very long climb - but is it ever one. The shape of the rails make it pretty straight forward for climbing, but it’s a long haul - and the way that the cart rolls closer and closer to crashing to Jamie’s death make it hard to take it slowly.

The movements of the cart can be controlled by the players involved: just let the mods know when B has reached the top. Make it as close of a call as you want, as far as the front cart dangling half way over the rails.

THIS TRIAL WILL SUCCEED

► ROLLERCOASTER OF LOVE

[mildwildchild]

This is the second time tonight Jamie's felt like he's swimming through molasses just to attain a state of consciousness and it's starting to get on his nerves. Or it would if he were with it enough to feel anything but groggy and disoriented.

He spends a couple minutes groaning and probably drooling on himself before his muscles cooperate enough to let him move; he raises one arm to rub at his face and feels...something snugged down over his shoulders and chest. He pauses with his hand pressed to his face, blinking sluggishly as he tries to process this and the sudden, brisk wind stinging his cheeks.

He finally looks down and sees that he's strapped into some kind of vehicle. Huh. Actually, it looks kind of like a roller coaster cart.

Huh.

The lingering disorientation evaporates in a hurry, and his eyes widen in mounting horror.

"Ohhhhhhshit - "

► BOBBING FOR KEYS

[interdimanagers]

Bait: Tiger Universe
Challengers: 1) Xanxus 2) Wakana



The diving pool is found in a fairly prominent building towards the center - some kind of waterpark, apparently. A series of neon signs and notes lead into the core of the building, which lead to the pool as pictured, only the diving well is only part ways full - and just as any challengers arrive, water will start gushing in from the vents in the sides, causing the level to slowly rise.

Tiger is suspended in a cage hanging a few feet over said rising water. The bars are obviously too thick and heavy to lift, and as soon as the water rises around it, there will be no way for its prisoner to stay afloat. There are two separate locks keeping it from opening.

The note is left besides the ladder leading down to the waters below.

“The keys are at the bottom.”

Which, it turns out, they are! There are a variety of whimsically shaped containers sitting at the bottom of the diving pool, within a range of something plausible but difficult for someone to dive down to. Most of the objects are empty - but two of them will have the keys to open the cage.

THIS TRIAL WILL FAIL

[tigermillionaire]

When Tiger first wakes up, he's alone.

The water hasn't started rising yet, so when he looks down at the rippling pool beneath his cage, he feels more confusion than he does immediate dread. However, his heart rate begins to rise regardless with the growing realization that he's totally trapped, and there's no one here to help him. More importantly, it's impossible for him to help himself.

"Let me out!" he shouts angrily up at the top of the diving well. He can't even see if anyone is up there, but there must be. Someone put him here. He knows they did. His wrists and ankles are still reddened from his bonds, even though they are gone now. He sniffs and rubs at his smeared makeup, trying to keep himself together when his shouting doesn't get any response.

He isn't going to beg. He never imagined himself to be the kind of person to beg. But now that he's here, and there's nothing else...maybe he is?

He cage sways slightly as he shifts positions, trying to reach his arm through the bars. It's locked. It's locked, and he's trapped in here, and there's water down below - what are they going to do? Are they...going to drop him in there?

Tears bead in his eyes, and he wraps his limbs around himself, feeling extremely small. He feels like he ends up waiting for a long time.

► FLAMETHROWER AND LASER MAZE

[interdimanagers]

Bait: Nariko Lunae
Challengers: 1) Maxxie 2) Kido 3) Richard



Nariko will wake up bound to one of the swings on a carnival swing ride, suspended a substantial distance above the ground. Beneath her and spreading around the entire base of the swing is a network of light beams, like you would see in a spy movie.

Among them are three buttons on pedestals, which are fairly obvious from the outside. When challengers approach, the puzzle will be made clear.

“Press all three buttons at once to lower the swings. Just don’t mess up - this one’s fuse is short.”

All three challengers will have to weave through the laser maze to get to the button pedestals - however, every time they touch a beam, the swing will move forward - and a flamethrower built into the ride’s side will torch the chair several swings in front of the one Nariko is bound to. The players can manage the exact numbers of chairs she is away from her doom, but assume the amount is challenging but not impossible for a laser maze of this difficulty.

When all 3 buttons are pushed simultaneously, the swings will lower and the lasers will deactivate, allowing them to free her.

THIS TRIAL WILL SUCCEED

[gunslingerqueen]

Everything hurt. Just that wouldn't have been unmanageable, sometimes Nariko deserves the discomfort and mild irritation she wakes up with! It's usually the result of unbridled drinking and smoking of some kind. Maybe it's instinct but this time feels incredibly different and while she fights to get her eyes open she feels thrown off in a deep way, her body is a foreign, half-numb thing. Her waking is surprisingly quiet it mostly involves blinking a lot, trying to push some feeling into her nerves.

What really gets her is that her legs are dangling. That's not generally the sort of position anyone can sleep in and it's just so strange. She looks down out of pure reflex and finds that she's strapped into something and her legs are ... floating ... Over the ground. She's in some weird chair way too far up in the air.

"Oh god."

Not good. This was the very definition of not good and, stupidly, the first thing she tries to do is break free. She's held too tightly for that which is probably a blessing because that fall would be no joke, and she isn't thinking clearly enough to realize there isn't anywhere to go. Keeping still Nariko looks back down and is simultaneously dizzy and left shuddering. Leaning back into the frame of the swing she closes her eyes and takes deep breathes, thinks about Garnet and Koumei and Richard and Terry. Garnet, Koumei, and Richard would be aggravatingly calm and put together. Terry would make an utterly shitty remark of some kind, both pointed and funny.

"At least the weather is nice up here?" ... That was a horrible attempt on her part and she felt horrible about it. Her sense of calm was tenuous but there was really only one thing within her control right now. She drew in a deep breath and then put her infamous voice to use:

"HELP!!"

Scream her lungs out until someone heard her, or was so irritated that they decided to do her a gigantic favor.

► GRAVITRON BOMB

[interdimanagers]

Bait: Yuffie Kisaragi
Challengers: 1) Luci 2) Koumei Ren



There is a sign outside of the Gravitron ride that says: “Take these, you’ll need them.” Attached are two keys.

Upon entering the Gravitron, the challengers will notice that the interior control booth is completely closed off with protective glass - and a locked door. Inside, Yuffie is bound with what appears to be a bomb strapped to her chest. On it is a timer that reads “2:00” - which starts ticking down as soon as the ride door closes behind them, and the Gravitron begins to spin.

The challengers will need to make it back to the door of the booth and unlock the two locks with two separate keys, while fighting against the gravity of the ride. This will turn off the ride, but then they’ll be left to deal with deactivating the bomb.

(It’s not a real bomb, so whatever they do to it will be fine, but they don’t know that. Once they turn it off, the door will open for them and they'll be free to leave.)

THIS TRIAL WILL SUCCEED

[stylistic_disloyalty]

Luci pauses outside of the Gravitron, reading the sign and taking note of the keys. Two of them, but she still can't see inside, can't see if Yuffie's in there. Fuck, if she takes the keys and heads inside, she could be trapped and lose time trying to get to Yuffie.

"Fuck," she mutters, shifting her weight while she tries to decide.

► THE CONCLUSION

[interdimanagers]

After passing your trial, the only real direction you have is moving towards the exit of the themepark. It's location isnt mysterious - there are signs everywhere outlining where it is - it's more than initially it was locked and there was nothing that could be done about that. But now you have this stupid keycard they had been raving about earlier, so...what else is there to do?

When you show up, it seems like your "captors" are one step ahead of you. Except now they aren't in costume or looming from the other side of the computer. Now they are just standing around in plain black attire, like someone whose just been working a haunted house and is appreciating the change to take off their masks and fake blood.

...Except the mascot guys, they are just sort of standing around with their masks and costumes still on. Alright then.

There are two large rectangle vehicles behind the group that are covered in some kind of massive tarps. The perpetrators seem to be a chick wearing a leather jacket and the dark haired woman close beside her. There is a large man standing behind them (nsfw), who is thankfully wearing clothes in reality.

The first woman smiles when she sees you appear. If you paid any attention at the awards ceremonies earlier in the month, you'll remember her: these three are the well praised members of Predator, a veteran Pride Records band.

"Congratulations, pups. You made it," she'll say through a grin.

[OOC: this is for people who passed their trials. Those that didn't will be revealed shortly.]

[notahobby]

Maxxie was really hoping that he'd be able to leave, that they'd be able to get out with no more fuss and no more fear, so he deflates when he sees the trio. It's even worse when he recognizes them.

"Great," he says, throwing his hands up. His voice is a little hoarse from the combination of stress and exhaustion and the jog toward the exit. "So this really was just a big fucking joke."

It's not in him to start throwing punches, so he stuffs his hands in his pockets and glowers. "So what is it now? Aren't we finished yet?"

[blindfoldcode]

You know. There's a point Kido can withstand bullshit. And this has well surpassed it. There's something about a life on the streets before winding up here that makes her sharper than normal, more jagged.

And she can't give less of a damn that these people could probably mess her up pretty bad.

"What the fuck is wrong with you assholes?! Are you fucking kidding me?!" If her limbs felt more like solid masses and less like gelatin, she'd probably be lunging.

Re: ► THE CONCLUSION

[mildwildchild]

The utter panic of the preceding few hours dwindles slowly into bewilderment at the sight of the group waiting for them at the exit, and then edges slowly toward anger.

"Made it through what?" he growls.

You know, besides pants-shitting terror.

[gunslingerqueen]

"Go fuck yourself."

Look, she's done a good job of controlling herself. She didn't sob herself to death, didn't tongue fuck Richard's mouth out of gratuity, didn't fall to the ground in a catatonic state, either! Nariko was doing a good job of being together until she took in those words. The condescending words, the girl, the voice, all of it sets her blood on fire, it feels like she's going to split at her seams and it's scary how she had never felt so human and so alive and so strong before this moment.

"You pathetic, rotten, shit-eating pieces of scum! I'm going to rip your guts out and dye your goddamn clothes with them before I shove it all down your mangled throats!"

Nariko has lost control and it isn't pretty. There's a hysterical, livid ring to her usually pleasant voice and every single muscle in her body is taut, drawn up by an invisible string that seems to coil tighter with one, two quick seconds before she's bending, yanking off the heels she'd been wearing before her kidnapping. One flies off to the side but the tall, pointed end of the other is brandished in one hand while she makes an absolute beeline for Ms. Short Hair, screaming in some moderately deranged way.

It's something of a cop out, the heel will end up thrown at her and she's actually fully intending to dive right for Ms. Dark Hair. The guy .... Yeah, she's not so insane to try that, she's just nuts enough to think this won't horribly.

Or Nariko just doesn't fucking care. That's far more likely.

► THE CONCLUSION PT 2

[interstellarnpcs]

The short hair woman and huge man move to the tarped rectangles, and each take a corner. With a solid tug the pull the fabric off of what appears to be two circus style animal cages. Inside of each is one of the failed teams, previously unconscious and just now beginning to wake up. Xanxus, Wakana, and Tiger are all soaking wet.

"Tah dah. Not dead. What did we tell you?" the woman says, as if they've just won a prize. She takes the keys to each cage out of her pocket and tosses them to the group. "They're all yours."

The members of the failed teams will remember blacking out in the darkness at the moment they had failed - Trucy will remember being threatened with a knife just before. Waking up in the cage will be the first thing they remember after that.

"I wouldn't expect too much from these chumps, though. They're never going to make it around here."

[blindfoldcode]

The second the cages are open, Kido is darting forward. Her emotions are all kinds of screwed up and most of the only people she's ever given a shit about are in those cages.

So just excuse her because no one is getting in her way to make sure they're okay. She remembered seeing someone burn to death tonight okay. Give her a break she's really freaked.

[stylistic_disloyalty]

Nursing a fat and bleeding lip and uncharacteristically silent throughout the proceedings and congratulations, Luci is none too pleased to see both Xanxus and Wakana in a cage. Nothing about this is amusing to her.

She bends down and picks up one of the keys and, keeping her eyes on the assholes responsible, walks over to the cage holding Xanxus and Wakana and unlocks it.

Wheels are turning as she watches the Predator members. Visibly turning.