Those with any sense for souls or magic will realize it as soon as they enter: all those spirits, all those crystals, all those partners and loved ones who have disappeared over the weeks, months, years – they’re here. They’re right here.
They have been used to build the stage of the nebulae’s final performance.
It’s a spectrum of colour that you can both see and feel. Thousands of crystals, of souls, line the walls and the floors, organized in meticulous arrangements of colours. The lights flicker and glow according to a kind of music that goes beyond the sense of sound, the souls played like an inhuman instrument for a much larger purpose.
Virgo’s side is prepared. The musicians, both new and old, have been brought to the Virgo stage and chained in places of seemingly ritual significance. Some of the veterans are yelling or pleading, apparently haven’t thought themselves above this, but Blanche regards them without attachment. The only one he pays any attention to is Juno, with whom he exchanges solemn and heartfelt words with in voices too low to hear.
And it’s with Juno, his closest companion in recent centuries, that it become obvious what Blanche’s intent is for the rest of them. She offers herself to him, and with uncharacteristic gentleness he consumes her soul.
Anansi, or Silver as the rescuers know her, is next in line. She doesn’t react to her surroundings, staring blankly downward, and as Blanche carefully lays Juno’s husk on the ground. But this is when Lesedi and what remains of Pride finally arrives.
Where Virgo arrived with careful dignity, the spectre of Lesedi appears in a crash of lightning, dragging her slaves with her. None of the musicians are chained, but it quickly becomes clear that they are every bit as bound as those in Virgo – Lesedi is a fiery cloud of space, but within her floats dozens of crystal shards. Soul shards, the likes of which the rescuers have seen before.
It’s like she’s tethering herself to their souls for balance, to keep herself in one piece. And now that she’s here, it’s clear that she has no subtle rituals in mind. Her screeching makes it all to clear that she is here to destroy Blanche, first and foremost, as she feeds off of her slaves who stand around her like brainwashed acolytes.
Except, this battle is split three ways.
The nebulae are never given the opportunity to duel in solitude, as they had planned for over all these years. Because the rebellion is here, and they won’t allow it. Not after all this.
And the Crescendolls are here too.
As the rescuers begin to struggle against the labels’ defenses or their brainwashed friends, the four spirits enact what they have been planning for all this time. They try to take control of the lingering musical energies too, and the imprisoned souls in the crystal react to their call.
In doing so, the ritual is brought into chaos. The power of gods is unbalanced and let loose, and reality itself twists and bends.
It’s like the dreams you’ve seen before, where the world is bent by your thoughts and feelings. Only this time it is real. This time, the real world is being bent to the whims of the minds of everyone present, and in this chaos it is all too possible to get lost.
But because of it, there is hope. If you can take control of it, you may be able to turn it against your captors. However, some of you may need more help than others.
[OOC: So this may be a little confusing, so bear with me! What has happened is that Lesedi, Blanche, and the Crescendolls are all trying to take control of the reality bending magic at the same time – the same magic that the nebulae had intended to use to ascend to godhood. This has resulted in reality becoming super malleable to the thoughts and feelings of everyone here. It’s like the dream world, except no one is dreaming. Everyone is awake, and what is happening here is functionally real, even if it’s all just created by everyone’s minds.
The objective is for the musicians and rescuers to help each other get control of themselves, in order to work together and turn this against the nebulae. The musicians that are still prisoners will definitely need help to mentally free themselves, and even some of the rescuers may struggle to stay in control depending on how unstable they are feeling due to everything that’s happened. People can help each other get in control even if they are both struggling, or people who are doing well can help people who are totally falling apart. You can pretty much describe whatever you want going on around your character as a manifestation of their inner trauma – but keep in mind, if you die here you will probably die in the real world too!
Memories can also be restored here – in full. The more memories musicians and former musicians regain, the easier it will be for them to take control. Pride musicians who pull themselves together will also be able to reclaim the soul shard Lesedi has stolen from them. That shard can represent whatever aspect of their personality that you want. If you have any more questions about how this works, please ask in the mod plurk or above in the questions section!
There will be a phase two where you get to turn this on Lesedi and Blanche, once and for all!]
☆PHASE ONE: OUR MINDS DIVIDE
They have been used to build the stage of the nebulae’s final performance.
It’s a spectrum of colour that you can both see and feel. Thousands of crystals, of souls, line the walls and the floors, organized in meticulous arrangements of colours. The lights flicker and glow according to a kind of music that goes beyond the sense of sound, the souls played like an inhuman instrument for a much larger purpose.
Virgo’s side is prepared. The musicians, both new and old, have been brought to the Virgo stage and chained in places of seemingly ritual significance. Some of the veterans are yelling or pleading, apparently haven’t thought themselves above this, but Blanche regards them without attachment. The only one he pays any attention to is Juno, with whom he exchanges solemn and heartfelt words with in voices too low to hear.
And it’s with Juno, his closest companion in recent centuries, that it become obvious what Blanche’s intent is for the rest of them. She offers herself to him, and with uncharacteristic gentleness he consumes her soul.
Anansi, or Silver as the rescuers know her, is next in line. She doesn’t react to her surroundings, staring blankly downward, and as Blanche carefully lays Juno’s husk on the ground. But this is when Lesedi and what remains of Pride finally arrives.
Where Virgo arrived with careful dignity, the spectre of Lesedi appears in a crash of lightning, dragging her slaves with her. None of the musicians are chained, but it quickly becomes clear that they are every bit as bound as those in Virgo – Lesedi is a fiery cloud of space, but within her floats dozens of crystal shards. Soul shards, the likes of which the rescuers have seen before.
It’s like she’s tethering herself to their souls for balance, to keep herself in one piece. And now that she’s here, it’s clear that she has no subtle rituals in mind. Her screeching makes it all to clear that she is here to destroy Blanche, first and foremost, as she feeds off of her slaves who stand around her like brainwashed acolytes.
Except, this battle is split three ways.
The nebulae are never given the opportunity to duel in solitude, as they had planned for over all these years. Because the rebellion is here, and they won’t allow it. Not after all this.
And the Crescendolls are here too.
As the rescuers begin to struggle against the labels’ defenses or their brainwashed friends, the four spirits enact what they have been planning for all this time. They try to take control of the lingering musical energies too, and the imprisoned souls in the crystal react to their call.
In doing so, the ritual is brought into chaos. The power of gods is unbalanced and let loose, and reality itself twists and bends.
It’s like the dreams you’ve seen before, where the world is bent by your thoughts and feelings. Only this time it is real. This time, the real world is being bent to the whims of the minds of everyone present, and in this chaos it is all too possible to get lost.
But because of it, there is hope. If you can take control of it, you may be able to turn it against your captors. However, some of you may need more help than others.
[OOC: So this may be a little confusing, so bear with me! What has happened is that Lesedi, Blanche, and the Crescendolls are all trying to take control of the reality bending magic at the same time – the same magic that the nebulae had intended to use to ascend to godhood. This has resulted in reality becoming super malleable to the thoughts and feelings of everyone here. It’s like the dream world, except no one is dreaming. Everyone is awake, and what is happening here is functionally real, even if it’s all just created by everyone’s minds.
The objective is for the musicians and rescuers to help each other get control of themselves, in order to work together and turn this against the nebulae. The musicians that are still prisoners will definitely need help to mentally free themselves, and even some of the rescuers may struggle to stay in control depending on how unstable they are feeling due to everything that’s happened. People can help each other get in control even if they are both struggling, or people who are doing well can help people who are totally falling apart. You can pretty much describe whatever you want going on around your character as a manifestation of their inner trauma – but keep in mind, if you die here you will probably die in the real world too!
Memories can also be restored here – in full. The more memories musicians and former musicians regain, the easier it will be for them to take control. Pride musicians who pull themselves together will also be able to reclaim the soul shard Lesedi has stolen from them. That shard can represent whatever aspect of their personality that you want. If you have any more questions about how this works, please ask in the mod plurk or above in the questions section!
There will be a phase two where you get to turn this on Lesedi and Blanche, once and for all!]