WORLD -1

[monoguests]

[...huh, didn’t you die? Well, maybe you didn’t. You might wake up feeling like you just woke up from a really vivid nightmare that you can still sort of feel the effects of or something… sure, you’re still in your old cabin, but maybe you can go out and see everyone?

...except when you go out, while it seems like the same old camp, things are a little… strange and pixelated. Also, the walls seem to have come down, but if you try to cross the barriers of where the walls were, you’ll find yourself right back at your cabin door.

Welcome to World -1, kids. You’re probably going to be here a while… and you may not actually be alone, either.]

[OOC: Welcome to the wonderful world of post-death sidequesting! "Sidequesting," you may ask? Well... you'll get an explanation soon enough.]

Comments

[effectivefacekicking]

[He died, he was sure he died. An embarrassing but deserved death of eggplant-y pain.

It... was a dream? No way, he wasn't that naive. So when he steps out into the camp, finding the place glitchy and messed up wasn't a huge surprise.]

...the Aurum?

[The pixilated look reminded him a lot of the alien creatures, after all. Well, nothing to do except explore. So he head to the bonfire. If there's anyone else here, that's where he'd gather.]

[321smash]

[Well! That sure is a guy sleeping on one of the log. In fact, he's snoring pretty loudly. REAALLLYYY LOUDLY. Also, he's wearing sunglasses. While asleep.]

[willpunchyouout]

[Mac didn't remember anything. The last thing he remembers was jogging near the Theater and suddenly feeling a very sharp pain on the back of his head.

And now he finds himself back into his cabin]

I fainted? I can't believe I fainted!

[Rubbing the back of his head Mac decided to continue with his day, going outside. He did notice everything was...strange, to say the least. He doesn't know what a pixel is so don't ask him to say 'pixelated', but he chalks it up to the pain that knocked him out]

Somebody must have carried me back to my cabin. Nice of them, I suppose. But where's everybody?

[Hoping they didn't escape without him he went to the Mess Hall to get his breakfast]

[effectivefacekicking]

[Oh look, there's someone Mac knows! That nice kid Pittoo is over there looking at the fridge with some concern]

[shslmooks]

...oh, are you sure you fainted...?

[...ah, that's a voice kind of below him, isn't it...]

...Well, okay... I mean, uh... did you have any kind of... uh... horrible wasting diseases?

[...is that a mushroom or a chestnut talking to him, we just don't know]

[shslmooks]

[...well that whole meeting with the first new guy in a while was awkward, but pre...sumably he's figured things out now, so Goombriel is a little less horrified by the prospect of sitting next to the bonfire and meeting up with the new guy again.

...granted, he doesn't know if anyone else showed up with the guy, but... well, he's got his notes. That's something, right?]

[willpunchyouout]

[Heeeeere comes Mac! And surely Goombriel would notice he doesn't look as carefree and friendly as when they first met. Mac is now pretty serious and it wouldn't be hard to imagine he knows...he's dead.

When he arrives he feigns a barely cheerful smile. The effort and the thought are what counts, right? Don't take it personal, Goombriel, he's just not in the mood to even try to be filled with joy.

But this time he isn't alone. There's a certain angel kid with him]

'ey there, Goombriel. I found somebody, this is...um...my...colleague in the camp. We're in the same situation. You know very well what I mean, don' you?

Either way, hope you don' mind I brought him.

[Mac sat, this time talking to Pittoo]

This is the fella I met earlier. He's Goombriel and looks like he was in a game like ours and says he has some notes to share. There's also some announcer guy around but I haven' seen him yet and I'm not willin' to go into a search right now.

[squidsisterpink]

[OH HEY LOOK it's a squid flopping around uselessly on the ground.]

[willpunchyouout]

[It had been a week since Mac had arrived to the strange place that was this world. He had been...rather unsettled at first but then it turned into boredom more than anything else.

That's why he started looking for ways to keep himself entertained.

He was now wearing his alternate clothes, his boxing clothes, and had tied a bedsheet around himself, forming a Greek toga of sorts. He even had obtained somewhere a long stick he used as a very ugly staff.

The reason for that was because he felt that if Monobear had created a motive for somebody to kill then it would be likely to happen again, so he was ready to greet whoever arrived at some point and have some fun in the process, as childish as it may sound. He just hoped it wouldn't be anybody he knew.

Mac was walking around when he heard sounds, so after taking a deep breath he went ahead]

Hello. My name is Mac and I'll be your guide in...the...afterlife?

[...that is a squid, not a person. Mac looks around, bewildered]

[betraitorous]

[NO SHIT BETRAYUS CAME BACK AS A GHOST alright time to annoy the hell out of everyone where they or Monokuma can't do anything about it because HAHA GHOST AND NO YELLOW ONES IN SIGHT until he gets bored and decides to fly back to Pac-World and--
... hey wait a second, what happened to the camp?
This is weird.

Betrayus is gonna float around and try and get a handle on what's going on here. Good luck trying to strangle someone your tentacles will phase right through, Callie.]

[willpunchyouout]

[Mac is walking around with his fucking unfresh bedsheet toga and old rustic staff, waiting to see if anybody arrives.

However over there is a ghost and it isn't somebody he knows. Mac supposes it may be from that goomba's group and as such didn't need any introductions to the afterlife camp. After all if that ghost hadn't been mentioned or even appeared before it may have been for a reason.

And that's why Mac is shrugging and walking away as stealthily as possible...which isn't much. Maybe the sound of his footsteps will alert Betrayus of his presence.

Will you approach and annoy an innocent bystander of the afterlife, you traitorous ghost?]

[squidsisterpink]

[Even if he is a ghost, Callie is still throwing something at him. Probably a log from the pile of fuel for the pixelated campfire.]

You are the WORST!

Let's Break the Time Trial!

[willpunchyouout]

[Enough procrastination! How long has Mac and Pittoo been lazing around like they're not in a glitchy camp of doom? Nobody knows for sure, but what matters is what they're doing now.

Mac is pacing from one side to the other in front of the obstacle course, taking deep breaths and preparing himself. Somewhere around here he should see the sign with the time they must beat.

Besides there was also the matter of his partner in cheating. Pïttoo is supposed to arrive shortly and between the both of them they'd complete the challenge]

[effectivefacekicking]

[He shows up shortly after, nodding to Mac]

You ready for this?

[He starts stretching, using the movements Wiitney taught him to limber up]

World Minus Two: Expedition Time

[willpunchyouout]

[Now that the time trial matter was cleared Mac noticed there was something new: a door. He remembers somebody talking about a door, hadn't it been Luigi? And weren't there spires and pumpkins filling the place?

Well a new place is a new place, so Mac is willing to go check and pry open any mysteries he may encounter.

And that's why he's going to waltz in carelessly. He has no idea if it's any different to the camp of the living so he doesn't know if anything is different. Is there anything very obvious he could see, such as buildings that shouldn't exist or marauding glitches causing deformed melting pumpkins or anything?]

[monoguests]

[Nothing's melting, although there is sort of a weird, glitchy haze about the place.

However, if Mac is feeling particularly perceptive today, he may get the feeling that he's being watched.]

Also exploring world minus two

[squidsisterpink]

[Callie decides to go looking around world -2. She is specifically looking to see what is different from the other version of world 2, because she figures that is a good place to start.]

[shslmooks]

[Not much seems different... at first glance, anyway. BUT THEN...

...actually it's just Goombriel.]

...oh, uh, wow. It's been a while since I've been here.

Minus -2 exploring!

[effectivefacekicking]

[Like his friends, Pittoo can't help exploring. After all, if they still exist, they are alive in some form. And to live is to do.

So he heads to a big building that, unknown and hilariously ironic for him, is the Library]

[monoguests]

[On the outside, it seems to be a big ol' building.

...seems being the key word there. Who knows what lurks within...?]

[theothersissel]

[No, this can't be. This can't be happening. He wanted to die, but no, he wakes up. He wakes up as if everything was a bad dream, and as he pats himself for injuries, he realizes with horror that his body is...well, dead. There's no heartbeat, no warmth. He tries to see into the Ghost World, but the world flickers blue once or twice without him crossing over all the way.]

[So he's in this state again. Of course. How could that stupid bear give him what he wanted, huh?]

[He just walks outside, sits down, and hugs his knees to his chest. He can't even cry anymore. And not only that, but the memory of what Clair did stings in the back of his mind. How could she do that? Why? Gods, what did he do, to get so much misery in his life...?]

[He just mumbles to himself, rocking back and forth in place.]

Why can't it be over...? Why...?!

[totaldrag]

...

[There is a tiny witch behind Yomiel. Her eyes are red and her hair is white and she KICKS YOMIEL WITH ALL THE FORCE A 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL CAN MUSTER.

WHICH HAPPENS TO BE A LOT.]

[tsungeonsanddragons]

[When Clair comes to, her body shoots up like a rocket. Like she's just woken up from a terrible dream. She'd consider that maybe she had, were it not for the fact that she felt those gears pierce her body, if only for a few brief seconds. It's after that that all her memories come rushing back into her head. The trial, her decision, everyone's reactions...

She sighs, getting up from her position on the ground and dusting herself off.]

This place... Is it the afterlife?

[If so, then maybe the others are here?

...oh Arceus. Callie and Mac are going to beat the tar out of her, aren't they. And possibly someone else. But what are the chances of HER showing up?]

[effectivefacekicking]

[It's not the girl she thinks, but it IS a certain goth child up on the cabin's roof. After Callie and Betrayus he suspected that someone would die this weekend. So he had waited and watched.]

...hey.

INFO DUMP AND SHARD TALK ETC ETC

[effectivefacekicking]

[The day after the new...arrivals, once folks have had time to digest being dead and also not dead- they might see a note up on the bulletin board.

The text is- well it's readable? But there's a stiffness to it that looks like something copied over and over more then real handwriting. Like a child doing worksheets to learn their letters]

MEETHING. 12. BOONFIRE

[Wow that's sure a thing. But at lunch there sure is Pittoo at the bonfire, the snacks the living offered them all set out on one of the tables he dragged out... and a very shiny gold thing out for everyone to see.]

Re: INFO DUMP AND SHARD TALK ETC ETC

[willpunchyouout]

[Mac is here! And he has brought a painting and a photo of a goblin thing. Yeah, they're not useful at all. It's more like he didn't want to come into the meeting with his hands empty]

Think Goombriel or that announcer guy are going to come? I'd like to ask them about this...thing.

[The Miniblin, not the ugly as sin painting]

[totaldrag]

[Well, great. Ashley is here now, and she picks herself off the ground, picking the caked-off dirt from her face. She's still wearing Pittoo's scarf, the feather crown, now with an added addition of a GEAR EMBEDDED IN HER BACK. Score.

She'll be wandering around the Minus World today, curiously poking and prodding at everything.]

[effectivefacekicking]

[After talking to Clair, he knew Ashley was here, somewhere. He just hoped he wouldn't run into Yomiel first.

He wasn't sure he could keep his promise to Clair not to attack him if he did.

But no, he saw Ashley first. He freezes a little bit away, eyes wide and wings twitching in aborted movements. Like he can't decide between moving forward or trying and failing to fly away]

More world exploring!

[effectivefacekicking]

[After the meeting, the hunt for more shards begins! Pittoo had spent the night making a serviceable map of worlds 1 and 2 to mark as he explores... but first he needs to see world 3. If just to map it as well, but also to look for more puzzles.

The rink is the most glaringly obvious thing, so he heads there first]

[monoguests]

[The ice in the rink is perfectly transparent, and it seems as though there are bubbles suspended in the ice. It looks cool as heck, but doesn't seem to to provide any useful clues at the moment.]

[theothersissel]

[He can't spend time just moping around, so Yomiel's finally decided to make himself useful and do a little exploring. The Minus 2 Hiking Trail seems like a great bet, so he'll head there.]

[He'll be patient and wait for Clair to show up though - he did promise to meet with her to check things out. And honestly, he'd have her around just in case Ashley decide it's time for another go-around of "Kick the Ghost Man".]

[Yomiel digs his hands into his pockets, pacing a little as he waits.]

[tsungeonsanddragons]

[Luckily for Yomiel, he won't have to wait long. Clair's usually a very punctual person, so she arrives shortly after he does. There's a little smile on her face, but also...

...

...is that a fucking picnic basket.]

Thanks for waiting. Shall we go?

LOCKED TO CALLIE

[willpunchyouout]

[What day was this again? It was...he had no idea what day it was. But if he remembered right then it was around tomorrow that somebody else would arrive. He hated it.

But there had been great progress so far. Pittoo had managed to find two shiny pieces of magic Mac didn't understand at all, but he did know enough to feel it was good, very good. This hard work deserved a rest. What do you mean Mac did nothing of use in the last week, that's silly. You're silly.

That's why he's going to attempt something he has been thinking of for quite a while. It was going to come out of the blue for Callie...and to be honest it was quite a recent development...but since Callie arrived he had a lot of free time to think. At some point he got to the conclusion that...it was worth a try? It was confusing but maybe with Callie he could finally define what he was feeling.

There is Callie! Mac approaches]

'ey! Callie? I have somethin' I'd like to talk about...

[squidsisterpink]

[Callie has been busy trying to figure out a bunch of stuff. She hasn't been doing newscasts or concerts here, because. Well. Dead and all. But! Finding the magic things seems to be important, and she has been searching for that last one.

When Mac finds her, she is a little chilly from swimming and exploring all day, but she doesn't seem too bothered by it. She is lacking her makeup, though, which is a huge pain.]

Oh, hey Mac! What's up?

[She is so unsuspecting here, she has no idea.]

MOBILE LABORATORY

[eggmobile]

[Dr. Eggman wasn't kidding, at least. He's set up a small laboratory in front of the campfire, and works countless hours on some sort of machine. The Triforce is contained within a glass pod in the middle of the main table, right out in public view. He'll be blasting loud music as he works, even!

You are free to question him, as well as experiment with the Triforce.]

triforce

[effectivefacekicking]

Okay, so we can't touch the thing... how are we supposed to know if we're 'worthy' of one of the parts?

[He lifts the container, turning it back and forth gently. If it was one of the artifacts or weapons from his own world he'd know how to activate it on instinct. But not so much here...]

[shslmooks]

[Well, huh. It appears that all the lava in World 4 has drained out, leaving the campers with a pretty awesome racetrack. It's even got weird-looking items strewn all over the course.

Which is good, considering the garage has been unlocked. There's what appears to a large hulking crocodile as well as a slender woman in motorcycle gear looking over the vehicles.]

[willpunchyouout]

[Mac went to explore World 4 because he hasn't gone there yet. He knew secondhand there was lava and stuff and to be honest that was the main reason why he hadn't gone yet. He didn't fancy being fried.

That's why when he sees the racetrack he's puzzled, but that doesn't last long. There's a place for him to drive! He doesn't know to drive but if there's one thing murdery camp is good for is to do new stuff. After all he had never done an obstacle course, cooked, skated on ice or be killed before.

There's people in the garage when he enters]

Oh. 'ey there. You both campers from Goombriel's group, right?