idolpro | Eclipse's Heart Game ☉ Session #2

You drift like you're floating in water. It's almost relaxing, actually. As long as you don't think too hard that what you're floating in may be bottomless, because under you lies only a deep darkness that only the ocean can provide.

Then something grabs you and drags you deeper, down, down, down into the abyssal depths. You can't breathe, but that's not on the forefront of your mind now, is it?

There is a mounting sense of anxiety and dread.

Who do you want to become? Will you even get to see tomorrow? What if all roads lead to ████████? Can you still stay '███'? If people see the ████ you, will they think less of you? Will they feel cheated?

You want to live. Even if it's a ███, even if your hands must be covered in █████, you want to live. You want to be '███'.

Finally, a voice pierces through the darkness. It a woman's voice.

"My, how unfortunate. Your journey ends before it even begins."

"... Just kidding. That would be terribly boring! I suppose I can do the boy a favour just this once."

You feel someone grab your arm and pull you up to the surface.

...

When you come to, you are standing somewhere else.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Both Imeeji and canon powers are OFF.

All characters in the run occupy the same spaces, so you can talk to each other.

You can have whatever items you would have on you. Technological items don't function, except for your phone. It's stuck on one screen, displaying instructions.

This is an exploradora! You are encouraged to poke around and talk to the NPCs. All the Heart NPCs are generally trying to look out for Eclipse's emotional wellbeing. If you ask them, they can suggest or advise on things characters can do.

There is a non-zero chance that you may die or get badly injured in this heart, though it's very unlikely. I don't expect combat to happen but idk my bff Imeeji. You'll be fine when you get out if that somehow happens.

Your phone displays the following:

Once, there was a maiden...
...who set sail with a Captain she did not know. The sea came over the side as a creature with teeth. So, she set it on fire, until only the teeth were left. It wasn't expecting that to happen.
She noticed the ship was crushing the waves and told the Captain to steer the ship higher, so that it could be above them. "But not too high," she said. "I'd hate to crush the clouds."
A face in the depths glared at the Captain. The maiden got angry. She broke the face, and broke the depths, and broke the sea, leaving only the white caps of the waves. "Why did you do that?" asked the face.
"Rarely is travel peaceful," the maiden said.

- Explore as much as you can
- Talk to people and honour their requests
- Learn more about him
- Meet the True Heart

You are standing on an elevated broadwalk made of wood and stone. In front of you is a view of the sea and docks. Behind you, the city stands tall and casts its long shadows over you and the port. It's not pitch darkness, but dark enough that you probably wish you had a little more light to see a little better, even with the distant glow of sunlight in the horizon.

In the sky above hangs a solar eclipse. Strangely enough, the sun does not seem to be reflected in the water.

There are a set of stairs that seem to let you head down to the beach. Further down along the broadwalk, the glow of blue lanterns outside a blue building catches your eye. In the opposite direction, you can see there's a path from the broadwalk that leads you into the city.

You're not going to get to enjoy the view for long before light just...coalesces right in front of you, in the shape of a person. Then, it snaps its fingers and the light shatters like glass, 'pieces' of it falling off and disappearing to reveal a ...

... Young girl ... ? No, it's probably more right to say it's a short lady. Her white hair stands out against bronzed skin, her eyes bright like amber, and her fine clothes a verdant green. There's a blue veil draped over her head, trailing behind her like a curtain.

She doesn't bow, or give any kind of polite deference to you as a guest. In fact, she just smiles and spreads her arms wide.

"Welcome, interlopers."

And that is definitely the voice of whoever pulled you out earlier.

Edited 2021-01-23 14:16 (UTC)

[ Tea's all puffed up and bristled like a startled cat ]

What was that? What's all this? Where am I, what?

[looks around for a second before he looks back to the girl]

Uh... interlopers?

Oh, this one has the appropriate reaction to all that.

"Your welcome! Which is not much of one, since the boy does not exactly want people running around in his 'heart'."

She says this entirely too cheerfully considering her actual words.

"Do you belong here, Duality?"

With the implication that well, isn't 'interloper' basically what you are, by the definition of the term?

What does that even mean! What boy? What heart? How can you run in hearts, they're organs, unless you mean magical hearts, but even still...!

"I mean a metaphorical heart; it would be terribly messy if it was a literal one. I believe you know him as 'Eclipse'?"

No, but I didn't— mean to come here. I don't think.

"Oh, no one means to simply walk into someone's heart, I imagine. But you are here nonetheless, and this is the hand that's been dealt to you."

"So, what do you intend to do?"

[ hmm, she doesn't like the sound of this ]

[ she extremely does not like the sound of this ]

How do I get out? Doesn't seem right, being inside somebody's "heart".

Oh... oh. Wait, is this Eclipse's...?

[he looks around a little again, the beach, the city... apprehensive because he sure doesn't like futzing around like this with someone else]

We wouldn't be here if there was no reason for it. Is there something that needs to be done?

"Hmm... well, he has been having some issues lately. We'd appreciate the help?"

[frowning for a second, but nods slowly after a bit]

All right.

... She's making this exact face, finger on chin.

"Well, if any of us actually knew how, he probably would have already kicked out the lot of you and be done with it."

She tilts her head. "So, while it may not be quite 'right', you could explore and see what leads you out. The boy's terrible at sharing much about himself where it matters, so I think it'll do him some good if you learn some more yourself, anyway."

She smiles.

"You can go into the building down the boardwalk, or somewhere in the city. There's the beach too, but that also means you'll be seeing more of me."

"I suppose you could go to the undercity too," she says, tapping a foot on the floorboards beneath the two of them for emphasis. "But it's not exactly a leisurely trip."

"The others will be better able to tell you what you can help with than I am."

What's in the undercity?

And is there a goal at all...?

Well.

I s'pose, if you say so. [ Rolls her shoulders, willing herself to let go of some of the tension she's been carrying this whole conversation ]

I'll take a look around.

"The terrible things, of course."

Is it any surprise.

"I suppose the 'goal' would be to meet the 'real' him, but no one can do that without getting to learn more about him. Helping him get some things in order would be good, too."

"There are others like me around this heart, so you can certainly ask them questions. And I suppose if you really need it, you could call for me and I might come."

... Just 'might', apparently.

[he can go to the undercity last, probably. save the worst for last? something like that]

Ah. I'll take a look around, then.

- Right.

What's your name, anyway?

Page 1 of 7

Eclipse's Heart Game ☉ Session #2

INFORMATION

OOC INFORMATION

IC INSTRUCTIONS

The Waterfront

START

no subject

Re: START

no subject

Re: START

no subject

no subject

Re: START

Re: START

no subject

Re: START

Re: START

Re: START

no subject

Re: START

Re: START

no subject

Re: START

no subject

Re: START

no subject