idolpro | Skylark's Ideal World

Entry tags:

!ideal world

Skylark's Ideal World | Session 2

Once, there was a maiden...
...who was driven from her land.
Great black stags chased her, and their eyes shone blue.
Monsters scrambled after her through the bush, though they found her not.
Stumbling on a log, she fell and thought to surrender, and end the torment of the hunt—

... ... ...

You're so, so tired.

Why carry on?

... Surely, it's okay to take a break—

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✵ Goal: Convince Lark to leave the ideal world.
✵ Both Imeeji and canon powers are OFF.
✵ Corruptions are GONE.
✵ Carry-on items are AVAILABLE.
✵ Carry-on weapons are UNAVAILABLE.
✵ Phones do not function besides showing the IC instructions.
✵ Everyone is now wearing clothes suitable for tropical weather and/or the beach. Their position colour will still be in there somewhere.
✵ All characters in the session occupy the same spaces, so you can talk to each other.
✵ Full points will be awarded to anyone who convinces Lark to leave the ideal world

Your phone displays the following:

"Should I live or die? Am I living or dead?"
"To know the world is to choose it."

Well, this foolish child has forgotten how to choose. No, perhaps it's better to say that he doesn't want to?

It's rather embarrassing that this is what it's come to, but I beseech you to convince him to leave this so-called 'ideal world'. He must be reminded of his principles, ties and convictions.

The denizens of this world carry reminders of reality with them, but they may not help you readily. If you can persuade them to aid you, it will be easier to convince the child.

You are at a beach, the sand beneath your feet soft and pearlescent, and the sea breeze blowing gently. The water stretches out before you as far as the eyes can see, into the distant horizon.

In the sky above, the sun shines bright. Perhaps too bright; something about the light just seems so overpowering that it almost doesn't feel natural. Maybe it's just your imagination, though...? Strangely enough, the sun does not seem to be reflected in the water.

There is a beachside cottage built on stilts over the water, and a pavilion in the distance that seems to be occupied by someone, judging by the sound of music. Besides that, a path from the beach appears to lead to the nearby town.

"Hey, you."

You are greeted rather unceremoniously (rudely, even?) by an extremely pale, white-haired girl with red eyes. She's wearing a plain sundress, a...jacket, for some reason, and a wide-brimmed hat with a cute ribbon to shade her from the glare of the sun. Some of you might recognise her.

"Are you one of Lark's friends?"

Look, no one ever said she had to be the most gracious welcomer.

The cottage is, for lack of a better word, quaint and cozy. There are several paintings on the walls, mostly landscapes, some of which are fantastic; one depicts a city with structures seemingly made entirely out of glass, another is of a city full of crowded and towering buildings that some of you might recognise. There is a painting covered with a large cloth that has been left leaning against the wall on the floor.

From the entrance, you can see a staircase that leads up in front of you. To the right is a living area with some chairs and a sofa, along with a coffee table. On the coffee table, there's a chess board; from the looks of it, it seems there was a game being played that's been put on pause for the time being. There's also a pack of playing cards.

To the left, through a doorway with a bead curtain, is the kitchen and dining area, where it sounds like someone's cooking.

The first thing you'll see is the dining table and chairs near the doorway. A little further behind them is a modest but well-stocked kitchen. A bundle of herbs is hanging from a kitchen wall.

Lark is by the stove, wearing an apron and making stew. He looks up when he hears footsteps.

"Oh, hey."

The town is very much like what you'd expect from a rural beachside town with a river running through it. The homes and buildings are made of stone and wood, and the ones along the river have waterwheels accompanying them. You'll find, however, that all the doors are locked, and the shops are closed. Despite the superficial signs that there are people living here, there's no one else in sight.

For some reason, you can't help but feel that the buildings should be taller? They don't seem right. The shadows cast by them are somehow lacking. The sun above gazes down upon you with its overbearing light.

One building stands out compared to all the others, simply because it has character unlike the rest of the town. A coat of arms is displayed on the front facade, and the sign above the front doors reads 'Vander Training Hall'. There are loud noises coming from inside.

In the town's plaza, you'll find a single manhole, which might strike you as odd since it's apparently the only one in the town.

Perhaps you're walking past the shadow of a building when you hear a deep voice call out to you.

"Hey, can you hear me?"

...If you turn to look for the voice, you'll see it's coming from a boy who has absolutely no right and no business to sound that way, standing in the shade of a building. Despite looking younger than even Lark, the way he carries himself is more fitting of someone at least four decades older, much like his voice. There's a kind of energy to him that, somehow, screams 'tired old man with no fucks left to give'. The green robes he's wearing also look out of place compared to the outfits everyone else has.

You might recognise him if you've seen some of Lark's memories.

It's a very, very long climb down. The further you descend from the overpowering sunlight above into the darkness, the greater the sense of pressure starts to settle upon you. The stench of stagnant seawater permeates the air the deeper you go, almost choking.

Eventually your feet touch marshy ground as you arrive at the very bottom. Nearby, a cart filled with lanterns helpfully marks where the ladder is.

The light lets you see that you are standing at the end of a narrow alleyway. If you take a lantern with you, you can also see there are a number of coloured doors along the alleyway: one each of red, purple and yellow.

Edited 2021-12-29 19:39 (UTC)

Yeah...?

[That better not be presumptuous of him.

[K thinks he is.]

Huh.

[First things first: he's going to push up his sleeves. In true BAD END=DEAD END style K continues to be inappropriately dressed for anywhere and he's wearing a (mesh, ripped) sweater.]

Lark...?

Oh. Its you again.

[Pause.]

We're on...friendly terms? [He doesn't just make that claim.]

[....some of this is familiar.]

Probably his then...

[Standing here in green swim trunks and a t-shirt with a dinosaur on it.]

"Took you long enough." As though you were supposed to show up at some point? "I was starting to think he was gonna be left alone."

I suppose you could call me that. Sometimes a friend, sometimes a little like a substitute parent.

[ unbothered by her bluntness; offering a warm smile ]

You're Crane, aren't you? I am Amaranth— ah, he talks of you often.

Edited 2021-12-30 02:11 (UTC)

She gives him a confused look. 'Again'?

"So I'm gonna assume 'no'."

. . . Crane-san.

[ He recognizes her. Even if this her isn't the true her. The real her. They never spoke much but he would be silly not to recognize someone of such importance to his friend. ]

Yes of course. Lark-kun is someone of importance to me. Are you here to help us find him?

Yeah, well. Wasn't the intention. Just gotta go lie down and hope the production sticks me in the right place.

[This may indeed be bullshit, but he's used to it.]

Hey, Crane? Where is this?

Edited 2021-12-30 02:13 (UTC)

Not my call to make.

I do want to help him though.

[ He's found himself in something a little more flowy than he might otherwise wear, but he moves comfortably in it. Idols wear all types of outfits, considering their profession. And it's not like he's wearing something from sensitIV.

. . . Sorry, SensitIV. ]

Is this... like those hearts from before?

[ Amaranth finds herself in a lightweight cotton yukata woven with a simple pattern of rice grasses, and tied with a sash in "amaranth" red. Her hair is braided to the side with small white flowers—the way she once wore it for LiliS.

She looks out over the sea, then back to the cottage. ]

...Well. At least there's little doubt whose dream this is.

Edited 2021-12-30 03:35 (UTC)

[That Sure Is AN Outfit.]

I think this might be the dream world thing again. Which means breaking Lark out of a fantasy.

Kinda.

I. Well. I know I ain't exactly the kinda guy you wanna hang around, but I've seen this shit before, too.

She seems a little relieved. Finally, someone answering with confidence and certainty!

And then she flushes a little at that next part, quite flustered. "...Of course he did."

—Tsukasa! So you're here as well.

[ Her own outfit is a mix of very traditional Japanese clothing and something almost LiliS-y. ]

It is... somewhat like traveling through a soul, yes.
But not the soul itself so much as, ah... [ a pause, melancholy ] ...its too-perfect dream.

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Skylark's Ideal World | Session 2

OOC INFORMATION

IC INSTRUCTIONS

START: THE BEACH

Talk to the girl

COTTAGE

COTTAGE: KITCHEN

THE TOWN

Talk to the boy(?)

UNDERCITY

Re: Talk to the girl

Re: START: THE BEACH

Re: Talk to the girl

Re: START: THE BEACH

Re: Talk to the girl

Re: Talk to the girl

Re: Talk to the girl

Re: Talk to the girl

Re: Talk to the girl

Re: Talk to the girl

Re: START: THE BEACH

Re: START: THE BEACH

Re: START: THE BEACH

Re: START: THE BEACH

Re: Talk to the girl

Re: START: THE BEACH