lostcarnival | ⇨ POLARIS 3.0

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⇨ POLARIS 3.0

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 115
Where: Polaris
What: On the morning of day 115, a couple hours before the technicians would come to pick up the test subjects, the escape plan will officially come into effect. If your character has been left out of the loop up till this point, feel free that someone hastily explains the plan during the initial phase! The meat of everything else will be played out via megathreads and any private toplevels people want to make.
Warnings: Probably violence.

PEER REVIEW↴

The plan starts with getting everyone out of their cells. Childermass is going to be using his Gilded Mark to enhance his shadow movement abilities, unabling him to teleport himself and other people out of containment. If your character has other ways of escaping they are free to pursue that, but on a base level, it can be assumed that everyone gets out thanks to Childermass. (Thanks Childermass!) Once everyone has been removed from their cells by some means or another, they will be forced to split into teams as swiftly as possible, as the moment people start breaking out, negative attention from the staff will start building. The area is poorly guarded at first, but as people become aware of the breakout, more will arrive.

Gild, speaking on behalf of her inside plant, will say that those that 1) want to get their stuff back, 2) want to find Ignatius, should get the assistance of their allied Deltas to access sector A5. From there, they will have to access Polaris's storage in A3, a neighbouring sector, and find access to C2, the station where Ignatius is being held. They should expect to be met with armed resistance, but with any luck allies will be there to assist them.

In general, characters will be most effective if they back one of these major objectives:

► TEAM LOOT: This team is trying to get back the items and pets that were confiscated when the group was brought into Polaris. Their objective, according to their allies on the inside, is to get to A5, and then make their way to A3. The important thing is being able to locate their stuff among a sea of other items, and to make it through security in order to reclaim it. Gild's plant has said that they will assist with this. After getting these items, Team Loot may wish to merge with Team Rescue.

► TEAM RESCUE: This team's primary focus is to get to A5 and then make their way to C2. If desired, they may wait for or join with Team Loot, or they may strike out ahead in order to take advantage of the element of surprise. The key factors are obtaining a way to access C2, as well as being prepared for armed conflict with the technicians guarding it, as well as possibly the Mother of Invention herself. Though, the ideal is that Gild will be distracting here at that time.

► TEAM DISTRACTION: This team can do their thing wherever they please, as their main intent is to sew general discord and distract the staff from the teams doing more important things. They should be prepared for armed resistance, but what tactics they pursue beyond that point are highly variable.

► TEAM FORTRESS: This team is attempting to set up a protective base of operations in the original sector in order to survive the conflict and protect their noncombatant comrades. How they accomplish this is also highly variable.

Other objectives may exist, of course, and can be made with their own separate top levels. Chunks of these megathreads will have to be played out in summary form, so when characters are simply trying to get from place to place and specifics aren't necessary, feel free to stick to that format. Assume that everyone is already out of their cells for the purpose of the megathreads.

Here is a shitty map of how the sectors connect, from a side view of the central Polaris hub.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'd really rather you throw bigger rocks." Zangetsu is, frankly, kind of terrifying. Yuya's not interested in facing down the guy who ate his boyfriend's arm.

He turns his attention back to the farm as the approach the hole... and stops. Oh, they really did graze it to the ground.

There's a sad looking water area where people filled up their watering cans as well as numerous robot corpses. But trees, grass, any sort of plant life is some matter of burned.

"It's a pity that all of this was contained to the farm," Strange idly remarks, as he walks towards the center of what used to be a grove of trees, expecting Yuya to follow him. "I'd have enjoyed it if some of the carnage managed to make it's way down to Theta."

Yuya does follow, looking over the destruction. It's kind of sad, even if it was full of terrible memories. He might just have personal issues with absolute decimation, though.

He glances over to Strange. This isn't what they came for, but... "Do you... want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Strange asks, trying hard to keep his voice steady. He's not making eye contact with Yuya as he walks. Any small little robot parts are being kicked out of the way as he continues talking.

"If it's about Polaris, then there's nothing to talk about. I made a poor decision and paid the price for it—something that I've gotten used to over the past few months."

Yuya looks down at Strange's arms, perhaps pointedly.

"It was still torture. And they hurt you before that, too." He furrows his brow, before looking sideways with a shrug. "It's just... if you want to. It helps to talk about it, and not keep anything inside."

There's a pause...before Strange decides fuck it! Fuck it, fuck this, fuck everything and he just lets it all out.

"I hate it here. I hate being powerless, I hate the fact that no matter what I do, some fae or faerie artifact or all powerful super being is going to fuck it up and not let me help anybody." He just keeps talking, obviously on a roll, and obviously vocalizing so many things that he's kept to himself for a while. Strange puts a hand to his head as he rants and starts frantically pacing, trying to work out the manic, nervous energy of admitting all the things he hates and so many tiny little insecurities. He knows it's not fair to dump this all on Yuya but he's had an amazingly shitty past month and Strange has honestly stopped caring.

"I hate that we can't do anything without the fae and that...that we couldn't save Ignatius by ourselves! We should have saved him by ourselves but we couldn't do anything without his stupid sister. I changed all of magic in my world, I should have saved him by myself! And I know that people are going to want to keep going and pretend like none of this ever happened and go and try to save the Ringmaster, but I don't even want to save her! This is all her fault! I want to go home and see my wife and pretend like none of this ever existed."

Yuya, through the rant, just watches. With wide eyes, not having actually expected Strange to go off like that. Usually it takes prying, and a back and forth about each other's worries. So he's a little thrown off, but wasn't this what he wanted? For Strange to be honest with him and trust him?

Finally, as he putters out, Yuya moves forward to gently grab Strange's arm in his uninjured hand, to make him stop as Yuya looks up at him.

"I know." He starts, his breath catching dangerously close to tears. And then he leans in, moving to put his arm around Strange and hug him, or hug himself agaisnt him.

"I... I hate it, too. I hate these things hurting us. I hate being scared of what's going to happen to my friends, I hate that--no matter how hard I try, I'll never be strong enough to protect them on my own."

Admitting that makes something inside Yuya break, and he chokes on a shallow sob. His shield is never going to be good enough for something like that.

"I couldn't even save Yuzu from Academia." He couldn't save anyone from himself.

"Nobody's going to forget any of this. We can't."

Strange looks like he's about to go off on something else entirely when Yuya grabs him and Strange stops, looking over Yuya instead. And he pauses for a moment when Yuya hugs him. Admittedly, that's unexpected. But Strange isn't so heartless as to ignore the moment. Awkwardly (and stiffly, thanks to his still healing arm), he hugs Yuya back.

"I should be strong enough," Strange repeats. He's never fully adapted to the fact that in his world, it's a big fish in a small pond sort of scenario. He should be the person to save everybody. He should be the strong person who can whip magic up out of nowhere and come in and save the day. That's what he was back home, he managed to save Arabella, bring magic back to England, summon a long forgotten figure of English magic, and help kill the fae who kidnapped her in the first place! Why the hell can't he do that here?

"I just want to go home," he whines, more to himself than to Yuya. "I don't care about the Courts or the Ringmaster or any of this...this fae bullshit. I just want to see Arabella." It's a little pathetic to admit that but hey, there it is. And now it's his turn to try and choke back his emotions and try and keep from crying.

"I want to go home, too." It's part of what's kept him going as things got worse and worse, that at the end the Ringmaster would have saved Yuzu and Reira and they'd all go home and this nightmare ever since his dimension was invaded--before even the carnival--would end.

His fingers curl into the back of Strange's shirt as he takes a deep breath. "But I do care about the Ringmaster. And I care about you. All of my friends here... I want to make sure everyone can be safe and happy and go to the world they want to live in."

He thoughts of leaving, even in the middle of his contract to come back later, were fleeting in the face of everyone in the carnival he loves. But he understands it, wishing for it.

He can't really wipe his own tears like this, but he tilts his head slightly so he isn't soaking Strange's shirt.

"Maybe we both have to accept that... that we can't be the strongest. We can't compete with the fae. But we're not alone, we have people who help us like we want to help them. And that's getting us through this, isn't it?"

But he wants to be the strongest! He hates relying on people like this, the fact that so many of their battles have ended with cross your fingers, hope that your giant snake friend or weird magic library or magical rabbits play along and help.

"Truth be told, the only thing getting us through this is plain luck. We almost died in Eden, we almost died in Polaris, we're definitely going to die if we go into the Wyldlands..." Strange trails off, with a frown.

"I can't afford to die again. But if I stay here, on this path, that's what's going to happen."

Yuya pauses, quieting as that sinks in. It's coming from pain, and he understands how that clouds your ability to see.

"Hey, that's not what you said before, right? When I said I wasn't doing enough for my friends..." Yuya hadn't been saying it was luck, exactly, but he didn't believe he'd done as much to make a difference as Strange did.

He looks up at him. "It's not just luck, it's--we're making friends. We're helping people, and when we help people they help us. Like Creation, and the Furies in Eden. Maybe we're not strong enough on our own, but we're not alone."

They're not alone. Yuya had felt like it, when they first arrived, but the truth is that more than just Gild came to their aid.

"That's why Shimmer's here. And Samyaza." And the manor girls Yuya doesn't actually know at all.

"No one died in Eden, right? And nobody died here."

Strange looks like he's halfway torn between sulking and yelling. Sure, it'd be nice to believe that others would always be there to help and that whatever powerful forces they've made along the way would always be on their side. But people are fickle and the fae are powerful: it's foolish to assume they'd always have help.

Thankfully, one thing catches his ear and Strange's expression goes from 'potentially ready to yell' to 'curious and interested.'

"Shimmer's here?" he says, with a little excitement in his voice. He straight up did not know that. Damn, now he's got to try and see if Polaris has any alcohol or anything like that.

(He doesn't really care about Samyaza, sorry weirdo rabbit thing.)

"Yeah," Yuya smiles briefly. "She helped us get through security." He doesn't actually know what Samyaza was doing, he's just caught her around when he got himself mobile again. But he's confident she's been helping.

He pulls back a little, a little more genuine strength in his expression. "They came back for us. Just like Gild came for Ignatius. The Ringmaster never left anyone behind, either, and we'er here for each other, too."

Even the carnival isn't just one person, it's many of them. Working together and moving forward. "And we've done this much because of that, right? It's not hopeless. Maybe... as much as we want to be, you and I aren't strong enough alone. But we are when we're together."

That's the Power of Friendship.

Shonen protag speeches are only partly effective on someone who's not from a shonen canon. This opens more questions than it answers (why the hell did they bring Yuya along, it's not like there were a lot of reflections on Polaris). He pulls back a little as well, but very pointedly looks a little annoyed when Yuya mentions the Ringmaster.

"The Ringmaster also conveniently refused to tell us that she was wanted by two Courts before any of us signed on. I know that you want to see the best in her, but I simply can't forgive her for that."

How many people would have signed on if they knew that there was a high possibility they'd get screwed over by the fae? Strange doesn't know for certain, but he's got a feeling the percentage would be a lot lower.

"Did she even apologize for holding that information from us? She had plenty of time to do so and, as far as I can tell, she never did."

Yuya lets out a sigh, resigned. "No, she didn't. I think she thought she left it in the past, but if we'd known... not everyone signed up for something that's worth this."

He certainly understands being angry about it. He's not going to blame Strange for that. She's made plenty of mistakes. "But I don't want to leave her with the Huntsman, not knowing what he's doing to her... I don't want her suffering."

Even besides that his contract is unfinished, and important, he happens to care about her as a person. Yuya shrugs a shoulder. "But it's not just up to me and what I want. That's... something we should all talk about. With Ignatius and Gild."

Because they'll probably still need some fae assistance if they're going to save her.

"We should," Strange admits. There's a little pause before he looks over at Yuya. Strange mulls over his words before he starts talking. Since he's brought Ignatius up...

"I know I don't need to tell you this, but be patient with Ignatius. A fae's domain...from what I understand, it's the very core of their being. Having his aspect shifted like this would be like if you suddenly couldn't do magic or became part angel." Or like when Childermass became a faeblood, Strange thinks, but doesn't say. He's seen first hand a few of the of fun existential worries that come when your entire existence shifts.

"He'll be confused and possibly scared and we don't need people trying to make him feel better with nonsense like telling him everything's going to be alright. Because in his mind, everything isn't alright."

Yuya knits his brow, not sure if Strange really doesn't think he needs to tell Yuya if he's going to tell him anyway and bring up assurances that Yuya tries to share when things are looking bleak.

"I know he was changed." Yuya's saw it. He's talked to Steven about the same issue and he knows about Childermass. "I don't think that's what Peridot thought was going to happen when she asked Creation to help him."

He rubs the back of his neck. "But that is him now, so if there's something we can do to help him be more comfortable and cope with it, then we can be there for him."

"Just don't force him into anything," Strange continues. He's not entirely certain Yuya's understanding what he's saying, so he tries to explain more clearly.

"You're very good at trying to see the good in things and inspiring people. But sometimes, someone might not want to see the good things. Let him wallow, if only for a little bit, before you come in with pep talks and reassurances."

Not every time is time for a pep talk. And Strange is worried that Yuya's just going to come in, guns blazing, with his 'everything is fine and you can get past this' right when Ignatius is in the middle of a sad spell and honestly believes that nothing is fine (which frankly, Strange doesn't blame him for indulging in).

Yuya chews on his lip briefly. The idea that Yuya could force Ignatius into anything is absurd, but he doesn't dwell on that part. "I wasn't! Have you talked to him?"

Yuya's asking mostly because he hasn't, on account of being down for the count from the whole nearly dying thing. Rita mentioned he'd run away from Gild, but there were also a lot of other factors that went into it. He probably is miserable.

Edited 2018-11-14 18:01 (UTC)

"Not yet. Partly because I spent the past few hours magically fixing my own broken arm to a workable state, partly because I'm giving him space." Strange stresses, as he rubs his nose slightly in irritation.

"Considering that he left the conversation as soon as Gild started hounding him, I suspect he wants some time to himself. I'm giving him that. I'll talk to him when we're all less keyed up from this nonsense."

Said with an accompanying hand gesture to the burnt out remnants of the farm. This nonsense obviously means 'all of Polaris.'

"Hounding him?" Sometimes, the way Strange talks about Ignatius makes him sound like glass. It's something Yuya recognizes mostly from how other people have talked about him, with fragility. Like Gongenzaka. Mostly Gongenzaka. When was this conversation? Yesterday?

Yuya shakes his head. "I'm not saying your wrong but... that means you didn't ask him, right? You're assuming he doesn't want to talk to anyone because it's hard to talk to Gild."

That, too, Yuya knows too keenly. The tendency to interpret other people's actions through the lens of what he feels, or what he would do. It's something he's still working through, still trying to overcome.

"I thought we were out here to test your shield," Strange grumbles. This conversation's shifted too far towards nitpicking and what Strange views as people pointing out his flaws for his own liking.

"I will talk to him. But later, once we're both in a more solid state of mind." Because Strange is still a little testy and emotionally pulled from confessing all of his fears and doubts to Yuya not even ten minutes ago. He's certainly not going to be working through anybody else's emotional crises in this state.

Yuya's shoulders sink and he looks away. "Yeah, we were."

He steps backwards until he puts a few feet between him and Strange. His expression is still a little troubled, but he takes a deep breath and focuses on pushing his shield out in a smaller size around him, trying to reinforce it as much as possible.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Strange is still a little grumpy and a lot bit not wanting to reflect on his actions. He takes a few steps back and mutters an incantation. The ground starts to rumble a bit ominously.

"I'll go from small to large," Strange explains, as a small rock about the size of a baseball raises up from the ground. "Tell me when you feel the shield start to give."

And then, not even a second later, Strange flicks his hand and the rock flies at Yuya's shield. As he does so, a second rock starts to rise from the ground...and Strange just keeps on complaining.

"I should be strong enough on my own," Strange grumbles. "How the hell can I protect people if I always have to rely on someone else?" Something that he hopes Yuya would understand, especially since they're working on his protection magic here and now.

Yuya only holds one hand out as he keeps the shield up. The gesture isn't actually necessary, but it helps him focus. It ripples with the first hit, and Yuya flinches when the first rock hits, and he scrambles to reinforce for the next one. It doesn't break yet, but he's not at his most focused.

Especially not when Strange is still talking. Especially when they're doubts that Yuya's been fighting with again and again for months, running in circles like he can't find the right direction to make it happen.

"If I knew, I'd already be doing it." He flinches again at the second rock, but it doesn't break yet. Trying to defend against rocks isn't the best time for him to be self-reflecting, either. "Gongenzaka was always the one strong enough on his own, and even he's been beaten by them!"

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