Amphitheater Multiverse: The Wastelands

[pantheraliam]

Amphitheater Multiverse

The Amphitheater is a mysterious place. It's in the space of a blink that you appear outside one of its many entrances. You're beckoned inside, taken to the center, where the showrunners assign you a role. Another blink, and you're no longer surrounded by rows of crowded seats. The crowd and cast have disappeared. Whatever role you were given, that is your life now, even if only for the duration of the performance. Be careful, though. It's easy to get lost in the role you were given. It's not uncommon for performers to forget who they are.

Performance: The Wastelands

It's a scenario which has fascinated since the very inception of story-telling: What happens after the world ends? It seems that's what's occurred here. Shops and houses are left empty of life, looted of supplies. Strange, mutant plants grow wrap around buildings and overtake forests, which infected animals slip out of to attack. Towns are less so towns, and more so guarded fortresses which only allow certain individuals in and out. Supplies are scarce, and trade has devolved into a bartering system. Camps of survivors are scattered throughout the countryside and abandoned villages, with some bigger groups splitting up into factions. Infighting is common, as well as altercations between groups. The world has become temperamental, anxious, everyone always prepared to attack. Those affected by the mutation find it even harder to survive every day, met with a whole host of biological and social obstacles. Everyone's goal is to survive. What role will you play?

Dramatis Personae

scavengers & survivalists

Scavengers and survivalists survive on their own as best as they can. They are loners who travel from settlement to settlement, trading supplies they've found before moving onto the next place. Some prefer to live off grid entirely, and only interact with others when passing in their travels. Others hide away in cities and towns, away from the eyes of the factions that govern them, stealing what they need. Generally, these types believe that others will slow them down, and are concerned more with their own survival than anything else, which makes them poor companions.

leaders

The world as all knew it may have ended, but so long as there are people still alive, they will need leaders. One might lead a small settlement with only a handful of people, merely interested in surviving. Instead, one might be the leader of a powerful faction in a major fortress city, with hundreds at your command. There are religious leaders, as well, which devotees follow faithfully in all that they do. Whatever the case may be, the leader is, at the end of the day, someone responsible for the wellbeing of the many others that depend on them.

traders

Traders are apocalypse-made merchants who survive by collecting and selling items between settlements. Some of these merchants travel, moving from settlement to settlement and providing goods for travelers on the road, and some reside in settlements, providing goods for the town. They may sell anything from rations to weapons to medical supplies, and generally tend to have good relationships with leaders, due to their many connections. They are good salespeople, exceptionally clever with words, and may convince you to leave with something you don't need, or give them something you do.

the affected

No one is quite sure what caused animals, plants, and people to all start changing - why some are affected, and others aren't - but some strange mutation took hold after the world came to an end, rendering some something between human and beast. They are not mindless, and they are not hungry, but they have been known to attack - transform into monsters which blindly lash out until their prey has been disposed of. This only happens when they are provoked, however...

hunters

Some believe that the affected must be disposed of, studied, or otherwise detained until an explanation for their condition can be found. There are a few leaders, both religious and otherwise, who claim to be researching a cure for the strange affliction. They hire hunters to find the affected and bring them to their headquarters. Other hunters have more personal reasons for wanting to seek out the affected and dispose of them.

devotees

In times of great crisis, such as these, people find themselves desperate for a guiding light to follow. Devotees pledge themselves to leaders, objects, gods, etc., and follow them dutifully no matter what they're asked to do. Some religious factions condemn the affected, while some celebrate and welcome them, and others still that want to research them; likewise, there are some factions that welcome anyone, some that only welcome allied factions, some that welcome no one. It all depends on what one has decided to devote themselves to - the point is, they're devoted.

OOC

Hello! Welcome to Amphitheater Multiverse, inspired by former game 7Dead's AU/amplitheater premise. Essentially, characters enter a magical amphitheater that is holding a performance (this time it is "The Wastelands," a post-apocalyptic story), and they are cast in roles. This transports them to the setting of the "play" - essentially one big collective AU you can TL and play in (your characters can either be aware they're in a play, completely lost in their roles, some combination thereof, etc.). You can play out multiple roles/enter & exit the amphitheater more than once.

Please follow basic DWRP etiquette, don't be a jerk, use CWs in subject lines/read them. Play anyone you want - canon characters, OCs, fandom OCs, AUs, CRAUs, etc., etc. This event is open for anyone to play. You do not need to know me or be on my plurk list or anything like that. If you have any questions, please direct them here, or hit me up on plurk at pantheraliam (just note that I don't add people unless I know them). Have fun, be safe o v o;;

Comments

akira kurusu | persona 5 royal (7dead crau)

[arsenist]

i. deserted town [ROLE: SCAVENGER]

[This world is wrong.

This is something that Akira knew, even before it ended. He knew that from the time that he tried to save a woman from a man who was going to hurt her, and she turned her testimony against him. But what's happened afterwards has solidified it more than ever.

He sees people fight over food and weapons and shelter, tearing each other apart for the barest scraps. He's seen faction leaders withhold lifesaving medicine not even to heal themselves, but just to make sure everyone has to go through them to get what they need. He's watched the weak abandoned to mobs of Affected in order to ensure that the strong will survive.

It's injustice that burns hot in his chest. But it's also made him more wary of people than ever before.

When the world ended, he was a few months into his probation and crushed by the weight of it all. Now, two months into the apocalypse, his heart is harder. Aside from the people he remembers from Before, people he has lingering affection for, he doesn't trust anyone.

Not even the person across from him, that's eyeing or even touched the box of supplies he was reaching out to grab. He thought this location was secure, but...

Akira is still fair. He doesn't fight with people when he can help it, and this is no exception.]

If I let you have it... [He can feel the weight at his hips, his dagger in its holster and his pistol tucked into his waistband. He won't fight if he doesn't have to, but that doesn't mean he can't.] ...can you offer me anything in return?

ii. outside headquarters [ROLE: HUNTER]

[When Akira was still just a normal high school student, when probation was the biggest problem in his life, there were people he had slowly started to let into his heart. It was a slow process, because he had trouble trusting even back then, but they still became more important than anything in the world to him.

For most of them, he still doesn't know their whereabouts. Doesn't even know if they're dead or alive. A few of them, he's been lucky enough to find out they're safe. But as for the rest...

It's cold today. His hunter's coat billows out behind him, and between his fingers he rolls an unsmoked cigarette. He can hear a beloved voice of the past telling him he's still too young to smoke, an unwelcome ghost at his shoulder. He hasn't decided yet if he'll listen to it or not.

Laws and love have both run out, at the end of everything.]

Ordinarily, I don't work with people when I hunt. [His eyes flick away from what he fidgets with, lighting on the person across from him.] But they tell me that you're good at what you do. If I can achieve what I'm hoping for, I don't mind working with you.

[Akira doesn't hunt for the sport of killing Affected, and he doesn't do it to obtain the most prime objects he could ever trade for.

There is only one goal he has, and he will do it. And when it's over, he will be a hunter no more.]

iii. camp [ROLE: LEADER]

[Maybe this is the same person that's been on a long journey. Maybe this is a person that has re-entered the amplitheater over and over. Whatever you may have known him as before, in the end, Kurusu Akira will always end up on this path in any life.

In the towns that still have life, in the settlements that cling to any bit of hope, there are whispers. Rumors. They say there is a group that steals from the powerful factions and gives to the ones that are struggling. The wealthiest men left in this society that abuse their power are shamed and blacklisted among any remaining establishments, not even able to find a single person to barter with for a can of beans. That small group that moves in the shadows are spoken of with awe and disdain in equal turn. They are the ones that cause waves instead of minding their own business. They are the ones that instill hope in the downtrodden.

This group is known as "The Phantoms", and there is one young man that leads them.

For all of the talk that spreads about them, they aren't large. They certainly don't have the numbers to be called an organization, though some talk them up like they are. In reality, they are a group of mostly youths who have found solace in each other in the midst of a world that has fallen apart. To Akira, they are everything he holds dear. People that he knew before, and people in this new world that have taught him how to trust again.

This evening is not unlike every other, though the attack from one of the Affected isn't exactly commonplace. Exhausting, but lucky in the fact that it could've been a lot worse.

Maybe you are one of the Phantoms, or maybe you are simply someone caught in the crossfire that they saved. Either way, your injuries have been treated. The leader approaches you with a bowl in his hand.]

Here. [Akira's voice is soft as he hands it over. Stew. Meat isn't something that's easy to find all the time anymore, but it's a treat for days like today.] This'll help you replenish your strength.

[Whoever you are to him... it's safe now.]

iv. wildcard

(( hi hello, if none of these work feel free to toss anything that you fancy at me! for the entirety of this, i intend to have Akira lost in his role, only able to be woken up by one specific person... but if you'd like to play around with another besides what i've chosen, i'm open to everything for him except probably devotee. my permissions are here if you want to take a gander at them, but genuinely i'm up for just about anything. feel free to hit me up via Yamadori or PM if you'd like to hash anything out beforehand! ))

ii

[materialized]

Tch. If you wanna go off and die on your own, be my guest.

[ Chuuya spits the words out with such force that one would think Akira had personally insulted him. He'd rather be spared the posturing and disclaimers, especially when he has as many problems on his plate as he does. His partner has gone missing again, leaving him on his own. He'd prefer leaving him to die to rescuing him, but that's not an option. They're a frightening duo, well known for their accomplishments as much as the destruction they've wrought, and regrettably the man they work for expects them to maintain that partnership.k

He places his hand on his hat and adjusts it slightly, then shakes his head. He scoffs, tone lowering to a mumble as he adds, ]

They don't attack unless provoked my ass.

[arsenist]

[For a second, just a second, it almost looks like Akira's lips quirk towards a smile - but it's a moment that's there and gone. That solemn look is steadfastly in place.]

People get confused, I think. They think the Affected act like we always thought zombies were meant to, in all of those post-apocalyptic movies that were around before the world changed. But it's never been that way. [He stills the cigarette, still unsmoked.] The Affected aren't zombies, and they have their minds, same as anyone else. They can choose to attack someone, if they wish.

[The one he's looking for... He knows they would.]

You can stay, if you'd rather not deal with them. I won't tell the fortress boss.

[It doesn't serve any purpose for him to put someone else's neck on the line. Akira's handled groups of them alone before; he can certainly do it again.]

i

[letonerip]

[This location is probably perfectly secure when it comes to most would-be thieves—but not Kenny. Kenny eyes Akira thoughtfully, his stance deceptively casual. This kid's got some real spirit, at least. That's a quality that's not so easy to find in this shitty world. That's why Kenny didn't shoot him immediately, opting to speak first—and possibly shoot later.

He could find supplies elsewhere, sure. A career criminal like himself finds it relatively easy to kill and steal to get what he wants and needs. But there's no reason for him to leave this box behind, since he'd happened across this place. He's already here, and he doesn't mind sparing himself extra effort later. Also—he might just be a little amused by this standoff.

At Akira's question, he laughs, a short, sharp sound.]

How 'bout your life? I'd say that's more than fair. A real bargain.

[arsenist]

[In an instant, his whole body tenses.]

Afraid that my life isn't on the bargaining table.

[Akira knew this to be true already.

The world is wrong, and so are the people in it. He is no exception to this, and neither is the man across from him. Here, there is no reason to trust anyone - not for safety, nor for a fair deal.

His hands are behind his back. The grip of the pistol is a steady weight; the only comfort he can expect anymore.

Akira can only trust himself.]

Do you feel like trading with your own?

i (7dead crau too hehe)

[abandonhumanity]

[Their eyes meet. For a split second, Eren thinks he recognizes the face, but that's impossible. He's a continent away from his friends at least, desperate to return, without a ship in sight. He has no connection to this man, and there's no reason at all not to take the box and dig through everything inside, leave the other only scraps. He lays his palm on top of it, keeping his eyes locked on his companion.]

I don't need much. If you're looking for food, or medical supplies, I'll hand them over to you.

Otherwise, I want first pick. [Valuable items, like Akira's asking about now. Eren isn't all that good with words. It's vital to have something to trade at all times.] You'll die trying to stop me.

BARKS

[arsenist]

[There's a moment, when their eyes meet-

For just a moment, Akira thinks that maybe, once before-

And then everything snaps back into place. Danger, but it goes hand in hand with the only thing Akira was interested in in the first place.

Just the slightest bit of tension leaks out of him, but his hands don't leave his side. He can still easily reach his weapons from here.]

...Food and medical supplies are the only things I was looking for. If you can leave those for me, I don't care if you take what you want.

[He doesn't doubt those words, the warning that Akira will die. People that have survived have had to become strong, and Akira isn't interested in testing this man without good reason. But he can't trust his word, either; he's been lied to before. People take drastic measures when they're desperate, and so Akira doesn't take his eyes off him.

If this is someone being honest, he doesn't want to provoke a fight without just cause. And if he isn't...

Well. As long as he keeps an eye on his pathing, it certainly wouldn't be the first time that Akira's stolen.]

[abandonhumanity]

[They're in agreement, then, and Eren is just fine with that. It's not that he'd shy away from a confrontation, but his day will certainly go easier without one, and nothing this man has done has been of particular annoyance to him. He slowly inclines his head, never breaking eye contact with Akira as he does so. A few moments pass, face to face, and then he turns his attention to the box. He pries it open, and inside, sure enough...]

Ration bars.

[Eren picks them out and lays them in front of Akira. After that, bandages, a bottle of antiseptic with only about 1/4th remaining, and a few non-descript pills in a pouch.

[There's a gun, also. That's the only thing Eren's interested in. He takes it out and cocks it without much thought about whether it might disturb his companion; in fact, he points it at him, testing its weight.

[Only its weight.]