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

QUESTIONS

[averageorangejoe]

ask 'em here! whee!

Aubrey | OMORI

[headhooligan]

something important
Looking for this?

[Recently, you lost an item. Maybe it’s sentimental, or just plain useful; either way, this teenager is pointing to it with a nail bat. You’ve been summoned to a quiet place, and whether you’re all mask and muscle or a shrinking twig, Aubrey’s watching you with her chin lifted and a challenge in her stance. She hasn’t pointed her bat at you, although you get the impression she wouldn’t hesitate.]

You can have it back—but show me what you got, first.

in search of peace
[There’s a sanctum not far from here. Its quiet isn’t often disturbed—but here you are, and here’s a crash into hello! Aubrey trips directly into your path, headband-bow askew, out of breath.

[She scrambles back—but not from you. There’s a red stain on her forearm, and her glare is fixed on the trail behind her. Something, or someone, follows. Would you like to intervene?]

wildcard/footnotes
(ooc: Left prompts deliberately vague; fill in the details as you wish. Non-prompt starters also welcome. Surprise me!
 (Lost in the Role Sauce rating: 3.75 of 5, more into it than not. Aubrey had a several-month stint in labyrinthum; feel free to request the CRAU version for more familiarity with fighting, bloodshed, and behavior-altering jamjar shenanigans.)

Caitlyn Kiramman | Arcane

[surveillingscion]

optional AU blurb

Even if you’ve never heard of the once-wealthy Kiramman family, you may know of their daughter. After disappearing under mysterious circumstances, she made her own name as a hunter for hire, one of the best snipers on this side of the wastes. It seems Caitlyn has never met a target she couldn’t fire. But her true objective, to public knowledge, has proven difficult to pin. What is she hunting for…?

(ooc: I include this upfront because this character’s whole deal, in canon, is being an Important Figure. Her reputation often precedes her. That said, feel free to ignore it! Caitlyn is used to being Known and Competent, and she’s less guarded when she is neither of those things.)

we(?) can protect you
[Are all affected dangerous? You’re surrounded either way, a pack of beasts circling like sharks to blood. Maybe you’ve got it taken care of, or you could use a little help—

[Bang! No matter. Bam! If there are four, it takes four; six, eight, more, one bullet per skull. The enemy is down in seconds.

[But you’re not safe yet, are you? At the source of the gunfire, the shooter has an eye on you. The rifle hasn’t lowered. Yet, for whatever reason… she’s hesitating.

[You’ve got one shot. Make your case.]

small talk, actually
[It’s nicer when the gun works for you, isn’t it? Whether at the behest of a leader or some other circumstance, you are flanked by a Caitlyn acting as your guard. Her rifle’s sweep across every step, to say nothing of her own grim silence, may or may not be a comfort. Points for focus, at least.

[Then you stumble upon an odd fixture in the dirt.]

Right. [Caitlyn circles it.] That’s one way to mark the spot.

[Is… is that supposed to be a joke…?]

wildcard/footnotes
(ooc: Left prompts deliberately vague; fill in the details as you wish. Non-prompt starters also welcome. Surprise me!
 (Lost in the Role Sauce rating: 6/5 catastrophically gone. Same mun as headhooligan above, and voicetesting this one. The rest of my muselist is also on the table, on request.)

[headhooligan]

if there were ten guys in a theater and one killed eight of them with a rock to save the other two would that be fucked up or what

[wintolive]

in search of peace >:3c is he lost in the role? good question!

[abandonhumanity]

[He goes to the sanctum because that's where he's meant to be - when in doubt, when in question, and for lack of anything better, as a default. He's dressed up, as always, for his role too, with a black scarf around his neck, and red lines painted (?) under his eyes. He isn't expecting to see anyone else. She looks lost.

[And something follows. How big? Not that big.

[He jerks his chin over his shoulder - get behind - then moves to step in front of her, regardless of whether she's taken his invitation. Eren readies his gun.]

something important - this time it's post-laby and not lost in the role at all

[sadpoem]

[Sunny's fingers fiddle at each other, lips twitching slightly in a not-quite smile.]

That...was really convincing.

something important - every da flyleaf da thread for me

[herosandwich]

[Wow. Aubrey is really taking this seriously. It's nice to see, honestly (even if she is being a bit aggressive - does she really need to be swinging that nail bat around?), knowing what he knows about her attitude the last several years. He tries to return her efforts in kind, suspiciously narrowing his eyes while he puts his hands on his hips. He gives a keen smile.]

I'm not sure how you managed to get your hands on my med kit, but I think you'll find yourself disappointed once you open it.

[Is it empty? He doesn't know. Does it even open? It's a prop, right? She'll probably pick up what he's putting down. "Yes, and" is the first rule of improv!]

If you have something better to offer, though, I'm all ears, Aub-- Oh. I mean...

[Ahem.]

Merchant.

cw body horror lesgooo

[headhooligan]

[Who are you? Strange thought, considering. Maybe it’s the scarf, the lines—his face…

[Aubrey doesn’t retreat. Maybe she should. From towering trees ambles the monster: a human figure, or are there more than one? Unblinking eyes, bony hands, too many feet in lockstep; pitch black oozes from nail-studded wounds. The advance is slow; it doesn’t matter. Gunfire won’t stop it. It just… keeps… moving…]

[abandonhumanity]

[This again. Eren watches the advance with hollow eyes, some odd melancholy the only life in them.]

Come with me.

[He starts across the stone floors of the sanctum. There's a paved, covered path outside the back exit, leading...

[Where?

[He keeps a steady pace, but there's no need to run. The Affected are slow in this state.]

post-laby but maybe lost a *little* bit. as a treat

[headhooligan]

[Bravado, fin.! Aubrey takes a small bow, breaking into a smile.] Heh, thanks, Sunny.

[Slinging the bat back over her shoulder (snagging a hair or two along the way; look, it’s been a while since she wielded the one with nails), she gives a small nod in the direction of the lost object: a very familiar knife.]

We should really figure out how to get back soon, though.

[Shouldn’t it be with him…?]

protecc

[averageorangejoe]

[Kel can hold his own in a fight, but he never got any better at shooting. It's too quick, too final. They used to be human--

[They'll kill you if you don't kill them, but Kel doesn't have to today. Someone else does. His fingers are in his ears; he lifts his head to look through the smoke, and of course, the barrel is trained on him now. The non-affected will kill you too. Anyone will, anything will. It's so goddamn heartbreaking.

[He raises his hands up, palms facing her, and he lets out a little laugh.]

Hey, hey, hey! No need for all that - I surrender, see--

[The dust settles. He sees her face - her face - and his mouth falls open.]

Caitlyn?

[He'd look like he'd seen a ghost if not for the big, doofy smile on his face. He hasn't seen his friend in...at least four years now.]

eats every single one of your tags

[headhooligan]

Keep in-character, medic. [Fourth-wall lean with the words, keeping stern in tone. It’s almost like Aubrey’s spent the last few years pretending to be tough shit! Hasn’t always been able to keep it up around Hero, especially not in his grown-up big brother mode, but this place makes it easier. Somehow.] If I open this and it’s a bunch of rocks, you’ll regret it....

[Her own offer, for now, is continued play-threats of violence. Wow! She gestures the bat in her own direction, then Hero’s direction, like an awkwardly-long-limbed watching-you gesture. Then steps slowly, cautiously over to the med kit…

[Knowing Hero, it’s probably tissues. Maybe old homework. Ugh....]

[headhooligan]

[She shouldn’t follow him. She does need to. Gripping her arm, bunching her sleeve as if that might hide the stain better, Aubrey hauls herself to her feet and takes his lead. It's not as though she didn’t want this....

[Her shoulders lower, despite herself, as trees give way to sanctuary. Streaked sneakers leave an ugly trail.]

Where are we going…? [Quiet. Even Aubrey doesn’t want to disturb these grounds.]

[abandonhumanity]

[The answer will come whether he speaks it or not, so he doesn't bother. They approach the next part of the sanctum, this space about half the size of the one they just left. There's a steel door on the ground, haphazardly welded into place, a deadbolt keeping it closed - not very pretty, unlike the surroundings otherwise, but they're living in difficult times now. Eren pulls a key off from around his neck and pulls the door open. There's a staircase leading down.

[He'll hold it open for her.]

SCREAMING (1/2)

[surveillingscion]

[Kel?]

[Of course. She knows him. Caitlyn doesn’t drop the gun, but it disappears over her shoulder as she all but throws herself at him—

2/2

[surveillingscion]

[—in a ferocious, tight hug. That’s right… he hasn’t been around since before the funeral, if even then. How has it been so long already? Where has he been? Why did…?

[Questions later. A twig snaps and the rifle unfolds. Caitlyn steps between Kel and the noise, the intention wordless but clear: Keep behind me.]

[headhooligan]

[Really comforting, that. For a few breaths, Aubrey only watches him, eyes narrowed. Something’s buzzing in her head. Is it getting closer?

[She starts to open her mouth—a retort? a question?—but inadvertently loosens her grip, and winces. Ugh. Fine. With one last glance, Aubrey steps into the dark.]

levi ackerman // attack on titan

[wingbound]

--1. scavenger

[ The pharmacies have been picked almost clean at this point, but it seems you're in luck. That one item you need -- medicine, bandage, tourniquet, supplements, whatever else -- is sitting right there on the shelf a few paces away. You reach for it -- ]

[ Before you can grab it, though, a hand snatches it from the other side of the shelf, and you might meet a pair of grey eyes for a moment before the other person makes a run for it. ]

[ It would probably be best to let him go -- but you really need the supplies, whether for yourself or someone else. ]

[ Trying to pursure him through the side door, however, will likely land you in a headlock with a knife pressed against your jugular... or, depending how tall you are, some other easier accessible lethal spot, like the stomach or the inside of your thigh. ]

What do you want from me?

[ The voice sounds hoarse from disuse.]


--2. leader (sort of)

[ Perhaps you noticed some signs of life in this part of the woods -- a well that's covered in leaves and branches but looks too clean to be abandoned, perhaps a dropped fruit or tool somewhere, maybe some footsteps. ]

[ Maybe that's why you've followed that faint trail deeper into the woods -- whatever your intentions are. Maybe that's how you find yourself coming to what looks like a small settlement of some sort, a camp more like, up ahead. And hopefully you're sharp enough to notice that thin wire stretched across the path, or that weirdly fresh looking mound of dirt. ]

[ Maybe you happen to kick a rock or a branch into it, whether intentionally or by accident, in which case, roughly two seconds later, there's a loud explosion and you're probably knocked on your ass by the explosion that appears to come from a hole ass landmine some steps ahead. ]

[ A moment later, you're at the end of a rifle. The guy holding it looks... not great. Like he hasn't slept in months, and there's dirt or blood smudged on his face and what appears to be some sort of a military or ranger uniform. ]

Turn around now.

[ And there's eyes in the foliage. Small ones, watching you. Too close to the ground to be merceneries, too curious to belong to creatures. ]

[ Kids. ]

[ Suddenly the secludedness makes more sense. This must be a tough job for who seems to be just one guy. ]


--3. hunter

[ Somehow, Levi has gotten his hands on a working motorbike. It doesn't seem to run on fuel (ask for details from the resident mad scientist who's apparently friends with him), but whatever it is, it's allowed him to quickly cover distances between outposts and hostile territory for years at this point. ]

[ He hasn't failed to collect a mark yet, either. There's some talks of those not willing to pay him for his work ending up with their throats slit, but it's probably just crazy rumors. It's not like The Ripper was real, either. ]

[ Are you a buyer or a target? ]


--4. wildcard

[ surprise me! levi could also possibly work as one of the afflicted (ackerstuff...) or remain in roughly the same roles but have different scenarios. he's most likely full-in into the universe and unaware that he's playing a role. other than that i'm pretty much down to clown with this haha. ]

protect (???)

[paintitblue]

[ Jinx does have it taken care of, sort of, or would if the mystery shooter had taken a moment longer. She's got explosives hidden all over the place -- caches, treehouses, perimeter mines, just for fun. She's standing in the middle of a rig right now, in fact, part of the reason she hadn't been too worried about the beasts closing in -- and part of the reason she's not yet moving. ]

[ She needs to get off of it in a very particular way, or she'll blow herself up along with her attackers -- and the area of effect might just be enough to reach some would-be saviours, especially if they come any closer. ]

[ She does raise her hands up, albeit dramatically, as if she's terribly bothered to do so. She can't see the shooter yet, but the results speak for themselves. ]

Nice gun you've got there, sis! --Bro? Eh. You can't be from around here~♫

!!!!!

[surveillingscion]

[You.

[Hands. Voice. Blue. Any doubt dispelled with a “sis”; it’s the face on the walls. Of course the bombs led to her—of course it all winds back to her, leader of the pack (surely!), that hideous mocking beast—

[Caitlyn fires. Misses the throat entirely. If she’s lucky, it still draws scarlet; a monster closing in, a different target. And if not? Boom. Her own station in a treehouse, elevated and rotting, is hardly stable.

[She’s not thinking.]

2 + wildcard, as discussed

[skua]

I've got it!

[Eren, not more than nine years old, bursts through "Captain" Levi's tent, holding a little metal box in his hands.]

Look, Captain! It's a whole med kit! There's even anniseptic inside. [He doesn't say that one quite right.

[Also, where the hell has Eren been? Doing this, apparently.]

[abandonhumanity]

[It must be unsettling, one hand on the wall, feeling for every step while someone looms behind you in the dark. About halfway down the staircase, Eren lights up a torch behind her. There's a long way down still to go.]

What did you do to aggravate them?

[Some would argue that the affected attack for no reason at all, but official sources do say otherwise...]

[paintitblue]

[ She draws blood! But thanks to a convenient beast interception -- or treehouse failure, or Jinx's own reaction -- it's just a surface graze, red streaming down pale skin but not actually harming her windpipe. ]

[ She's a true little sibling in that regard. Talking big, starting to sniffle as soon as she gets bruised. The spray of crimson scares her, wiping the smile off her face but she doesn't let it freeze her up, leaning away from the bullet and using the same momentum to jump off her little hidden pad platform, throwing herself into safe distance with a half-failed sommersault, a trace of pink glow left behind her -- whether a mark of the afflicted, or of someone's failed experiment to create a counterforce to them. ]

[ The charge goes off, large and bright, though apparently not particularly destructive -- but blinding enough that she has the chance to crawl further away as colourful smoke fills the area. ]

That was rude! [ She calls from behind the cover of smoke and whatever remains of buildings are scattered nearby. She probably wouldn't say this if she knew who it was -- not that she feels bad, no, but perhaps she sympathizes a little -- but she's not sure, and so, just goes for whatever feels appropriately rude in return. ] Don't you have a mom to teach you some manners?

closed to DA BOMB

[headhooligan]

[How long have they been here? It feels like years since they’ve seen the others—years since they’ve seen each other, visually, engulfed in pitch black. But Armin is smart, capable, tactical in a way that no petals can choke out, and Aubrey wouldn’t have a mark down her palm if she knew when to quit.

[They fight shadows. Sound is a solace, a signal. Human or monster, the shrieks are ghastly, nails and teeth keen ravenous. Before this, Aubrey hadn’t known a damn thing about a real fight. Now Armin's blades are closer than her bat ever could have been.

[They miss Eren.

[And they miss light—until, as one slash fells yet another yelpipng beast, the metal glints. For all Aubrey has adjusted to the dark, it's nearly blinding.]

Did you…? [Barely audible. God, but if it’s another cruelty…]