Amaterasu could feel her heart sink upon seeing the “Plant Temple”. It had brightened her spirit thinking that there was some life on this meat ship. This was not what she was picturing at all when she heard ‘temple’! She imagined it to be a shine of lush green foliage with little song birds and colorful flowers, a refuge of untouched nature, but It was just a sea of vines and scruffy undergrowth. Even so, this was far better than having no growth at all. The condition of the rest of the ship was far worse than this place.

As she journeyed across the ship to reach the temple the sun goddess witnessed the extent of the defoliation. Amongst the twisted, mismatched buildings and houses were patches of brown scraggily grass and shabby shrubs. Hardly anything to rave about and it did nothing to brighten up the place. The ship felt so dull and stagnate. There was a river to break up the vast expanse of brown. Well if you wanted to call that a river. Sure, it flowed like one, but where were the cattails and the water lilies? It was just as barren as the rest of the ship. She wondered if the inhabitants could remember the feel of fresh green grass between their toes or the sweet aroma of a flower.

This was not expectable in the least. Something had to be done. The condition of this place was far worse than that of Nippon. The goddess would have to make everything herself. That was going to require great amount of her spiritual power, but she could do it. She had to.

Amaterasu narrowed her eyes with new found determination and she set off to work, starting with this river. With a flick of her tail there was an eruption of flora. The once barren shore was now covered in reeds, cattails, and weeping willows that gracefully arced over the water casting their shadows. This was only the beginning. Ammy raced through the ship as a tidal wave of green was left in her wake. Tirelessly she worked through the late hours. When the inhabitant woke up it must have been quite a sight. Seemingly over the night the ship had exploded with color. Where there were once bare patches of earth was now covered with grassland and trees of all shapes and sizes. And the flowers! Oh there were flowers everywhere! Around a nearly formed meadow was a ringlet of trees and sitting in the middle was an enormous cherry tree in full bloom. Its soft pink petals fell like snow in the breeze. Sitting at the base was one very tired looking white wolf. It had taken everything the deity had, but she did it. She panted happily as she lay in the grass, she just needed to close her eyes for a bit...

This ship... was huge. And 'huge' didn't even seem to be a big enough word. Gargantuan. Cavernous. Ratchet's logical mind was struggling to understand how something on this scale was possible, but then again, common sense pointed out, they were dealing with interdenominational world eaters and planets full of people sleeping in pods. Logic didn't seem to have a very good hold on this situation.

He had detoured briefly to the medical wing earlier, but he knew better- if he went in there now, he'd be gone. Even a glimpse was enough to convince him that he was going to spend days just figuring the basics out. And the last thing he wanted was a week from now to realize that he didn't even know Stacy's basic layout. So he was starting with the City.

The sky was a nice touch, if somewhat startling at first. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when he started out, but he was very quickly wondering if he'd taken on more than he could handle. There seemed to be more of this place than he would have thought there to be room for and he was getting the distinct feeling that maybe aimless wandering was going to get him lost.

At least he could say it would be an adventure.

[OOC: Sort of bendytime'd? I'd meant to get this up earlier. 8B Ratch is wandering around the City, sticking his nose into all kinds of places in the name of exploration. Please feel free to tag with impunity! <3 ]

The rest of the crew assembled on the Observation Deck to meet the latest editions to their numbers. After the revelation that their worlds are gone, many of them are even more eager to see people they knew from home.

Several people are set up near the doors to provide the new people with omnicoms and comm rings. New crew-mates might see a green-skinned alien and snake girl among their number. There are also several authoritative-looking figures ready to introduce themselves.

There's a lot to tell the new people. It's going to be a lot to take in.

[ooc: Only new characters and Command Staff can start new threads for introductions, to limit the number of threads. Everyone else, just tag in and have your guys greet the newbies.]

Javert, after casting his votes, had decided not to remain with the others who were milling about. He had instead headed for the City, intent on familiarizing himself even further with its twists and turns. What use was a policeman who didn't know his beat? None at all. Therefore, Javert took it upon himself to learn.

He walked with an even, measured step; Long strides for his long legs, but not exceptionally fast or directed. He looked, for Javert, to be in a jovial mood. Of course, such moods meant he was even more tended to snap and mock, but it would be with almost a sense of humor about it, and less of his usual bitterness.

He took a pinch of snuff as he carried on his way, hands deep in his pockets and eyes on everything around him.

Aeneas stood back and regarded his new home.

What an odd thing to think—‘new home’. Never had the alien thought he would be making a house on what he previously considered a ‘transportation vessel’; Stacy was just another transitory location, a means of getting from point A to point B with a few stops on the way. But then again, hadn’t he thought of Walrum the same way? And hadn’t he ended up making a home there as well?

Perhaps it was merely in his nature to settle. Briefly Aeneas wondered if he’d been the same way before the crash—or if this new manifestation of a living quarters was familiar for a reason, rather. It wasn’t like he’d fixed it up based on any definite plans, drawn or otherwise, and the building itself was hardly recognizable until after restoration was completed upon these unknown specifications. The house turned out more like a cottage than anything: two floors, spacious on the first with several differently-sized rooms on top, each with its own set of living necessities, a bed, a small window. The idea to add these separate quarters was a modest one, as perhaps he could let some of his friends inhabit them rather than live alone in one of the many crew rooms. But then Aeneas began to see the benefit of allowing other crew members to stop in for a night or two, perhaps on longer ventures into the heart of the City, which might prove exhausting without a proper resting period, or perhaps simply to escape the blandness of the standard living areas and the mess hall. Hence the lower level kitchens and outdoor garden, by the way.

It had taken several months to finally finish the whole thing, but now everything was in order, the rooms were ready, and the fast-growing edibles from the back were ripe for cooking. Aeneas eagerly awaited his first guests.

It wasn’t often that he got to show off, after all.

[[ooc: Open threading and funtimes abound! Think of this as a sort of 'crew gathering' thread that can be...perpetually revisited. Or something like that.]]

By this point, the Ohm had spread all across the planet.

Destruction spread throughout the cities of Zokez II. There were evacuees that still needed to escape. People that needed saving.

It was time for the crew to do what they did best.

[ooc: Sub-plots! Check here before tagging.]

Rei had taken the phrase 'Shore Leave' a bit literally. After a quick shopping trip to pick up some real clothes and a pair of swim trunks, he'd made his way down to a beach. Like usual, he was smiling like mad, though this time it was different. This time the smile actually made it to his eyes. He was actually happy now, instead of just faking happiness. Sure, he felt a bit self conscious, standing there in just trunks - without a shirt it was obvious how scrawny and out of shape he was, and though he hated having hair anywhere but his head, he hadn't shaved his legs in months. And this was the first time he'd ever exposed the long, diagonal claw scars on his back that he'd received during the craziness with the Nightmare King. But, hey, he still had his watch, chain looped around and worn around his neck like a pendant. He didn't feel all too exposed as long as he had that.

He'd grown up around beaches, and regularly used to go to them with his family. Standing there in the sand reminded him of those trips, and while he felt the familiar pang of sadness he did whenever he thought of his lost family, it brought back happy memories. Plus, he was finally on an alien world, and there was no way he couldn't be happy about that.

And he wanted - no, needed - to go swimming.

The first thing Katara would do once she got her shore leave and money would be to head to a shop a buy a bathing suit: it nothing too bare, she preferred one pieces to bikinis anyway, and she got one with a pretty interesting design decked in blue. When that was done, she purchased some suntan lotion and made straight away for the water, laughing and giggling as she playfully had the tide come to meet her. When she got close enough she turned in the air and landed neatly into the water, using her hands to have the water sweep her out as she dove in and out. She did just about everything she could there: water surfing, exploring the sea creatures within, and bringing the waves up and down to take her higher in the air. Anyone who could have observed the girl would have known immediately her element, and when she finally DID get out of the water, she wasn't tired but in fact more pumped up and ready to see more of this place.

Also, she could eat seafood, couldn't she? The possibilities were endless!

There were some things Aeneas had to attend to before he could continue with his project. Mainly it was contacting the Command Crew and seeing if said project could even begin to be contemplated, much less be carried out; but there was also that matter of knowing his tools, figuring out what he had available to work with and how he could better use them, their functions, their compatibilities. Their tastes.

Thus was the reason for why Aeneas was in the Media Library, ten-foot bulk curled within a pod room as he rifled through the complex computer terminal nearby (how he managed to get it to work was beyond him—Aeneas had a natural affinity for finicky machinery it seemed). Images of Earth’s diverse animal classification system reflected off his visor, revolving around his head in neat circles, seeming to show what was going through his mind while he rifled through each kingdom.

This had, surprisingly, began over a discussion of fish. He was consequently looking for where they would fit in on this classification system, as a start. His feathers twitched as he located the name “Animalia”.

”This looks promising…” And also hauntingly familiar. Aeneas shrugged off that feeling and pressed the link.

He hadn’t closed the door.

Title: Seriously Serious Fluff
Location: Stacy; The Sensoriums





Morning had been mostly productive. If you count re-learning how to walk as productive and the afternoon thereof getting the cramps out of his back and legs. Still, it had been decent thus far and he had managed to half-walk, half-stagger five feet before his legs had given out.

Now, however, is another story.

Now, Renne grins a secret, impish grin to himself upon reverting back to his crawl and moving into a Sensorium chamber.

The whoopee cushion trail had been laid. Now, the trail ends in a chamber full of pillows.....



[[ OOC: Yes, it's a trail of whoopee cushions and yes, it ends in a room full of pillows. Very open, for this is a TRANS9 PILLOW FIGHT! Rowr. ]]

If the Mess Hall normally smelled like anything, it was the bland, flavorless glop that the crew was accustomed to eating. But if you were to pass by the room today, you might notice a different smell. A good smell - the smell of actual food.

Nanoha Takamachi and Miku Hinasaki have been hard at work cooking up a feast of authentic homemade Japanese cuisine, and the entire ship is invited. Have at it!

(ooc: Thread amongst yourselves; Nanoha and Miku will be tagging around and making sure everyone's having a good time, but it's a party!

There's pretty much every type of Japanese cuisine here that they thought non-Japanese would enjoy/be familiar with: Hand-rolled sushi, some gyoza potstickers, udon bowls, agedashi tofu, and a variety of other dishes. If you're familiar with it, they probably made some.)

It was amazing how quickly one could get used to things. The eerie suspicions of living inside a 'benevolent' Reaper still didn't leave the commander, she couldn't exactly keep that from her normal daily activities.

One of those activities meant keeping fit. Most of the crew would probably see her at one point or another every morning.

From the minute she woke up and had her first cup of coffee, Shepard was already making her rounds. A nice, even paced jog around the ship for an hour and half. Usually she wouldn't go further than three miles, but the combat suit she wore in place of the plant suits made the exercise a little easier than it should.

Afterward her jog, came the Sensorium. She was kind of fascinated by what the section of the Reaper-ship could do. There was a lot virtual reality could do in her universe, but the experiences the Sensorium had to offer were leagues beyond anything Shepard had seen. With a few creative thoughts, it took the less than tech-savvy Shepard only a few minutes to build herself a simulated training room. The architecture wasn't too extravagant, a simple studio on top of a skyscraper. The floor of the studio was covered in mats, while the walls were lined with other athletic gear. None of it was real, but it would do well enough for now. For several hours afterward, Shepard would either use the equipment or call up various AI partners to spar against. humans, Turians, Assari, Krogan; all of them had different fighting styles and the Sensorium did well in making each virtual opponent react like they should and gave the commander quite the workout, though occasionally leave her some bruises to nurse for the rest of the day.

Shepard did this every morning almost like clockwork, a nice routine schedule that helped bring clarity to the rest of the day. None of it was private time either. If anyone wanted to talk to her, who was she to stop them?

[This log basically can take place any morning throughout the week. If you tag, be sure to point out what day they visit so we don't cause too much of a weird time-bendy thing.]

It had been awhile since the whole Nightmare King incident and, for the most part, Irma was just glad to have a bit of down time. Donning a swimsuit and entering her training room within the W.I.T.C.H. Bus, the Water Guardian opted for a simple swim. If there was one thing that she enjoyed about the water room was that she could stay in here for as long as she liked.

Having breathable water helped, no doubt.

"Now, this? This is more like it." Irma said, relaxing as her body drifted around the pool. "No worries, no monsters... no school... yep. Things just can't get better than this."

Because, really? Things can go so easily downhill from there.

The rest of the crew assembled on the Observation Deck to meet the latest editions to their numbers. After the revelation that their worlds are gone, many of them are even more eager to see people they knew from home.

Several people are set up near the doors to provide the new people with omnicoms and comm rings. New crew-mates might see a green-skinned alien and snake girl among their number. There are also several authoritative-looking figures ready to introduce themselves.

There's a lot to tell the new people. It's going to be a lot to take in.

[ooc: Only new characters and Command Staff can start new threads for introductions, to limit the number of threads. Everyone else, just tag in and have your guys greet the newbies.]

Grim Eyes still didn't understand how these things worked - to her, it seemed like if it wasn't real, she shouldn't be able to smell it. You couldn't smell anything in a dream, and as far as she was concerned the Sensoriums were just an overly elaborate dream. With smells. That could hurt you if you let them.

But, as with most things that she didn't fully understand, she left the figuring out part to people with more interest in figuring it out and used the parts that benefited her as she saw fit. To this end, as she stepped into the Sensoriums, her ears twitched when it changed itself seamlessly into the Tribe's territory.

She took her spear over to the nearest rock and began the laborious process of sharpening it. It hadn't had a decent sharpening since she came aboard this confounded ship, and if she was going to be hunting, she was going to need it. As she ground it against the stone she hummed the methodical, repetitive tune of the Tribe sending their hunters off to provide.

She was probably the last person in the universe who knew it, now.

It happened again. One day, Katara had her head filled with the thoughts of a person, someone she cared deeply about, someone that meant a lot to her-and the next they were gone, and Katara was left with an empty feeling. Unlike the last time, though, Katara didn't just feel like they were parts of her memory: this felt like a big chunk, like something had been ripped out of her mind. Now she stared at her hand a moment, then at her chest. She felt like she didn't know what to do with herself, as if this missing memory was something that hadn't just affected her time on the ship but her purpose, a part of her.

She started to run, but she didn't really have a destination in mind. She had had to keep running toward a place where she could get rid of this feeling, but she didn't know how to do it. None of her training or assurances or good feelings were with her right now. She felt as if she were bordering on hysteria and heartache at the same, and finally, she stopped, her muscles locking and threw up. She retched, bringing herself back, and felt horrible, but at least now she had a destination. She ran toward the medbay, her hair messy and her body trembling.

She didn't know who was here, but she opened her mouth to speak involuntary.

"I think I need to-I don't feel very-"

And then her eyes started to fill with tears and she coughed and coughed, crying still. She needed to lie down or something, she wasn't sure what, but she was in pain and felt sick and couldn't explain why.

He’d been asleep for far too long.

There wasn’t much he could do, after Aang woke up and started breaking everything—structure-wise and organism-wise actually—he was only one alien against an angry human god badly harmed by yet another, not to mention a seriously injured alien already recovering from a nightmare of his own. It was no surprise that he’d collapsed on the way to the med bay. It was more of a surprise that he’d made it so far with several more injured humans in tow.

In any case, he was here, right back where he’d started several days ago, or however long it’d been, the poor fellow had lost track during all of this. Would someone tell him? His nap ran a touch long and his anesthetics were beginning to wear off, and seriously, how did he get here again? Where was ‘here’ exactly? And what of Katara’s partner, the one who went crazy and he was unable to—

With a sudden sucking of air through the slits atop his muzzle, Aeneas’s eyes flashed open and he bolted upright in his cot, torso stiff, webbed hands clenched against the sides. He sat there, every muscle tensed, fur matted with nervous perspiration, for several horrifying moments.

"KATARA I FOUND HIM BUT HE HAS SUFFERED SOME SORT OF MENTAL TRAUMA AND ATTACKED THE OTHERS I WILL LEAD YOU TO HIM ONCE I BRING THE INJURED FEW TO—"

They hear the sounds of fighting behind them, the sounds of the fights that will determine if everyone on the ship lives or dies, stays sane or goes irrevocably mad. They are followed by things crawling in the dark, slinking--and sometimes bubbling along the walls.

This will be a fight. Some of them will have to hold off the hordes while others figure out how to free the Avatar from his prison. The problem at hand is that if they do it a moment too soon, the Nightmare King will be entirely freed, and if it's a moment too late, the last act of the Nightmare King will be to send along a pulse of energy through the glyphs that drives Aang insane, and then they'll have a mad demigod on their hands.

Those glyphs seem to be the key. They run from the room where the great stone is to the room where Aang is imprisoned in--

In a stone sarcophagus? That can't be where he's been all this time, can it? Locked away in a space no larger than a coffin?

Nearby are ugly contraptions with many tubes, stained with what looks like dried blood, and there is an experimental table set up nearby, with patterns and notes, glyphs and vials, and a computer console. The vials are stained brown with what looks like dried blood as well. The window to the room is broken, but the person who broke it--Jaime Reyes--doesn't remember it, as there had been two people he'd been with then that GLaDoS had stolen away. With his memory of them had gone the memory of this place, and that is the tragedy, that someone had known the sarcophagus was here--and then forgotten by the time this knowledge could have helped them find Aang sooner.

The tubes and things all hook up to the sarcophagus standing upright with its back set against the wall. It's a strange and horrible looking contraption, holes where the eyes should be, strange and ugly designs on the torso that were almost too horrible to be called writing--just like that around the black stone. On each arm, however, are scrawled very interesting designs that don't quite match the rest of the symbols--on an arm, swirling designs that look like air, on another, designs that look like water. On a leg, earth, on the other, fire.

If there are any doubts left at all, however, even after seeing those designs, eyes inside the sarcophagus suddenly open, glowing a bright blue that's likely familiar to a few in the room. They're very old, old, eyes.



All this time, he'd been kept alive in his prison, in a state of semi-suspended animation. Awake, aware, his body growing, his muscles kept from atrophying, his body kept fed and hydrated and clean. He'd been kept alive in a prison hardly larger than a coffin, and hardly able to move for well over a year. For some, this would have been enough to drive them insane. For Aang, it had just been all the more reasons to leave his body and use the powers granted to him by his prison to visit the dreams of the others and protect them.

If the other teams lose their fight, nothing this team does will matter. However, if the others win and defeat the Nightmare King...

They have about a minute or two to figure out how to free Aang, without accidentally freeing the Nightmare King first, before Aang's driven irrevocably insane. All while holding off hordes of horrible grotesques.

Good luck, guys!

Welcome to the Unholy Cathedral at the heart of Escherville. It is here, in this place, that the Nightmare King has made his bid for release.

And he will not be stopped by the likes of you.

More monstrosities pour out of every angle, intent on ending this adventure. These monsters are every bit as horrific as the ones you all faced to get to this point, though you will quickly notice there is something drastically different about them.

Magic does not affect these creatures. At all.

Your spells do nothing. Your prayers are meaningless. The power of your God is useless against them.

No force in heaven or hell can affect them.

Nothing at all Magical can hurt them.