You were successful in repelling the robots attacking the city, but you've been left with far too many questions. For once, Tails doesn't have any answers for you, and a gloomy uncertainty has fallen over your three allies. It probably doesn't help that everyone had a rough time of it last week. A win is a win, but it doesn't really feel like a win when you're not even sure who this unknown threat is...
Regardless, life goes on. Things are a bit different this week in Chicago, however.
THE CITY
You'll need to be careful now more than ever when heading out into the city. Though Eggman's usual robots are still present, their numbers have been cut drastically. Far fewer drones patrol the streets, with only the occasional tank or B33 to be seen. You can still find and fight them, and they will still call for backup, but it seems like you all really have destroyed a lot of them.
But there are the new additions to Eggman's forces. Unlike the white chrome versions, these are here to cause problems. You can find them patrolling sometimes... but usually you'll find them in the city proper, destroying whatever they can. Whenever they catch sight of you, they will stop at nothing to try to pursue you and destroy you.
The city itself is still undergoing changes, with more of that white chrome spreading throughout, as if infecting the structures themselves. The Badniks will still destroy even that, though; it's more like they're mindless machines than carrying out any precise orders.
But in a stroke of good luck, occasionally you'll find that some of the humans recognize the danger they're in. It's only when confronted with a robot - but you might hear a scream, or see them try to run away, and if you save them, you may even be able to get a few words in before they simply return to their monotonous lives. You won't be able to get any truly valuable information from them, but they will thank you repeatedly for helping. They don't seem to realize that they're being controlled by someone else, even if you ask them about it.
VISIONS
If you thought last week was a lot, get ready for the madness of week 4!
You may still have nightmares. You may still be pulled into each others' nightmares (same as last week, if you'd like to play out more of these). Or maybe you'll finally be able to catch a break and get some z's, but even if you are lucky enough for that, you'll still be dealing with everything else.
You may find yourself randomly teleported into the city. This happens at random, and can happen to multiple people at the same time. One minute you may be waking up, the next you'll find yourself surrounded by robots ready to kill you. And yeah, the robots are a feature, not a bug. No matter how it happens, you will always be facing down robots whenever you're brought into the city. Enjoy!
But maybe your luck holds out and you're unaffected by that. Well, there's still the visions to deal with!
There are two different kinds of visions that may happen.
The first are the more minor ones - where you may see the people closest to you (positive or negative). They will appear for others as well, and they will gladly speak with you - though they aren't exactly behaving in the way they should. They will torment you, reminding you of past failures and imperfections, and speaking as though everything is your fault. They will follow you wherever you go, and will only fade when someone else has helped you come to terms with the horrid things they're saying. These visions are a manifestation of a character's psyche and thus are based on their own perceptions of their friends/enemies and their own faults. They're incapable of interacting with the world or the characters, but they sure can insult you!
The second are much larger in scope. No matter where you were, you may find yourself pulled into friend's memory. These memories are one-for-one versions of what exactly happened, though now you're here! Are you playing the role of someone else, or are you just a bystander in all that's happening?
The character having the vision may or may not be aware of you initially, but once they're made aware of your presence, the vision will still play out as the memory would. The only way to stop it - aside from simply letting it play out in its entirety - is to drastically alter the memory in such a way that it cannot get itself back on track. Considering the trauma some of the people in this game have, it might be a good idea to help break them free of it.
Regardless of which happens to you (the nightmares, the teleportation, or the visions), your vision will turn bright red for a moment afterwards - it vanishes quickly enough, but it leaves you with the eerie feeling that you're being watched.
SHARDS
Your powers are growing, and you'll find you're able to defend yourself with your power in some way, even if yours is a power made for support. All characters are now able to fire off a blast of energy in their shard color to defend themselves - this attack will grow stronger in time, but at least everyone should be able to defend themselves (somewhat) now?
As you fight with your allies - particularly those you have a close bond with, positive or negative - you may feel the tug of something in the back of your head; it tells you that you can do more. Together, you can become more powerful. You can use your shards together. Doing so will grant you a new power, or strengthen the one you already have. The more you trust one another, the easier this power will be to use.
It might be good to experiment with these new powers; after all, you never know when you may need them.
TAILS' TASKS
Like last week, Sonic Team is still in need of rings. Rings are still annoying to get. You'll probably need help to get them, but they're worth collecting. So make sure to grab some for Tails!
You may also be tasked with tracking Chaos Energy. Like with tracking rings, Tails will give you a device that can pick up on the signature. You should be careful in approaching, especially if the signature is a large one, considering the three enemies you faced last weekend. Still, Chaos Energy may lead you to more of Eggman's fake Chaos Emeralds, which could prove useful...
Tracking the source down will lead you to one of the weekly enemies with a shard somewhere on its body. It will be much harder to kill than the regular versions of that enemy, and capable of some kind of special power (players' choice). Crushing the shard will weaken the enemy and bring it back down to its normal power level, making it fairly easy to defeat, but if you manage to defeat it without breaking the shard, you can bring it back to Tails for examination.
ENEMIES
Though you can still find the enemies from previous weeks in Chicago throughout the city, their numbers have thinned. Mostly, you'll be running into new faces - robots that don't look anything like Eggman's usuals. They are very rarely actually patrolling or idling, instead focused on destroying parts of the city or attacking any people unfortunate enough to get in their way.
Moto Bugs are... rather cute. They roll around on their singular wheel and can slash with their front claws, though primarily they deal damage by ramming into things at fairly high speeds. They're fairly weak, all things considered, especially by now. They're completely powerless when knocked over or onto their backs. Though one Moto Bug is weak, you will never find them alone - instead, you'll usually find at least 3-5 of them in a group.
Crabmeats are robotic crabs. Where does the meat come in? Unclear. Regardless, they're stronger than Moto Bugs and are capable of both bashing with their massive claws and snipping, and either way they are capable of a good deal of damage if you get hit. They're slower though, which means getting out of the way shouldn't be too hard. Like Moto Bugs, these usually are never alone, often working in pairs.
Buzzers are bees. Did you think we were done with bees? We are absolutely not done with bees. These bees function almost identically to the B33 models in that they're capable of firing lasers from their stingers, divebombing to try to sting, and generally be(e)ing a nuisance. Unlike the B33 models, they do not have a glaringly obvious weak point and are a bit harder to hit and destroy as a result. Though you may rarely encounter only one of these bees out in the wild, usually you'll run into groups of them and they will not be(e) happy to see you.
[ A young lady can be seen following Percy around. It's as if she's hardly paying attention to him, what with how she's walking next to him while playing around on her phone. She's barley looking at him, and he is pointedly not looking at her. It doesn't stop her from talking, though. ]
Moved on already? Tch, some boyfriend you ever were.
[ He's quiet. ]
Honestly, I feel pretty awful for whoever you've got it bad for now. Percy, you've got commitment issues up the ass. Nobody's gonna wanna deal with that.
[ Silence. ]
Can't wait for you to get your comeuppance when you fuck it up all over agai-
Enough.
[ He finally snaps. ]
We're done. We're over, and you need to leave.
visions - major
kickflips (cws: none) click[ A small, young boy can get seen on a small skateboard. He's got a helmet and kneepads, and can be seen skating alongside a sidewalk with a girl slightly older than him. They're both doing some simple tricks, though the girl has more experience than he does, given by how she does the infamous kickflip. ]
Now you try!
[ The boy does it and
fails. Pretty badly! He's okay, probably just a little bruised up, but he bursts into tears. The girl laughs and moves over to comfort him.
Percy is watching, and he is watching with incredible fondness. He doesn't seem like he wants to leave. ]
the final day (cws: anxiety, gun violence, murder itt) click[ It is an ordinary day on Neo Earth. The sun is out, and the familiar sound of wheels rolling on pavement can be heard. Of course it's Percy, but he's sporting a different outfit. Check out that cute beanie. Isn't it great? Just like the day seems to be.
It's ordinary. Normal.
So why, then, is the Percy in Chicago falling onto his knees, gripping his chest with his good arm so tightly with his palm, struggling to catch his breath? He's gone extremely pale and his eyes are wide with fear.
Something's going to happen. What will you do? ]
later in the week/wildcard option
[ Percy is mostly chilling in the base, still recovering from the incident with Mecha Sonic. Sometimes he's in the entertainment room, playing music from a YouTube stream while sketching. Other times, he's in his room, trying to get some rest but utterly failing to with all the nightmares and such. ]
[ Oh- it's Wednesday again? Why does she always have to catch him at the worst times...but, goddamn. He has to pause at what she says. ]
...Yeah?
He doesn't deserve whatever 'better' is, girlie.
[ Ugh. He shoots his 'ex' a look. ]
Hey. Leave her out of this. You want someone to talk to, talk to me. [ Then, to Wednesday, in an exasperated tone: ] I thought the nightmares were supposed to be over?! What the fuck!
Honestly? Yeah. Asking for a good night sleep seems like a huge ask right now.
[ Thanks! He hates it! ]
Do you know how to make this [ he gestures at the other girl ] go away? ... Please tell me I'm not the only one dealing with stuff like this while I'm awake.
[ He says it with conviction, like he's trying to convince himself, too, that Ashley's right. ]
Oh, you poor girl. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, do you.
[ "Lia" looks up from her phone and turns her head towards Ashley. Something about her expression has changed: It's the way her makeup is pretty much streaking down her face, as if she'd just been crying horrifically a moment ago. ]
He'll break your heart, too. Just like he broke mine.
[ He can't help himself. He raises his voice in a panic. ]
No, I won't. It's – it's going to be different. [ He looks at Ashley with a hint of desperation. ] I swear.
[Well. There's not much he can do with a vague feeling of dread, though it does dully make him want to start counting the pavement tiles. Instead, he looks to Chicago Percy;]
[ Oh. Why is Fukuda here? Why is Fukuda the one who's going to see this, the worst day of his life, because when he sees what'll happen then he'll congratulate Percy or something, won't he –
Past Percy is opening his wallet and approaching a bank. An ATM. ]
Nothing. Nothing – just – [ His palm goes to his forehead. ] don't look.
[WOW Percy you think so little of him. But also fair. He is extremely weird.
Anyway, on the one hand, he wants to be polite. On the other hand, that makes him think something Plot Critical To Percy's Narrative is about to happen and he's extremely curious. So he feigns confusion.]
Anyway, Percy opens his mouth to respond, but then there's a hooded figure that appears. The figure goes through the entrance of the bank, past Percy –
bang! Bang!
Screaming. So much screaming, people are fleeing. Percy is one of those that's stunned, because he should know what's going on but he looks anyway. And that is his biggest mistake.
[Whuh oh. That can't be good. Now, the right thing to do here, especially given that this is a vision and thus no lasting consequences for Fukuda, would be to try and intervene. To help.
But also that seems hard and like it would probably hurt? And besides, it's a vision which ALSO means he wouldn't be substantively changing anything. So he just. Stands there and watches this play out.]
[ Arguably, perhaps doing nothing is the better play here, given that the memory cuts off pretty abruptly.
It ends with the gunman exiting the area and seeing a frightened Percy staring right at him. It ends with the gunman holding up their weapon with zero hesitation and pulling the trigger.
It ends with the bullet going through Percy's head.
The memory starts fading to black...until it starts to repeat itself. ]
[It does seem completely ordinary for what Oscar knows of Earth (and all of its variations). The weather is pleasant, and it's exactly the sort of day where Oscar himself would probably be skipping out of work halfway through the day to go relax at the tavern, have a few drinks and maybe play some pool. No wonder Percy is out enjoying it.
... the real Percy doesn't seem to be doing any such thing, however, and Oscar is instantly turning to him with a frown once he hears that thud beside him, realizing that Percy has dropped to his knees. Is he ill?]
Hey, you okay? Just relax, take some deep breaths...
[Oscar kneels down as well, ready to reach out a hand to rub Percy's back if that will somehow help.]
[ The real Percy is really going through it, so much that he barely notices Oscar until Oscar touches his back. He's shaking, and his head is nearly touching the ground. His hands are over his ears. ]
Don't...don't look–
[ But if Oscar does, he'll see a hooded figure entering the building (a bank) with what appears to be a gun in tow. They're going straight past Percy, but the loud bang coming from inside the building, followed by the screams that follow it, may clue Oscar in to what's going to happen. ]
[Oh... that's a sound Oscar knows all too well, so well that he doesn't even flinch at the sudden sharp report of the gunshot. The motion of his hand stops for a brief moment, then starts up again, firmer and more reassuring (as if anything in this situation could possibly be reassuring).
He doesn't know whether he should look. He already knows what he's going to see - it's not as if it's something he hasn't seen before - but if Percy doesn't want him to witness it...]
I'm right here.
[Because "it's okay" is hardly the proper thing to say in a situation like this, not when it's so obviously untrue.]
[ As Oscar changes his approach, the final gunshot goes off.
The memory starts to fade out, like someone losing consciousness – life, in this case – pretty quickly. When it finally turns black...the scene reappears. It starts all over again.
It's a nice day on Neo Earth. So why, then, is Percy now sobbing?
(It's a lot easier to cry when someone's rubbing your back, telling you they're here. He was alone when he died, after all.) ]
[... yeah, that's pretty much the ending he'd expected to this. It's disconcerting, knowing this was how they must have felt when--
"Please put the gun down, Oscar. Have you really turned into that much of a bootlicker for the top brass? Huh??"
He inhales sharply. It feels wrong to be the one comforting Percy now, yet at the same time he can't bring himself to move away, nor does he want to. Well, Oscar, this is just what you deserve, isn't it? Trying to comfort someone with those stained hands of yours...
So he swallows down the sick feeling in his stomach and just keeps rubbing, gentle and soothing. It's the very least he can do.]
Deep breaths, in and out. Try to focus on my voice.
[ A dear family member, huh? Well, that adds another layer to the memory. ]
Did she now? I have to wonder if she was an individual who became quite famous with such moves?
[ Though, they're now cracking a little smirk at the ask. ]
Perhaps a little; hard not to at the scene, no? [ A tease. ] But, you seemed more entertained than I am. Or perhaps entertained isn't quite the word for it. Rather, is it not joy and sentiment that runs through you at the sight?
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no subject
visions - major
later in the week/wildcard option
minor
Correct, Percy. I'm sure you could do much better.
no subject
...Yeah?
He doesn't deserve whatever 'better' is, girlie.
[ Ugh. He shoots his 'ex' a look. ]
Hey. Leave her out of this. You want someone to talk to, talk to me. [ Then, to Wednesday, in an exasperated tone: ] I thought the nightmares were supposed to be over?! What the fuck!
no subject
[ gross. she looks directly at Percy. ]
You'd think. Unfortunately, it seems another hallucination has arrived to prey on your guilt over your past. And this time while we're awake, no less.
no subject
[ Thanks! He hates it! ]
Do you know how to make this [ he gestures at the other girl ] go away? ... Please tell me I'm not the only one dealing with stuff like this while I'm awake.
minor
Don't listen to her, Percy. She's wrong.
no subject
[ He says it with conviction, like he's trying to convince himself, too, that Ashley's right. ]
Oh, you poor girl. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, do you.
[ "Lia" looks up from her phone and turns her head towards Ashley. Something about her expression has changed: It's the way her makeup is pretty much streaking down her face, as if she'd just been crying horrifically a moment ago. ]
He'll break your heart, too. Just like he broke mine.
[ He can't help himself. He raises his voice in a panic. ]
No, I won't. It's – it's going to be different. [ He looks at Ashley with a hint of desperation. ] I swear.
no subject
Percy, I know. [ There's no doubt there. ] You've already proven that.
[ If he could see the worst thing she's ever done and hold her anyway... She has no doubts. ]
no subject
[ He means that. He still doesn't look happy, but he reaches for Ashley's hand. If this were the real Lia, he'd be more discreet about it, but alas. ]
I'm trying. I'm glad you see that.
no subject
If I were to judge anyone for being scared, I think I'd be a little bit of a hypocrite.
the final day
Percy? What's wrong?
no subject
Past Percy is opening his wallet and approaching a bank. An ATM. ]
Nothing. Nothing – just – [ His palm goes to his forehead. ] don't look.
no subject
Anyway, on the one hand, he wants to be polite. On the other hand, that makes him think something Plot Critical To Percy's Narrative is about to happen and he's extremely curious. So he feigns confusion.]
Hm? Why? What's the matter?
cw gun violence from here
Anyway, Percy opens his mouth to respond, but then there's a hooded figure that appears. The figure goes through the entrance of the bank, past Percy –
bang! Bang!
Screaming. So much screaming, people are fleeing. Percy is one of those that's stunned, because he should know what's going on but he looks anyway. And that is his biggest mistake.
The Percy in the present is covering his ears. ]
no subject
But also that seems hard and like it would probably hurt? And besides, it's a vision which ALSO means he wouldn't be substantively changing anything. So he just. Stands there and watches this play out.]
no subject
It ends with the gunman exiting the area and seeing a frightened Percy staring right at him. It ends with the gunman holding up their weapon with zero hesitation and pulling the trigger.
It ends with the bullet going through Percy's head.
The memory starts fading to black...until it starts to repeat itself. ]
no subject
Percy... You didn't want me to know you died?
[Also how are you here if you died but that's a question for later.]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
cw: mention of attempted suicide
cw continued
(no subject)
(no subject)
cw: further suicide references
(no subject)
cw: still with the suicide this man
cw continued
(no subject)
the final day
... the real Percy doesn't seem to be doing any such thing, however, and Oscar is instantly turning to him with a frown once he hears that thud beside him, realizing that Percy has dropped to his knees. Is he ill?]
Hey, you okay? Just relax, take some deep breaths...
[Oscar kneels down as well, ready to reach out a hand to rub Percy's back if that will somehow help.]
cw gun violence from here
Don't...don't look–
[ But if Oscar does, he'll see a hooded figure entering the building (a bank) with what appears to be a gun in tow. They're going straight past Percy, but the loud bang coming from inside the building, followed by the screams that follow it, may clue Oscar in to what's going to happen. ]
no subject
He doesn't know whether he should look. He already knows what he's going to see - it's not as if it's something he hasn't seen before - but if Percy doesn't want him to witness it...]
I'm right here.
[Because "it's okay" is hardly the proper thing to say in a situation like this, not when it's so obviously untrue.]
no subject
The memory starts to fade out, like someone losing consciousness – life, in this case – pretty quickly. When it finally turns black...the scene reappears. It starts all over again.
It's a nice day on Neo Earth. So why, then, is Percy now sobbing?
(It's a lot easier to cry when someone's rubbing your back, telling you they're here. He was alone when he died, after all.) ]
no subject
"Please put the gun down, Oscar. Have you really turned into that much of a bootlicker for the top brass? Huh??"
He inhales sharply. It feels wrong to be the one comforting Percy now, yet at the same time he can't bring himself to move away, nor does he want to. Well, Oscar, this is just what you deserve, isn't it? Trying to comfort someone with those stained hands of yours...
So he swallows down the sick feeling in his stomach and just keeps rubbing, gentle and soothing. It's the very least he can do.]
Deep breaths, in and out. Try to focus on my voice.
kickflips;
Void Archives is just going to watch things transpire for a little while longer.
Though, they also do happen to make a comment of their own. ]
A friend...?
no subject
[ But they weren't wrong, either, about his sister being a friend. ]
Haha, are you entertained?
no subject
Did she now? I have to wonder if she was an individual who became quite famous with such moves?
[ Though, they're now cracking a little smirk at the ask. ]
Perhaps a little; hard not to at the scene, no? [ A tease. ] But, you seemed more entertained than I am. Or perhaps entertained isn't quite the word for it. Rather, is it not joy and sentiment that runs through you at the sight?