While your conversation with Shadow may have shed light on a few things... it's obvious he doesn't think you all are up to the task of saving the universe from Eggman. Which also means that now you're dealing with his test, starting immediately. Some of you may be whisked away with no time to even blink, while others may find themselves wandering the Void aimlessly. Regardless, it seems this week won't be a particularly easy one.
THE VOID
Nothing has changed in the Void. Nothing ever changes in the Void. It's impossible to track the passage of time in here, and your only escape are the rings... though you should be careful with them, as there's far fewer this week. You're free to travel between worlds as you see fit - Shadow won't stop you - but you can be snatched up from wherever you are at any given moment and pulled back into the Void. Maybe don't plan on spending to long anywhere else, because it won't end well for you if you do.
The hexagonal shards will still show you visions of other worlds... but this time they all show the same thing. You'll see worlds - maybe even your own - taken over by robots and Eggman's chroma, reduced to smoldering ashes or being rebuilt in Eggman's image. Your friends, allies, and enemies may even be going about their lives just as listlessly and dutifully, heedless of their surroundings. You may even see alternate versions of yourself among them. Regardless, it seems all these shards have to show you this week are all the possibilities of failure - that other versions of shardbearers in other timelines have already lost.
MINDSCAPES
Shadow's usage of the Phantom Ruby and his own fake Chaos Emerald shard have caused quite the problem for you all - namely, you'll find yourselves traversing each other's innermost thoughts and dreams. Exactly how this mindscape manifests depends on the individual, but one thing will always remain true: you won't be able to find the owner of the mindscape easily.
As a reflection of these inner thoughts, mindscapes can be any sort of place. Perhaps they are a reflection of the owner's inner demons and fear, or perhaps they showcase a bright future they want to work towards. Regardless, this is a dream and one the owner must be awoken from... which means finding them and bringing them back to reality. That's easier said than done when traversing through this dream-like state, where the rules are made up by the owner and you're a foreign being that the dream recognizes as a threat (even if you aren't).
You may encounter familiar places or people within these mindscapes. You may not. You may end up fighting for your life in here... or you may not. Each one is individual, and the experience can vary wildly from person to person. No matter what you face, you must find the owner of the mindscape and bring them back. You must ensure you're strong enough to support them... and protect yourself.
Curiously, you can activate your shared shard power with the owner of the mindscape at any time - or bolster your own power if you share shard colors - even without them being present. Will this make it easier or harder to help bring them back? It depends on the person, your bond, and the mindscape itself...
Waking them up is as simple as convincing them that they're dreaming - that this isn't real and that they still have things to return to - but that may be easier said than done depending on the person... or the mindscape itself. There's no telling what you'll encounter, after all.
SHARDS
You'll find you're capable of more now than you were before. You're really adapting to using your shard powers and fighting with others. Those of you who share shard colors will feel the strength of your shards increasing even more when working together.
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
Given that your allies are being pulled into mindscapes and are unable to break free of their own, your task this week is to help your friends. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are off dealing with their own mindscapes, but whenever they are around, they're adamant about the importance of making sure everyone is freed and prepared for whatever comes next.
ENEMIES
Like last week, you will not encounter any of Eggman's robots. The Void is still free of enemies, though other worlds may possess their own threats. Mindscapes are a bit of a different beast; each one varies, and you may or may not encounter threats of any sort in them. Best be on your guard.
[ At least this time it's less loud than before - there's something like them making further realizations on the matter, and when they do disagree, they don't always want it to be with a flare of anger. It's just a little frightening realizing just how much little time is likely left, especially as time trickles down here in regards to the current mission that they have.
They hear him mention that Vash will remember each and every face.
So, really, isn't that even more of a reason...? They pause and try to think about this harder even if they can't seem to find a way to make this sound potentially palpable to Wolfwood. He might have considered his response cruel, but it's just making them go into further contemplation. They may have gotten a bit more stubborn.
Or...it's desperation. ]
Hmph, I won't be a coward - I'll answer your harsh question.
I will even say that maybe it isn't enough. 20, 30, 40...100 years.
Eventually those will be gone in a blink of an eye.
But, with more time, there happens to simply be more opportunities to look on for longer how many shared moments there are. The pain of the loss will still be great, and yet, what about the times filled with joy?
The bittersweet feeling of someone who passed will always remain with agony.
Though, at the same time, I can't help that it would feel worth it. That it could be enough. Not forever.
But, just for quite a long while after. Especially if there were mementos.
[ if void archives is thinking that answering wolfwood with something tangible supposed to help him, it doesnât. he didnât need the confirmation of his suspicions, but guess he was going to have it anyway. and, of course, all of the lengths of time that they shared with him are all beyond what wolfwood could promise. well, if things worked well enough for the two of them, he could see twenty years being possible by the slimmest margins.
and while wolfwood muses over his mortality, he half-listens to the rest of what they had to say to him. nothing of it really sounds any different to the conclusions that he could draw himself about what was before the two of them. but when they remind him about leaving behind a memento⌠that does seem pretty obvious, doesnât it? itâs not as though itâs new concept to him; he has been to many funerals where all that was left behind were mementos.
it was just⌠]
Memento?
[ what could he offer vash? punisher? âŚhis cross? ]
[ They absolutely figure their words are going on deaf ears, but they are nothing if not persistent. So when they seem to hardly be doing much in that regard though seem to catch Wolfwood on a portion of it, they suddenly feel themselves spring a bit to life here.
It's...something. They don't have much time for there to be little things, but for now, they think maybe it is an aspect that can be worked with. For example, if they can convince him to create a number of mementos and he needs more time to create as many as possible for this Vash and whatnot.
They won't get too ahead of themselves, though. ]
Hmph. Not now you're not.
But, have you considered creating some? Or getting him some? Does he like jewelry?
[ out of all of the things that they have tried with wolfwood, this might be the most successful that theyâll be with him on their own because wolfwood will seriously consider the points theyâre making. he'll even go as far as to ignore making a snide remark or roll his eyes when they huff at him for not having any mementos that immediately come to mind. the man has confessed to being a wandererâas if he was someone who would carry with him more than what was necessary.
still, he mulls over the idea of leaving vash photos. itâs probably what anyone would think of leaving behind when it comes to mementos. photos are designed to capture moments in time to remember for later, after all. however, as easy as it would be to do something like thatâ ]
Photos fade after a while, donât they?
[ wolfwood carefully revisits the concept of jewelry. metal is much better at withstanding the passage of time. though he has never bothered to ask if vash liked jewelry or notâwhat reason would he have to ask vash that to begin with? wolfwood is a bit distracted as he continues. ]
He wears an earring. Just one.
[ on his left side. not that matters much to the conversation but— ]
ând the guy is missinâ most of his left arm. He has a pretty fancy prosthetic to make up for it. Ya could barely tell that it isnât natural.
[ They can work with this indeed. There's still enough time to frame this in a way that will eventually lead up to more items in particular, though they would hope that it is quite a good number of things in all. Void Archives goes quiet right away when he mentions that photos happen to fade after awhile. Yes, that's true, but maybe something can be done about that.
There's not exactly a Divine Key for preservation of an object - although there is for preservation of a number of bodies to help prolong a civilization in an emergency. But, this seems kind of extremely for a bunch of photos - plus there is no guarantee it would work on such inorganic matter.
Still, they feel that photos may be the best bet here...if there is a way to make it convenient.
Ah, wait... ]
Yes. Though, there could be a way around it.
Such as if they were able to be accessed on a digital platform - one that was sturdy and protected against forms of easy damage or data loss and corruption.
[ Hmm...maybe they could assemble something with their own knowledge at the helm and fortify it themselves. But, as for other considerations...? ]
Is he the type to be partial to bracelets, then? If he has a prosthetic that looks just as real as any other arm, it can be worn there or on his normal one as well?
[ as much as the idea of providing images recorded by digital means to vash to remember him (and whoever else) is a logical choice and probably something available to vash already due to his familiarity with âlost technologyâ, wolfwood isnât sure if thatâs something that suits him. if itâs a memento left from him, shouldnât it remind vash of him whenever he looked at it? as reasonable as void archivesâ suggestion ends up looking, wolfwood doesnât spend much time on it.
instead and obviously, heâll mull over the idea of giving vash a bracelet. that feels slightly more like him. at least, it could be something he would gift to someone. âŚhas gifted to someone (when he was much younger). though he still finds himself furrowing his eyebrows as he thinks though the first question they asked him. ]
No idea.
I havenât seen him been given anythinâ that didnât serve some other purpose than keepinâ him safe or for defendinâ himself.
[ which is kind of sad if you think about it. the only things that vash has of peopleâthat he carries with himâare the scars on his skin, the clothes on his back, and the weapons that he carries with him. wolfwood continuing to frown the longer he spends with this. ]
He might like all of that stuff for all I know. [ âŚwould he? truthfully, wolfwood suspects that vash may cherish anything that was given to him. of course, it would mean that vash was around long enough to allow that to happen. ] Idiot probably doesnât own any of that because he canât trust himself to not losinâ it whenever he finds himself gettingâ into trouble.
[ Void Archives doesn't even have an iota that Vash would be familiar with such technology but has just been assuming he'd have acclimated to it just fine and that's just hilarious, honestly. Though, that being said...Wolfwood painting a picture that the man doesn't own any personal items beyond necessities is not too strange, initially. They don't own much themselves, considering.
Yet, that is how they know it is odd after further consideration. They should receive so many expressions of gratitude, really. They are helping.
But, as they consider whether or not it'd be ultimately practical, or finding some way to incorporate it in some other manner, Wolfwood himself seems to be giving it some thought. There's not really much to confirm which one would be better.
Though...
Both so happens to be an option as well, right? Why just one or the other? But, getting a bracelet would be more of a matter of considering what type. So maybe that one can be solved far more quickly for sure. ]
Hmm. Well, if there was a way to be certain to have a gift stick to him without losing it with ease, I'm sure he'd be amenable to it.
For example, with a bracelet, it's easy to wear, and hard to lose under most circumstances, considering the type of item it is. The other option - well, there can be a creative method to arrange the same, but we can come back to that.
What color is his earring? Does he have any particular liking for any kinds of gems? Colors?
[ and as much as wolfwood would like to get a better explanation out of void archives about what they meant by that, itâs much easier to answer the question that he knows. âŚeven if a part of him wants to tell void archives that they saw vashâan illusion of him but vash nevertheless. ]
Uh, his earring is gold, and I just said that I donât have any idea of what kind of preferences he could have with gems and all of that.
[ despite saying this wolfwood is going to divide some of his attention to think about what kind of gems could like. âŚnot that wolfwood has a wide knowledge of the different kind of gems out there and the colors, shapes, and sizes that they can all come in. he was but a modest orphan before he was taken away to be transformed into a ruthless murderer. with the limited knowledge that he does have, though, he starts to wonder if this might be too muchâŚ
sure heâs entertaining the idea of leaving vash a memento but why does it seem like this might lead to something more than just that. especially when he thinks about how a bracelet still might be too cumbersome and run the risk of being destroyed. ]
Iâm not sure if itâs his favorite color, but he looks good in red. Iâve only ever really seen him wearinâ that red coat, so Iâd guess heâs a fan of the color.
[ this is where wolfwood would go on and further elaborate that vash had a soft spot for geraniums if it was knowledge that he knew. unfortunately, he doesnât know vashâs connection with the flower so heâs just going to think about the idea of getting vash a bracelet. âŚor maybe something else..? ]
[ And here they thought Wolfwood was just being shy about the preferences thing...but, alright! Gold.
They can work with that, because that color and metal looks good with a lot of things, really. They should know - and that makes them suddenly all the more confident. As if they were anything but right about now, with the way they're plowing through this.
'He looks good in red', though, huh...they let out an amused huff, hearing that. ]
But, I understand now.
A good-sized gold bracelet inlaid with a small, singular garnet, perhaps. Or it could just simply be rose-gold to have that added flare of subtle red without dealing with a small gem.
Does that sound reasonable? I imagine such an item can be treated to make it quite durable as well, hm? Unless there's anything else that comes to mind?
[ So that's an in-depth suggestion out there in the wild as of now. Alongside whatever else Wolfwood may be thinking (?) and Void Archives' other idea still for the photos option. ]
[ are there even things that wolfwood is shy about? real answers only. but regardless of what that answer is, wolfwood is just going to nod along with what void archives tell him about this hypothetical bracelet that he could/should give to vash as a memento. they sure are all words that he understands on an objective level but ask him to explain what all of it means and heâll fail.
case in point: ]
Rose-gold? [ reminder, he was just a simple orphan before everything happened so much. ] Are we really talkinâ about a bracelet here?
[ not that what they tell him sounds bad, itâs just not something that he would have considered for a bracelet. his idea of a bracelet is something silver or gold (what the fuck is rose-gold) with some engraving or some sort of cool design. this is the limit of his knowledge of jewelry. ]
What yer talkinâ about sounds like the kinds of words yaâd use for a ring. [ ...ah.
may void archives not capitalize on the momentarily pause to realize what he had just said. or, even if they do, he will immediately add to what he had said. do not get crazy ideas, cube. wolfwood is not about to give vash a ring to remember him by. (at least this is what heâs telling himself presently.) what kind of message would he be accomplishing there? ]
—which will certainly give a guy the wrong idea if I just start off with handinâ him a ring.
[ PROBABLY? there are only so many ways you can take gifting someone such a fancy sounding ring, right? or, even if isnât that fancy comparatively to others, it is fancy for wolfwood. ]
[ There definitely are if they are V-shaped. This is a fact that will be engraved in the entire history of the game and afterwards. ]
Bracelets come in rose-gold. Have you never seen that before?
[ They'd understand if not, though of course they are used to seeing grand things - Otto came from a VERY rich family, and they observed him for about 500 or so years even when their knowledge was used for certain purposes or whatnot. To say the least of the fact that they would be knowledgeable about certain objects due to what they are in the first place... ]
Well, either way, they are very much in existence. There is also a good amount of time to witness them in person - and it is quite the necessity in order to narrow down the one that would be most applicable, anyway.
[ But, imagine a bracelet with a engraving of "W" for Wolfwood...that'd make it even more personalized, and potentially precious!
Then, they pause as Wolfwood mentions the ring and then they get this sort of look on their face. One that spells no-good - or maybe it's helpful? Totally exactly that. ]
...Oh my. A ring?
You'd certainly give him ideas if you handed him a ring. Hmm, you know, I hadn't considered that as an option. But, if you wished to profess your undying affection for him, as well as solidify it, and immortalize it in one singular fashion, a ring would certainly be a way to do it.
After all, it certainly doesn't have to be an indication you'll immediately be jumping for a wedding. But, engagement rings are not out of style.
[ So. Making Vash his fiance doesn't sound too odd, right? Sorry not sorry. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
They hear him mention that Vash will remember each and every face.
So, really, isn't that even more of a reason...? They pause and try to think about this harder even if they can't seem to find a way to make this sound potentially palpable to Wolfwood. He might have considered his response cruel, but it's just making them go into further contemplation. They may have gotten a bit more stubborn.
Or...it's desperation. ]
Hmph, I won't be a coward - I'll answer your harsh question.
I will even say that maybe it isn't enough. 20, 30, 40...100 years.
Eventually those will be gone in a blink of an eye.
But, with more time, there happens to simply be more opportunities to look on for longer how many shared moments there are. The pain of the loss will still be great, and yet, what about the times filled with joy?
The bittersweet feeling of someone who passed will always remain with agony.
Though, at the same time, I can't help that it would feel worth it. That it could be enough. Not forever.
But, just for quite a long while after. Especially if there were mementos.
[ ... ]
Even if you don't believe so.
no subject
and while wolfwood muses over his mortality, he half-listens to the rest of what they had to say to him. nothing of it really sounds any different to the conclusions that he could draw himself about what was before the two of them. but when they remind him about leaving behind a memento⌠that does seem pretty obvious, doesnât it? itâs not as though itâs new concept to him; he has been to many funerals where all that was left behind were mementos.
it was just⌠]
Memento?
[ what could he offer vash? punisher? âŚhis cross? ]
Iâm not exactly made of those.
no subject
It's...something. They don't have much time for there to be little things, but for now, they think maybe it is an aspect that can be worked with. For example, if they can convince him to create a number of mementos and he needs more time to create as many as possible for this Vash and whatnot.
They won't get too ahead of themselves, though. ]
Hmph. Not now you're not.
But, have you considered creating some? Or getting him some? Does he like jewelry?
[ No judgment on men liking jewelry. ]
...Or, what about a photo album?
no subject
still, he mulls over the idea of leaving vash photos. itâs probably what anyone would think of leaving behind when it comes to mementos. photos are designed to capture moments in time to remember for later, after all. however, as easy as it would be to do something like thatâ ]
Photos fade after a while, donât they?
[ wolfwood carefully revisits the concept of jewelry. metal is much better at withstanding the passage of time. though he has never bothered to ask if vash liked jewelry or notâwhat reason would he have to ask vash that to begin with? wolfwood is a bit distracted as he continues. ]
He wears an earring. Just one.
[ on his left side. not that matters much to the conversation but— ]
ând the guy is missinâ most of his left arm. He has a pretty fancy prosthetic to make up for it. Ya could barely tell that it isnât natural.
no subject
There's not exactly a Divine Key for preservation of an object - although there is for preservation of a number of bodies to help prolong a civilization in an emergency. But, this seems kind of extremely for a bunch of photos - plus there is no guarantee it would work on such inorganic matter.
Still, they feel that photos may be the best bet here...if there is a way to make it convenient.
Ah, wait... ]
Yes. Though, there could be a way around it.
Such as if they were able to be accessed on a digital platform - one that was sturdy and protected against forms of easy damage or data loss and corruption.
[ Hmm...maybe they could assemble something with their own knowledge at the helm and fortify it themselves. But, as for other considerations...? ]
Is he the type to be partial to bracelets, then? If he has a prosthetic that looks just as real as any other arm, it can be worn there or on his normal one as well?
no subject
instead and obviously, heâll mull over the idea of giving vash a bracelet. that feels slightly more like him. at least, it could be something he would gift to someone. âŚhas gifted to someone (when he was much younger). though he still finds himself furrowing his eyebrows as he thinks though the first question they asked him. ]
No idea.
I havenât seen him been given anythinâ that didnât serve some other purpose than keepinâ him safe or for defendinâ himself.
[ which is kind of sad if you think about it. the only things that vash has of peopleâthat he carries with himâare the scars on his skin, the clothes on his back, and the weapons that he carries with him. wolfwood continuing to frown the longer he spends with this. ]
He might like all of that stuff for all I know. [ âŚwould he? truthfully, wolfwood suspects that vash may cherish anything that was given to him. of course, it would mean that vash was around long enough to allow that to happen. ] Idiot probably doesnât own any of that because he canât trust himself to not losinâ it whenever he finds himself gettingâ into trouble.
no subject
Yet, that is how they know it is odd after further consideration. They should receive so many expressions of gratitude, really. They are helping.
But, as they consider whether or not it'd be ultimately practical, or finding some way to incorporate it in some other manner, Wolfwood himself seems to be giving it some thought. There's not really much to confirm which one would be better.
Though...
Both so happens to be an option as well, right? Why just one or the other? But, getting a bracelet would be more of a matter of considering what type. So maybe that one can be solved far more quickly for sure. ]
Hmm. Well, if there was a way to be certain to have a gift stick to him without losing it with ease, I'm sure he'd be amenable to it.
For example, with a bracelet, it's easy to wear, and hard to lose under most circumstances, considering the type of item it is. The other option - well, there can be a creative method to arrange the same, but we can come back to that.
What color is his earring? Does he have any particular liking for any kinds of gems? Colors?
no subject
[ and as much as wolfwood would like to get a better explanation out of void archives about what they meant by that, itâs much easier to answer the question that he knows. âŚeven if a part of him wants to tell void archives that they saw vashâan illusion of him but vash nevertheless. ]
Uh, his earring is gold, and I just said that I donât have any idea of what kind of preferences he could have with gems and all of that.
[ despite saying this wolfwood is going to divide some of his attention to think about what kind of gems could like. âŚnot that wolfwood has a wide knowledge of the different kind of gems out there and the colors, shapes, and sizes that they can all come in. he was but a modest orphan before he was taken away to be transformed into a ruthless murderer. with the limited knowledge that he does have, though, he starts to wonder if this might be too muchâŚ
sure heâs entertaining the idea of leaving vash a memento but why does it seem like this might lead to something more than just that. especially when he thinks about how a bracelet still might be too cumbersome and run the risk of being destroyed. ]
Iâm not sure if itâs his favorite color, but he looks good in red. Iâve only ever really seen him wearinâ that red coat, so Iâd guess heâs a fan of the color.
[ this is where wolfwood would go on and further elaborate that vash had a soft spot for geraniums if it was knowledge that he knew. unfortunately, he doesnât know vashâs connection with the flower so heâs just going to think about the idea of getting vash a bracelet. âŚor maybe something else..? ]
no subject
[ And here they thought Wolfwood was just being shy about the preferences thing...but, alright! Gold.
They can work with that, because that color and metal looks good with a lot of things, really. They should know - and that makes them suddenly all the more confident. As if they were anything but right about now, with the way they're plowing through this.
'He looks good in red', though, huh...they let out an amused huff, hearing that. ]
But, I understand now.
A good-sized gold bracelet inlaid with a small, singular garnet, perhaps. Or it could just simply be rose-gold to have that added flare of subtle red without dealing with a small gem.
Does that sound reasonable? I imagine such an item can be treated to make it quite durable as well, hm? Unless there's anything else that comes to mind?
[ So that's an in-depth suggestion out there in the wild as of now. Alongside whatever else Wolfwood may be thinking (?) and Void Archives' other idea still for the photos option. ]
no subject
case in point: ]
Rose-gold? [ reminder, he was just a simple orphan before everything happened so much. ] Are we really talkinâ about a bracelet here?
[ not that what they tell him sounds bad, itâs just not something that he would have considered for a bracelet. his idea of a bracelet is something silver or gold (what the fuck is rose-gold) with some engraving or some sort of cool design. this is the limit of his knowledge of jewelry. ]
What yer talkinâ about sounds like the kinds of words yaâd use for a ring. [ ...ah.
may void archives not capitalize on the momentarily pause to realize what he had just said. or, even if they do, he will immediately add to what he had said. do not get crazy ideas, cube. wolfwood is not about to give vash a ring to remember him by. (at least this is what heâs telling himself presently.) what kind of message would he be accomplishing there? ]
—which will certainly give a guy the wrong idea if I just start off with handinâ him a ring.
[ PROBABLY? there are only so many ways you can take gifting someone such a fancy sounding ring, right? or, even if isnât that fancy comparatively to others, it is fancy for wolfwood. ]
no subject
Bracelets come in rose-gold. Have you never seen that before?
[ They'd understand if not, though of course they are used to seeing grand things - Otto came from a VERY rich family, and they observed him for about 500 or so years even when their knowledge was used for certain purposes or whatnot. To say the least of the fact that they would be knowledgeable about certain objects due to what they are in the first place... ]
Well, either way, they are very much in existence. There is also a good amount of time to witness them in person - and it is quite the necessity in order to narrow down the one that would be most applicable, anyway.
[ But, imagine a bracelet with a engraving of "W" for Wolfwood...that'd make it even more personalized, and potentially precious!
Then, they pause as Wolfwood mentions the ring and then they get this sort of look on their face. One that spells no-good - or maybe it's helpful? Totally exactly that. ]
...Oh my. A ring?
You'd certainly give him ideas if you handed him a ring. Hmm, you know, I hadn't considered that as an option. But, if you wished to profess your undying affection for him, as well as solidify it, and immortalize it in one singular fashion, a ring would certainly be a way to do it.
After all, it certainly doesn't have to be an indication you'll immediately be jumping for a wedding. But, engagement rings are not out of style.
[ So. Making Vash his fiance doesn't sound too odd, right? Sorry not sorry. ]